Steven Aoki's Blog Archive

2010-2019 Decade in Review
12/31/19 5:57 PM PST
Best of 2010-2019 Worst of 2010-2019
Year 2010 2016
Events that happened to Steve
  1. Hearing that the United States got Osama bin Laden.
  2. (tie) Watching overdue sports triumphs: the USWNT finally winning that 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in my favorite soccer match of all-time (after their bitter loss in 2011); and Roger Federer finally winning his 18th Grand Slam title (after over four years of disappointment) by narrowly outlasting Rafael Nadal in my favorite tennis match of all-time.
  3. (tie) Rooting for Serena Williams as she won lots of big tennis tournaments in her 30's including the Serena Slam 2.0, a 2012 Olympics gold medal, and finally her 23rd Grand Slam title to break Steffi Graf's Open era record; and rooting for Roger Federer as he won the 2012 Wimbledon, 2017 Wimbledon (for a record-breaking eighth Wimbledon title), and 2018 Australian Open for an overall even total of 20 Grand Slam titles.
  4. Unexpectedly headlining my very own magazine ad.
  5. (tie) Attending some excellent live events: "LOST LIVE: The Final Celebration" at the UCLA Royce Hall, a Muse concert, one of Michael Flatley's final performances from one of the best seats in the house, and the "Game of Thrones Live Concert Experience".
  6. (tie) Vacationing outside of my comfort zone in both England (where I watched an Olympic Federer match at Wimbledon, witnessed Phelps break the record for most Olympic medals, and successfully crossed through the Channel Tunnel in a stick-shift car with everything reversed) and Brazil (where I watched a thrilling Rafael Nadal Olympic tennis semifinal, witnessed Michael Phelps win his 23rd Olympic gold medal, watched Usain Bolt win his third straight Olympic gold medal in the 100M sprint, and toured Itaipú Dam); and vacationing in New York with my siblings.
  7. Getting an awesome new toilet that flushes without clogging.
  8. (tie) Attending WWE pay-per-view events: unexpectedly landing the perfect seat for the Buried Alive Match; finally seeing The Rock lay the smackdown at WrestleMania XXVII; and watching WrestleMania XXVIII from the first row, including Rock vs. Cena and a historic "End of an Era" Hell in a Cell dream match.
  9. Three-peating a good appraisal at work.
  10. (tie) Watching two of the greatest baseball games ever: the San Francisco Giants winning Game 7 of the 2014 World Series, and the Chicago Cubs winning Game 7 of the 2016 World Series; and watching American Pharoah win the Triple Crown after a 37-year drought.
Honorable mentions: Landing front row at the Olympic ladies' figure skating competition; attending Royal Rumble 2010, WrestleMania XXVI, and TLC 2010; and watching the best football game ever, Super Bowl XLIX, while snacking on mixed nuts in my hotel room.
  1. Watching my Dad suffer emotionally and physically before his eventual death.
  2. The U.S. presidential election of 2016 giving rise to post-truth politics and disinformation.
  3. A self-diagnosed sinus infection causing me to feel dizziness for weeks whenever I tilted my head or got up too quickly.
  4. Finding out that the friend who maintained my web site server murdered his newlywed wife and then himself.
  5. (tie) Feeling bummed from watching bitter sports disappointments like Michael Phelps losing his signature Olympic race (with me in the audience), Roger Federer losing his Olympic gold medal final and various Grand Slam matches that he could have won (most notably the 2019 Wimbledon final he lost after blowing double match point on his serve), Serena Williams blowing the Calendar Grand Slam in 2015 and losing multiple Grand Slam finals, the Golden State Warriors blowing a 3-1 NBA Finals lead in a historic loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, and watching Lindsey Jacobellis every four years blow her chance at redemption in Olympics snowboard cross.
  6. Losing interest in flying after getting airsick on certain flights; most notably the time I fought motion sickness during my airplane's descent at ATL, then getting to smell the vomit of the kid in front of me.
  7. Weathering the California drought, smoky California wildfires, and global warming.
  8. Attending memorial services for my brother-in-law, three aunts, and one uncle.
  9. Tolerating lousy washing machines at my apartment complex that stain my clothes after I was spoiled on the high-efficiency one at my Dad's old house.
  10. Seeing and hearing squatters across the fence from my parking lot every day for months (including one night where I heard a chilling disturbance).
Movies
  1. "Inception" (2010)
    "I bow to Christopher Nolan's mad genius."
    "...the magnum opus of Christopher Nolan."
  2. "Toy Story 3" (2010)
    "Quite possibly the funniest, most touching 'Toy Story' of them all."
  3. "Zero Dark Thirty" (2012)
    "Brutally honest and spine-chillingly good."
  4. "Les Misérables" (2012)
    "Bravo to this ensemble cast for some stellar heartwrenching performances."
    "...probably the best theatrical adaptation of a musical that I've ever seen."
  5. "Gravity" (2013)
    "A breathtaking cinematic ride by Alfonso Cuarón, fraught with jaw-dropping zero-g peril."
    "...still feel awed by it."
  6. "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" (2013)
    "A concise, yet faithful adaptation of the novel that succeeded in keeping all of my favorite scenes while trimming out the excess."
  7. "Mad Max: Fury Road" (2015)
    "Magnificent eye-popping insanity..."
  8. "searching" (2018)
    "I found a lot of the film's details relatable and emblematic of the times we live in..."
  9. "Lion" (2016)
    "...I've never felt so emotional watching someone web surf."
  10. "Train to Busan" (2016)
    "Stressfully thrilling South Korean zombie flick..."

Honorable mention: "A Quiet Place" (2018)
"Heart-tugging, excruciatingly tense John Krasinski film..."
  1. "Blair Witch" (2016)
    "Not only did this new installment completely fail to scare me, it relentlessly tried to nauseate me with unsteady camerawork."
  2. "Swiss Army Man" (2016)
    "So it probably goes without saying that I found this film pretty cringeworthy and tasteless."
  3. "Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives" (2011)
    "WTF, dude. WTF."
  4. "The Last Exorcism Part II" (2013)
    "Virtually worthless sequel..."
  5. "Texas Chainsaw 3D" (2013)
    "...a disgrace rather than just bad. :("
  6. "Piranha 3DD" (2012)
    "Every bit as stupid as the first 'Piranha 3D', and then some."
  7. "Silent House" (2012)
    "In practice, it sucked."
  8. "The Future" (2011)
    "Maybe performance art just doesn't appeal to me, because I found this whole film torturously lame."
  9. "Need for Speed" (2014)
    "Harebrained plot and torturously asinine characters."
  10. "Transformers: Age of Extinction" (2014)
    "A mind-numbing, illogical, visually taxing ordeal that lumbered on and on and on (until finally it ended in a completely nonsensical way)."

Dishonorable mention: "3 from Hell" (2019)
"Depraved Rob Zombie threequel...that I immediately regretted watching."
Acting performances
  1. Meryl Streep in "The Iron Lady" (2011)
  2. Jennifer Lawrence in "The Hunger Games" (2012)
  3. Hugh Jackman in "Les Misérables" (2012)
  4. Octavia Spencer in "The Help" (2011)
  5. Bradley Cooper in "Silver Linings Playbook" (2012)
Honorable mention: Viola Davis in "Fences" (2016)
  1. Jesse Eisenberg in "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" (2016)
  2. Aaron Paul in "Need for Speed" (2014)
  3. Dylan O'Brien in "The Maze Runner" (2014)
  4. Ken Jeong in "Transformers: Dark of the Moon" (2011)
  5. Shia LaBeouf in "Transformers: Dark of the Moon" (2011)
Dishonorable mention: Jared Leto in "Suicide Squad" (2016)
Songs
  1. "Style" Taylor Swift (2015)
  2. "Shadow" Chromatics (2017)
  3. "Stereo Love (Spanish Version)" Edward Maya & Vika Jigulina (2010)
  4. "Madness" Muse (2012)
  5. "A Real Hero" College f/ Electric Youth (2011)
  6. "Brave" Sara Bareilles (2013)
  7. "Naturally" Selena Gomez & The Scene (2010)
  8. "Dangerous" Big Data f/ Joywave (2013)
  9. "The One That Got Away" Katy Perry (2012)
  10. "I Choose You" Sara Bareilles (2014)
  1. "Yonkers" Tyler, The Creator (2011)
  2. "Friday" Rebecca Black (2011)
  3. "Famous" Kanye West (2016)
  4. "Fake Love" Drake (2016)
  5. "2 Phones" Kevin Gates (2016)
  6. "Naked" James Arthur (2017)
  7. "Supernova" Ansel Elgort (2018)
  8. "B*TCH I'M BELLA THORNE" Bella Thorne (2018)
  9. "Better Now" Post Malone (2018)
  10. "FRIENDS" Marshmello & Anne-Marie (2018)
Music video "Style" Taylor Swift "Came Back Haunted" Nine Inch Nails
TV series
  1. "Game of Thrones"
  2. "Dexter"
  3. "Breaking Bad"
  4. "The Walking Dead"
  5. "Survivor"
  1. "The Bachelor" and "The Bachelorette"
  2. "Temptation Island"
  3. "TMZ on TV"
  4. "Jersey Shore"
  5. (tie) "American Idol", "America's Got Talent", "The Voice", "The X Factor"
Commercial Android commercial where rock, paper, and scissors come together. Offensive Miracle Mattress commercial where the spokespeople spoof 9/11.
Movie trailer "The Tree of Life" (2011) "The Woods" (2016)
Director Christopher Nolan Michael Bay
Holiday movie marathon 2019
12/31/19 2:55 AM PST
Watched movie: "Little Women" (2019)
I liked the dialogue and the acting, but got disoriented by all the seamless flashbacks. I found it particularly inappropriate how the narrative tricked me into thinking the dying sister recovered. :( Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Clemency" (2019)
Depressing winner of the U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic at Sundance about a prison warden (Alfre Woodard) who loses sleep over the death row executions she carries out. The movie crawled along with nary any plot. Excellent performances from Alfre Woodard and Aldis Hodge though. Rating: 5
Watched movie: "1917" (2019)
Real-time WWI epic, littered with great British actors, that follows two British messengers as they race across a war-torn French countryside to stop a battalion of 1600 men from walking into a German trap. I was impressed by the lifelike WWI warzones and the seamless-looking continuous takes. I also liked the disbelief that some of the characters showed, for example, the dismay that anyone would intentionally cross "no man's land" and the French woman's astonishment that the messenger's canteen contained milk. As for the real-time action, I enjoyed it despite the "plot armor" that made a complete mockery of the German soldiers' aim. Rating: 7
2019 Year in Review
12/27/19 4:20 PM PST
Best of 2019 Worst of 2019
Events that happened to Steve
  1. Watching the USWNT successfully defend their Women's World Cup title, especially when goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher made the save of her life in the semi-final and Rose Lavelle struck the goal of her life in the final.
  2. Receiving five extra vacation days for my 20-year service anniversary at IBM.
  3. My workplace providing free tea all-day during business hours.
  4. Attending my niece's rehearsal dinner and wedding in Oregon.
  5. Enjoying an epic weekend of "Avengers: Endgame" on Saturday and the mother of all "Game of Thrones" battles on Sunday.

Honorable mention: My favorite taqueria for chili verde reopening.
  1. Finding out that the friend who maintained my web site server murdered his newlywed wife and then himself.
  2. Roger Federer blowing double match point on his serve during his loss to Novak Djokovic in the longest Wimbledon gentlemen's final ever.
  3. Marvelling at how injury after injury scuttled the Golden State Warriors' near completion of an NBA championship three-peat, most notably Kevin Durant rupturing his Achilles tendon his first game back from a calf strain, and Klay Thompson tearing his ACL in Game 6 after already missing Game 3 with a hamstring strain.
  4. (tie) Serena Williams, serving on match point at 5-1 in the final set of her Australian Open quarterfinal against Karolina Pliskova, turning her ankle and going on to lose the next six games; Roger Federer failing to convert all 12 break points in his 4th round loss to Stefanos Tsitsipas at the Australian Open; Serena losing the Wimbledon final to an opponent she literally defeated 9 out of 10 times; and Serena losing the US Open final to a teenager.
  5. "Game of Thrones" ruining one of their most iconic characters so badly that I get sad trying to watch old episodes with her now.
Movies
  1. "Avengers: Endgame"
    "Too hilarious and entertaining for me to hold any major plot holes against it."
  2. "Knives Out"
    "A brilliant crime mystery by Rian Johnson that subverted the genre so masterfully, I couldn't predict a single twist in it."
  3. "Parasite"
    "An unpredictable, class-conscious Oscar entry from South Korea that also won the Palme d'Or."
  4. "Rocketman"
    "An exhilarating fantasy musical about Elton John's life..."
  5. "The Farewell"
    "Tearjerking, bittersweet dramedy about a Chinese family..."
  6. "Toy Story 4"
    "...I found this new installment hilarious (especially the new character 'Forky')..."
  7. "Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood"
    "Out of all the 1969 nostalgia loaded into this fun new Tarantino flick, I got the biggest kick out of Bruce Lee and his cocky posturing."
  8. "A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood"
    "Poignantly emotional drama..."
  9. "Marriage Story"
    "Big props to both Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson for their powerhouse performances."
  10. "Ready or Not"
    "Amusing horror thriller...the bride made understandable mistakes rather than dumb horror movie mistakes."
  1. "3 from Hell"
    "Depraved Rob Zombie threequel...that I immediately regretted watching."
  2. "The Prodigy"
    "Halfway decent bad-seed horror flick...until the last act soured me."
  3. "The Curse of La Llorona"
    "...portrayed her as just another loud, un-scary monster in the Conjuring franchise."
  4. "Shazam!"
    "Just asinine all around."
  5. "The Angry Birds Movie 2"
    "What does that say about a comedy when the pee scene struck me as the funniest gag?"
  6. "Angel Has Fallen"
    "Soulless threequel...Plenty of explosions and killings but nary and emotion or humor."
  7. "Annabelle Comes Home"
    "Boring and fraught with mind-numbing behavior..."
  8. "Escape Room"
    "...meaningless trials and banal PG-13 deaths."
  9. "The Art of Self-Defense"
    "Uncomfortably dark comedy that tried to make toxic masculinity a laughing matter."
  10. "Ford v Ferrari"
    "Quite possibly the dumbest sports movie I've ever seen."
Songs
  1. "The Way I Am" Gavin Haley f/ Ella Vos
  2. "Boom" X Ambassadors
  3. "bad guy" Billie Eilish
  4. "Only Human" Jonas Brothers
  5. "Twerk" City Girls f/ Cardi B
Honorable mention: "I Don't Care" Ed Sheeran and Justin Bieber
  1. "CHopstix" ScHoolboy Q (witH Travis Scott)
  2. "break up with your girlfriend, i'm bored" Ariana Grande
  3. "Twang" Mason Ramsey
  4. "Lover" Taylor Swift
  5. "Lose You to Love Me" Selena Gomez
TV series (tie) "Game of Thrones" and "Mr. Robot" "Survivor: Island of the Idols"
Commercial Google Assistant commercial where Google Assistant solves problems in famous movies. Peloton Bike commercial where a wife spends a year soppily gushing over a surprise Christmas gift from her husband: an exercise bike she doesn't need.
Movie trailer (tie) "A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood" and "Uncut Gems" and "Wonder Woman 1984" (tie) "Sonic the Hedgehog" (first trailer) and "Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar"
whoami
12/26/19 7:52 PM PST

The "Mr. Robot" series finale left me with mixed feelings. I was about to proclaim it one of the worst finales in TV history, but then was relieved that the ending managed to right the ship. I'm still unhappy that this whole time, we've been watching Darlene bond with a fake brother...but the show could've ended so much worse.

I watched the IMAX-exclusive prologue of "Tenet". Didn't know was going on, but I already think this will be my favorite movie of 2020. :)

Watched movie: "Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker" (2019) in 3D
One awesome scene, two or so good scenes, and a much more compelling character arc for Rey--but at least 90 minutes worth of plot filler that tested my patience. Also tired of Finn asking where Rey is, and found that kiss between Han Solo's killer and Rey sickening. Side note: It amused me to read all the ways that this movie dissed The Last Jedi. Rating: 6
"Another incident"
12/12/19 11:02 PM PST

Man, when that last "Survivor: Island of the Idols" tribal council unexpectedly went to commercial--then afterward showed Jeff Probst somberly approaching camp--I seriously thought someone had died. What a relief to hear the producers finally got rid of Dan, who to my dismay was STILL touching women even after the producers warned him. Too bad they didn't do this before he ruined the entire season. It's also lame to me that the show just dropped this major bombshell with as little information as possible, then tried to pivot into the finale like that's the more important thing to care about.

In other TV news, I'm really enjoying this final season of "Mr. Robot". It's like watching a modern-day Ender and Valentine Wiggin synergize as one. I hope the upcoming two-part series finale doesn't disappoint. I'm also curious how this final "Supernatural" season will end, as the mid-season finale finally confirmed the earlier canon that the universe cannot survive without God. I like how the show has been bringing back previously recurring characters like the deaf hunter Eileen and the Winchesters' half-brother Adam.

The CW recently began airing a 5-episode crossover of all their DC superhero shows, titled "Crisis on Infinite Earths". I've actually been watching it to see what became of characters from other DC multiverses, such as Burt Ward's Robin, Clark & Lois Kent from "Smallville", Brandon Routh's Superman from the "Superman Returns" movie, Huntress from the "Birds of Prey" TV series, Tom Ellis' Lucifer Morningstar, and John Wesley Shipp's Flash. Amusingly, Brandon Routh also plays the Ray Palmer character--so the episode had to use split screen when they met each other. I also didn't realize that Erica Durance was playing both Supergirl's mother and Smallville's Lois Kent. P.S. Why do both Supergirl and Superman bother to disguise themselves with glasses among characters who already know their secret identity?

Watched movie: "Marriage Story" (2019)
An ironically (?) titled drama of raw emotion wherein a separated couple's mutual desire for an amicable divorce turns nasty a la "Kramer vs. Kramer". But how could it not when the wife (Scarlett Johansson) moves away to Los Angeles and wants their 8-year-old son to live with her? The way I saw it, the husband (Adam Driver) deserved custody because they and their son lived in New York all his life. Admittedly, I found Adam Driver more sympathetic and blamed Scarlett Johansson for letting her lawyer (Laura Dern) think and speak for her. But I give the movie credit for trying to balance both sides of the story. Big props to both Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson for their powerhouse performances. Rating: 7
November rain
11/30/19 6:20 PM PST
Watched movie: "The Irishman" (2019)
Although these Scorsese mobster movies all feel alike to me, I would say this one entertained me the most. The dialogue gleamed with street-smarts and dry wit (especially that amusing Harvey Keitel conversation). Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, and Joe Pesci all mesmerized me with their performances. My only major complaint would be the bloated runtime. At well over three hours, I started losing patience on why this film wouldn't end. Rating: 7
Watched movie: "Ford v Ferrari" (2019)
Quite possibly the dumbest sports movie I've ever seen. I could stomach the occasionally corny and formulaic scenes in the first couple of hours, but the film's climactic racecar event (the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans)--where the movie tried to BS me that I should applaud veritable cheaters--left me outraged. Rating: 4
Watched movie: "A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood" (2019)
Poignantly emotional drama wherein beloved children's TV host Fred Rogers (played to perfection by Tom Hanks) counsels a cynical journalist who (understandably) can't forgive his louse of a father. This guy actually felt sorry, though. I wonder what Mister Rogers would say about people who don't feel sorry and don't deserve forgiveness? Admittedly, I've never been able to sit through a single episode of "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" because of my hardened cynicism. But I enjoyed this movie. Rating: 7
Watched movie: "Knives Out" (2019)
A brilliant crime mystery by Rian Johnson that subverted the genre so masterfully, I couldn't predict a single twist in it. For starters, the movie starred an unusual murder suspect who physically could not lie (like something out of an Isaac Asimov novel). I wasn't sure whether we were supposed to root for her or the private eye (played by Daniel Craig). Then there's the glaring question of whether I was even watching a whodunit, because the film seemed to rule out all possibility that the victim was murdered. All in all, I find Rian Johnson's unpredictable plotlines refreshing and continue to enjoy his work. P.S. I couldn't stop thinking about how I would resolve that inheritance quagmire. My proposed solution: forgive what anyone did after the will reading, and return the assets to the family based upon Harlan's previous will--but keep the culprit's share and the embezzled amount. Also think up special stipulations for the neo-Nazi's share. Rating: 8
Watched movie: "Frozen II" (2019) in RPX & 3D
The plot didn't make much sense and I already forgot all of the songs, but I admired the majestic elemental visuals. Also liked the melancholy atmosphere and the intimate musical soliloquies. That is, whenever Olaf wasn't killing the mood like a bull in a china shop. :( Stay after the credits. Rating: 6
"Producers continue to monitor the situation."
11/14/19 6:36 PM PST

Ugly, ugly merge episode of "Survivor: Island of the Idols" last night. It's inexcusable how Dan kept touching women. I distinctly remember Kellee asking him to stop earlier this season. Then for both Missy and Elizabeth to exploit this and embellish their own stories about how Dan inappropriately touched them, with Missy even coaching Elizabeth on how to manipulate Janet into believing them? Then afterward lying that Janet made it all up?! Irredeemable! I also never liked Aaron, but his uninformed attack on Janet hit a new low. And finally on a more minor note, I'm not happy with Dean for secretly voting against the real-life friend who saved him last tribal council. So yeah, I fully expect to have no one left to root for by the end of the season.

Fire and Blood
11/12/19 5:13 PM PST

Big Game of Thrones shake-ups. The showrunners pulled out of the next Star Wars trilogy citing scheduling conflicts. Rumor has it that either Marvel Studios or Last Jedi director Rian Johnson will replace them. HBO also canceled the Game of Thrones prequel starring Naomi Watts, despite already shooting a full pilot episode. Instead, HBO has ordered 10 episodes of "House of the Dragon", a GoT prequel about the Targaryen civil war within the Seven Kingdoms. Although my favorite GoT director Miguel Sapochnik will be a co-showrunner and direct the pilot, I can't bring myself to care about Targaryens right now.

In other news, I was amused to read about the Hollywood outrage over a speed-binge feature that Netflix began testing. This new mobile feature can vary the speed at which subscribers watch the shows, from 50 percent slower to 50 percent faster. And filmmakers hate the thought of their characters sounding like chipmunks. Apparently, most podcast and audiobook apps already use this feature so that listeners can speed read or slow down difficult text.

Watched movie: "Terminator: Dark Fate" (2019) in RPX
Direct sequel to "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" that in my judgment, surpassed all of the sequels it trampled upon. (I say "trampled upon" because one single scene managed to wipe them all from existence.) Though just like the recent Star Wars sequels, I felt that the iconic cast members (Linda Hamilton and Arnold Schwarzenegger) carried the movie with their screen presence while the new characters foundered. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Doctor Sleep" (2019)
Continuation to Stanley Kubrick's "The Shining" based on Stephen King's recent novel about a grown-up Danny Torrance. The movie lasted 2.5 hours but didn't feel long. I liked all the "shine" fights between the protagonists and antagonists--they reminded me of another 1980's film called "Scanners". The return of the haunted Overlook Hotel actually brought this movie down for me, as I found it superfluous and felt the elucidation of the ghosts hurt its mystique. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Jojo Rabbit" (2019)
I feared for Taika Waititi's career when he directed this comedy that portrayed Adolf Hitler and the Nazis as silly caricatures. But this movie actually balanced comedy and somber emotion quite well. It reminded me fondly of "Life Is Beautiful". Rating: 7
Top of the food chain
10/26/19 5:45 PM PDT
Watched movie: "Zombieland: Double Tap" (2019) in RPX
Ten years after these filmmakers made one of the smartest zombie flicks I've ever seen, they decided to make this unapologetically dumb sequel to it. Although this sequel still featured the same clever rules for surviving a zombie apocalypse, the rules became marginalized by some of the stupidest behavior imaginable. Stupid behavior that somehow didn't get the characters killed! Stay during and after the credits. Rating: 5
Watched movie: "Dolor y Gloria" a.k.a. "Pain and Glory" (2019)
Nostalgic Oscar entry from Spain reminiscent of "Roma". I particularly liked the main character's childhood flashbacks of his poverty-stricken mother and their whitewashed cave house. But to my disappointment, the movie never showed any parts of his life where he flourished as a film director and/or made his mother proud. The movie just felt like all "pain" and no "glory". Rating: 5
Watched movie: "Maleficent: Mistress of Evil" (2019) in 3D
Surprisingly disturbing for a Disney movie. I liked its exploration of disinformation and nationalism, but felt that it really screwed up its anti-war message. You can't just broker peace with a kingdom that sanctioned chemical weapons and genocide (complete with its own gas chamber!), and you can't just tie off a film full of deaths and atrocities with a happy kumbaya ending where grieving (?) survivors illogically get along now and the queen has become a comic relief goat. Both that queen and the Nazi-like experimenter should been prosecuted for war crimes and hung. P.S. I loved that whole awkward dinner scene. Rating: 5
Watched movie: "Gisaengchung" a.k.a. "Parasite" (2019)
An unpredictable, class-conscious Oscar entry from South Korea that also won the Palme d'Or. The movie starts with a poverty-stricken con artist who dreams of a better life. When he forges credentials to tutor a rich couple's daughter in English and gains their trust, this becomes a foothold for the rest of his poverty-stricken, con artist family. Because of how well the film sculpted the characters' conflicting motivations, I felt I could identify with their different points of view. For instance, I couldn't really blame the upper class family for their spoiled attitude and I couldn't really blame the lower class family for their moral decay (I can clearly pinpoint exactly where I thought they crossed the line though). Rating: 8
Public safety
10/10/19 5:41 PM PDT

Despite a forewarning from my apartment complex that the PG&E Public Safety Power Shutoff would shutdown my electricity on October 9 (due to high wind and wildfire risk in northern California), nothing happened. All the waiting, delays in the scheduled time, and uncertainty felt like mild psychological torture. Didn't help that the PG&E web site was down all the time either. But I guess I should be thankful my neighborhood's electricity stayed on while regions north, south, east, and west of us lost power (potentially for seven days). Regions that weren't even windy.

In other news, I noticed heightened security at my "Joker" screening: two security guards at the auditorium entrance, and I had to show my ticket and ID to enter. Then as I sat inside, I heard shouting and saw security escort out a handful of guys. As compensation for the disturbance, everyone in the screening received an AMC guest pass good for one free movie.

I was planning to see "Gemini Man" because Ang Lee directed it, but now I'm planning to skip it. Apparently, Ang Lee used 3D+ in HFR (High Frame Rate) technology, and that's the only format available for the 3-D screenings in my area. So to see this poorly-reviewed movie as the filmmaker intended, I have to give myself a headache. :(

Watched movie: "Joker" (2019)
Grounded origin story for Batman's archnemesis that made him a sympathetic character who tried to medicate himself and overcome his mental illness. Although I didn't feel that the movie endorsed violence, I did feel like it glamorized criminal insanity. Some parts got pretty cringeworthy. Other parts, I must admit, amused me--like when his social behavior got conspicuously deviant. (I would be like, WTF if I heard that maniacal laughter in public.) My biggest complaint: the film needlessly retconning the Wayne family into the Joker's origin story. My biggest compliment: Joaquin Phoenix's acting. Rating: 6
"They know what they did."
09/29/19 12:20 AM PDT

Recently, I've been enjoying a new reality show on MTV titled "Ghosted: Love Gone Missing". In each episode, the two investigators help a stumped person solve why their friend or lover suddenly cut off all contact with them. It's like a cross between "Searching" (where the investigators look for leads on social media) and "Law & Order" (where the investigators interview people of interest). The investigators brainstorm theories, cross them off based on the clues they find, and sometimes even suspect the stumped person of hiding something. I like how the first few episodes yielded bombshell twists (this latest episode, not so much). Is the show exploitative? I would say yes. But the people seem all too happy to appear on TV, and the show does seem to mend friendships and help people heal.

Watched movie: "3 from Hell" (2019)
Depraved Rob Zombie threequel to "House of 1000 Corpses" and "The Devil's Rejects" that I immediately regretted watching. Is this supposed to be entertaining, watching serial killers humiliate and murder innocent people? Admittedly, Sheri Moon Zombie's psycho performance made me think she would've played Harley Quinn better than Margot Robbie. Rating: 3
Watched movie: "Ad Astra" (2019) in IMAX
Melancholy sci-fi film where a stoic astronaut (Brad Pitt) embarks on a classified mission to stop destructive antimatter surges from his long lost father's spaceship. I enjoyed the lunar rover fighting and the Mars rocket incident. After that, the movie got anticlimactic for me. Also, I personally would have cut out all of Brad Pitt's narration. Because between that and his psychological evaluations, I grew tired of his droning monologues pretty quickly. P.S. Why couldn't Brad Pitt just record his messages from Earth? Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Rambo: Last Blood" (2019) in RPX
Cartoonishly violent with some laughable overkills, e.g., John Rambo inexplicably shotgunning a bad guy's body after he already blew his head off, and riddling bad guys with bullets even though they were already impaled on a bed of spikes. The violence also felt pointless. But honestly, I enjoyed the carnage way more than all the lackluster drama earlier in the movie. So boring watching a "peaceful" John Rambo. Rating: 5
Losing streak
09/09/19 6:08 PM PDT

Well, Serena Williams now has a second consecutive US Open finals loss to compliment her second consecutive Wimbledon finals loss. You would think that according to the law of averages, she would have one at least one. But for her last four Grand Slam finals, she couldn't win a single set. I mostly blame her first serve for this slump. Same goes for Roger Federer in the quarterfinals match he lost. Once these two they can't get their first serves in anymore, it's game over.

Congratulations to Rafael Nadal on his 19th Grand Slam title. Now he's just one French Open away from tying Federer's career total. I've never seen anyone grind and scrap for every point like Nadal does, and I never thought his body would hold up this long. If he does surpass Federer's Grand Slam record, he definitely earned it.

I finally screened my first movie (the third installment in the Fallen film series) in Dolby Cinema at my local AMC theatre. The auditorium features laser projection, bone-rattling audio, and tiered rows of black leather recliners. Suspicious how the film was only available in this format. A marketing ploy by AMC, perhaps, to spoil customers and hook them on this more expensive premium offering? Thing is, AMC Stubs A-List members like me already get this offering for free.

Watched movie: "Angel Has Fallen" (2019) in Dolby Cinema
Soulless threequel wherein all of America turns on Secret Service hero Gerard Butler despite everything he did for the country in both "Olympus Has Fallen" and "London Has Fallen". Plenty of explosions and killings but nary and emotion or humor. And a lot of the storylines just ended anticlimactically, e.g., the migraines, the trusted friend who royally screwed him, the Jada Pinkett Smith investigation, and the reconciliation with his father. Stay during the credits. Rating: 4
Watched movie: "It Chapter Two" (2019)
So exasperating watching the adult Losers Club members walk into Pennywise's traps over and over. Somehow James McAvoy managed to outdo his little brother's mind-boggling horror movie mistake from the first film! I also found the special effects bad. But all in all, I actually liked this movie a lot. Mostly because I liked the whole adult Losers Club cast and yearned for them to kill this gay shaming, fat shaming, deplorably toxic bully who exploits all of their deepest emotional scars and insecurities. The survivors' pain felt unadulterated, their suffering felt real, and their purification of Pennywise's cancerous abuse felt cathartic. My only major criticism: the way the film romanticized Stan's cowardly suicide near the end. I also question why the movie needed such a protracted hate crime scene if it wasn't even going to follow up on it. Rating: 7
"You wouldn't like me when I'm angry."
08/26/19 4:32 PM PDT

Recently I've been looking through old episodes of "The Incredible Hulk", searching for the best "hulk out" where Bill Bixby's eyes turn greenish-gray and he metamorphosizes into Lou Ferrigno. I finally found the three that really stuck out in my memory as a kid:

I concluded my favorite "hulk out" was still the one where he awoke with the greenish-gray eyes right next to his newlywed wife, triggered by a nightmare where she boarded a bus driven by the Grim Reaper. This also used to be my favorite episode, until I re-watched it and discovered offensive banter where they mocked Chinese accents. So my new favorite episode became "Homecoming", where David Banner's family learned about his condition (this episode also had a "hulk out" triggered by a nightmare).

Watched movie: "The Angry Birds Movie 2" (2019) in D-BOX & 3D
What does that say about a comedy when the pee scene struck me as the funniest gag? Really I just wanted escapist entertainment of birds crashing through things, not asinine jokes and toxic romantic conflicts, i.e., Red being a jerk to a more qualified female teammate and the villain getting jilted at the altar. Rating: 4
Watched movie: "Ready or Not" (2019)
Amusing horror thriller wherein a happy bride, to the horror of her wealthy in-law family, draws the worst possible card out of their box of time-honored wedding night games: hide and seek. The rules: the family must capture and sacrifice her before sunrise or die horribly. The funniest part was how spoiled and inexperienced the family was, with some of them like the groom and best man not even trying. I also liked how the bride made understandable mistakes rather than dumb horror movie mistakes. Rating: 7
Next level
08/16/19 2:50 PM PDT

Another delay for the opening of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. Now it won't open until some time after the Oscars ceremony on February 9, 2020. Which is weird because I just recently saw another preshow about it, hyping the exhibits.

Also while waiting for my movie to start, I was excited to see a teaser for the new Christopher Nolan film releasing in July 2020. I couldn't tell what John David Washington was doing in the clips, but it was enough for me to declare "Tenet" as the movie I most want to see next year.

Looks like the people who made one of my favorite movies of the decade, "searching", will make a sequel to it with different characters and a new story. Other new movies in development I'm looking forward to:

Watched movie: "Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw" (2019) in D-BOX
A surprisingly exhilarating action flick where the action sequences actually had psychology to them. For example, fighters course-correcting their MMA to exploit vulnerabilities and muscle car drivers strategizing against a helicopter in a tug of war. Also liked some of the sweet motorcycle stunts. I credit the D-BOX with enlivening the experience (and actually making my body sore afterward). As for Deckard Shaw, I still have trouble rooting for him. I also felt that these new comic relief characters wore out their welcome pretty quickly. Stay during and after the credits for asinine scenes that have nothing to do with the larger Fast & Furious universe, including an inexcusable "Game of Thrones" spoiler that actually triggered me into lowering my movie rating! (Good thing I already finished that series.) Rating: 6
The end of MoviePass
07/31/19 6:55 PM PDT

The AMC Theatres web site implemented an interesting new feature: now when I sign in, a pop-up asks me to rate the movie I just saw. I can also like or dislike each trailer that preceded the film. Unfortunately, my answers disappear into whatever black hole collects their customer feedback metrics, but wouldn't that be cool if I could review this historic data whenever I wanted. It would be like a record book for cinephiles.

Well, Regal Entertainment finally announced their own subscription program to rival AMC Stubs A-List, named Regal Unlimited. For $18 per month + tax, subscribers can watch as many standard format movies as they want, whenever they want. The catch? Insulting extra fees. A $0.50 convenience fee to reserve tickets online. An extra surcharge for IMAX, RPX, or 3D. An extra $3 per month for the three Regal theatres in the Santa Maria area. An extra $5.50 per month for the closest Regal theatre to me in the Bay Area, 45 minutes away. And they even require a photo of me to prevent fraud. So, yeah...PASS.

Watched movie: "The Art of Self-Defense" (2019)
Uncomfortably dark comedy that tried to make toxic masculinity a laughing matter. Cases in point: the protagonist throat punching his seemingly decent boss for no good reason, and a dog getting fatally beaten just because it wasn't macho enough. Oh, and apparently we're still supposed to root for this protagonist after he murdered a policeman. So yeah, for me this "dark comedy" lacked comedy and was just dark. Rating: 4
Watched movie: "Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood" (2019)
Out of all the 1969 nostalgia loaded into this fun new Tarantino flick, I got the biggest kick out of Bruce Lee and his cocky posturing. Admittedly, I was hoping for more of a Western where the two TV gunslingers become gallant heroes and recruit Bruce Lee against the Manson Family. Instead, the two gunslingers wound up being a couple of goofs who turned the whole Manson storyline into a complete farce. And when I think about it, Brad Pitt's whole storyline almost felt like a vanity project. The Sharon Tate storyline felt uneventful--I had to research it afterward to understand the point of it. So ultimately, it was Leonardo DiCaprio's storyline that moved me the most despite its low stakes, i.e., wanting his self-respect back. That scene where he tried to psych himself up (and the Bruce Lee scene) highlighted the movie for me. Stay during the credits. Rating: 7
Watched movie: "The Farewell" (2019)
Tearjerking, bittersweet dramedy about a Chinese family who hides their grandmother's stage IV lung cancer diagnosis from her and even fakes a wedding (!) to bring everyone together. Which made me wish that my own mother could've had this same heartwarming, asymptomatic experience. My mother was Japanese but had a lot of funny similarities with this grandmother, e.g., falling for hoaxes and coaching the family on what to say in public. Rating: 7
Within an ace of
07/19/19 4:01 PM PDT

Worst Wimbledon ever. First Serena Williams got massacred by Simona Halep, an opponent whom Serena literally beat 9 out of 10 times in their head-to-head. Now Serena has lost three straight Grand Slam finals for the first time in her career, and who knows how many more chances she'll get to tie Margaret Court's all-time record of 24 Grand Slam titles. I guess on the bright side, Serena continues to reach Grand Slam finals while the other WTA players enter and exit these tournaments like a revolving door.

The Gentlemen's Singles final proved far more gut-wrenching. Roger Federer had the match won, ahead 8-7 in the fifth set and serving for the match at 40-15. DOUBLE MATCH POINT and he blew it! Novak Djokovic went on to win the tiebreaker at 12-12 in the fifth set. I can't think of a tennis loss more painful to me than this one.

Watched movie: "Annabelle Comes Home" (2019)
Boring and fraught with mind-numbing behavior, starting with the girl who shrugged off the "WARNING! POSITIVELY DO NOT OPEN" sign on the glass case of that hideous doll. I think this is the first Conjuring installment to actually show what the Annabelle demon looks like. Not very scary, if you ask me. I found only one spirit in that whole room of uninspiring horrors scary: the TV. Rating: 4
Watched movie: "Crawl" (2019)
An okay horror thriller/disaster movie wherein alligators terrorize both a swimmer and her father inside a flooding crawl space during a Category 5 hurricane. Dunno why it got such a high score on Rotten Tomatoes. I guess alligators just don't scare me, having observed them from an airboat in their natural habitat. Side note: I found it hard to believe that both characters could sustain gruesome wounds like that without going into shock. :P Rating: 5
Four stars
07/09/19 11:59 PM PDT

Congratulations to the USWNT for successfully defending their Women's World Cup title, extending the FIFA record for most all-time Women's World Cup victories to four, and earning another ticker tape parade in New York City! Not as thrilling as the earlier semi-final against England (I blame the Netherlands team for playing defensively to make that whole first half scoreless), but I'll take it. I guess it paid off for coach Jill Ellis to start Megan Rapinoe and Rose Lavelle despite their hamstring injuries, as they ended up scoring the only two goals of the game (I can watch replays of that awesome Rose Lavelle goal all day). I also developed a love-hate relationship with the video review system after it favored the U.S. this time around, catching a hard foul on Alex Morgan in the penalty area.

In other news, an earthquake hit southern California and wobbled the mall I was eating in. I just shrugged it off, but to my surprise people began panicking and dashing towards the exits. I guess for people who aren't used to earthquakes, the experience can be alarming.

Watched movie: "Midsommar" (2019)
Another perturbing horror flick by the director of "Hereditary" wherein American college students witness macabre rituals at a sunshiney Swedish cult. Once again, I found the interpersonal drama and psychological horror much more interesting than the batty cult stuff. (I was particularly disturbed when characters normalized and/or took an academic interest in the horrors.) Unfortunately, the batty cult stuff took up most of the movie, and the film lasted almost two and a half hours. So yeah, too much batty cult stuff for me. Rating: 5
Watched movie: "Spider-Man: Far from Home" (2019) in 3D
Fun follow-up to "Avengers: Endgame", featuring a timely villain. I enjoyed all the comedy but felt that the original "Spider-Man 2" handled the MJ storyline way better. Stay during and after the credits for two huge scenes. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Yesterday" (2019)
Anticlimactic Danny Boyle film wherein a struggling musician wakes up to a reality where inexplicably, The Beatles (and products like Coca-Cola) never existed. The parts I enjoyed the most:
  • The musician blowing people's minds with his Beatles song covers.
  • Google displaying alternate results whenever the musician searched for something nonexistent.
  • The musician struggling to recollect the lyrics to "Eleanor Rigby".
  • The musician suffering people's critiques of iconic Beatles canon.
Once the novelty wore off and the musician began regretting his plagiarism, the movie started to slump for me. Rating: 6
Alis volat propriis
07/02/19 10:08 PM PDT

I'm back from rural Sisters, Oregon after my niece got married in a beautiful outdoors wedding backdropped with stark, snowy mountains. Amazingly, the weather cooperated with hot sun during the ceremony and then lightning storms during the indoor reception. For me, the rehearsal dinner highlighted the whole trip because of all the funny and tear-jerking toasts.

Also tried ginger pills for the first time after my sister scared me with warnings of her nightmare roller coaster flight into Oregon. Though I have no idea whether the pills worked or not, as my flights went relatively smoothly.

Now that the Golden State Warriors have ended an era with their loss of Kevin Durant and Andre Iguodala, the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup is the latest tournament wrecking my nerves now with the U.S. narrowly defeating England in the semi-finals. A 2-2 score and overtime seemed like a forgone conclusion when the referee--following a headshakingly lame video review--gifted England with a penalty kick in the waning minutes of regulation. That's when the USWNT goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher, who worried me ever since her bad blunder against Spain, made the save of her life. Man what a rush--my heart wouldn't stop racing afterward.

I'm rooting against Sweden in the other semi-final because I'm still sore about the 2016 Summer Olympics, when Sweden broke the USWNT's undefeated quarterfinal streak in major tournaments. That loss also led to legendary albeit controversial goalkeeper Hope Solo getting kicked off the team.

Using my AMC Stubs A-List membership, I watched the "Avengers: Endgame" re-release with the following new post-credits bonus content:

  1. A behind-the-scenes look at Stan Lee's Marvel movie cameos.
  2. A deleted scene that introduced an incompletely-CGI'd Professor Hulk rescuing people from a burning building before his meeting with Steve Rogers.
  3. A clip previewing Nick Fury and Maria Hill meeting Mysterio in Mexico in "Spider-Man: Far from Home".

Disappointing, if you ask me.

Watched movie: "Toy Story 4" (2019) in 3D
Or as I like to think of it, the overdue emancipation of Woody. :) Although I found this new installment hilarious (especially the new character "Forky"), it actually raised some thorny ethical issues for me. For starters, if this girl has the power to create sentient life from a spork, I feel like she needs to be made aware so he doesn't get thrown away. In fact, maybe all of the toys should reveal they're alive to shame these fickle humans from mistreating them. :P Stay during the credits. Rating: 7
Goodbye yellow brick road
06/19/19 5:51 PM PDT

Steph Curry summed up my reaction to Game 6 of the NBA Finals when he threw the ball on the ground and sat dejected on the court right after Klay Thompson injured his knee. I'm convinced that the Golden State Warriors would've absolutely won that game had Klay not gone down. It just blows my mind how many important Warriors players dropped like flies this postseason. It's like they couldn't catch a break.

As a result, I had no interest in watching Game 7 without Klay there to keep it competitive. So I wasn't even mad that Steph Curry missed the game-winning shot in Game 6. (I was mad when he missed the game-winning shot in Game 7 vs. the Cleveland Cavaliers, but nobody seems to remember that.) If anything, I blame the Warriors players who couldn't make free throws if their lives depended on it. It's like, just watch how Curry shoots them and copy his form.

Watched movie: "Rocketman" (2019)
An exhilarating fantasy musical about Elton John's life, reminiscent of "Across the Universe". Although I'm convinced that Taron Egerton overdramatized his portrayal of the real Elton John, credit to Taron and the filmmakers for energizing Elton's songs with emotion, artistry, and glamour. In particular, "Crocodile Rock" and "I'm Still Standing" sounded really good when Taron started them out slowly like ballads. Rating: 7
Watched movie: "The Dead Don't Die" (2019)
Unsurprisingly deadpan zombie comedy by Jim Jarmusch. To give you a sense of how deadpan the humor is, the funniest part of the movie for me was the crime scene where the director reused identical shots and dialogue each time a new police officer rolled up (also when Adam Driver exclaimed "oh, yuck!"). I would've rated the film higher, but I felt like it fell apart at the end when it broke the fourth wall and tried to spoon-feed a message about the zombies to the audience. Rating: 6
Game not over
06/11/19 4:51 PM PDT

Well, congratulations to Rafael Nadal on winning his 12th French Open, making him the only player (male or female) in tennis history to win 12 titles at a single Grand Slam. And he's probably not done either.

The emotional roller coaster ride continues with the Golden State Warriors surviving a Game 5 elimination from the NBA Finals by one point, but re-losing Kevin Durant to a soul-crushing Achilles' injury in the second quarter. (Unfortunately I was one of the Warriors fans that wanted to expedite his return for whatever percent he could give, even if it meant just standing in the corner shooting threes.) I was ready to be a good sport and congratulate the Toronto Raptors on their first-ever NBA championship for Canada, but that all changed when I saw how Raptors fans cheered and taunted Durant's injury. Now I want them disgraced and humiliated.

In other news, I finally unsubscribed to HBO, and even received a $30 partial refund from the cable person as compensation for how badly "Game of Thrones" ended--even though I told him I thought the show ended fine. I definitely wouldn't rank it down there with the series finales for "How I Met Your Mother", "Lost", and my least favorite of all-time: "Dexter".

I read that the "Game of Thrones" showrunners, David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, will take over the next Star Wars trilogy slated to release in 2022, 2024, and 2026. I wonder if the narrative will span different parts of the galaxy like that animated map of Westeros. In any case, I hope they get Miguel Sapochnik to direct the battles (and maybe Ramin Djawadi for the music). P.S. It's still unknown when the Star Wars trilogy from The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson will release.

Watched movie: "Godzilla: King of the Monsters" (2019) in 3D
Fun sequel to the U.S. "Godzilla" reboot wherein Monarch sides with Godzilla against his archnemesis Ghidorah to save humanity from a MonsterVerse free-for-all. Although it's hard to care about the revolving door of scientists in this franchise, I did find a couple of their sacrifices valiant. I also came to realize that monster movies need these human scenes to hype up the fights, and to cut away from fights that could start boring the audience. Stay after the credits. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "The Secret Life of Pets 2" (2019) in 3D
Mixed bag of some thin pet storylines that had some funny moments, but didn't really amount to anything meaningful. The way I saw it, the least interesting plot (the silly rescue of the circus tiger cub) completely marginalized the only plot with any heart and substance in it (Max's affection for his owner's child). Stay during the credits. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Dark Phoenix" (2019) in 3D
Although I've never been a fan of the Dark Phoenix saga, this film certainly adapted the storyline much better than "X-Men: The Last Stand". The visual effects showcased the mutants' powers superbly. And finally after six X-Men movies, we got one that explored the fatherly relationship between Prof. Xavier and Jean Grey. I wasn't happy with how the movie depicted Hank McCoy and Mystique though--especially their bad attitudes toward someone as selfless as Charles Xavier. And over what, exactly? BS how he got treated. I also wasn't fond of how the film just made up a bunch of generic aliens to be the villains--but gotta love how madly they were able to sprint. :) Rating: 6
The Last Watch
05/27/19 10:16 PM PDT

I haven't gotten around to canceling my HBO subscription yet. On Sunday, I actually sat through HBO's two-hour documentary that went behind-the-scenes of the final season of "Game of Thrones". Amazing how much time and effort went into making scenes for each of the six episodes, from constructing gigantic sets to preparing all of the extras to filming at night for 55 days to overworked production crew in over their heads. It retrospect, it made that fan petition for HBO to re-make the final season look really disrespectful.

Incidentally, "Game of Thrones" now sits atop my countdown of top 10 favorite TVs shows of all time. It knocked off "Twin Peaks", a show that I can no longer defend after that exasperating third season. Admittedly, "Game of Thrones" had its own missteps, but so did the other nine shows in my top ten. :P

Watched movie: "John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum" (2019) in IMAX
Another entertaining action spectacle, this time highlighted by a library scuffle, an epic knife throwing fight, and an amusingly star-struck villain. Admittedly, the headshots, dog attacks, and overly-armored gunmen got kind of repetitive. :) Rating: 7
Watched movie: "Brightburn" (2019)
A gory, cringeworthy horror movie wherein a Kansas couple raises a baby boy who crashed to Earth in a meteorite. The twist: he has the powers of Superman but the mind of a serial killer. So basically, this film was just a one-sided slasher flick where nobody could do anything. Rating: 5
Watched movie: "Ying" (2018) a.k.a. "Shadow" (2019)
Another masterstroke of Shakespearean intrigue from Zhang Yimou wherein a dying general recruits his own body double in a plot to reclaim their people's homeland (currently occupied by a rival kingdom) against their own king's wishes. Normally I would root for peace over war, but I felt like this king cared too much about his signature peace treaty and was appeasing the rival kingdom too much. So once that rival kingdom outrageously insulted the king's princess sister, I was like to hell with peace. Although the princess was actually just a side character, I had mad respect for her and concluded that she was the best thing about the movie. Rating: 7
Strength in numbers
05/11/19 10:52 PM PDT

Congratulations to the Golden State Warriors for eliminating the Houston Rockets in the Western Conference semifinals, in quite possibly my favorite basketball game of all-time. Even better than the NBA Finals games where they won the NBA championship! Why, you ask? For starters, I wanted so badly for the Warriors to shut the Rockets up. I lost respect for the Rockets when a) they audited Game 7 of last year's Western Conference finals (the one where they missed 27 straight 3-pointers) and actually tried to convince league officials that the referees cost them an NBA championship, and when b) James Harden whined about wanting a "fair chance" from the refs because he expected favorable foul calls for jumping into defenders. Not to mention c) Chris Paul's flopping and complaining, and this whole conceit that the Rockets would have won last year's Western Conference finals had he not injured his hamstring at the end of Game 5.

Secondly, I fully expected the Warriors to lose to the Rockets barring some kind of magical alignment of the stars. After that devastating sight of Kevin Durant limping off the court, I pictured a Charlie Brown-like baseball team with Steph Curry missing more point-blank shots, Klay Thompson missing in action, and the Warriors bench embarrassing themselves. But to my amazement, everybody on the team shined, even Steph Curry after all signs, i.e., scoring zero points in the entire first half (!!) pointed to him blowing another game for the Warriors.

The Long Night
04/30/19 7:42 PM PDT

What an epic weekend to be alive: box-office-shattering "Avengers: Endgame" on Saturday and the mother of all "Game of Thrones" battles on Sunday. Both exceeded my expectations, and I successfully avoided all spoilers.

Watched movie: "Avengers: Endgame" (2019) in RPX & 3D
Too hilarious and entertaining for me to hold any major plot holes against it. In particular, the movie hit comedy paydirt with washed-up Thor. A fitting end to nearly 11 years worth of quality Marvel Cinematic Universe films. Rating: 8
Twentieth year anniversary at IBM
04/26/19 2:05 PM PDT

Today marks my 20th anniversary at IBM. The secret to my longevity here? Cynicism. :) I haven't decided yet when and where I'll use my five extra vacation days. Maybe when this Academy Museum of Motion Pictures finally opens.

What kind of "Supernatural" season finale was that. Is my favorite character on this show, God, a villain now?? I have no idea how the upcoming final season will end.

Watched movie: "The Curse of La Llorona" (2019)
Kinda lame how this Conjuring installment appropriated Mexico's most fearsome ghost and portrayed her as just another loud, un-scary monster in the Conjuring franchise. She looked like an angry opera clown. The closest the movie came to something scary: the sleepwalking kids. Rating: 4
www.saoki.org
04/20/19 5:46 PM PDT

My web site is back online at www.saoki.org. I lost my Google search rankings since I have no way of redirecting from the old location, but all things considered I can't complain.

I quit PayPal for good. To my chagrin, they denied the case I opened regarding the money I sent for my web site last month. Seeing as I had paid someone who unbeknownst to me, had been deceased since December, I thought I had a good argument for a refund. Now I'm wondering whether PayPal gets to keep that money. In any case, they're on my "blacklist" now (even though I rarely used them anyway) along with JetBlue Airways for that time they casually changed my flight date.

I'm also annoyed with Regal Crown Club. I redeemed thousands of credits for one free movie ticket, and the cashier charged me an extra $1.50 because it was still the first week the film had been released. I literally bought hundreds of dollars worth of movie tickets from them, and they have the gall to attach strings to their paltry little loyalty program. The program's a joke compared to AMC Stubs A-List. Even though AMC is raising the membership's monthly rate to $23.95, that's still an enormous bargain.

Congratulations to Kofi Kingston and Daniel Bryan for easily the best, most emotional match of WrestleMania 35. A cathartic end to a classic Cinderella storyline. Plus it happened early enough in the card when the crowd still had energy. By the time the historic women's main event rolled around, the crowd had been sitting there for around seven hours (and nothing ruins a match like a dead crowd).

I've lost a lot of interest in WrestleMania now that the Undertaker no longer seems to be one of its attractions. The main show's ridiculously long now (almost five and a half hours, even without the lengthy Undertaker entrance in it). It needs to have less matches and less Triple H (both match time and entrance time). And cut out all musical acts, backstage vignettes, and promos.

Watched movie: "Shazam!" (2019) in 3D
Once again, a DC movie that failed me on comedy. Just asinine all around. Witless gags, dangerously irresponsible shenanigans, and an overly serious supervillain who somehow couldn't seem to beat a bunch of silly kids. I also felt that the film dropped the ball on that whole birth mother storyline, which could've been really emotional but just went nowhere. Stay during and after the credits. Rating: 4
Watched movie: "Missing Link" (2019) in 3D
Moderately amusing stop-motion adventure from Laika wherein a lonely, talking Sasquatch and two human explorers search for Yetis in the Himalayas. Most of the humor came from slapstick and the Sasquatch's misinterpretation of human language. Stay during the credits. Rating: 6
Jocelyn Casdorph 1982-2018
04/10/19 4:19 PM PDT

My web site at saoki.site0.com went down. When I e-mailed my friend who maintains the server and it bounced back, I googled him and was shocked to discover that he had fatally shot his newlywed wife and then turned the gun on himself...exactly three months after their wedding. The whole time we were roommates in college, I never noticed any warning signs. I did notice that he and his wife were very private. When I had dinner with them about three years ago, neither of them mentioned that his mother and brother had been murdered by his father just three months prior. (I didn't learn about it until I attended their wedding.)

"And then everybody died. The End." (spoiler alert)
04/02/19 4:01 PM PDT

The long-awaited final season of "Game of Thrones" is almost upon us, and it's only six episodes so I hope they fit in everything I've longed to see.

SPOILER ALERT: Instead of hiding everything with a spoiler tag, I appended my current thoughts on the "Game of Thrones" series after the graphic below. Warning! Do not scroll down until after you have watched SEASON SEVEN of "Game of Thrones"!

Maybe this is just wish fulfillment, but I'll be sorely disappointed if the series ends without the following payoffs:

P.S. Hopefully the YouTube reaction videos for this final season won't nitpick the pacing and complain about why Bran doesn't know everything. That annoyed me last season.

SEASON 8 SPOILER ALERT: Instead of hiding everything with a spoiler tag, I appended my thoughts on each season 8 episode after the graphic below. Warning! Do not scroll past the titles of episodes that you haven't watched yet!

Update 4/30/2019 ("The Long Night" spoiler alert): Director Miguel Sapochnik and musical genius Ramin Djawadi crafted another masterpiece episode. It didn't just have me on the edge of my seat, it had me standing up and hovering anxiously in front of the TV (I watched it in HD from inside a dark hotel room, so I had no issues with the episode lighting). During that climactic curveball of an assassination, I felt overcome with astonishment, relief, and gratitude. It managed to catch me off guard even though I had predicted Arya as the third or fourth most likely character to kill the Night King (and all of the scenarios I predicted involved Jon preoccupying the Night King, not running around on some kind of fool's errand). The scene reminded me fondly of my favorite Lord of the Rings twist when Gollum saved Middle-earth instead of Frodo. I was also legitimately concerned that the episode would end in a cliffhanger where the Night King triumphs. P.S. The main characters who died went out so heroically that I didn't even feel sad for them.

Update 5/7/2019 ("The Last of the Starks" spoiler alert): To tell you the truth, I've never really been a fan of Sansa and Daenerys. But after Sansa "so-called" Stark broke her promise to Jon this episode (and also betrayed Daenerys after everything she sacrificed for Winterfell), I'm done with her. Interestingly, I actually like Daenerys a lot more now. She lost a dragon and half of her armies fighting for Winterfell, and in return got a broken heart, a lack of appreciation and loyalty from the North, and a weaker claim to the Iron Throne thanks to a much more beloved heir. This would make for an intriguing ending if she betrayed the Starks, e.g., exiled Jon to beyond the Wall, and/or ruled the Seven Kingdoms as a tyrant. I feel like it's futile trying to predict the ending. The show can go happy (Jon and Daenerys rule together and maybe she turns out to be pregnant), bittersweet (one of them dies), tragic (both die and Tyrion takes the Iron Throne), or ideological (do away with the Iron Throne altogether).

Update 5/14/2019 ("The Bells" spoiler alert): Welp, the streak is over. Miguel Sapochnik finally directed an episode that I hated. Now I know why Jon couldn't say goodbye to Ghost--the show must have wasted their CGI budget on scene after scene of senseless genocide (including peril scenes of Arya just running around doing nothing like Jon). I mostly blame the writers though, for irrevocably assassinating Daenerys' character and throwing away eight seasons of her development. I've never been a fan of hers--and she's always had glimmers of "mad queen"--but she deserved so much better than leaping from beloved war hero to genocidal madwoman in just two episodes. The writers actually had her hunting and incinerating every civilian she could, completely ignoring Cersei who ultimately received a humanized, romantic death! P.S. Tickets went on sale for the next "Game Of Thrones Live Concert Experience", but last time I went they played Targaryen music which is probably going to sicken me now. :P

Update 5/21/2019 ("The Iron Throne" spoiler alert): I liked the series finale, particularly when Tyrion flung his Hand of the Queen brooch on the ground and when the Starks got their own montage. Initially, I felt utter dismay and outrage that Bran the tree became king instead of rightful heir Jon. But then after stewing on it for a couple of days, I concluded that Bran would actually make the best king. I've always maintained that the Iron Throne was beneath Jon, and I've always liked the thought of Jon roaming north of the Wall with Ghost and the Wildlings he shepherded. I also loved Arya's dream of venturing west of Westeros ever since she mentioned it two seasons ago. The way I look at it, the Starks won the "game of thrones" and all of my favorite characters got happy endings. I even liked Jaime's ending--he always did long for deeds to be proud of in The Book of Brothers, and I never felt his character deserved a "happily ever after". So for me, the only character that the show mucked up was Daenerys. The writers just seemed hell-bent on demonizing her character beyond recognition (even giving her Lucifer wings to that effect, and having Arya call her a killer as if we still needed more convincing after last episode's holocaust). At least the finale wrote off Daenerys in a tasteful, dignified way--and I did grow to like this whole notion of Drogon melting the true villain in this entire series, the Iron Throne itself. So in conclusion, I actually liked the final season (except for one episode) and won't be signing that online petition for HBO to re-make it. :)

The Calm Before
03/26/19 1:25 PM PDT

What a macabre episode of "The Walking Dead". I give it points for audacity, but also found it in bad taste and disrespectful to long-time cast members. At first I thought the show was resorting to shock value to help its declining ratings, but then I found out later that they were actually reenacting a landmark scene from the comic book (and that comic book fans were dreading it). The show even changed the identities to swerve all of the comic book fans. I tell you man, that comic book is messed up.

To my relief, WWE officially announced that the Raw Women’s Championship Match featuring Ronda Rousey vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Becky Lynch will headline WrestleMania 35. Women will finally headline WrestleMania for the first time in history, and I won't have to suffer another Roman Reigns main event! It's also the only match of interest to me out of the other 13 or so underwhelming matches on the card. :P

Duality
03/22/19 6:13 PM PDT

AMC sure has a good thing going with this Stubs A-List program. When I first joined the membership almost nine months ago, I averaged more than 10 free movies a month. Naturally, this pace was too difficult to sustain. Today, I've only screened two free movies in the entire month of March. So for $19.95, I only watched $32.88 worth of free movies. Still a bargain, but it doesn't count the money I spent on concessions. I've also become spoiled with reserving my seat online, skipping the ticket purchase line, and printing my ticket straight from a kiosk. It's become too big of a convenience for me to entertain giving up.

I don't think I'm alone either. I read that other members have been seeing movies more than once, and even bringing along friends and family members who don't have memberships.

Watched movie: "Us" (2019) in IMAX
If this second film from Jordan Peele was meant to be a social commentary on Americans, I don't know what that message is. :) The premise reminded me of "Invasion of the Body Snatchers", except that these doppelgängers mimicked their counterparts so badly that they seemed more like cruel parodies than imposters. Overall I enjoyed the movie's style, and found it amusing whenever the doppelgängers hammed it up or acted like they had ADD. Rating: 7
Sometimes dead is better
03/13/19 4:38 PM PDT

AMC announced development of a third Walking Dead series, in addition to "The Walking Dead" and "Fear the Walking Dead". Pass.

A lot of movies coming out that I'm not interested in either. Examples:

On the plus side, it appears that at long last, I'm free from having to suffer through any more Transformers or Sharknado sequels.

Watched movie: "Captain Marvel" (2019) in 3D
Basically the Marvel equivalent of Superman with all the same flaws as Superman, i.e., smugly powerful with a lack of personality and humor. Who would have thought that Nick Fury and a cat would be the most fun part of a movie for me. Stay during and after the credits. Rating: 6
Return to the fold
02/28/19 6:29 PM PST

That's really good news that Roman Reigns' leukemia went into remission. Having said that, the WWE better not book him into the WrestleMania main event for a fifth time in a row. I really started liking this idea of women main-evening WrestleMania for the first time ever.

I'm strongly considering buying a Nintendo Switch after I found out that Capcom will release two of the best survivor horror games of all time, "Resident Evil" and "Resident Evil 4", on May 21 of this year. (Capcom is releasing "Resident Evil Zero" as well, but I found this game so awful I never finished it.) I'm mostly interested in "Super Mario Maker 2" though--especially the types of troll levels I can create. :)

Looks like video gaming changed since I've been away (I stopped after Sony Playstation 2 and Nintendo Game Cube)--apparently instead of cartridges or discs, I can just buy and download digital games straight to the Nintendo console now.

Watched movie: "Alita: Battle Angel" (2019) in IMAX 3D
Impressive CGI and motion capture effects, especially when it came to Alita's facial expressions (I had mixed feelings about the oversized eyes). Unfortunately, Alita was about the only thing I found interesting about the movie--and at times, her character felt unbearably pretentious. Her narrative also kept changing directions midstream (female Jason Bourne, bounty hunter, Motorball racer, etc.) as if the plot had just tossed together a bunch of stuff from the manga series. Rating: 5
Watched movie: "How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World" (2019) in 3D
Surprisingly bittersweet threequel where Hiccup faces the grim reality that humanity will turn dragons into an endangered species. I guess I didn't expect this children's fantasy franchise to grow up in such a way. Rating: 7
Building blocks
02/16/19 7:11 PM PST

I would easily call that heart-wrenching 300th episode of "Supernatural" the best of the whole series. Jeffrey Dean Morgan returned as John Winchester, and made me forget all about his genocidal, irredeemable character on "The Walking Dead".

Here's some news that I'm following closely: an Academy Museum of Motion Pictures is going to open this year in Los Angeles with a Hayao Miyazaki exhibition, the first major U.S. exhibition of his work. The museum will feature a state-of-the-art 1000-seat David Geffen Theater inside a spherical building, and a 288-seat Ted Mann Theater. Count me in.

Also found out (to the delight of Mario Maker streamers everywhere) that "Super Mario Maker 2" is coming out for the Nintendo Switch this June. "Super Mario Maker" first came out in 2015, and I'm still impressed by the vast subculture it spawned in the video gaming community.

Watched movie: "The Prodigy" (2019)
Halfway decent bad-seed horror flick...until the last act soured me. The movie started out promising by creeping up ordinary things like a staring contest, hide-and-seek, and nighttimes. But then it became too unbelievable how much this reincarnated serial killer was allowed to get away with. Rating: 4
Watched movie: "The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part" (2019) in 3D
Direct sequel to "The LEGO Movie" that begins with childlike DUPLO invaders laying waste to Bricksburg. I found the quality and humor comparable to the first film. Side note: I still can't tell whether these LEGO characters have free will. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Happy Death Day 2U" (2019)
Usually I like these "Groundhog Day" movies where the main character relives the same day over and over again--but this one went off the rails. It took the perfectly fine time loop premise from the first movie and spun it into a complete mess. Fortunately, the character drama saved the film from total disaster. I also liked a lot of the comedy, with a couple of glaring exceptions: the bad taste suicide montage and the dumb blind woman gags. Stay during the credits for another scene I found stupid. Rating: 6
To Infinity Gauntlet and beyond
02/04/19 6:22 PM PST

Thanks to an oversight I made during my data migration to a new laptop, I permanently lost all of my archived e-mails prior to 2010. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized how little I missed any of these e-mails. So out of all of my early contenders for "worst of the year" list, this won't be one of them. :) (I might shortlist Super Bowl LIII though. Quite possibly the worst football game I've ever seen.)

In other news, now that Alfonso Cuarón won the DGA, here are my Oscar predictions for 2018:

I also compiled a new list of coming attractions that piqued my interest:

"Happy Death Day 2U" (February 13, 2019)
Clever sequel title. Given that the first "Happy Death Day" never confirmed what happened to Tree's infinite loop once she survived past her birthday, I thought it'd be an interesting twist if she died of old age and then reawoke on the morning of her birthday. :D The trailers for the sequel only showed bits and pieces, so I don't actually know what direction it will take.
"How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World" (February 22, 2019)
Toothless gets a love interest.
"Captain Marvel" (March 8, 2019)
Origin story for Carol Danvers played by Brie Larson. My first question is why Nick Fury didn't recruit her for the Avengers.
"Us" (March 22, 2019)
A new "social horror-thriller" from "Get Out" director Jordan Peele. Trailer looked really good.
"Avengers: Endgame" (April 26, 2019)
The end of an era?
"John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum" (May 17, 2019)
According to Keanu Reeves, the title came from a famous sentence: "Si vis pacem, para bellum" which translates to "If you want peace, prepare for war."
"Godzilla: King of the Monsters" (May 31, 2019)
Godzilla vs. other famous monster movie monsters.
"Toy Story 4" (June 21, 2019)
I'll see it even though the original trilogy ended perfectly.
"Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" (July 26, 2019)
Quentin Tarantino's next film that takes place during the Charles Manson murders in 1969 Los Angeles. Margot Robbie plays Sharon Tate.
"The New Mutants" (August 2, 2019)
A "horror" movie in the X-Men universe. Will this lead to an X-Force movie?
"It: Chapter Two" (September 6, 2019)
My hope that Jessica Chastain would play Beverly Marsh came true. This sequel picks up 27 years later.
A new Terminator 3 movie (November 1, 2019)
Linda Hamilton and Arnold Schwarzenegger return for a direct sequel to Terminator 2: Judgment Day. This installment pretends that Rise of the Machines, Salvation, Genisys, and The Sarah Connor Chronicles never happened. James Cameron is overseeing production, but not directing.
"Knives Out" (November 27, 2019)
An Agatha Christie-inspired whodunit directed by Rian Johnson.
"Star Wars: Episode IX" (December 20, 2019)
J.J. Abrams is directing the final installment in the trilogy.
"Grudge" (January 3, 2020)
A horror reboot that takes place in the United States instead of Japan, and reportedly changes the origin story of the curse.
Bond 25 (February 14, 2020)
Daniel Craig returns as James Bond. Interestingly, Léa Seydoux also returns as his love interest from the previous film.
"Godzilla vs. Kong" (May 22, 2020)
Directed by Adam Wingard. I'm already looking forward to the post-credit tease for this movie.
"Wonder Woman 1984" (June 5, 2020)
Why this particular year? A dystopian overtone, perhaps? Kristen Wiig plays Cheetah and Chris Pine plays...?
"BIOS" (October 2, 2020)
Tom Hanks plays a dying sole survivor on a post-apocalyptic Earth, who creates a robot to watch his dog. This one caught my eye because it's being directed by Miguel Sapochnik, known for directing the most epic "Game of Thrones" episodes ever.
"Death on the Nile" (October 22, 2020)
Another Agatha Christie novel that I never read. Kenneth Branagh returns as Hercule Poirot in a sequel to "Murder on the Orient Express".
Queen (nomi)nee
01/24/19 5:18 PM PST

I expected a hard time predicting the Academy Award for Best Picture this year after "Green Book" won the PGA. But now that both "Green Book" and "A Star Is Born" got snubbed for Best Director nominations, I think "Roma" has Best Picture in the bag.

Here's how I rated the 2018 Best Picture nominees from favorite to least favorite:

  1. "A Star Is Born" (My rating: 7)
  2. "Black Panther" (My rating: 7)
  3. "Green Book" (My rating: 7)
  4. "The Favourite" (My rating: 6)
  5. "Roma" (My rating: 6)
  6. "Bohemian Rhapsody" (My rating: 6)
  7. "Vice" (My rating: 5)
  8. "BlacKkKlansman" (My rating: 5)
Watched movie: "Glass" (2019) in RPX
Anticlimactic crossover of M. Night Shyamalan's superhero movies. And not just because of the underwhelming combat between David Dunn and The Horde. I mostly blame the new character, Dr. Ellie Staple, for bridling all three main characters' abilities and wasting screen time trying to debunk their powers (having seen both "Unbreakable" and "Split", I knew full well their powers were real). I felt like they never really got to let loose. It also disappointed me that the newly empowered Casey Cooke got relegated to underage love interest (?) for Kevin Wendell Crumb (ew). At least have her interact with David or Joseph Dunn. Rating: 5
Watched movie: "Bohemian Rhapsody" (2018)
Actually better than I thought. I felt Rami Malek played Freddie Mercury with great panache, and found the performance Oscarworthy. I also lit up whenever the Queen band members mulled over a composition that unbeknownst to them, would become a song for the ages. Especially "Bohemian Rhapsody", which I still remember the lyrics to. Who would have thought that this mishmash of gibberish would become one of the greatest rock songs ever made. Rating: 6
History in the unmaking
01/14/19 8:47 PM PST

I happened to catch the end of that NFC wild-card playoff game where the Chicago Bears lost to the Philadelphia Eagles, when Cody Parkey's field goal kick bounced off both the upright and crossbar. Afterward on my car radio, people called in to share their biggest sports disappointments. Mine would have to be once-in-a-lifetime losses that blemished my favorite players' historic careers and might bother me for the rest of my life:

  1. Roger Federer losing the Olympic gold medal final in 2012.
  2. Serena Williams blowing the Calendar Grand Slam in 2015.
  3. The Golden State Warriors ruining a record-breaking season and blowing a 3-1 NBA Finals lead in a historic loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016. Incidentally, LeBron James recently bragged that this win made him "the greatest player of all time".
  4. Michael Phelps losing his signature Olympic race, the men's 200 metre butterfly, in 2012 (with me in the audience).
  5. Honorable mention: Team USA losing the women's artistic team all-around gold medal to China in 2008.

Actually, I don't know why that last one still gets under my skin even after Team USA redeemed itself multiple times over. Somehow those images of Alicia Sacramone falling just trying to mount the balance beam, then flipping onto her back during the floor exercise just burned into my brain. :P

In tennis news, I guess this was Andy Murray's last Australian Open. Due to a lingering hip injury, he announced he will retire this year.

Watched movie: "Escape Room" (2019)
Despite my disinterest in escape rooms, the likeable and sharp players introduced in this movie gave me hope. Too bad the film kept wasting them in meaningless trials and banal PG-13 deaths. I did find the upside-down pool room kind of interesting. Rating: 4
Watched On Demand movie: "Busanhaeng" a.k.a. "Train to Busan" (2016)
Stressfully thrilling South Korean zombie flick similar to "World War Z" in that the zombies dash madly and swarm like ants (and the survivors even tape up their forearms). Interestingly, the main characters get stuck on a high-speed train line without any kind of firearms or knives, so they mostly have to just run like hell, trap the zombies inside the cars, sneak past them during stretches of dark tunnel, or (as a last resort) try to brawl with them without getting bitten. I really enjoyed the panic-inducing OMG sequences where all hell suddenly broke loose (especially when the survivors had to run from a tidal wave of zombies and madly stomp on their hands). Sometimes I frowned at the characters' choices (one inexplicable decision almost ruined the movie for me), their lack of vigilance (I'd always be eyeing the exits), or the film's villainization of potentially life-saving quarantine measures. But overall, I'd easily consider this one of the best zombie movies ever made. Rating: 8
Holiday movie marathon 2018
01/06/19 1:40 AM PST
Watched movie: "Aquaman" (2018) in 3D
Another DC movie that succeeds on action sequences, fails on comedy, phones in the villains, and mishmashes some kind of overwrought plot together. This time the plot device is a magical trident. I did like the Nicole Kidman story arc, brief as it was. Stay during the credits. Rating: 5
Watched movie: "Zimna wojna" a.k.a. "Cold War" (2018)
Concise black-and-white Oscar entry from Poland about the star-crossed romance between a composer and singer. Too concise, if you ask me. Although their on-again/off-again relationship spans several years and countries, the movie only shows the times when they're together. So in one particularly powerful scene, the singer gazes longingly at an empty chair...but then voilà, she reunites with the composer elsewhere in the very next scene with no explanation as to how they kept in touch that whole time. The runtime wasn't even 90 minutes, so the film could have afforded more context between the time periods. :) Overall, I liked the movie...but felt like the ending ruined it. :P Rating: 5
Watched movie: "Capharnaüm" a.k.a. "Capernaum" (2018)
Troubling Oscar entry from Lebanon wherein a 12-year-old runaway boy struggles to take care of an illegal immigrant's baby boy after she gets arrested. Usually I hate sitting through these movies where kids are forced to grow up in deplorable living conditions, but in this case I found it mildly entertaining watching such a smart little street hustler. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Destroyer" (2018)
Absorbing crime drama wherein an unrecognizable Nicole Kidman plays an LAPD detective hell-bent on finding the head bank robber from a tragic 17-year-old undercover assignment in her past. Sometimes the directing got pretentious, e.g., the ending and the telepathic (?) flashback, and a couple of the scenes struck me as stupid, e.g., the handjob and the Russian roulette. But when the flashbacks finally showed why Nicole Kidman felt such soul-crushing guilt, that did not disappoint. Rating: 6
2018 Year in Review
12/27/18 3:42 PM PST
Best of 2018 Worst of 2018
Events that happened to Steve
  1. Watching Roger Federer win his 20th Grand Slam title at the Australian Open.
  2. Cruising down US 101 in my brand-new 2018 Corolla, listening to my favorite music.
  3. Making out like a bandit on free movies with my AMC Stubs A-List membership.
  4. Vacationing in Hawaii and attending my nephew's beautiful wedding there.
  5. Watching Caroline Wozniacki finally win her first Grand Slam title at the Australian Open.
Honorable mentions:
  • Watching triumphs at the PyeongChang 2018 Olympics: Shaun White narrowly becoming the first snowboarder ever to win three Olympic gold medals, Mikaela Shiffrin unexpectedly winning a gold medal in the giant slalom, Jessie Diggins and Kikkan Randall sprinting to the first gold medal in U.S. cross-country team history, the U.S. women’s ice hockey team redeeming themselves in their gold medal rematch against Canada, and Team Shuster improbably winning America's first-ever gold medal in Olympic curling.
  • Watching Simona Halep finally win her first Grand Slam title at the 2018 French Open; and watching Justify win the Triple Crown.
  1. Powerlessly cringing at Serena Williams' meltdown in the 2018 US Open women's final.
  2. Watching Lindsey Jacobellis place fourth in the Olympics snowboard cross final after she led the majority of the race.
  3. Inhaling unhealthy polluted air for several days from the northern California Camp Fire.
  4. (tie) Watching Roger Federer blow a match point and a big lead against Kevin Anderson in the Wimbledon quarterfinals, and watching Serena Williams lose the Wimbledon final.
  5. Suffering torturously muggy weather in Hawaii without air conditioning.
Movies
  1. "searching"
    "I found a lot of the film's details relatable and emblematic of the times we live in..."
  2. "A Quiet Place"
    "Heart-tugging, excruciatingly tense John Krasinski film..."
  3. "Isle of Dogs"
    "In my opinion, the best and most emotional film Wes Anderson has ever done."
  4. "Avengers: Infinity War"
    "Outstanding comedy..."
  5. "Widows"
    "One helluva heist film..."
  6. "A Star Is Born"
    "Emotional and exhilarating Oscar contender..."
  7. "Black Panther"
    "One of the better Marvel movies thanks to Ryan Coogler's directing, an all-star cast of kick-ass characters, Shakespearean intrigue..."
  8. "Game Night"
    "Comedic gold."
  9. "Ralph Breaks the Internet"
    "Bittersweet, impressively-animated 'Wreck-It Ralph' sequel with poignant messages about friendship and the Internet."
  10. "Ant-Man and the Wasp"
    "Wildly fun and sillier than the average Marvel movie."
  1. "Slender Man"
    "Just a blah horror movie."
  2. "The Last Sharknado: It's About Time"
    "So thankful this whole torturous film series is finally over."
  3. "Pacific Rim Uprising"
    "Like a bad Saturday morning cartoon..."
  4. "Fifty Shades Freed"
    "Mostly just sex and fluff."
  5. "Thoroughbreds"
    "Arid 'comedy thriller' that I found neither funny nor thrilling."
  6. "The Nun"
    "...mostly just a priest and a nun-in-training making dumb horror movie mistakes...screenwriters committed some sacrilege too..."
  7. "Blumhouse's Truth or Dare"
    "...found the game lame thanks to the demon's lack of imagination and the players' tepid secrets..."
  8. "The Strangers: Prey at Night"
    "...the family in this sequel managed to commit even worse mistakes!"
  9. "A Wrinkle in Time"
    "...what a bunch of gobbledygook."
  10. "Shoplifters"
    "Unamusing Oscar entry from Japan that also won the Palme d'Or."
Songs
  1. "Pray for Me" The Weeknd and Kendrick Lamar
  2. "Lemon (Drake Remix)" N.E.R.D & Rihanna f/ Drake
  3. "Taste" Tyga f/ Offset
  4. "This Is America" Childish Gambino
  5. "Kill 'Em with Success" Eearz & ScHoolboy Q & 2 Chainz & Mike WiLL Made-It
Honorable mention: "Zero" Imagine Dragons
  1. "Supernova" Ansel Elgort
  2. "B*TCH I'M BELLA THORNE" Bella Thorne
  3. "Better Now" Post Malone
  4. "FRIENDS" Marshmello & Anne-Marie
  5. "Boo'd Up" Ella Mai
Dishonorable mentions:
  • "Drew Barrymore" Bryce Vine
  • "End Game" Taylor Swift f/ Ed Sheeran & Future
Music video "This Is America" Childish Gambino "My My My!" Troye Sivan
TV series n/a (tie) "The X-Files" and "Fear the Walking Dead"
Commercial Espresso Snickers commercial that shows anyone can get irritable when they're hungry, even grandmas (tie) Zelle commercial where Daveed Diggs rhymes about Zelle around town, and a Diet Coke commercial where Gillian Jacobs tells me to drink a Diet Coke "because I can"
Movie trailer (tie) "Happy Death Day 2U" and "Us" "UglyDolls"
Awards season: Endgame
12/27/18 1:42 AM PST
Watched movie: "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse" (2018) in IMAX 3D
Just the mind-blowing computer animation alone made the movie worth watching. Story-wise, I found it hard to care about a multiverse where the outcomes depend on the universes the characters happen to live in, rather than on their own merits. It also made some of the best canon in Spider-Man history, e.g., Uncle Ben and Gwen Stacy, feel meaningless. Stay after the credits. Rating: 7
Watched movie: "Mary Poppins Returns" (2018)
Whimsical kids' movie highlighted by the talented Emily Blunt and Lin-Manuel Miranda, charming song & dance numbers (my favorite: "Trip a Little Light Fantastic"), and nostalgic guest appearances (including a couple of stars who looked good for their age). I felt like the plot actually hurt my enjoyment of the fun parts, because here they are dilly-dallying around while the Banks siblings are racing to save the family home from repossession. Also, a lot of parts didn't make sense--but no use dwelling on that in a movie where a nanny can fly by umbrella. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "If Beale Street Could Talk" (2018)
Just like this director's previous film, "Moonlight", the narrative idled on certain fragments of the characters' lives and leaped past important events I wanted to see, e.g., Tish's mother's reaction to the pregnancy and Fonny meeting his son for the first time). I don't like that. I also found the ending unsatisfying considering how patiently I waited (and waited) for a big emotional payoff. Rating: 5
Watched movie: "Vice" (2018)
Same irreverently satirical style as "The Big Short", but much less entertaining. Christian Bale and Steve Carell played a couple of bores this time around. I did like the cynical take on politics and all the BS, misdirection, and exploitation of voters' beliefs that go on in it. Stay during the credits. Rating: 5
Awards season
12/12/18 6:50 PM PST

'Tis the season where I start finalizing my blog for best and worst of the year. My movie lists will be easy because so far I only rated 13 movies a 7 or higher, and 11 movies a 4 or lower. My top TV show will be hard without a new "Game of Thrones" season to rave about yet. Surprisingly, all five of my favorite songs of 2018 will be rap. Nothing in the other music genres stood out for me. It's also been a banner year for bad songs.

For my best and worst events of 2018, we have contenders like my brand-new car (especially when I first bought it and didn't have to worry about car problems anymore) and the Camp Fire here in northern California. I can tell you one thing: that AMC Stubs A-List membership won't make #1. Although it's single-handedly saved me hundreds of dollars, it's turned me into my penny-counting Dad and made me obsess over trying to hit that movie quota every week. All in all, I think it'll all come down to my neuroses. For instance, it's been bugging me all year that Serena Williams still hasn't drawn even with Margaret Court's record for all-time Grand Slam singles titles, despite reaching the last two Grand Slam finals. And by coming short of that seventh US Open title, she missed the perfect opportunity to draw even with her seven Australian Open titles and seven Wimbledon titles. Roger Federer, on the other hand, successfully evened out his total Grand Slam singles titles to a milestone 20 this January. Had he gotten stuck at 19, I'm certain that would have bugged the hell out of me all year long and beyond.

Watched movie: "Roma" (2018)
Starting on November 21, Netflix quietly ran exclusive limited theatrical engagements of this black-and-white Oscar contender by Alfonso Cuarón 23 days before its December 14 streaming release. It's about a family's maid in Mexico City from 1970 to 1971, and is apparently based on Alfonso Cuarón's own childhood. Scenery-wise, I found his attention to detail impressive (and occasionally strange, e.g., the hazmat suit and the curious fixation on dog poo). Admittedly, I have no idea how well his reconstructions of 1970s Colonia Roma matched the real-life place. Plot-wise, I found most of the movie really slow until some intense scenes near the end. I'm curious how they pulled off that long take with Cleo's harrowing ocean rescue and catharsis. That whole scene from beginning to end struck me as a cinematic triumph. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Creed II" (2018)
Predictable sequel wherein "heavyweight" boxer Adonis Creed must train via montage to redeem himself against Ivan Drago's son. I put "heavyweight" in quotes because what a mismatch in weight class. As usual, Rocky Balboa highlighted the movie. I also liked some of the unique dramatic touches that helped make the film feel less formulaic. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Manbiki kazoku" a.k.a. "Shoplifters" (2018)
Unamusing Oscar entry from Japan that also won the Palme d'Or. Simply put, I could not root for a family that raises kids in a life of lying, cheating, and stealing. Rating: 4
Watched movie: "The Favourite" (2018)
Extravagant historical drama directed by Yorgos Lanthimos wherein Rachel Weisz and Emma Stone vie for power and affection from a forlorn Queen Anne. Interestingly, 18th century England suited this director's penchant for dry, perverse humor quite well. Also, the three leading ladies fleshed out their characters and motivations so effectively that I found myself sympathizing with all three of them. P.S. What did that ending mean? Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Green Book" (2018)
Amusing road trip movie about the real-life "odd couple" pairing between African-American pianist Don Shirley and his Italian-American driver Tony "Lip" during their 1960s concert tour of the Jim Crow South. The film title is based on the real-life travel guide they use, "The Negro Motorists' Green Book", to locate motels and restaurants that accept African-American customers. I actually found it suspenseful that they had to make every tour date to get paid, and that Tony's family expected him home for Christmas. I guess that's a testament to this movie, that I would care so much about Tony coming through for his wife and kids. Rating: 7
Where there's smoke, there's fire
11/30/18 3:33 PM PST

What a welcome relief to get rain here in California, and many thanks to the firefighters who contained the Camp Fire that kept polluting the air I breathe to unhealthy levels. I actually had to resist the urge to cough because my ear canal started getting sore.

Watched movie: "Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald" (2018) in 3D
Over two hours of reliable entertainment but when I think about it, almost nothing happened plot-wise. Dumbledore just stayed on the sidelines, and the rest of the cast barely accomplished anything. I guess they're going to keep dragging this Grindelwald storyline out for another three films. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Ralph Breaks the Internet" (2018) in 3D
Bittersweet, impressively-animated "Wreck-It Ralph" sequel with poignant messages about friendship and the Internet. The streak of cinematic excellence from Walt Disney Animation Studios continues. Stay during and after the credits. Rating: 7
Excelsior!
11/20/18 9:39 PM PST

R.I.P. Stan Lee.

Watched On Demand TV movie: "The Last Sharknado: It's About Time" (2018)
A bad time travel movie that wasn't even laughably bad. So thankful this whole torturous film series is finally over. Stay during and after the credits. Rating: 3
Watched movie: "Overlord" (2018) in IMAX
Body horror flick wherein a handful of American WWII paratroopers land in German-occupied France, and discover secret Nazi experiments to mutate humans and reanimate corpses. I found the movie alright. I was hoping for a crazier bone-crunching brawl at the end. Special props to those two exciting long take action sequences. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "The Girl in the Spider's Web" (2018)
The first Dragon Tattoo story not written by Stieg Larsson. Felt more like a James Bond movie how Lisbeth had to stop an overconfident supervillain (who could have won easily) from hijacking nuclear missiles. I did love that final confrontation where the truth finally came out about their bad blood. Also liked the NSA agent played by Lakeith Stanfield. As for the rest of the film, some easy improvements could have fixed it. For instance, the movie needed more perspective on Lisbeth's father (did their life-changing encounters even happen?) and less dumb luck, e.g., the improbable car accident and the convenient prescription bottle. And this might be a nit, but how overdramatic for Blomkvist to hold down the Backspace key like that. :) Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Dr. Seuss' The Grinch" (2018) in 3D
That Grinch sure is mean. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Widows" (2018)
One helluva heist film from director Steve McQueen and writer Gillian Flynn wherein a crew of professional robbers dies, and their desperate wives use some leftover plans to plot a job of their own. Although the build-up felt long, it succeeded in making me emotionally vested and nervous about the outcome. The wives' inexperience made everything feel more grounded and suspenseful. And the heist thrilled me from beginning to end, thanks to Hans Zimmer's pulse-pounding score and the wives' jaw-dropping mishaps. Rating: 7
Genisys-piria
11/09/18 3:13 PM PST

All last week, I enjoyed watching though some YouTube videos of Mario Masters Colosseum, an annual charity event where famous Mario Maker streamers compete against each other in video games and party games.

On Halloween, they played an entertaining party game I never heard of called "Werewolf", about a town of villagers who must sleuth whom among them are secretly werewolves. Each "night", the werewolves secretly kill one villager; and each "day", the villagers must deliberate and vote on one player to execute. The villagers win if they can execute all of the werewolves; the werewolves win if they can outnumber the villagers. One villager got to play the Seer who could peek at a single player's identity card each night; one villager played the Witch who could save or poison a single player; and one villager played the Hunter who could take another player with them whenever they die (all of them had to bide their time to avoid exposing themselves too early to the werewolves).

It was amusing to me watching the villagers suspect each other and throw out accusations. At one point they started persecuting all of the quiet people. :D I'd probably struggle at playing a werewolf in this game, as I'd have to lie, feign emotion, earn the trust of villagers, and not be afraid to betray fellow werewolves (the werewolves in the first round blew their cover by defending/not voting for one another). When I think about it, the best strategy for the werewolves might just be to target the most talkative people. :)

Watched movie: "Suspiria" (2018)
Too much bloat; too little artistic merit, if you ask me. I know this director is critically acclaimed, but I felt like he vandalized a perfectly fine horror masterpiece (even got the original lead actress Jessica Harper to appear in it). I hated the overdirecting, the wasteful character development, and the new twist ending. Not to mention the parts that made me feel like I'd go to hell for watching them. :P Stay after the credits. Rating: 4
Vacuum
10/23/18 11:53 PM PDT

Still feels surreal that the WWE's number one guy, Roman Reigns, relinquished the Universal Title and left the WWE to undergo treatment for leukemia. Just came outta nowhere and kinda made me feel guilty for all the times I complained about him.

Needless to say, the WWE removed him from its Crown Jewel main event, which takes place at...someplace the WWE no longer mentions, due to all the bad publicity over the murdered journalist. I might be biased, but the WWE should just cancel the event and bring it here to California. :P

Watched movie: "First Man" (2018) in IMAX
A curiously grounded Neil Armstrong biopic in that for pretty much the whole movie, Ryan Gosling portrayed the guy as...well...a bore. Stoic even in the face of death and/or historic triumph. (Though I'm starting to realize Ryan Gosling acts this way in all of his films.) Admittedly, it does make perfect sense for the astronauts of that period to develop defence mechanisms given all the malfunctions that kept killing them off. So I liked how the movie realistically depicted them as miserable sourpusses instead of bright-eyed dreamers. Props to director Damien Chazelle for making rocket science bearable. I loved the attention to detail, from the creaks in the cockpit to the astronauts nervously waiting. Rating: 7
Watched movie: "Bad Times at the El Royale" (2018)
Unpredictable neo-noir thriller by Drew Goddard wherein the lives of seven secretive strangers intersect at a Lake Tahoe hotel, much like "The Hateful Eight". Reminiscent of "Lost", too, the way the narrative kept flashing back to what a character was doing before and during the events of the movie. I liked how the film showed how easy it is to misjudge people when we don't know their backstories. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Halloween" (2018)
A revisionist storyline starring Jamie Lee Curtis that pretends every sequel of the original "Halloween" never happened (including the eighth Halloween installment where Laurie Strode and Michael Myers had their final showdown). This one had an interesting backstory in that apparently, Laurie Strode spent 40 years of her life preparing for Michael's return and became estranged from her daughter (and granddaughter) as a result. To my chagrin, none of that preparation seemed to prevent her from making bad horror movie decisions--but at least she came up with some impressive countermeasures. Those last 20 minutes of the movie pretty much redeemed this otherwise unoriginal revival. Rating: 6
The end of an era...or not
10/10/18 2:34 PM PDT

R.I.P. Scott Wilson, who played my favorite character on "The Walking Dead".

Satisfying ending to "The Walking Dead" season 9 premiere. I'm so sick of how scumbags on both this show and "Fear the Walking Dead" have been literally getting away with murder. In fact, I'm done watching "Fear the Walking Dead" (even though the season 4 finale wasn't bad). The show's just gotten too boring and annoying for me.

In WWE news, Shawn Michaels is coming out of retirement for a dream match at WWE Crown Jewel: D-Generation X vs. the Brothers of Destruction! Too bad I won't be attending live, given it's all the way in Saudi Arabia. My only hope is they have a rematch at either Survivor Series or WWE TLC here in California. If they go with the rumored Shawn Michaels vs. Undertaker match instead, I'm not interested (unless it has an intriguing stipulation). Nothing can top their previous two WrestleMania matches which I attended live.

I'm worried that WWE already pulled the trigger (twice) on AJ Styles vs. Daniel Bryan. It makes me question whether Daniel Bryan will finally win a long-deserved Royal Rumble Match victory.

Watched movie: "Hold the Dark" (2018)
The Alamo Drafthouse Cinema in San Francisco showed this Netflix movie on their big screen, then afterward hosted a live Skype video chat with its director Jeremy Saulnier. He explained that the film purposely lacked answers, which to me was an understatement as I didn't understand the point of any of it. Just one senseless killing after another without explanation. Side note: Jeffrey Wright is cool. Rating: 5
Watched movie: "A Star Is Born" (2018)
Emotional and exhilarating Oscar contender wherein a hard-drinking country rock star (played to perfection by Bradley Cooper) and an undiscovered singer-songwriter (played to perfection by Lady Gaga) bare their souls in a whirlwind of romance and musical performances. Special props to all the songs, which were written just for this movie and IMHO took it to the next level. Side note: at long last, a film that showed realistic reactions to celebrities. Rating: 7
Watched movie: "Venom" (2018) in 3D
A lot like the "Upgrade" movie in that I liked how the talking symbiote assisted the human host, but lost interest whenever the CGI completely took over his body. All in all, the film turned out better than I expected thanks mostly to Tom Hardy's amusing portrayal of Eddie Brock. Stay during the credits to see who they already got to play Carnage and for a long sneak preview of the upcoming Spider-Verse movie. Rating: 6
Love and war
09/25/18 9:41 PM PDT

I've now attended two weddings in a row where the bride and groom wrote their own vows, and on both occasions that's been my favorite part of the ceremony. They add a unique form of suspense, drama, and personality to the proceedings.

I'm still curious why this bride and groom chose to marry at a chateau next to an airport runaway. Admittedly, this gave the ceremony some suspenseful cliffhangers whenever somebody had to pause before a key part of their speech.

Watched movie: "Kin" (2018)
Sci-fi road trip movie wherein a 14-year-old boy stumbles upon a sweet hi-tech blaster and then happens to go on the run with his wanted older brother. I mostly just liked the sci-fi elements, i.e., the pursuant Daft Punk look-alikes and the few times the boy actually fired the blaster. I hated the road trip because of how it was all built on a lie, and hated the older brother for being such a shameful influence on the boy. Rating: 5
Watched movie: "A Simple Favor" (2018)
Both these women be crazy. Between Blake Lively's disinhibited character and Anna Kendrick's frenetic supermom character, I found it taxing trying to keep up with them. I guess leave it to Paul Feig to direct a Hitchcockian thriller with such a comedic tone in it. Moreover, I felt like the plot went kind of overboard on the twists and turns. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "The Predator" (2018) in IMAX
Finally a Predator sequel that makes Predators cool again. I enjoyed the bloody R-rated violence and the madcap action sequences (did you catch the mind-blowing mishap where the shoulder cannon followed the guy's head movement too far sideways?!). I didn't enjoy the human drama, the canon-hijacking plot developments, and the asinine comedy though. Like in general, I don't find Tourette syndrome and mentally ill military veterans very funny. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Mandy" (2018)
Some kind of trippy acid rock opera horror flick that sure liked to wallow in lurid colors and creepy disturbing sequences. I did enjoy the grindhouse thrills later in the movie, when Nicolas Cage finally went medieval on those crazy evil weirdo hippy types. Side note: Cheddar Goblin?? Stay after the credits. Rating: 6
Like a bad dream
09/11/18 5:21 PM PDT

Well, that 2018 US Open women's final ruined my day. Serena Williams was already losing by a set and a break, but then the chair umpire--who had been singling out Serena with nitpicky code violations all set long--decided the outcome of the match for himself with a game penalty against Serena so rare I've never even heard of it! Clearly, this umpire had no respect for the enormity of the occasion, and hopefully he'll go down in tennis history as the lamest chair umpire ever.

At the same time, I was disappointed in Serena for inviting this disaster in the first place, when she destroyed her racket and then kept demanding an apology from the chair umpire for the first code violation. After the 2009 US Open and 2011 US Open, Serena should know better than anyone that nothing good ever comes out of her lashing out at officials. She had been doing so well too, controlling her temper the last few years. When I saw it flaring back up at such a critical time, I cringed and felt powerless.

So all in all, this year's US Open sucked. In addition to two other chair umpire controversies, the muggy weather and lack of air circulation pretty much took out Federer. The one highlight was a thrilling five-set quarter-final match between Rafael Nadal and Dominic Thiem, which vindicated the US Open's decision to enforce final-set tiebreakers.

In other news, using my AMC Stubs A-List membership, I screened $175.69 worth of movies in the month of August--a total of 11 free movies for a total savings of $155.74. So despite seeing zero films during my vacation in Hawaii, I managed to milk even more savings in August than I did in July. One could argue that I'm only saving this much money because I've been intentionally watching more movies than I normally would. To that, I have no retort.

Watched movie: "The Nun" (2018) in IMAX
Bad enough that the plot of this Conjuring 2 prequel was mostly just a priest and a nun-in-training making dumb horror movie mistakes, i.e., splitting up and wandering toward hauntings knowing full well what the demon is capable of. But I felt like the screenwriters committed some sacrilege too, particularly in regards to that precious relic. It also disappointed me how little this film connected to Conjuring 2, considering how Taissa Farmiga played Sister Irene in 1952 while her older sister Vera Farmiga played Lorraine Warren in the 1970s. Maybe in some future Conjuring prequel, they'll reveal that Sister Irene grew up to be Lorraine Warren? Because it's sure suspicious how both of these characters receive psychic visions and look so much alike. :P Rating: 4
Watched movie: "Alpha" (2018) in 3D
Scenic and suspiciously derivative of "The Revenant" (where a hunter left for dead treks toward home across a harsh snowscape), "Life of Pi" (where a young man befriends a ferocious animal and they struggle to survive harsh elements), and "How to Train Your Dragon" (where a village chief's son proves that a feral creature can be an ally). Overall, I liked it. The wolf companion (and that crew at the end) looked boss. Rating: 6
Originally intended format
08/29/18 2:51 PM PDT

Man, so expensive parking and lodging at a hotel in downtown San Francisco. I stayed overnight near the Metreon shopping center so I could screen three movies in the area. I actually got to re-watch "2001: A Space Odyssey" and "The Dark Knight" for free on the AMC Metreon 16 theatre's tall IMAX screen thanks to my AMC Stubs A-List membership.

Watched movie: "Leave No Trace" (2018)
This latest scenic drama from the "Winter's Bone" director scored a perfect 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. I found it slow when it seemed to romanticize the vagrancy of the two main campers: a war veteran and his loyal daughter. But once I sensed what each scene was inevitably building up to, I found the movie poignantly bittersweet. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "The Miseducation of Cameron Post" (2018)
Winner of the Dramatic U.S. Grand Jury Prize at Sundance about a lesbian teenager forced to live on a rural gay conversion therapy compound. Other than some religious gay shaming, I actually found this coming-of-age movie rather pedestrian. Rating: 5
Watched movie: "2001: A Space Odyssey" (1968) in IMAX 70mm
Now that I'm much older, I decided to give this movie a second chance and see it on the big screen (I originally watched it on TV as a kid). Just like before, I enjoyed the parts with HAL (especially his creepy camera eye and his attempts to placate Dave). But I also still hated the first two hours (the monkeys and the moon mission) and the last half-hour. Admittedly, I think I've been too hard on this film--so I decided to raise my rating slightly. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "The Dark Knight" (2008) in IMAX 70mm
After long regretting that I never got to see "The Dark Knight" in IMAX, I finally got to screen it in IMAX 70mm. Or more specifically, the handful of sequences that were shot in IMAX 70mm--most notably my favorite overall sequence with the Batpod in it. I still dislike how that whole triumphant gambit was all for naught, which goes to my overall complaint about not getting anything out of this movie. I felt like by the end of it, neither Batman nor the Joker had succeeded in proving anything about the human condition. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "searching" (2018)
I find I enjoy these movies that only show a person's computer monitor (or smartphone screen). This is another one produced by Timur Bekmambetov, and follows a San Jose father (John Cho) desperately trying to sleuth his 16-year-old daughter's disappearance using the Internet, her private social media accounts, and Google applications. I found a lot of the film's details relatable and emblematic of the times we live in, for instance, the father's unawareness of what his daughter did online, how easy it is to hack private information, and all the phoniness, bias, and trolling on the web. Some of the humor cracked me up too, and could only work in this type of movie. Rating: 8
First Hawaii trip
08/21/18 11:25 PM PDT

Torturously muggy weather in Honolulu, Hawaii, and our Airbnb rental there had no air conditioning (just fans). No air conditioning at all those open-air buildings either, for example, the Ala Moana mall. As a result, I almost skipped my family's picnic at Bellows Beach--but I'm glad I was talked into it. Never been so close to such beautiful turquoise water before (though unfortunately, a jellyfish stung my niece when she went in).

Fortunately, my nephew's wedding was indoors. The whole event felt storybook, with TV-quality speeches from the heart and self-written vows. Come to think of it, I can't recall ever attending a wedding where the bride and groom wrote their own vows. Pretty brave of them.

All in all, I'm glad to have finally visited Hawaii and would consider it a highlight for the year.

Watched movie: "Slender Man" (2018)
Just a blah horror movie. The plot confused me more than anything else, and I found both the monster and the protagonist as bland as can be. Disappointing considering the potential this film had to be scary (for starters, it could've made use of that disturbing real-life case where the two 12-year-old girls kept stabbing their friend). What happened to the horrific scenes from the trailer? Did they get cut to make a PG-13 rating? Rating: 3
Watched movie: "The Meg" (2018) in 3D
Shades of "Jaws", right down to my own figurative question about why these prehistoric shark hunters couldn't get a "bigger boat", i.e., reinforcements. I did like how they weighed whether to conserve a species thought to be extinct, brief as that deliberation was. Can't say I cared for all that other drama though, like the lame attempts at comedy and the illogical conflict over Jason Statham's no-brainer decision. Props to the frenetic CGI shark action. Rating: 5
"Popular"
08/12/18 7:02 PM PDT

I'm probably in the minority here, but I'm intrigued by the Oscars announcement about a new Academy Award for achievement in popular film. Maybe now they can stop snubbing outstanding movies that mainstream audiences have actually heard of, like "Interstellar", "Marvel's The Avengers", "The Hunger Games", and "Wonder Woman". Though admittedly, I was pleasantly surprised that they nominated "Mad Max: Fury Road" and "Get Out" for Best Picture.

Watched movie: "Christopher Robin" (2018)
Cute movie though I can't say I agreed with Winnie the Pooh's silly philosophy. Also, is it canonical for the Hundred Acre Wood to exist outside of Christopher Robin's imagination?? Stay during the credits. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Eighth Grade" (2018)
A heart-tugging, strangely suspenseful dramedy about a shy eighth-grader's struggles to make a friend. As painfully cringeworthy as this movie was, it still didn't compare to the contempt I had for middle school. It did succeed in conveying what introverts fear and what girls need to be cautious about. But nothing about bullying, ridicule, discrimination, parental expectations, or grades. I don't even remember a single negative word against this girl (other than how quiet she is). Certainly nothing antagonizing enough to excuse her rude attitude toward her father. Though it's entirely possible that middle school has changed a lot, as mine didn't have Internet, social media, cell phones, and school shooting drills. :P Rating: 6
Watched movie: "BlacKkKlansman" (2018)
Not my idea of a good time, having to listen to white supremacists spew garbage ad nauseam for over two hours--all so that the movie could make a pretty ubiquitous point. Rating: 5
Single-edged sword
07/31/18 3:48 PM PDT

Ever since I joined the AMC Stubs A-List on July 1, I've managed to screen 11 total movies with it in the month of July. Meaning, I watched $169.09 worth of movies for $19.95, a total savings of $149.14. That's a heckuva bargain.

Admittedly, I need a small break from watching movies. Despite me seeing certain movies more than once, it was too difficult using up all three of my free movies each week (I only managed it twice). Mostly because it's atypical for three new releases of interest to come out in the same week.

Watched movie: "Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation" (2018) in 3D
Flatter comedy than I've come to expect from Genndy Tartakovsky, with a lot of harebrained gags that felt derivative of Looney Tunes. Still fun and delightfully animated (funniest scene for me: the gremlin airline). Some breathtaking getaways too. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Sorry to Bother You" (2018)
A reality-bending satire that the cynic in me could relate to, about a black telemarketer in Oakland who begins skyrocketing in his company once he masters a "white voice". And not like "Anomalisa" where the voice only changed in his own mind--the voice literally sounded different to everyone who heard it. Generally, I interpreted the lunacies in this movie (like the American sweatshops, the stupid game show, and the viral soda can craze) as near-futures that could conceivably happen in this day and age. As a cynic, I feel that it's so easy for people to get entrenched in the narratives they invent for themselves. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Unfriended: Dark Web" (2018)
Same format as the first movie wherein we only see the main character's laptop screen, but this time the film follows a numskull who pries into the deep dark secrets of a laptop he stole from a lost-and-found. The movie succeeded in getting in my head, as I felt a) self-consciousness when his friends watched him browse the misogynistic videos, b) distress when he got cyberstalked, and c) shame when the people he cared about had their lives violated. Just like the first movie, I liked the realistic multi-tasking in the OS (such as keeping an eye on the instant messages and googling unknown words like "trephination"). All in all, I would've rated the film higher, but a lot of parts felt slow and/or uninspired. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again" (2018) in IMAX
A sunny sequel/prequel that for better or worse, sidestepped any drama that could have packed a serious emotional wallop. In other words, not nearly as depressing as I feared--but amicable to a fault. One major improvement from the first movie: the film took all the cast members who can't sing and either drowned out their voice or made them croon softly. But unfortunately for my ears, even a toned-down Pierce Brosnan is enough to poison a song. Stay after the credits. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "The Equalizer 2" (2018) in IMAX
Easily worse than the first movie, so maybe Denzel Washington should have stuck to his rule about avoiding sequels to his own films. I found his adventures as a vigilante Lyft driver decently entertaining, but found the main revenge storyline lackluster. Rating: 5
Watched movie: "Mission: Impossible - Fallout" (2018) in D-BOX & 3D
Decently entertaining--especially whenever a mission went awry--but probably the most absurd Mission: Impossible movie yet with its reality-defying action sequences, confusing spy motivations, and villains reminiscent of the Batman TV series in that they could easily prevail and/or destroy Ethan Hunt's life, but illogically choose to give him and the IMF a fighting chance instead. Side note: The D-BOX recliner didn't have much kick. Rating: 6
Strawberries & cream fields
07/16/18 2:54 PM PDT

Sigh. So both of my favorite tennis players, Serena Williams and Roger Federer, fell short of the 2018 Wimbledon title. Although Serena has really improved since she first returned from pregnancy, I knew Angelique Kerber would be a struggle. After all, Serena made it to the final without being tested by any of the top ten seeds (none of them lasted past the fourth round, which was unprecedented). But I think it all goes to show that Wimbledon and the upcoming US Open made the right call to seed her.

Federer's loss stung in particular, because he had match point and then went on to lose the next three sets. I just have to remind myself how greedy it is to expect continual dominance from both he and Serena, considering that they've already reached the pinnacle of their sport.

Now I gotta talk about these marathon Wimbledon fifth sets. With the exception of that thrilling semi-final between Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, I generally find marathon Grand Slam final sets boring as hell. Especially the ones where big servers like John Isner and Kevin Anderson just hold each service game easily (I actually sat through a replay of Isner's 70-68 set against Mahut, by the way). The US Open enforces a final-set tiebreaker, which to me makes every point suspenseful and dramatic.

I also welcome the news that the 2018 US Open will start displaying a 25-second shot clock. Of course this would likely hurt Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, who in my opinion get away with way too many time violations when they serve. So hopefully, the clock won't lead to disrespectful fans loudly counting the time down.

Watched movie: "Yellow Submarine" (1968)
Sorry to all you Beatles fans out there, but this taxing animated ordeal hurt my eyes and numbed my brain. Decent songs at least. Rating: 3
Watched movie: "Sicario: Day of the Soldado" (2018)
Laughable sequel that starts off with a drug cartel inexplicably sending an Islamic terrorist across the U.S.-Mexico border. And instead of building a wall and making Mexico pay for it, the U.S. government sanctions a black ops mission that makes less and less sense as it goes along. Add in some absurd overkills (like Josh Brolin's air strike on one single person and Benicio Del Toro's semiautomatic trigger finger), astronomical coincidences (first the sicario-in-training happened to see Benicio Del Toro and then happened to shoot his head in the least deadly spot imaginable??), plus a lame ending, and the result = one heckuva ridiculous movie. Rating: 5
The first movie subscription
07/08/18 6:14 PM PDT

Well, AMC Theatres finally came up with a movie subscription service too good to pass up. For $19.95 a month, the AMC Stubs A-List membership lets me reserve up to three screenings per week in any premium format including IMAX, Dolby Cinema, 3D, and D-BOX. Given that an IMAX 2D screening costs $19.19, the membership already pays for itself on the first IMAX movie! In contrast, MoviePass only permits standard 2D movies, prohibits more than one screening of the same movie, and can't pre-reserve seats. I also never trusted MoviePass. :)

Watched movie: "The First Purge" (2018)
Although I found people's naiveté and lack of nerve during the first Purge night kind of interesting, this prequel struck me as the least imaginative of all the installments. The movie could have at least explained--instead of glossing over--how modern day voters and all three branches of U.S. government got persuaded into thinking legalized murder could solve America's woes! I mean, even Van Jones (playing himself) seemed calm about it when he should have been dismayed. Stay during the credits for some kind of USA promo for "The Purge". Rating: 5
Watched movie: "Ant-Man and the Wasp" (2018) in IMAX 3D
Wildly fun and sillier than the average Marvel movie. Although it went a bit much on the comic relief characters, I found it amusing when they disguised their time-wasting statements as important information. I also liked the depths the film went to make both the heroes and villains sympathetic. Finally, props to the plot device that forced Scott Lang to improvise his way out of problematic sizes. Stay during and after the credits. Rating: 7
Watched movie: "The Endless" (2018)
Slow supernatural "thriller" about two brothers who return to the cult camp they grew up in. The film dragged awhile until some trippy space-time phenomena livened it up. Rating: 6
Not of mind but of sight and sound
06/25/18 5:04 PM PDT

IMDb did an interesting segment where Natalie Dormer listed five movies that best spoke to each of her five senses. I attempted a list of my own:

My runners-up for sight and sound would be "The Matrix Reloaded" (2003) and "Les Misérables" (2012), respectively.

Watched movie: "Tag" (2018)
Harebrained, cringeworthy comedy inspired by a group of adult friends who still play tag with each other. The funniest part for me was the footage of the real-life guys using the game to prank each other. Had the movie been more grounded like this, I would've enjoyed it more. Instead, the film went all slapstick with the characters willing to damage property (like windows), raid sensitive events (like an AA meeting), and risk serious injury. I did like Jeremy Renner's wily ploys such as the decoys and booby traps, but it got tiresome how the other players kept mindlessly charging at him like those hapless "Home Alone" burglars. Rating: 5
Watched movie: "Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom" (2018) in RPX & 3D
Another "Jurassic Park" sequel where dinosaurs run amok and terrify the humans, yet can never seem to catch the slowpoke protagonists. And like clockwork, the T-Rex saves the protagonists for no reason. Director J.A. Bayona didn't add much more to the franchise, except for maybe some stylish disaster scenes on the volcanic island. Stay after the credits. Rating: 5
Watched movie: "Incredibles 2" (2018) in 3D
Fun sequel from Pixar with some amazing superhero action sequences. Plot-wise, I found the whole PR campaign to legalize superheroes too straightforward as that they still needed to solve the original problem of civil liability. Rating: 7
Triple-double
06/11/18 6:32 PM PDT

Congratulations to...

In other sports news, no more triple-triple for Usain Bolt. The Court of Arbitration for Sport dismissed his relay teammate's appeal against a ruling that disqualified their Olympic gold medal victory in the 4x100m relay at Beijing 2008.

In TV news, I had to wait for "Talking Dead" again to confirm that yet another major "Fear the Walking Dead" character had been killed off last night. At least this death felt dignified, but after all those hours of wasted character development I feel like this show is more pointless than ever now. And given the news about another major cast member leaving "The Walking Dead", I think AMC should consider ending both shows. :P

I'm also sick of this new trend in both TV and movies where murdered fan favorites don't receive the justice they deserve. Instead, the fan favorite's loved ones just let bygones be bygones and/or even make friends with the killer! I would cite examples (like from this most recent "Fear the Walking Dead" midseason finale), but don't want to spoil anything.

Watched movie: "Upgrade" (2018)
Absorbing near-future thriller wherein a quadriplegic widower, secretly implanted with a talking computer chip that makes him bionic, seeks the cyborgs who murdered his wife. The chip reminded me of Siri or Alexa, except that it could actually understand voice commands. :) I found their synergy awesome when the chip gave him really useful advice for finding clues, avoiding detection, and getting away with murder (!). But then the action sequences where the chip commandeered his body began to disinterest me, as it felt like watching a computer play a video game. I also didn't care for the ending, even though it was certainly interesting and possibly opens the door for a sequel. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Hereditary" (2018)
Dread-inducing, eerily-scored horror flick that just like "The Witch", creeps along with periodic WTF moments. But unlike "The Witch", the characters' lack of contrition kept me in disbelief. I was so disturbed by the family drama that the supernatural horror elements actually made the movie less traumatic for me. Probably because the horror helped me dissociate from the film's unnerving realism. P.S. Were some of the scenes meant as comic relief? Sometimes a character behaved so inappropriately that the audience in my screening couldn't help but laugh! Rating: 6
Han shot first
05/31/18 2:36 PM PDT

Well, the Seaside repair shop fixed the power supply in my HDD/DVD recorder, and I verified that all of my recordings survived. Das cool. Even my timer schedule of programs to record survived, so maybe that's stored in the hard drive.

Congratulations to the Golden State Warriors for winning their fourth consecutive Western Conference championship! I tuned into their last two elimination games reluctantly, as it ruins my whole day whenever they sloppily blow a close playoff game. I still can't reconcile how they can start the first half so badly, then absolutely crush it in the third quarter. Is it strategy? Playing possum? Lulling the opponent into a false sense of security? Conserving energy? Or maybe the Houston Rockets kept pushing themselves too hard in the first half, and didn't have any legs left to make jump shots (that might explain their record-breaking streak of 27 missed 3-pointers in Game 7).

Watched movie: "Solo: A Star Wars Story" (2018) in RPX & 3D
Hard to care about the characters introduced in this Han Solo prequel when I already know what his future holds. And that L3 might just be the most annoying Star Wars droid ever. But all in all, I found the movie mildly entertaining. Rating: 5
Annals
05/21/18 5:44 PM PDT

Tried chicken and waffles for the first time (at my workplace's new cafeteria). I didn't like it. I still need to arrive early enough to the cafeteria to try their corned beef hash. I used to hate whenever my Mom served it for breakfast, but now it's one of my favorite foods.

I miss the chili verde that the old cafeteria used to serve. I've yet to see it at the new cafeteria. I think my favorite chili verde right now comes from "Taqueria El Pastor" in the Northridge mall, where the pork they use just melts in my mouth.

In other news, thanks to another blackout at my apartment complex, my HDD/DVD recorder went completely dead. The clock wouldn't even power on. (Oddly, the other electronic devices in that same surge protector survived just fine.) Fortunately, the Seaside repair shop I patronized nearly a decade ago was still in business.

I still had hours of recordings on the hard drive. Roughly once a year, I curate my favorite TV highlights and archive them onto a DVD. The curated highlights still sitting on my hard drive included:

With my recorder in the repair shop, I wasn't able to tape the royal wedding between Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. Oh well.

Ironically, I can't think of a single time I've ever gone back and watched one of the DVDs I made. Despite the DVDs' skinny compact size, they've only added to my "material baggage".

Watched movie: "Shadow of a Doubt" (1943)
Artfully shot but exasperating Hitchcock film wherein a teenager inexplicably harbors her visiting uncle's deep dark secret despite his attempts to murder her! Even before her close calls with death, which by themselves should have been a dealbreaker, why didn't she turn him in? She knew he was guilty (due to the key piece of evidence she inexplicably gave back to him) and that he could kill again, and she knew a detective that would believe her story. Please don't tell me it was to spare her mother's feelings! In any case, I enjoyed the beginning when her uncle hid clues (even though in retrospect, no one could have possibly noticed them in plain sight) and that whole running gag where her father kept exchanging murder hypotheticals with the family friend. But yeah, I was so disappointed she never did the right thing that not even the final death satisfied me. Imagine how cathartic the ending could've been had she empowered herself. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Deadpool 2" (2018) in IMAX
I've never been a fan of Deadpool's raunchy, fourth wall-breaking shtick, but I found this sequel decently engaging. Mostly during the scenes where the dramedy felt sincere and the events seemed canonical. Not during the suspenseless actions sequences where he and/or Domino just flitted around without any danger of dying. Stay during the credits for the best scenes of the whole movie. Nothing after the credits though. Rating: 6
Room without a view
05/11/18 4:42 PM PDT

Still haven't gotten around to changing the name of my blog, "Room 237", after that Shining documentary hijacked the name and attached crackpot theories to it. I originally chose the name because of my fascination with coincidences, superstition, and seclusion (and that cool video game "Silent Hill 4: The Room"). What were the odds that my old apartment complex--following the fire that temporarily freed me from material baggage--would relocate me to Apt. 237, the same number for that mysterious forbidden hotel room from "The Shining"? I also liked the whole idea of a peaceful reclusive space, walled off from the world.

Maybe I can keep the "237" and synthesize a new name from the passions in my life like curation, cinema, and cynicism. For my original blog name, I actually toyed with "cynic critic"--but scrapped it due to the remote possibility that someday my cynicism could fade. Well...fast-forward several years to today, and I'm more cynical than ever.

Watched movie: "Avengers: Infinity War" (2018) in RPX & 3D
Outstanding comedy dampened by unpleasantly dark scenes, repetitive sequences of our beloved Marvel superheroes getting jobbed and humiliated, and long storyline progressions that turned out to be wastes of time. In particular, I found it disturbing that the film tried to humanize a genocidal maniac. I'm also not a fan of the hostage taking cliche, especially when steel-willed characters cave too easily to it. Cool ending though--much more impactful than the comic. Stay after the credits. Rating: 7
Watched movie: "Foreign Correspondent" (1940)
Easily one of my least favorite Hitchcock films. What a mess. It seriously felt like a bad soap opera, from the corny romance music to the needlessly convoluted body double conspiracy to the oceanic disaster in the middle of nowhere. And somehow the lovesick war correspondent kept inexplicably trusting strangers, oblivious that they could easily be in on the conspiracy! Rating: 3
Watched movie: "Tully" (2018)
Although this film struck me as the least funny collaboration between Diablo Cody and Jason Reitman, I found the film's brutal cynicism toward motherhood highly amusing, e.g., the diaper change montage and the depiction of Charlize Theron's children as nuisances. The best part was how the movie ended without some kind of scene showing why it was all worth it (unless I missed it). There's got to be some kind of upside to children, right? Right? :D Rating: 5
Survival Sunday
04/26/18 12:45 AM PDT

I found the Walking Dead season 8 finale unsatisfying, and was glad I passed on watching in a movie theater. What an anticlimactic end to the Saviors storyline. To me, Negan committed horrible atrocities and deserved death more than any character Rick has ever killed. Heck, just a couple of episodes prior, Rick and Morgan cold-bloodedly executed the Saviors who untied them--now all of a sudden these two are pacifists again! I'm so tired of how the main characters on this show keep flip-flopping in this eternally pretentious moral struggle. I don't like it when they stupidly kill off main characters, either. Finally, what kind of idiot keeps exhausting all of their bullets on a hiding person with no gun and then walks straight into their ambush??

Haha, nice swerve by Jeff Probst during the Survivor: Ghost Island vote read. He started out revealing a streak of Desiree votes (presumably from the minority alliance), switched to Michael votes as if he had received the remainder of them, and then swerved back to the Desiree votes. I don't think fans truly appreciate what an art it is, to order tribal council votes in the most dramatic possible way. If you can google the interview where Jeff Probst explained it, it's an entertaining read.

Was Desiree surprised that her lies didn't work, even when she swore to God (cringe)? I certainly wasn't. What kind of innocent person would just dismiss an accusation that major instead of denying it with every fiber of their being? If an alliance had falsely accused me, I'd have been absolutely livid at them. Admittedly, it'd be difficult for a liar to fake this kind of outrage. At least she didn't pull a Dreamz and go on ad nauseam about setting a good example for her son.

Watched movie: "Blumhouse's Truth or Dare" (2018)
Forgettable PG-13 horror flick about a demonic "truth or dare?" game where each player has to win their turn or die. Despite a fiendish rule against picking truth three times in a row, I still found the game lame thanks to the demon's lack of imagination and the players' tepid secrets (even the one that made the girl foolishly risk life and limb over disclosing it). I also hated how the movie trivialized something I found inexcusable: forcing the gay player to come out to his father. Interesting ending, at least. Though I'm curious what the last surviving player would have done, given that they could challenge the demon to either finish the game or perform a dare. Rating: 4
On their game
04/13/18 6:46 PM PDT

To my surprise, Ronda Rousey's Mixed Tag Team Match ended up being my favorite match of WrestleMania 34. It kept me on the edge of my seat, and managed to convince me that the WWE might actually job her to Stephanie McMahon. Herein lies the secret to the top wrestling matches, in my opinion: build them up with must-win stakes (like a streak or some kind of MacGuffin) to make the fans really care about the outcome.

The crowd in attendance can sure make or break a wrestling match. That WrestleMania 34 crowd managed to ruin AJ Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakamura and Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns II for me. But thanks to the inordinate length of WrestleMania nowadays, who can blame them. Admittedly, what dumb booking to have Roman Reigns kick out of Brock Lesnar's finisher five times. Now the move doesn't feel special anymore.

Watched movie: "A Quiet Place" (2018)
Heart-tugging, excruciatingly tense John Krasinski film where he and Emily Blunt try to raise children in a world full of blind monsters that hunt by sound. For instance, the family has to soundproof their entire house, communicate by sign language, and come up with contingencies such as loud diversions. I found it refreshing watching such smart characters whose lives seemed devoted to avoiding horror movie mistakes. But at the same time, I couldn't relax the entire movie because I knew their vigilance was bound to lapse sooner or later. P.S. Excellent music. Rating: 8
Watched movie: "Ready Player One" (2018) in IMAX 3D
Adventurous but shallow Steven Spielberg CGI-fest about a multiplayer online contest to find the three hidden keys to a multibillion-dollar Easter egg. The contest takes place inside a vast virtual reality world called the OASIS. Although I found the OASIS awe-inspiring, I felt it focused too much on nostalgia and "fun and games" rather than the important issues facing today's online communities. I guess it did touch upon online privacy and "catfishing", but I felt like it sent the wrong message to reward the protagonist for trusting a stranger online (and for falling in love WAY too quickly with Olivia Cooke's avatar). All of this paled to my sourness over the mass murder at Wade's slum though, and the way the movie just seemed to marginalize it. We're really supposed to care more about this video game quest than justice for those innocent murder victims? Rating: 6
Neva give up!!
03/31/18 7:39 PM PDT

If you ask me, "The X-Files" season 11 finale tarnished the whole series and may have killed whatever interest I had left in the show--even if all these unceremoniously stupid deaths turn out to be fake outs. The scene that dismayed me the most: when Scully just shrugged off William's apparent death after entire seasons of her obsessing over him!

In other news, the WWE officially cleared Daniel Bryan for in-ring competition! Das cool. My wish list: book him to finally win a Royal Rumble Match, and go on to face either Shinsuke Nakamura or AJ Styles at WrestleMania. Side note: I find these promos where Shinsuke Nakamura pauses to have a seizure entertaining. :D

Watched movie: "unsane" (2018)
Outrageous Steven Soderbergh film about a stalked woman who gets involuntarily committed to a mental institution. Although I was impressed by how well the movie portrayed the soul-crushing effect of stalking, it became too much for me how many times this woman got victimized. It got to a point where no kind of payoff could satisfy me anymore. Rating: 5
Watched movie: "Pacific Rim Uprising" (2018) in IMAX 3D
Like a bad Saturday morning cartoon thanks to the contrived plot, lame banter, forgettable drama, and characters I didn't care about. Not sure how much better it could have turned out had Guillermo del Toro came back to direct it--but at a minimum, I think it would've felt less commercialized. Rating: 4
Watched movie: "Isle of Dogs" (2018)
Poignant stop-motion animated comedy from Wes Anderson about a dystopian Japanese city's persecution of dogs via propaganda, internment, and exile. In my opinion, the best and most emotional film Wes Anderson has ever done. I could really feel the dogs' pain and rooted for them to succeed, especially during the cool taiko-scored sequences. Rating: 8
Boo-urns
03/16/18 4:43 PM PDT

R.I.P. Stephen Hawking.

Can't say I'm excited about WrestleMania 34, not even about the prospect of John Cena vs. an apparently non-retired Undertaker. I do anticipate one match to blow the roof off: AJ Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakamura. If the WWE had any sense, they would let this one main event last. That Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns match might turn into the biggest disaster since Lesnar's WrestleMania XX fiasco. Especially with Lesnar expected to leave again, and this whole "no show" build-up (kind of like how Goldberg didn't show up for the WrestleMania XX build-up).

I feel like WWE got the booking wrong for Ronda Rousey. Are we supposed to believe that Stephanie McMahon stands any kind of chance against her? Maybe the encounter will only last a few seconds. Personally, I would've pit Rousey against Asuka's undefeated streak--the story writes itself. Unless maybe they're planning to keep that streak alive until the next WrestleMania?

I'll try to keep an open mind about Braun Strowman's WrestleMania storyline. Right now I feel like they're wasting this great character. I guess Bray Wyatt already has WrestleMania plans?

Finally, if the WWE Hall of Fame 2018 Induction Ceremony follows the same pattern as the previous ones, Kid Rock is going to get booed out of the building.

Watched movie: "Game Night" (2018)
A movie premised on people who take party games too personally? Comedic gold. Man that slighted next-door neighbor was funny. I also never get tired of Jason Bateman's observational wit. Stay after the credits. Rating: 7
Watched movie: "Una Mujer Fantástica" a.k.a. "A Fantastic Woman" (2017)
Slow foreign language Oscar winner from Chile about a trans woman who faces contempt from the family of her recently deceased lover. Overall, I felt like the movie needed more insights. For example, why did she seem to have consciousness of guilt and why did she keep blowing off the one family member who seemed nice to her? Rating: 5
Watched movie: "A Wrinkle in Time" (2018) in RPX & 3D
I don't know whether to blame director Ava DuVernay or author Madeleine L'Engle, but what a bunch of gobbledygook. Someone explain to me what these kids actually did, other than prove themselves worthy of participation awards? :P I did like the quest to rescue Meg's missing father. But I didn't care for the darkness threat because a) I didn't understand it, and b) it implied that people weren't responsible for their sins. All in all, the whole movie felt like something that would air on the Hallmark Channel. Rating: 4
Watched movie: "The Strangers: Prey at Night" (2018)
Even though the first Strangers film came out almost a decade ago, it featured a horror movie mistake so bad that I never forgot it: basically, the couple had a shotgun and still fell victim to the masked intruders. So imagine my dismay when the family in this sequel managed to commit even worse mistakes! Not only did the guy have something the slashers didn't--a handgun--he inexplicably spared the one who stabbed his sister! And what family would just split up instead of jumping into their car and driving away? On the plus side, I liked the slashers' taste in 80's music (eerie watching violence to the tune of 80's pop) and the deserted trailer park made for an interesting setting. Rating: 4
Watched movie: "Thoroughbreds" (2018)
Arid "comedy thriller" that I found neither funny nor thrilling. Olivia Cooke played an uninspiring teenage sociopath nowhere near as likeable as Dexter Morgan, and Anya Taylor-Joy played a spoiled teenage friend nowhere near as likeable as Debra Morgan. I guess my main problem boiled down to their conspiracy to murder the stepfather--I felt like they lacked a good enough reason to want him dead. Rating: 4
"The Three Amigos of Cinema"
03/05/18 5:57 PM PST

Foiled again on my Best Picture prediction. On the plus side, I find it cool that Guillermo del Toro, Alfonso Cuarón, and Alejandro González Iñárritu all have directing Oscars now.

Watched movie: "Early Man" (2018)
Like a claymation, prehistoric version of "Shaolin Soccer" but nowhere near as funny. I found most of the humor lowbrow, and it just didn't feel right to laugh at mentally stunted cavemen. A shame because I usually enjoy these Aardman Animations productions. P.S. I did find the duck somewhat amusing. Rating: 5
Watched movie: "Annihilation" (2018)
Another haunting movie from Alex Garland about a tumor-like soap bubble on the Earth that blends the DNA of anything inside, creating some hideous-looking mutations. This guy clearly has a knack for sci-fi horror. I found both the sights and intellections in this film disturbing. I might've rated it higher, but didn't care for the ending. Rating: 6
Olympic Winter Games XXIII: Ups and downs
02/20/18 4:58 PM PST

Looks like my celebrity counterpart, DJ Steve Aoki, tried weightlessness for himself at a zero-gravity dance party. Coincidence?

Just like Winter Olympics past, these PyeongChang 2018 Olympics have given me highs and lows. Case in point: after I watched Mikaela Shiffrin unexpectedly win a gold medal in the giant slalom, she inexplicably placed fourth in her signature slalom event on the very next day! That same night, I had to watch Lindsey Jacobellis fade to fourth place in the snowboard cross final after she led the majority of the race (at least she made the final this time), and had to watch Nathan Chen skate to a disastrous 17th place in the men's figure skating short program (I do enjoy the commentary from Tara Lipinski and Johnny Weir at least).

Congratulations to Shaun White on becoming the first snowboarder ever to win three Olympic gold medals! Talk about a clutch performance--instead of his usual victory lap, he had to nail the very last run of the snowboard halfpipe final to avoid second place. I've never seen him scream that loud and cry that hard before. I was also impressed by gold medalist Chloe Kim on the previous day's halfpipe. For some reason, I found it amusing watching each competitor either hug or snub the first snowboarder to finish, Arielle Gold, as she waited and waited at the bottom in bronze medal position.

In other sporting news, 36-year-old Roger Federer successfully became the oldest man to ever top the world tennis rankings, surpassing Andre Agassi who held the record at age 33-years-old. Das impressive.

Update 2/22/2018: What an ending to the women’s ice hockey gold medal match. I'm glad NBC chose to televise it. That's the first time I've watched a penalty shootout, and to me it was way more thrilling than regulation/overtime where I can't even tell where the puck is. :) I felt vested in this match because I still remember my bitterness from the last Olympic hockey final when the U.S. women managed to blow a 2-0 lead against Canada in the final minutes of regulation.

Update 2/24/2018: Never thought I'd be watching live curling again after I walked out on it at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics, but I couldn't resist tuning in to team USA's historic gold medal match. Congratulations to Team Shuster on winning America's first-ever gold medal in Olympic curling! Talk about an improbable victory. Hollywood should make a movie about this.

Watched movie: "Fifty Shades Freed" (2018)
Third and final installment of the Fifty Shades series. You would think that a marriage between such passionate personalities would yield something juicy, but nope. Mostly just sex and fluff. Christian Grey's character flaws all but disappeared, and the "shades" that remained (like being possessive and secretive) didn't seem to ruffle Anastasia Steele at all. The movie also managed to shut down all of the conflicts before they could get good, including a really interesting one that that stupid Jack Hyde storyline derailed. Apparently this idiot, this known threat, can just break into high-security areas and get caught red-handed for arson and attempted kidnapping with complete impunity! Rating: 4
Watched movie: "Black Panther" (2018) in IMAX 3D
One of the better Marvel movies thanks to Ryan Coogler's directing, an all-star cast of kick-ass characters, Shakespearean intrigue, topical sociopolitical issues, and cool hi-tech action. I also liked how the film blurred what constitutes a good or bad revolutionary. Side note: Maybe Wakanda should consider elections instead of ritual combat to determine the next ruler. Just sayin'. :P Stay during and after the credits. Rating: 7
Super Bowl Sunday
02/05/18 5:34 PM PST

Congratulations to the Philadelphia Eagles on their first-ever Super Bowl victory! Say what you will about the New England Patriots, their Super Bowl games never fail to entertain.

I'm not a fan of the TV show "This Is Us", but I did tune in to their big post-Super Bowl episode. Hopefully now instead of blaming harmless Crock-Pots, viewers will blame the parents' negligence for letting all of their smoke alarm batteries expire. I also found it unconscionably stupid for Jack to enter a burning house to save a dog and a sack of replaceable material possessions. And I found his complete lack of smoke inhalation symptoms hard to believe. But otherwise, good episode. I can definitely identify with that family, even though it's weird to me that they still have hang-ups over this incident 20 years later.

Now that all the precursor guild awards concluded, here are my Oscar predictions for 2017:

This time, I refuse to trust a PGA winner without a SAG nomination no matter how favorable the odds get.

Never retire
01/29/18 4:20 PM PST

Congratulations to Roger Federer on a milestone 20th Grand Slam title! I got alarmed when he suddenly faded in the fourth set, but to my relief he held tough in the fifth to secure his sixth Australian Open title. That Marin Cilic, man--he still bugs me; the time he wastes between serves and the way he kept fussing over his unopened rackets. I'm so glad Federer closed it out (on another harrowing HawkEye challenge, no less). Plus it was cool (and uncharacteristic) to see Federer so emotional at the trophy presentation.

In another feel-good moment, Caroline Wozniacki FINALLY won her first Grand Slam title! Quite the final given that among the active WTA roster, I had regarded both her and opponent Simona Halep as the two best players to never win a Grand Slam tournament. I used to be one of the haters who felt that Caroline Wozniacki didn't deserve the #1 WTA ranking, but nowadays I'm impressed with her level of play and feel like she truly earned the spot.

By the way, that semifinal between Simona Halep and Angelique Kerber might go down as the most epic women’s tennis match I've ever watched. Haymakers back-and-forth; suspenseful HawkEye challenges; both players trying to gut through exhaustion and mental demons. First Kerber rallied back from double match point; then Halep rallied back from double match point. An amazing match.

At long last, WWE booked a Royal Rumble Match right. I also liked the first-ever Women’s Royal Rumble Match and its nostalgic slew of surprise entrants who helped build the division. And I liked that they had to all go over the top rope, even though I noticed they had to keep finding creative ways to keep the eliminations safe. To my recollection, WWE's previous women's battle royales never instituted this deceptively dangerous rule.

Man, that Ronda Rousey needs better entrance music. Like for example, the entrance music of Samoa Joe or Brock Lesnar.

Watched movie: "The Death Cure" (2018) in IMAX
Third and final installment of the Maze Runner series. I don't know whether to blame the book author or the filmmakers, but the whole movie felt illogical. Maybe because of flip-flopping character motivations (for example, does WCKD want to kill Thomas or capture him?), inexplicable deaths, the inexplicable survival of mortally wounded characters, and my ongoing confusion over the Flare virus. At least the film went bold on the plot points, and went big on visual effects like the hi-tech city. Rating: 6
Phantom of the Oscars
01/24/18 12:46 AM PST

To my confusion, "Phantom Thread" snagged a Best Picture nomination over four other more probable Oscar contenders. It had such slim odds that I had just written it off. As a result, I had to go watch it before I could finish ranking all of the 2017 Best Picture nominees:

  1. "Dunkirk" (My rating: 7)
  2. "Get Out" (My rating: 7)
  3. "The Post" (My rating: 7)
  4. "Phantom Thread" (My rating: 6)
  5. "The Shape of Water" (My rating: 6)
  6. "Lady Bird" (My rating: 5)
  7. "Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri" (My rating: 5)
  8. "Call Me by Your Name" (My rating: 5)
  9. "Darkest Hour" (My rating: 5)

The Golden Globes, PGA, and SAG awards took place so early this year that I've pretty much finalized all of my Academy Award predictions already, except for Best Director.

Watched movie: "Mom and Dad" (2018)
Offbeat, energetically-scored horror comedy wherein a TV signal brainwashes Nicolas Cage and Selma Blair (and other parents across the country) to go homicidal on their own children. As expected, Nicolas Cage's nutty performance was about the only thing I enjoyed in the entire movie. I mean, the guy already seemed batsh-- crazy before the epidemic even began. :) I guess the flashbacks were meant to provide emotion, irony, and some kind of meaning, but to me they kept dragging down the pace of the film. Rating: 5
Watched movie: "Phantom Thread" (2017)
This boring-looking romantic drama about a 1950's dressmaker turned out much more captivating than I expected. That Daniel Day-Lewis was suave, man--even during the scenes where his character was neurotic, ill-tempered, or straight up rude. I'm starting to think that this director, Paul Thomas Anderson, knows how to bring out the best performances in people. I also like how he keeps the camera fixated on characters, even when they're just thinking. I would've rated this movie higher, but what kind of ending was that. Rating: 6
The mytharc
01/16/18 6:15 PM PST

"The X-Files" quietly started airing season 11, and already I hate it. :P They're seriously just retconning the whole series now. Either that, or they're trying to convey the futility of finding truth in a world so polluted with disinformation. The examples that irritated me the most:

Also, I still can't reconcile how the Cigarette-Smoking Man survived getting blown to smithereens in the series finale. While I'm at it, I can't remember how Mulder and Scully were allowed to return to the FBI.

I finished tabulating the music video rankings for 2017. I had to apply two tiebreakers to determine the #30 song: "Formation" or "Trampoline".

Watched movie: "Insidious: The Last Key" (2018)
Another Insidious prequel lacking in suspense because I already know what becomes of the main characters. At least this prequel appears to be the last one. This series needs some fresh ideas because it's getting repetitive. Points for the heart and humor though. P.S. I'm still waiting for a resolution to the second installment's cliffhanger. Rating: 5
Holiday movie marathon 2017
01/05/18 7:52 PM PST

Well, I finally bought a brand-new car: a 2018 Toyota Corolla LE sedan. Why does my new car match the exact same make, model, and color of my last two cars, you might ask? Because I like trilogies. :)

I'm somewhat fascinated with this new car's automated safety features. It's supposed to automatically brake when it detects a collision, automatically course-correct when it detects lane departure, automatically dim high beams when it detects oncoming cars, and automatically adjust the cruise control to steadily follow the car ahead of me. Interestingly, during my drive back to San Jose, the car's AI warned me to put my hands back on the steering wheel (I was experimenting with the course-correction feature); then about two hours into the trip asked me if I need a break.

I traded in my old 2004 Corolla for a whopping $100. To my irritation, the salesman rationalized that because its odometer froze at 299,999 miles, they couldn't really trust my own personal estimate. So basically, they exploited their own manufacturing defect as an excuse to lowball me. I didn't really mind though, as I doubt the engine would've lasted much longer given how fast (and loudly) it was burning through oil. My oil kept running low less than 3000 miles after my oil changes, even though the car had no leaks anywhere.

I actually felt a pang of sadness when I spotted my 2004 Corolla on my way out of the dealership lot. Nowhere near as sad as my Mom when she said goodbye to the family station wagon, but sentimental nonetheless. I guess because for those 14+ years and 364,000+ miles, that 2004 Corolla never really let me down. It was like a good luck charm in that I never once suffered a traffic accident in it.

Watched movie: "Aus dem Nichts" a.k.a. "In the Fade" (2017)
So-so Oscar entry from Germany about a grieving widow who wants justice against the bombers who purposely targeted her husband and son. The first act started out interesting when the characters' theories of the crime varied depending on their own personal prejudices. But the acts with the courtroom drama and moral dilemma struck me as shallow. Rating: 5
Watched movie: "The Post" (2017)
I knew a Spielberg historical drama starring both Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks wouldn't disappoint. This one dramatized a dilemma in The Washington Post about whether to risk publishing classified government secrets about the Vietnam War (against the Nixon administration's wishes). Lots of compelling rhetoric about freedom of the press. Rating: 7
Watched movie: "Hostiles" (2017)
Scenic Western wherein an 1892 U.S. Army captain (Christian Bale) is inexplicably ordered to safely escort his sworn enemy, a dying Cheyenne war chief (and his family), back to his homeland in Montana. Just his homeland, not his tribe, so the whole mission lacked oversight and was just bizarre to me. Also, the cynic in me just couldn't buy how easily the characters overcame their deep-seated prejudices, particularly the Rosamund Pike character. Otherwise, I liked the movie (though would recommend "Dances with Wolves" instead). Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Happy End" (2017)
Typical Michael Haneke fare in that I had to pay close attention to the screen (including the subtitles), mentally connect dots, and hypothesize what was happening due to a lack of context in many of the scenes. Meaning, I had to stay vigilant even during parts of the movie that felt long, boring, and uneventful. Certain WTF moments stood out, but for me the biggest bombshell was a casual reference to the ending of "Amour". Does that make "Happy End" a sequel?! Rating: 5
Watched movie: "downsizing" (2017)
Dry social satire from Alexander Payne wherein Matt Damon voluntarily shrinks himself to retire to a miniature upscale community. It impressed me how well the filmmakers thought everything through. The "downsizing" procedure and its appeal to everyday consumers felt really convincing. But as the movie progressed, my interest began waning because of how little the new civilization seemed to differ from the old one. I also found it disappointing that the film never revisited the subject matter that intrigued me the most: sociopolitical tensions between big and small people. Side note: Props to the Hong Chau character. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "The Greatest Showman" (2017)
Entertaining albeit rose-colored biopic of P.T. Barnum, adorned with exhilarating musical numbers. I don't get why the movie had to formulate such soapy narratives for a life that was already so fascinating. Granted, they captured his sensationalist spirit--but not his fraudulent hoaxes (like the Feejee mermaid) or his unapologetic love of money (which I saw no shame in). I particularly hated how the film took one of P.T. Barnum's greatest successes, the Jenny Lind tour of America, and warped it into some kind of scandal. Side note: Hugh Jackman's characters sure like stealing bread. Rating: 7
2017 Year in Review
12/26/17 5:36 PM PST
Best of 2017 Worst of 2017
Events that happened to Steve
  1. Watching Roger Federer finally winning his 18th Grand Slam title (after over four years of disappointment) by narrowly outlasting Rafael Nadal in the greatest tennis match I have ever seen.
  2. (tie) Watching Serena Williams winning her 23rd Grand Slam title to break Steffi Graf's Open era record; and watching Roger Federer winning a record-breaking eighth Wimbledon title and 19th Grand Slam title.
  3. Vacationing in New York with my siblings, including a fun 4DX screening, the 9/11 museum, four Broadway musicals, Coney Island, two famous pizzerias, one famous delicatessen, and the Museum of Modern Art.
  4. My Comcast On Demand service working again after I upgraded my cable box.
  5. Enjoying the "Game of Thrones Live Concert Experience".
Honorable mention: The Golden State Warriors closing out the 2017 NBA Finals and Kevin Durant finally winning his first NBA championship ring.
  1. My 2004 Corolla breaking down and needing a tow twice within three months (first for a bad alternator, then for a bad starter).
  2. Finding out about Serena Williams' pregnancy and withdrawl from the tennis season.
  3. Another aunt passing away.
  4. A fire breaking out in my microwave; then my microwave going out because both of my countertop kitchen outlets went dead.
  5. The Cleveland Cavaliers suddenly breaking scoring records in game 4 to spoil the Golden State Warriors' historic opportunity for an NBA playoffs sweep.
Movies
  1. "Dunkirk"
    "Christopher Nolan and Hans Zimmer can make anything cool, even this drab historical event from World War II."
  2. "The Disaster Artist"
    "Funny albeit occasionally cringeworthy gem about the making of that hilariously bad cult sensation, 'The Room'."
  3. "Get Out"
    "A keen and thoroughly entertaining horror hit..."
  4. "War for the Planet of the Apes"
    "Cold hard motion-capture magic tempered with sharp emotion."
  5. "Baby Driver"
    "Fun, stirring, and suave."
  6. "The Salesman"
    "Another absorbing Oscar-nominated foreign language film by Asghar Farhadi."
  7. "Blade Runner 2049"
    "...that first couple of hours really fascinated me and tugged on my heartstrings..."
  8. "Battle of the Sexes"
    "Inspirational, relevant biopic that follows tennis player Billie Jean King..."
  9. "John Wick Chapter 2"
    "Cool and entertaining neo-noir sequel..."
  10. "Wonder Woman"
    "A golden gem from DC Films that in my judgment, triumphed over everything that could have gone wrong with it."
  1. "rings"
    "Every sequel about Samara Morgan seems to take away more and more of her mystique."
  2. "Sharknado 5: Global Swarming"
    "Apparently sharknadoes can now teleport people all over the world, and I couldn't care less."
  3. "Before I Fall"
    "Usually I like these 'Groundhog Day' movies...but this one bored me and felt like a sappy teen drama."
  4. "Suburbicon"
    "...what a mistake IMHO to go for a comedic tone."
  5. "Annabelle: Creation"
    "Too many uncreative jump scares, too little plot if you ask me."
  6. "Transformers: The Last Knight"
    "Just like all the other boneheaded Transformers movies..."
  7. "Jigsaw"
    "Like a cheap imitation of previous (and better) Saw movies."
  8. "The Snowman"
    "A dud of a detective 'thriller' that lacked basic elements like forensics, behavioral analysis, and intriguing clues."
  9. "Fifty Shades Darker"
    "Man their dialogue was bad. Cringeworthy bad."
  10. "Detroit"
    "...disliked how they curated this one."
Songs
  1. "Shadow" Chromatics
  2. "Despacito" Luis Fonsi f/ Daddy Yankee
  3. "Believer" Imagine Dragons
  4. "Stay in the Dark" The Band Perry
  5. "Look What You Made Me Do" Taylor Swift
Honorable mention: "Plastic Heart" Nostalghia & Tyler Bates & Joel J. Richard
  1. "Naked" James Arthur
  2. "Both" Gucci Mane f/ Drake
  3. "Attention" Charlie Puth
  4. "Sorry Not Sorry" Demi Lovato
  5. "Broken Glass" Rachel Platten
TV series "Game of Thrones" "Fear the Walking Dead"
Commercial (tie) Foot Locker commercial where DeMarcus Cousins and Ndamukong Suh "make an impression", and a GEICO Insurance commercial about a talking raccoon's cooking show Toyota commercial where identical hitchhikers steal a samaritan's car in a roundabout
Movie trailer (tie) "Thor: Ragnarok" and "The Disaster Artist" and "Isle of Dogs" "Power Rangers"
Box office bump
12/24/17 9:50 PM PST
Watched movie: "Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi" (2017) in RPX & 3D
Although I found this installment slow, comedically challenged, and mostly propped up by nostalgia, it definitely had its moments, e.g., Yoda's anti-cynical advice, the notion of arms dealers being the only real winners, and the Resistance's suicide attacks. IMHO, that one part where the Resistance cruiser lightsped through the enemy fleet like paper was one of the most awesome scenes Star Wars has ever done. I also liked the unexpected twists and turns in the plot, e.g., the Leia shocker, the DJ shocker, the Snoke shocker, Rey's parentage, and Luke's ploy. Cast-wise, I'm afraid I still don't feel vested in any of the new characters. Rating: 7
Watched movie: "I, Tonya" (2017)
A Tonya Harding biopic based on Tonya Harding's version of events...so naturally, I was skeptic the whole time. Admittedly, Margot Robbie did a good job humanizing her. Side note: I'm not too big a fan of narratives that keep breaking the fourth wall. Rating: 5
Watched movie: "Call Me by Your Name" (2017)
Scenic, subtle, and snail-paced. Possibly the most boring coming-of-age film I've ever seen. It felt like an eternity waiting for something to happen. Most of the time the characters just loafed around. I also had trouble getting past the age difference between the teenager and his American love interest. On the plus side, I liked the cast's highly nuanced performances. For example, it was interesting watching the supporting characters' body language for "tells" on whether they suspected. Rating: 5
Box office slump
12/14/17 5:56 PM PST

Cinemark unveiled some kind of Movie Club where once a month, members can pay a discounted $8.99 instead of $12.75 for one ticket. Huh? This is supposed to compete against MoviePass, where for $9.95 a month the subscribers can get one free movie ticket a day? That MoviePass pays for itself after just one movie! Admittedly, I never trusted MoviePass because it seems too good to be true--well, that and I can't use it without an iPhone or Android phone. :)

It's been awhile, but I finally drove to San Francisco to see a limited release movie. I just couldn't wait to screen the James Franco biopic about Tommy Wiseau and Greg Sestero. :)

Watched movie: "The Disaster Artist" (2017)
Funny albeit occasionally cringeworthy gem about the making of that hilariously bad cult sensation, "The Room". Now that I see how off-the-wall filmmaker Tommy Wiseau was in real-life, I can see how "The Room" turned out so illogical. To my amusement, James Franco played the guy to perfection--unidentifiable accent and all. I think the reactions of the cast and crew cracked me up as much as his non sequiturs did. Some parts got pretty serious, but I guess the movie had to explore Tommy Wiseau's "jerk" side too. Stay after the credits. Rating: 7
Watched movie: "The Shape of Water" (2017)
The latest fantasy drama from Guillermo del Toro about the romance between a mute janitor (Sally Hawkins) and a captured sea creature inside of a "high-security" government laboratory (I put "high-security" in quotes because what a joke it was). I wanted to call this movie charming, but once again Guillermo del Toro just had to sully my brain with needlessly disgusting scenes, from cringeworthy ones to Michael Shannon leaving a restroom without washing his hands. :P Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Darkest Hour" (2017)
I respect Winston Churchill, but this biopic about him might be the most boring WWII film I've ever seen. Sometimes the guy droned on, sometimes he mumbled, and sometimes he struggled just spitting the words out of his mouth (though he did have a couple of hilariously droll lines). On the plus side, I found Gary Oldman's performance Oscar-worthy, and enjoyed Winston Churchill's conversations with King George VI and with the people in the subway. But yeah, it's so hard watching a movie about Parliament after way more compelling films like "Dunkirk" and "The King's Speech". Rating: 5
From A to B
11/29/17 5:59 PM PST

I'm glad I experimented with driving on US 101 the Monday after Thanksgiving weekend rather than Sunday (or Saturday). No gridlock at all this time, and it only cost me one extra vacation day. This will become my new routine going forward.

Looks like the "Talking Dead" purposely spoiled who will cross over from "The Walking Dead" to "Fear the Walking Dead". I don't get it. Texas isn't exactly close to the East Coast--did this character just go on some zombie apocalypse road trip? And with the filming location so far away, I assume this character will have to be written off "The Walking Dead" somehow. I don't like it.

Watched movie: "Justice League" (2017) in Cinemark XD-RealD 3D
These DC movies just can't seem to nail comedy, and how lazy IMHO to rely on such convenient plot devices to unite the superheroes. Still, the film still turned out better than I expected--possibly thanks to some tinkering from Joss Whedon. Some cool Zack Snyder slo-mo too. Stay during and after the credits. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Coco" (2017) in 3D
A vibrantly impressive Pixar movie, rich with Mexican aesthetics and culture. Plot-wise, I wasn't sure what the overall message was--especially for someone like me whose family never memorialized ancestors for Day of the Dead. What happens to the decedents who aren't Mexican? :P Side note #1: My early prediction came true. Side note #2: That Frozen "short" went way too long. Rating: 7
November movie marathon
11/17/17 6:44 PM PST
Watched movie: "Thor: Ragnarok" (2017) in IMAX 3D
Entertainingly funny movie thanks mostly to the comedic stylings of Chris Hemsworth and the Hulk. The comedy might have gone too far though, as I felt like the film's most monumental tragedies got shrugged off and didn't receive any of the emotional weight they deserved. Also, Cate Blanchett bored me as the villain. Props to the colorful visuals and retro music. Stay during and after the credits. Rating: 7
Watched movie: "The Square" (2017)
Offbeat Oscar entry from Sweden that also won the Palme d'Or. I wasn't sure whether to take it seriously or not, as the (satirical?) art exhibits in this movie like the "square" and the piles of gravel resembled minimal art exhibits that I've seen in real-life. That performance art definitely went off the rails though. :P All in all, I liked a few of the scenes, but found the overall film rudderless. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "The Florida Project" (2017)
Despite the movie's attempt to romanticize the childhood of these slumdog-like kids near Disney World, I don't think I smiled even once. I just couldn't get past their families' living conditions at this budget motel. Plus a couple of scenes managed to kill whatever charm the film could have had for me: a) the beginning where the kids insulted a stranger with some nasty expletives (what a horrible first impression to start with), and b) the motel manager's discovery of bed bugs (which I couldn't get out of my head for the rest of the movie). Admittedly, I found the film's overall exploration of community and rules at this extended-stay motel interesting. Rating: 5
Watched movie: "Lady Bird" (2017)
A coming-of-age dramedy where Saoirse Ronan plays a Catholic high school senior suffering from First World problems. I say that because it took place in 2002 and 2003, and occasionally referenced America's War on Terror. Even without this backdrop, however, I'm afraid I didn't find Saoirse Ronan's teenager problems interesting enough to warrant an entire feature length movie. Admittedly, a couple of scenes really stood out, i.e., Saoirse Ronan forgiving her gay friend and the woefully "anticlimactic" loss of her virginity. Rating: 5
Watched movie: "Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri" (2017)
Too dark of a comedy for me to laugh. I was pretty alarmed with all the malice in this movie, particularly the outrageous retaliations to Frances McDormand's billboards and the outrageous acts of violence that went unpunished. Like some kind of WWE melodrama (including an illogical face turn). Props to Frances McDormand's performance as a tough as nails mother who didn't give no f---s. If the whole film had just been her feuding with the townspeople of Ebbing, I probably would've rated it higher. :) Rating: 5
Watched movie: "Murder on the Orient Express" (2017) in 70mm
Decent theatrical adaptation of the Agatha Christie whodunit. I've never been a fan of detective Hercule Poirot, but it intrigued me watching him sleuth this quagmire of a mystery. I never read the novel and my theory of the crime was pretty laughable, but how could I deduce anything when I couldn't trust the authenticity of the clues or the honesty of the suspects (even the ones I ruled out). :P In the end, the solution satisfied me and reconciled the things that were bothering me. Side note #1: I can't think of anything in A Tale of Two Cities that would make Poirot laugh. Side note #2: To my amusement, the 70mm screening came with a free Hercule Poirot mustache. :) Rating: 6
Astro turf
11/02/17 2:42 PM PDT

Congratulations to the Houston Astros on their first World Series championship. Not the best World Series IMHO, given how anticlimactic Game 7 was against the Dodgers, but at least they had an epic Game 5. (Personally, I can't imagine any baseball game ever topping the awesomeness of those previous two World Series Game 7's!)

My pictures from New York finally got developed, so I uploaded them to my blog. It takes about two weeks to ship and process the film. I used a disposable camera, so most of the photos I snapped in dim lighting, e.g., my 9/11 museum snapshots, came out too dark. I do own a camera with a magnificent flash, but I've been saving it for special occasions (like WWE events) because stores stopped selling film rolls for it. Once my stock of film rolls run out, I'll probably have to go digital. :)

Watched movie: "The Snowman" (2017)
A dud of a detective "thriller" that lacked basic elements like forensics, behavioral analysis, and intriguing clues. The deaths were underwhelming (some of the key ones even happened off-screen), the film never bothered to address why the serial killer made snowmen (or how he seemed to teleport around), and a lot of scenes turned out to be wastes of time. For instance, it felt like this Harry Hole spent more time investigating what his partner was hiding rather than the case itself. (Just threaten to oust her from the team if she doesn't come clean!) Although I never read the Harry Hole novel, I'm already convinced that this theatrical adaptation butchered it. A shame given how much I enjoyed this director's last two films. At least the movie had interesting winter scenery, tablet technology, and serial killer taunts. Plus I liked the melancholy atmosphere. Rating: 4
Watched movie: "Jigsaw" (2017) in IMAX
Like a cheap imitation of previous (and better) Saw movies. Disappointing that after seven years of real-life news events, this sequel could not come up with a single fresh or topical idea. I found all of the traps lackluster, and how many times are they going to recycle that same old plot twist? Rating: 4
Watched movie: "Suburbicon" (2017)
I don't know whether to blame George Clooney's directing, the Coen brothers' writing, the offbeat trailer, or all of the above, but what a mistake IMHO to go for a comedic tone. To me, hate crimes and psychological child abuse should never be taken lightly. (If you're going to make a film about 1950's desegregation, make it a serious historical drama.) Also, the trailer spoiled some major scenes. Rating: 4
Overkill
10/24/17 11:03 PM PDT

Gross. On Sunday, I counted 24 dead quails in the plaza of my workplace. Looked like some kind of animal attack. Then that night I gave my first ever 0 star rating to "The Simpsons" in the show's 27-year history--to that sickening Halloween story where Homer cannibalized himself.

"The Walking Dead" season 8 premiere was ok. Better than this most recent "Fear the Walking Dead" season. Once again, "Fear the Walking Dead" managed to think up another dumb death for a major character. I'm not even curious about which mystery character will cross over between the two shows some time in 2018. (I assume we can rule out an appearance by comatose Rick.) The top theory appears to be Abraham given that he once lived at a grocery store in Houston, the same city that the Proctors plan to sail toward. Personally, I'd find it much more interesting if one of the "Fear the Walking Dead" characters journeyed all the way from Mexico to the East Coast, thereby setting up a flash-forward.

Watched movie: "Happy Death Day" (2017)
Usually I like these "Groundhog Day" movies where the main character relives the same day over and over again--but this one lacked logic. How is it that the main character in this one, a sorority sister, couldn't make it through a single day alive?? She remembered when and where her killer confronted her the first time, right? Just go there prepared, and she's bound to prevail at least once. At a minimum, carry around something for self-defense. Or just go somewhere that's safe from the killer! Anyway, I did like the final twist and the montage where she surveilled different suspects. Though once she learned that each death weakened her, I don't know why she didn't just try leaving. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Battle of the Sexes" (2017)
Inspirational, relevant biopic that follows tennis player Billie Jean King during her career-threatening boycott of the USLTA for equal pay, her concealment of a lesbian affair, and her historic high-stakes match against Bobby Riggs. I say relevant because it's 44 years later and we still have these kinds of issues. Props to Emma Stone and Steve Carell for their terrific acting performances. Rating: 7
New York V: The Museum of Modern Art
10/13/17 10:13 PM PDT

I decided to look for famous paintings at the Museum of Modern Art (admission is free after 4pm on Friday). I saw The Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh and Christina's World by Andrew Wyeth. I like that latter painting. It was hung in plain sight between an elevator and an escalator with nary any people around it, so I almost overlooked it! I couldn't find The Persistence of Memory and Campbell's Soup Cans (even though they had other Andy Warhol art pieces), so maybe they weren't on display. :(

Attended Broadway musical: "Cats"
Boring, nonsensical torture. To my dissatisfaction, all they did was introduce cat after cat. I did enjoy three of the musical numbers, at least: "Macavity", "Mr. Mistoffelees", and of course "Memory". Rating: 4
New York V: Coney Island
10/12/17 10:22 PM PDT

Tried an original hot dog at the original Nathan's Famous of Coney Island. It was tasty, but not worth the $4.90 I paid. :P

The Coney Island amusement area (Luna Park) was closed for a couple of days, and the Riegelmann Boardwalk didn't have many people. I enjoyed a $6 funnel cake from Ruby's Bar & Grill.

Brooklyn's Totonno Pizzeria Napolitano was within walking distance. My brother and I split a large pepperoni (coal fired) pizza, and it was thin and delicious. I noticed it had a slightly burnt crust just like the other Totonno's I ate at a long while back.

Attended Broadway musical: "The Lion King"
The Lion King has never been my favorite Disney movie, but I found the costumes, sets, and puppetry in this stage adaptation pretty amazing. Props to the slow motion falls. :) Rating: 7
New York V: Hamilton
10/11/17 7:25 PM PDT

I really like the New York subway system, and it's sure convenient having a subway entrance so close to our hotel.

Attended Broadway musical: "Hamilton: An American Musical"
Fun, rap-filled Lin-Manuel Miranda musical about American Founding Father Alexander Hamilton. Lots of energy, flair, and big personalities. I found the depiction of King George III particularly entertaining. George Washington had great stage presence too. Thomas Jefferson amused me, but acted way too silly for me to even remotely suspend disbelief. I did enjoy his rap battles with Alexander Hamilton. As for Alexander Hamilton's family drama--that kind of bored me. Rating: 7
New York V: World Trade Center
10/10/17 10:12 PM PDT

Finally got to enter the National September 11 Memorial Museum at the World Trade Center for the first time. Admission cost $24, but I assume it went to a good cause. The exhibitions of the wreckage grew repetitive, particularly when I started seeing everyday office debris like papers. For me, the historical exhibition area had the most interesting exhibits, e.g., the front pages of global newspapers about 9/11, pre-9/11 newspaper headlines, a 1971 presentation model of the WTC towers, and airport security footage of the terrorists’ screenings. I had mixed feelings about the real-life voice messages and the slideshow of falling victims though.

Also made sure to photograph the Survivor Tree this time. Interestingly, the twin memorial pools are now out in the open without any fencing.

Afterward, my brother and I split a pastrami sandwich on rye at Katz’s Delicatessen (where Harry met Sally). It tasted good, but not worth the $21.45 we paid for it. :) Also, the place was congested with customers even with seven cutters on duty.

Attended Broadway musical: "Waitress"
Better than the movie, probably because they got to harvest all the best parts from it (like the "poetry" and the "happy enough" wisdom). The Sara Bareilles songs added much more emotion, and that Ogie character totally stole the show. Didn't care for the vulgarity, e.g., the expletives and all the dry humping. :P Rating: 7
New York V: Union Square
10/09/17 10:18 PM PDT

Here in New York, I finally screened a movie in 4DX (Absolute Cinema Experience) for the first time. To my amusement, water squirted right in my face a couple of times. Other times, water drizzled down when it rained onscreen. (The movie was the Blade Runner sequel so unsurprisingly, it rained the entire film.) Heh, the rain left droplets on my 3-D lenses. I also felt wind from the large fans and deliberately timed shots of air. The seat even jabbed my back during fight scenes!

Watched movie: "Blade Runner 2049" (2017) in 4DX & 3D
The main character arcs ended anticlimactically, IMHO, but that first couple of hours really fascinated me and tugged on my heartstrings (particularly the holographic character). I found the flying car scenes and the final showdown thrilling, but it’s probably because the 4DX effects (water, wind, motion seating) augmented them so well. Rating: 7
New York V: Lower East Side
10/08/17 6:07 PM PDT

My siblings and I arrived in New York this morning on a red eye. My brother and I visited Little Italy, and tried an original margherita at Lombardi's Pizza. It was thin and delicious.

"I want to play a game."
10/01/17 6:24 PM PDT

Haha, what a dramatic Family Feud bonus round (goal is to score 200 points). That's the most suspenseful Fast Money I've ever seen.

Lionsgate is bringing a Saw-themed escape room to the New York Comic Con from October 5 to October 8, called "Jigsaw: Survive the Trap". Comic Con badge holders enter in pairs and must work together to escape before time runs out. (Hopefully they won't have to amputate anything.) As fate would have it, I'll actually be in New York on October 8. I don't think anything could ever convince me to explore this attraction though. I like the Saw movies, but would never want to BE in one!

Watched movie: "Kingsman: The Golden Circle" (2017) in IMAX
Uneven sequel. Some scenes got emotional (I especially liked how well Eggsy looked after his relationships from the previous movie), but others got outrageously bad and unamusing. I didn't care for any of the overly-caricatural characters, i.e., the depraved supervillain, the U.S. President who watches Fox News, and Elton John. I also found a couple of scenes in poor taste, i.e., the ones with the hamburger and the tracking device. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Jeepers Creepers 3" (2017)
Direct continuation of the first movie wherein a couple of people from that film return, but don't do very much. The Creeper seemed more indestructible than ever, making everybody's efforts to fight it (even when they joined forces and armed themselves to the teeth) appear utterly futile. I did like this notion of an invincible apex predator that we humans are powerless to stop...but then I found out that the events of this third installment preceded the second installment. :P Side note: Cool that we finally got a good look at The Creeper in broad daylight (even though that made it less spooky). I was disappointed that the movie had no new scenes of The Creeper rebuilding itself with human body parts though. The film did have new entertaining scenes of The Creeper when it struggles to work through injury. :D Rating: 5
La Serpiente
09/20/17 9:32 PM PDT

To my chagrin, my car's alternator went bad again after only six months. (The battery light kept coming on every time I started the car.) I ended up just paying for a new one because I didn't want to risk losing power again on a drive back to Salinas.

Well, I feel like "Fear the Walking Dead" finally had a good episode. Just when I started souring on one of the characters because of his habitual lying, he finally showed some honesty. I also admired how his friend had the credibility to be believed when she spoke in earnest. Maybe it's just the times--or leftover inspiration from that epic speech I heard in the "Game of Thrones" season finale--but I'm really starting to treasure truthful characters in TV and movies now.

Watched movie: "mother!" (2017)
Madness! I think Darren Aronofsky went off the deep end again. I should have suspected as much after those first two bizarre scenes and the periodic shots of the country home's "heart", but I kept getting lulled into taking the film literally by Jennifer Lawrence's sanity, e.g., her realistic reactions and her willingness to dial 9-1-1, and Javier Bardem's writer's block. The writer's block helped me rationalize why he kept inviting strangers into their home against her wishes, but eventually the strangers grew too rude for me to accept that this whole narrative could be real. I sure hope the narrative wasn't real, because man it got sickening. But even metaphorically, I found the themes disturbing. I think I have the meaning of the movie narrowed down to a) a cautionary tale against fandom, b) a scathing commentary on altruism, c) a cynical take on marriage, or d) an allegory about Christianity. :P I'm leaning toward the last one based on the names in the end credit crawl. Rating: 5
Watched movie: "It" (2017)
Nothing in this movie scared me, but I liked the kids and rooted for them to succeed. I still don't understand why the clown monster couldn't just kill or capture them all though, as they spent so much of the film unarmed and/or apart from each other. (Even when they resolved not to split up, they split up!) At least none of their horror movie mistakes could ever top what that boy in the raincoat did. :( Rating: 6
Who is the dreamer?
09/06/17 10:03 PM PDT

It's a girl for Serena Williams! Congratulations! Meanwhile, four American women made it to the final four of the US Open (first time since 1981)! They managed to outlast all of the top seeds in the women's bracket. Das impressive.

That curse that prevents Roger Federer from ever meeting Rafael Nadal at a US Open struck again, this time jinxing Federer into mishitting easy winners on the most crucial of points. I wasn't too upset though, as Federer never seemed 100% this tournament and I wouldn't want such a historic meeting to suck. Plus they should meet in the final, not a semifinal. I still blame Andy Murray for withdrawing late and denying Federer entry into the easy side of the draw. :P

It does kind of bother me that Federer could not capitalize on the remainder of a tennis season now bereft of Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Stanislas Wawrinka, and Kei Nishikori, but this year's two Grand Slam titles pleasantly exceeded my expectations so I can't really complain.

Well, the "Twin Peaks: The Return" finale ended bizarrely without any closure on the Audrey Horne, Sarah Palmer, and Judy storylines--so maybe David Lynch intends to continue the series? It was exasperating how the show just dragged along most of the time, but every now and then sprinkled in some captivating scenes. I enjoyed seeing my two favorite characters team up in the finale episode, but what's going on? Did they successfully alter the past and intersect in an alternate reality? Did they fail to alter the past and intersect in an alternate universe? (I'm hoping for the latter because I didn't like the show tampering with sacred canon like that.) Is it all just a dream?

Live to play another day
08/31/17 8:49 PM PDT

Still processing that "Game of Thrones" season 7 finale. :P Guess I'll have plenty of time as I heard it might be a couple of years until the next (and final) season. If the series ends well, it could wind up becoming my favorite TV show of all time. In contrast, "Twin Peaks" could fall off my top 10 list entirely if this upcoming season finale makes me irate enough.

Speaking of irritating, why did Andy Murray wait until RIGHT AFTER the draw to withdraw from the US Open? It took away the tantalizing possibility of a first-ever Federer vs. Nadal final there. Not that the final had much chance of happening anyway given how badly Federer (who I suspect has a back injury) struggled through these first two rounds (requiring five sets both times), but still...

Ehh, that new Taylor Swift single "Look What You Made Me Do" sounds just like "I'm Too Sexy" by Right Said Fred.

Watched movie: "Wind River" (2017)
Absorbing, scenically snowy Taylor Sheridan thriller wherein an animal tracker (Jeremy Renner) helps an FBI agent (Elizabeth Olsen) backtrack what happened to a barefoot 18-year-old rape victim who froze to death in the middle of nowhere. Or more accurately, the FBI agent helps the animal tracker since he was the one finding all the clues. Some parts got kinda corny (like the notion that a person can somehow will their lungs from bursting), but overall I liked it. Rating: 7
Watched movie: "Logan Lucky" (2017)
Amusing Steven Soderbergh heist comedy that kept me in suspense because of the "Logan family curse", and because I couldn't tell how well the robbers had thought everything through (or whether they would end up bungling something like those dumb criminals in "Fargo"). Rating: 7
"TROOOOOLLLLL!!!"
08/17/17 6:49 PM PDT

Another "Game of Thrones" episode got leaked, and this time because HBO accidentally leaked it. So now I'm avoiding YouTube altogether because of possible spoilers in the thumbnails. I assume YouTube keeps displaying "Game of Thrones" videos because of all the reaction videos I've been watching for it. I guess there's an art to reaction videos, because I hate the ones where the fans overreact, underreact, complain, troll, speak uninsightfully, act aloof during emotional scenes, seem oblivious during bombshell moments, or look at the camera. I mostly just like the videos where the fans genuinely enjoy the show. I lost interest in "Twin Peaks: The Return" reaction videos, because they mostly just show fans looking confused.

Recently, I've been enjoying "Super Mario Maker" videos where expert players curate and commentate on interesting levels. I actually enjoy the troll levels the most, where the designers purposely think up creative booby traps to infuriate the player. Makes me want to create my own. :)

Watched TV movie: "Sharknado 5: Global Swarming" (2017)
Apparently sharknadoes can now teleport people all over the world, and I couldn't care less. Rating: 4
Watched movie: "Annabelle: Creation" (2017)
Tedious prequel to "Annabelle" that went from boring to overwrought with demons from the Conjuring franchise. Too many uncreative jump scares, too little plot if you ask me. I did find the audience's dismayed reactions pretty entertaining though. Stay after the credits for a tease to the next Conjuring movie. Rating: 4
The darkest hour?
08/03/17 5:46 PM PDT

Why are theaters starting Thursday's screenings of "The Dark Tower" at 7:19pm? I would google it, but the answer might contain spoilers. Lately I've been surfing the Internet cautiously, especially after the HBO hack. I've even been avoiding this season's episode titles for "Game of Thrones", lest they spoil something.

I'm souring on "Twin Peaks: The Return" just like I soured on "Fear the Walking Dead". The final straw might have been last Sunday's episode where Audrey Horne finally appeared but just got squandered in a stupid storyline that had nothing to do with anything. And just like so many of the female characters in this show who act either mean or shallow, I found her disappointingly unlikeable. Though come to think of it, I can't think of very many male characters I like in this show either.

Watched movie: "Dunkirk" (2017) in IMAX 70mm
Christopher Nolan and Hans Zimmer can make anything cool, even this drab historical event from World War II. I had mixed feelings about the overall narrative though, as it grew confusing trying to follow three asynchronous plotlines. It did make Tom Hardy's high-level perspective intriguing though, as the future of all these different strangers seemed to hang on his resolve. In contrast, the protagonist soldiers sorely lacked distinction and not only did I have trouble caring about them, I had trouble telling them apart. Side note: The 70mm didn't add much, mostly just expanded beach and ocean scenery in place of the black horizontal bars. The oceanic dogfighting did seem more breathtaking though. Rating: 7
Watched movie: "The Big Sick" (2017)
Jokes so flat that the only parts I found remotely funny in this romantic comedy were the deadpan reactions. I expected a lot more from Kumail Nanjiani and Ray Romano. I liked the spotlight on Pakistani Muslim culture, even though I felt like the movie needed a disclaimer that the staunch views of this guy's parents (regarding arranged marriage and interracial dating) did not represent the views of all Pakistani Muslim families. One lingering question I had: is it normal in American culture to want to break up with someone just because they didn't tell their family and/or friends about them? Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets" (2017) in 3D
Between Valerian's annoying one-track mind and Laureline's annoying sarcasm, the whole movie just felt shallow. A shame because the space station setting, reminiscent of "Babylon 5", had a lot of potential. Although the visual effects impressed me, they got to be too much and gave me a headache I think. Rating: 5
Watched movie: "Detroit" (2017)
Such a conceit, IMHO, to film some of the dumbest human behavior imaginable and call it "Detroit". I really enjoyed the last two movies from Kathryn Bigelow and Mark Boal, but disliked how they curated this one. I felt like a murder case this sensitive should have been presented as a documentary or an open-ended procedural, not as a dramatization. The film also seemed to leave out important details such as the trial arguments and why the security guard even got charged. Rating: 5
The king's court
07/21/17 8:53 PM PDT

Congratulations to Roger Federer on a record-breaking eighth Wimbledon title and a record-extending 19th Grand Slam title! I already called him the greatest tennis player of all-time, but I guess now I can finally call him the best grass-court player in tennis history too. Ever since his previous 2012 Wimbledon victory, I can't remember all the times I rued that "he might have blown his last best chance" to win another Grand Slam title. I dreaded the possibility he could blow this chance too, so when Marin Cilic had all that bizarre drama (with rainclouds approaching), I wanted Federer to show no mercy. I don't care if fans wanted a more thrilling final.

Anticlimactic ending to Venus Williams' 2017 Wimbledon run. Not sure what happened in that second set bagel. Mental and physical fatigue probably, triggered by those two blown set points. Still impressive that she even made it to that final at 37-years-old, her second final this season.

Venus' "U can't see me" gesture (every time she wanted a towel) kept bugging me. Not as much as Cilic's incessant ball-bouncing before each serve though.

I guess now Karolina Pliskova has the No. 1 ranking despite never winning a Grand Slam title. This used to bother me greatly in the past, but now that I understand how the point system works (they expire in a year), it makes a lot more sense. Though I'm still perplexed that Federer didn't leapfrog directly to No. 1 after winning two Grand Slam titles.

Awesome "Game of Thrones" season 7 premiere. It feels so satisfying to see major characters finally starting to fulfill their dreams. Pretty much every storyline interests me now.

I'm losing patience with "Twin Peaks: The Return". Over halfway through the season, and still nary anything happened! I'm also growing disturbed with the inordinate amount of violence toward women, and how the villains just get away with it with complete impunity. I keep waiting for something to happen to redeem the season.

Watched movie: "War for the Planet of the Apes" (2017) in Cinemark XD-RealD 3D
Cold hard motion-capture magic tempered with sharp emotion. I loved how tough Caesar's crew looked, especially when he and the apes glowered or steeled themselves. That funny-looking hermit chimpanzee stole the show. The movie got pretty rousing thanks to my sympathy for the apes' plight, but I couldn't get "Planet of the Apes" (where we know the apes will turn around and persecute the humans right back) out of my head. I think this reboot series will continue on, so here's hoping that it doesn't go off the rails like the original film series did. Rating: 7
Killer track
07/12/17 7:30 PM PDT

My mind's still blown right now that Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray both lost their Wimbledon quarterfinals today. Murray couldn't move well during his match because of a hip problem, and Djokovic retired from his match in the second set because of an arm injury. And with Rafael Nadal already eliminated when he lost that marathon match on Monday, it means Roger Federer won't have to play any of them! I'm still concerned that the remaining players all serve big and could give Federer problems, but nowhere near as concerned as I would've been had he faced Djokovic in the next round.

Disturbing listening to Bethanie Mattek-Sands scream "HELP MEEE!!!" over and over after she mangled her knee on the Wimbledon court. Reminded me of that time I fell over my ankle during a tennis exercise and tore a ligament. It hurt so badly I couldn't even speak. Fortunately the people watching me caught on I needed medical attention, presumably from my body language. :)

Watched movie: "Baby Driver" (2017)
Fun, stirring, and suave. I really like this director, Edgar Wright. The movie follows a reluctant getaway driver whose virtuosity at the wheel is exploited by a criminal mastermind. I didn't really like this film for the car chases, heists, and romance though. I enjoyed it more for the music (the main character is a real connoisseur of it) and the colorful characters. I thought it was a perfect plot development to have the showdown come down to Jon Hamm, the most likeable of the criminals whom I couldn't fault at all for wanting revenge. Rating: 7
Watched movie: "Spider-Man: Homecoming" (2017) in RPX & 3D
Props to the comedic stylings of Tom Holland. I had reservations about this dorky new Peter Parker when he debuted in "Captain America: Civil War", but the shtick worked really well in a comedic high school setting. Kind of like a lighter version of "Kick-Ass". I'm still not a fan of "hot" Aunt May though. Stay during and after the credits. Rating: 7
Watched movie: "Despicable Me 3" (2017) in 3D
Hilarious stuff from Gru and twin brother Dru. As for the rest of the character arcs, i.e., Lucy, villain Balthazar Bratt, unicorn-seeking Agnes, Margo, Edith, and the Minions...meh. Rating: 6
Stone cold sober
06/27/17 11:50 PM PDT

Ugh, I noticed the AMC Theatres in my area now serve alcoholic beverages from a bar near the concession stands. I also had to reserve my IMAX seat. At least they stopped raiding auditoriums to check ticket stubs. Unless maybe they only do that to catch minors who sneak into R-rated films?

Watched movie: "It Comes at Night" (2017)
Relatively boring psychological "what would you do" horror film wherein a deadly disease leads two families to cohabitate in a boarded up country home. Kind of like "Night of the Living Dead", but without the zombies. Without much of anything, really--so why even call the movie "It Comes at Night"? Maybe the title referred to the teenager's bad dreams (which hurt the film for me because then I couldn't stop questioning whether his experiences were really happening). At least the climax got interesting, but it irritated me that Will's family couldn't just stay in quarantine since they'd probably die no matter where they went. As soon as Will pulled the gun, I felt like he gave Paul's family every right to do what they had to do. Side note: If you ask me, this movie was totally overrated on rottentomatoes.com. Rating: 5
Watched movie: "Cars 3" (2017) in D-BOX & 3D
This Pixar animation about the twilight of Lightning McQueen's racing career could have packed a real emotional wallop. It could have followed in the footsteps of greatness, i.e., "Toy Story 3" or some kind of tearjearking real-life sports retirement. But instead, the movie just wasted time, numbed my brain with age jokes, and regressed back to the "soul-searching" that I thought Lightning McQueen had already worked out in the first movie. (I put "soul-searching" in quotes because do these cars have souls? Apparently they can die.) I did find a couple of scenes emotional, but they didn't last very long. Stay after the credits. Rating: 5
Watched movie: "Transformers: The Last Knight" (2017) in IMAX 3D
Just like all the other boneheaded Transformers movies: asinine humor, confusing CGI-fests, half-baked plot devices (this time a staff and a talisman), an illogical plot (this time an invading planet) not even worth nit-picking or caring about, and respected actors demeaning themselves in dumb roles (though I did find Anthony Hopkins' silliness kind of amusing). And they're not done! Rating: 4
Clay nation
06/13/17 7:06 PM PDT

Congratulations to Rafael Nadal on a monumental tenth French Open title! Unquestionably the best clay-court player in tennis history. Nerves of steel, too. According to the commentary, he's never once smashed a racket on the court in frustration. I can believe it, as the only times I remember him getting mad on court were towards the chair umpire. Even Roger Federer smashed his racket one time (hard to believe, but I found the clip on YouTube).

To my relief, the Golden State Warriors managed to close out the NBA Finals over the Cleveland Cavaliers to avoid a repeat of last year. I would have panicked had the Warriors lost game 5 at Oracle Arena again (I got really nervous when they fell behind at the start of the game). Kevin Durant totally deserved the Finals MVP, and congrats to him for finally winning an overdue NBA championship ring.

My Comcast On Demand service finally works again after I upgraded my cable box. The clerk seemed surprised that I had such an old model. Guess that explains why it kept freezing on the newer videos I tried to play.

I also discovered that my microwave still works. I started carrying it en route to the e-waste facility, and on a whim decided to plug it into an outlet by the floor. To my surprise, it powered on--meaning that the real problem had to be the two kitchen outlets that I originally used following the power outages. Both outlets must have shorted out. I guess now I just need an extension cord to use my microwave again.

I'm losing interest in "Fear the Walking Dead". That dumbfoundingly lame death in the season 3 two-hour premiere might mark a jumping of the shark. Months of character development wasted in one instant.

Meanwhile...these "Twin Peaks: The Return" episodes continue to crawl at a snail's pace, and yet I keep wanting more. I guess it's refreshing watching a series where I can't predict what will happen next. The only theory I got right so far was "Diane"--she indeed appeared and just like I had secretly hoped, she is being played by Kyle MacLachlan's "Blue Velvet" co-star Laura Dern. I really hate that hair though.

Watched movie: "Wonder Woman" (2017) in IMAX 3D
A golden gem from DC Films that in my judgment, triumphed over everything that could have gone wrong with it. First, I thought Gal Gadot depicted Diana Prince perfectly--not too corny, not too serious, not too feminist, not too masculine. Second, I thought Chris Pine played Steve Trevor perfectly--I haven't always been a fan of his acting style, but for this movie I felt like he brought a sense of humor that the DC Extended Universe desperately needs. Finally, I found the action sequences cool (albeit confusing sometimes), and totally dig that guitar riff theme music. Rating: 7
Accumulated depreciation
06/04/17 6:19 PM PDT

Had to tow my 2004 Corolla again. This time the starter had to be replaced. I guess I should think about a new car, but I feel like I still need to get my money's worth out of that expensive new catalytic converter I bought. I replaced it in 2011, but then had to buy another one in 2014 to comply with a smog check technicality. $900+ for the second one.

Watched movie: "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales" (2017) in RPX & 3D
More of the same but better than I expected. I liked how this installment tied up some loose ends like Will Turner's curse and the origin of Jack Sparrow's name and compass. Cool ghost effects too. Stay after the credits. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Alien: Covenant" (2017)
I don't get why Ridley Scott keeps making these "Alien" prequels, as they don't really add anything to the franchise. This particular installment had a promising premise in that the crew had to think about the welfare of over 2000 hibernating colonists on their spaceship, but nothing much came of this. I did like Michael Fassbender's android performances. Side note: How could Elizabeth Shaw be so stupid as to rebuild David after everything he did in "Prometheus"?? Rating: 5
"Is it future or is it past?"
05/22/17 7:06 PM PDT

What kind of "Supernatural" season 12 finale was that?? Will all these dead characters get resurrected next season? I wouldn't put it past this "soap opera" of a series.

In movie news, the ABBA "Mamma Mia!" film is getting a sequel titled "Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again!" Please don't tell me Pierce Brosnan is going to sing again.

In tennis news, Roger Federer withdrew from the 2017 French Open. Which is fine with me if that extends his career and improves his chances at Wimbledon. Given how dominant nine-time champion Rafael Nadal has been on clay this season, it seems like his tournament to lose.

I'm not sure who to root for on the women's side going forward. I feel like Serena Williams's maternity leave created a huge vacuum in the WTA. I'm not very excited about Maria Sharapova's comeback, even though I found her 15-month doping ban for meldonium kind of overblown (since meldonium used to be legal). I guess I'll just root for likeable players who never won a Grand Slam tournament, i.e., Caroline Wozniacki and Agnieszka Radwanska. Ironic because I never really cared for counterpunchers in tennis, particularly that time when Caroline Wozniacki somehow stayed No. 1 with that style of play.

Watched TV episode: "Twin Peaks: The Return" premiere
I've been so starved for tidbits about Twin Peaks, that even when David Lynch just showed a character watching TV or receiving a delivery (and absolutely nothing else), I found it entertaining. Which actually struck me as brilliant because instead of forcing some kind of contrived Hollywood drama upon them, the show just let them heal and find peace. As for Agent Cooper--I have no idea where his storyline is headed. Outer space? :) Side note: Props to Chromatics, that dreamy new band that closed out the episode. Rating: ++1/2

Update 5/30/2017: Wouldn't it be cool if we finally got to see "Diane" for the first time? I guess every "Twin Peaks" episode is going to end with a different musical band. My favorite scene of season three is still the one where Chromatics performed. It spoke volumes to me how positive the two returning characters seemed, considering the pain they went through.

"I'll see you again in 25 years..."
05/13/17 11:02 PM PDT

Well, I ordered Showtime in preparation for the "Twin Peaks: The Return" premiere on May 21, 2017, and I still don't know what to expect (other than the likelihood that the show will take place in Twin Peaks). Showtime's promos have just shown cryptic clips, and the TV synopsis for the premiere simply states: "The stars turn and a time presents itself." This makes me think the Black Lodge will reopen and Agent Cooper will return, presumably to resolve that bonkers cliffhanger from 1991.

Watched movie: "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2" (2017) in RPX & 3D
Fun sequel even though it went kind of overboard on jokes, including some repetitive stale ones. I never got tired of watching the characters miscommunicate though. I also liked Baby Groot (for some reason his expressionless vomiting really cracked me up). Stay during and after the credits. Rating: 7
Jedi forever
05/01/17 6:02 PM PDT

Apparently, WWE decided to name one of their new pay-per-views WWE Great Balls Of Fire. What. That sounds even worse than December to Dismember, which was not only the worst WWE PPV I ever attended but quite possibly the worst WWE PPV of all-time.

I compiled a new list of coming attractions that piqued my interest:

"Baby Driver" (June 28, 2017)
Cool-looking crime thriller from "Shaun of the Dead" director Edgar Wright.
"War for the Planet of the Apes" (July 14, 2017)
Those apes look hardcore. I read this one will have an original "Planet of the Apes" character.
"Dunkirk" (July 21, 2017)
A WWII epic from Christopher Nolan about Operation Dynamo, shot in 65mm.
"Detroit" (August 4, 2017)
A movie about the 1967 Detroit riots from director Kathryn Bigelow and writer Mark Boal, who previously worked together on "The Hurt Locker" and "Zero Dark Thirty". I'm really looking forward to this one.
"Wind River" (August 4, 2017)
Snowy thriller written and directed by Taylor Sheridan, who also wrote "Hell or High Water" and "Sicario". Incidentally, he wrote a sequel to "Sicario" titled "Soldado".
"Blade Runner 2049" (October 6, 2017)
Sequel to the sci-fi classic starring Harrison Ford and a new blade runner Ryan Gosling. I'll try to keep an open mind since it's directed by Denis Villeneuve. Incidentally, he's planning to direct a "Dune" reboot (hope he has better luck than Jodorowsky and David Lynch).
"The Snowman" (October 20, 2017)
Scandi-noir thriller from the director of "Let the Right One In" and "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy". It's about a snowman.
"Saw: Legacy" (October 27, 2017)
I guess the seventh movie wasn't the "final chapter" after all.
"Star Wars: The Last Jedi" (December 15, 2017)
I actually predicted this episode title! Except I predicted it for Episode IX, not Episode VIII. For Episode VIII, I predicted something like Star Wars: Knights of the Dark Side. Hmmm...the poster's red font looks ominous but as fans pointed out, Jedi can be plural. I'm interested whether director Rian Johnson gives this installment a noir feel.
"Ready Player One" (March 30, 2018)
Directed by Steven Spielberg, and based on a dystopian novel about virtual reality gamers who race through an online world looking for its creator's Easter egg treasure.
"Isle of Dogs" (April 20, 2018)
Wes Anderson's next stop-motion animated film.
"Avengers: Infinity War" (May 4, 2018)
It's one movie now and seems to feature the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe.
"M:I 6 - Mission Impossible" (July 27, 2018)
Carries over the same director and multiple characters from the previous installment. Includes Henry Cavill.
"X-Men: Dark Phoenix" (November 2, 2018)
This storyline again. It can't possibly suck worse than The Last Stand though, right?
"Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck-It Ralph 2" (November 21, 2018)
Looks like all the main characters are returning.
"Annihilation" (2018)
Sci-fi adaptation from Alex Garland, the guy who haunted me with "Ex Machina".
"Hold the Dark" (2018)
I was hoping Jeremy Saulnier's next thriller would have "red" in the title, but oh well. This one is based on a novel and takes place in the Alaskan wilderness.
"Glass" (January 18, 2019)
M. Night Shyamalan's sequel to "Unbreakable", and I'm actually excited about it.
"Boro the Caterpillar" (2019)
Hayao Miyazaki came out of retirement...again. He started this project as a 12-minute CG short film, but now he wants to make it a feature film.

I'm also keeping an eye out on some other film projects in limbo:

  • "The Modern Ocean": a big-budget all-star project from Shane Carruth, the guy who made two entrancing films: "Primer" and "Upstream Color".
  • "Cubed": a remake of the first "Cube" film. Would be awesome if they made it 3-D.
  • "The Passion of the Christ 2": Mel Gibson's sequel (?!) to "The Passion of the Christ".
20 weeks
04/23/17 10:58 PM PDT

Serena Williams pregnant! This news actually bummed me out because at her age, it could spell the end of her brilliant tennis career. I was hoping she could break the records for all-time Grand Slam titles and for weeks at No. 1--but since she won't play again in 2017, it'll be a steep climb returning to No. 1. Though if anyone can do it, it's her (just look at how Roger Federer's long break rejuvenated him). Side note: Apparently she won this year's Australian Open when she was eight-to-nine weeks pregnant!

Watched movie: "The Fate of the Furious" (2017) in D-BOX
Best Fast & Furious title ever (I like how it abbreviates to "F8"). Not one of the better installments though, if you ask me. I liked all the wild spectacles, but the premise of Dom vs. his crew made the movie hard to have fun with (nothing but lose-lose situations). And even though I accepted how outrageous and illogical these films have gotten, are you kidding me that we're supposed to like Deckard (and Owen) now?? I also found the Cuban street race in poor taste given what happened to Paul Walker. Side note: At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I don't think my D-BOX seat has ever shaken so violently. :) Rating: 6
I smurf, therefore I am
04/18/17 8:53 PM PDT

One of my favorite Saturday morning childhood cartoons, The Smurfs, got rebooted as a computer-animated movie (I totally skipped those live-action ones). Its premise struck me as a really big deal, because it always puzzled me how the Smurf population could be so male.

I actually can't remember most of the Smurfs cartoon episodes, but there's three of them that I never forgot:

Watched movie: "Smurfs: The Lost Village" (2017) in 3D
Colorfully scenic 3D computer-animation with some interesting character development for Smurfette (including her canonical origin story). The movie didn't answer the origin of the Smurfs like I had hoped (Papa Smurf and SmurfWillow didn't know each other), but at least now I have a good idea. :) As for the new Smurfs, they looked dull to me with their identical blue hair and faces--the one with the manic personality stood out, but man she annoyed me. :P Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Ghost in the Shell" (2017) in IMAX 3D
Like "Blade Runner" but with glitzier visual effects. I never saw the original Japanese anime, but the storyline for this American version seemed weak. Scarlett Johansson played a cyborg so I had no complaints about her performance this time (despite my initial disappointment with her casting), but man that mechanical walk distracted me. Rating: 6
Do what I can as long as I can
04/03/17 7:14 PM PDT

If that depressing WrestleMania 33 main event goes down as The Undertaker's last match, then he retired at a good time. His limited movement made me cringe, and the match lacked most of his "vintage" moves. Plus he already lost his WrestleMania Streak, so what does one more loss matter. My main gripe was that WWE couldn't come up with anyone better than Roman Reigns to "pass the torch" to. For reasons that I never understood, the WWE continues to push boring Roman Reigns as their top guy.

That's cool that John Cena proposed to Nikki Bella on the show, but I hate this "Reality Era" in WWE where I can't tell what's real and what's kayfabe anymore.

Watched movie: "Life" (2017) in IMAX
Like a cross between "Gravity" and "Alien", highlighted by some interesting International Space Station sequences and disturbing horrors. The thought of that alien organism scurrying around my home grossed me out. It also depressed me how royally screwed those crew members were once the thing escaped their sorry excuse for a quarantine--if you have a biohazard like that doing who knows what around the station, i.e. contaminating everything and/or reproducing itself, you can forget ever going back to Earth again. Granted, I couldn't really blame them for underestimating all the intellect, strength, invincibility, and luck that the organism had, but man what a sorry excuse for a quarantine. (I noticed they didn't even care that Hugh and Rory might be contaminated, especially Rory who had the thing doing who knows what inside of him!) P.S. I predicted the ending. (By the way, David's plan to rely on a manual joystick was stupid--unless it was just really bad luck that he went off course..) Rating: 6
Attended concert: "Game of Thrones Live Concert Experience" featuring Ramin Djawadi
A rousing symphonic concert conducted by Ramin Djawadi, the genius who composed all of the music in Game of Thrones (including the iconic opening theme). A circular segmented Jumbotron kept showing the scenes that corresponded to the music, including the entire Battle of the Bastards sequence and the piano & organ segment that opened "The Winds of Winter" episode. The coolest highlight for me was how passionately the audience cheered and booed at some of the show's biggest onscreen moments. Sometimes the Jumbotron showed visual effects like a huge weirwood tree during the Stark theme music, complete with ticker tape-like leaves falling from the ceiling (other stage effects included falling snow, sigil banners, fog, fire plumes, and even green wildfire). Since the orchestra played all of my favorites early (the opening theme, the Stark theme, and the lyrical version of "The Rains of Castemere"), the rest of the concert felt like a bonus. Side note: After "The Rains of Castemere", it figures that the orchestra would purposely play the Red Wedding score next! Rating: 9
Whatdunit
03/22/17 11:02 PM PDT

Saw a dead turkey outside a first floor window at my workplace. Feathers everywhere. I didn't see any wounds at first, but afterward I noticed some animal had been feasting on it. It was a big turkey too, so I wonder which animal did it.

My changsha chicken caught fire in the microwave. Or to put it more accurately, the Chinese take-out box it was in caught fire. I could see the flames through the microwave window, and when I opened the door smoke billowed out. So I shut the door and tried to air out the room before my smoke detector could beep. Note to self: in the future, look inside of take-out boxes before microwaving them. Because when I looked inside this particular take-out box (after it had burnt to a crisp), I discovered the chicken was still wrapped in the same aluminum foil that the waiter had served it in. Interestingly, both the foil and chicken were still cold to the touch!

Anyway, I still ate the chicken (I reheated it on a paper plate), but noticed some of it tasted like smoke. :P

Watched movie: "Kong: Skull Island" (2017) in IMAX 3D
Awe-inspiring visuals and compositions. King Kong has sure come a long way since that jittery black-and-white gorilla atop the Empire State Building. Haha, I'll never got tired of seeing him swat humans. P.S. Props to John C. Reilly for playing the only human character I cared about. P.S.S. Definitely stay after the credits. Rating: 6
Before I stall
03/12/17 1:24 AM PST

Note to self: never ignore that battery warning light on my car's dashboard ever again. (Apparently it means that the battery stopped charging and will die soon!) I was driving north on US 101 when my digital clock started to dim. I made it past Gonzales before my dashboard alerted me that my air bag will no longer deploy. Then the instruments on my dashboard began to fail, repeatedly powering on and off! The final straw was when my gas pedal stopped working. That convinced me to pull over and call emergency road assistance for a tow. Good thing the mechanic was open on a Sunday. Turns out that the alternator was bad, not the battery. But since I had that battery for almost seven years (about the same age as my previous battery when it died), it made sense to replace that too.

Watched movie: "Get Out" (2017) in Cinemark XD
A keen and thoroughly entertaining horror hit from comedian Jordan Peele about a black photographer who visits the suburb where his white girlfriend's parents live, and notices that the black people (and the white people) act all creepy. I really liked how I couldn't solve the big mystery despite all the different clues and red flags. I also thought that the guy's hilarious friend highlighted the movie. Incidentally, this film scored a perfect 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. Rating: 7
Watched movie: "Logan" (2017) in RPX
Despite my refusal to accept this depressing future where Patrick Stewart's Charles Xavier lost everything he ever worked for (and is now losing control of his powers), I found this final installment to Hugh Jackman's Wolverine trilogy excellent...until the X-24 twist. Then I felt like the movie went downhill from there. Please tell me that this was all just some alternate timeline that Bryan Singer will wipe out. :( As for the film's R-rating, I felt like it made the violence better but hated the creative decision to give Xavier a potty mouth. :( Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Before I Fall" (2017)
Usually I like these "Groundhog Day" movies where the main character relives the same day over and over again--but this one bored me and felt like a sappy teen drama. (I also hated the ending.) The main character in this one, a high school senior, completely lacked imagination and spent each day exploring her feelings and personal relationships. I did see promise in one of her musings: that she had died and could no longer experience tomorrows. But the film never really explained. Rating: 4
Envelopegate
02/27/17 6:02 PM PST

Man, the road to my workplace flooded again and the wind knocked some trees down. I'm convinced the California drought is over.

I'm glad I waited for the Oscars to finish before changing the channel to my Walking Dead DVR, because man what a crazy ending. First I got impatient with Warren Beatty because I thought he had gone all scatterbrain again. He took really long with that envelope. Then as the producers of "La La Land" were giving their emotional speeches, I sensed some kind of commotion and spotted people running behind them. My first thought was that someone had rushed the stage off-camera. Then I spotted Warren Beatty and thought maybe he had caused a disturbance. Finally when the producer announced the mistake, it still didn't sink in for me until he held up the Best Picture card that read "Moonlight" (again I immediately thought Warren Beatty was responsible). Geez it took long for the accountants to correct that gaffe. How embarrassing for the "La La Land" producers and what a dampener on the "Moonlight" folks' victory celebration.

Watched movie: "The LEGO Batman Movie" (2017) in 3D
About the same as "The LEGO Movie" in terms of the hit-and-miss humor and occasional corniness. I didn't care for the foe-mance angle with the Joker and the crush on Barbara Gordon. But otherwise, I thought they spoofed Batman pretty well. Rating: 6
Back to the well
02/18/17 8:37 PM PST

CBS announced the cast for "Survivor: Game Changers". After reviewing each returning castaway and noting the omission of Russell Hantz, I concluded that the title Game Changers must refer to the season they played in, not the game of Survivor as a whole (if we're talking Survivor as a whole, then the dubious resume-padder Ciera Eastin is the only one on here who fits!). Even then, I can't figure out what some of these players did to "change the game".

I was happy to see Brad Culpepper on the list, as I credit him with the tactic of tormenting the returning players by voting out their loved ones. :)

In other news, the Internet Movie Database (IMDb) announced that it will disable its message boards on February 20, 2017. Good riddance. :)

Watched movie: "rings" (2017)
Nowhere near as scary as the first Ring movie. Every sequel about Samara Morgan seems to take away more and more of her mystique. This particular installment trifled with her big-time via college experiments and copies of her cursed videotape in .mov format! Admittedly, I felt like these kinds of ideas had potential--but to my disappointment, it felt like the film failed to capitalize. Biggest case in point: the airplane sequence that ended too soon. Rating: 4
Watched movie: "Forushande" (2016) a.k.a. "The Salesman" (2017)
Another absorbing Oscar-nominated foreign language film by Asghar Farhadi. Just like in his earlier Oscar winner, "A Separation", the narrative follows an Iranian couple's life without much curation as to which scenes to pay special attention to. Meaning, some things in the movie could seem important but amount to nothing, while other things could turn into the biggest defining moment of a character's life (as a consequence, my mind made mental notes of everything). My only major criticism of the plot: that the couple, to my disbelief, opted not to contact the police despite a smoking gun's worth of evidence on the intruder! (By the way, his "confession" did NOT add up to me, and I'm still convinced he got better than he deserved.) In conclusion, I really like this director's depictions of everyday Iranians, and am hoping that someday he'll make a film about Trump's recent executive order that barred Iranians from entering the United States. Rating: 7
Watched Shudder.com movie: "Sadako vs Kayako" (2016-2017)
Freddy vs. Jason rocked, but this ghost fight between Sadako (from The Ring) vs. Kayako (from The Grudge)? Not so much. I knew it wouldn't make sense and sure enough, it made no sense. I found it disappointingly short too, given how long I had to wait. Although some parts of the movie amused me, I felt like the director squandered too much time on separate storylines and not enough time building up to the main event. Stay after the credits. Rating: 5
Watched movie: "Fifty Shades Darker" (2017)
Tawdry continuation of "Fifty Shades of Grey" wherein Anastasia Steele basically tames Christian Grey and makes him forget all of his character flaws from the previous film. I found it way too easy how quickly they overcame each relationship issue. Maybe something will actually test their romance in the next installment? P.S. Man their dialogue was bad. Cringeworthy bad. Stay during the credits. Rating: 5
Watched movie: "John Wick Chapter 2" (2017)
Cool and entertaining neo-noir sequel reminiscent of "The Warriors" wherein John Wick (Keanu Reeves) fights like hell to survive a colorful gauntlet of contract killers. I particularly enjoyed those strange duels between Wick and a fellow assassin (especially the silencer fight and the subway build-up). I also liked the whole action sequence where Wick had to keep rearming himself with his enemies' guns. Rating: 7
Watched Shudder.com movie: "The Battery" (2013)
A somewhat plotless zombie flick that reminded me of my least favorite season of Walking Dead in that the two characters just wandered aimlessly through the post-apocalyptic ruins. Also found both characters irritating to watch, and felt like nothing interesting happened to them until around the end. Rating: 5
Five golden rings?!
02/06/17 6:12 PM PST

Although I rooted against the New England Patriots winning Super Bowl LI, after their historic fourth quarter comeback I'm forced to concede that Tom Brady is the greatest quarterback of all time. What a cosmic performance. The way I saw it, one tiny little mistake like a fumble, an interception, a failed 2-point conversion, or allowing a field goal would have sealed their doom.

In other news, here are my Oscar predictions for 2016:

Watched movie: "Resident Evil: The Final Chapter" (2016-2017) in IMAX 3D
The best thing about this movie is that it finally put an end to the Resident Evil movies. Such sloppy continuity. It's hard to care about a film series when each installment just writes off what happened in the previous one, including likeable characters who disappear with nary any explanation. Like they brought Claire Redfield back, but what happened to everyone else? The action scenes didn't impress me either, which is a shame considering the horrible tragedies that happened on the set. Rating: 5
Watched movie: "Split" (2017)
Interesting albeit cringeworthy M. Night Shyamalan film wherein three kidnapped teenage girls try to exploit the multiple personalities of their captor (James McAvoy) to escape before his beastly 24th personality emerges. Props to James McAvoy for going all-out with his performance. The movie got preposterous at times, but the twist ending made up for it. (I wonder how much of the audience caught on.) Rating: 6
If only my Dad were alive to see this
01/30/17 2:27 PM PST

Congratulations to Roger Federer on finally winning his 18th Grand Slam title after over four years of struggling to break his own record! And he did it by narrowly outlasting his greatest adversary, Rafael Nadal, the tenacious legend who tormented him all his career. Hands down the greatest tennis match I have ever seen. I kept cussing at the TV when Nadal broke Federer's serve in game 1 of the fifth set and Federer kept failing to break him back. But Federer kept fighting and fighting and finally did it twice--only to flounder trying to serve out the final game. The final point came down to a HawkEye replay of whether Federer's last shot landed in or out. An epic tennis match for the ages! It basically decided who would go down in history as the greatest tennis player of all time.

Congratulations to Serena Williams on finally winning her 23rd Grand Slam singles title, at last breaking Steffi Graf’s Open era record! And how perfect that Serena had to do it against her greatest rival, big sister Venus. I realized that prior to this Australian Open final, I've never actually watched them play against each other (was always too uncomfortable to tune in)! Pretty eye-opening experience as it felt like Serena vs. Serena the way she kept getting aced and outhit. I'm always used to seeing her dominate. A lot of awkward silence too--the crowd stayed quiet and instead of Serena unleashing any primal screams, she kept turning away from Venus to hide the fist pumps. Even Serena's match victory felt really muted and unsatisfying.

I guess the last remaining Grand Slam record now is Margaret Court with 24--but since most of her titles predated the Open era (it wasn't until 1968 when professional tennis players were allowed to compete in these tournaments), I feel that Serena has already proven she's the greatest of all time.

What a glorious tennis tournament, this 2017 Australian Open. It felt like 2008 all over again, but this time with the biggest stakes in the history of tennis.

In other sports news, no more triple-triple for Usain Bolt. The IOC stripped him of the Olympic gold medal that the Jamaican sprint team won in the 4x100m relay at Beijing 2008. One of the team members tested positive for doping during a re-analysis of the Beijing samples. I figure now that the perfect symmetry of Bolt's Olympic record is ruined, he should reconsider his retirement from Olympic competition. :)

Hidden Moonlight Fences
01/24/17 10:26 PM PST

Didn't get much sleep last night. Couldn't stop watching Roger Federer's successful run into the semifinals of the Australian Open. With both #1 Andy Murray and #2 Novak Djokovic losing shockingly early in the tournament, this might be #17 Federer's last best chance for another Grand Slam title (would be crazy if he faced #9 Rafael Nadal in the finals). Serena Williams will have a chance to make history too if she can win the next two matches (would be crazy if she faced #13 Venus Williams in the finals) following the shockingly quick eliminations of #1 Angelique Kerber and Garbiñe Muguruza by unseeded American Coco Vandeweghe.

Then I woke up around 5:30am to watch the Oscar nominations live (I found this year's pre-recorded presentation kind of lame though). I didn't see any major snubs except maybe for Amy Adams. I found this year's nominees much more diverse.

I'd rank the 2016 Best Picture nominees as follows:

  1. "Lion" (My rating: 8)
  2. "La La Land" (My rating: 7)
  3. "Arrival" (My rating: 7)
  4. "Moonlight" (My rating: 7)
  5. "Hidden Figures" (My rating: 7)
  6. "Fences" (My rating: 7)
  7. "Manchester by the Sea" (My rating: 6)
  8. "Hell or High Water" (My rating: 6)
  9. "Hacksaw Ridge" (My rating: 6)

Well, I finished tabulating the music video results for 2016, and for the first time ever we got a unanimous consensus on the #30 video.

Watched movie: "Rebel Without a Cause" (1955)
Ok, was James Dean method acting or was his character stoned the entire movie? :) Because he seemed to have trouble completing thoughts and sentences. (He also did NOT look like a teenager.) In fact, all of the high schoolers in the film behaved so laughably that I began speculating whether the movie and its apropos title were meant as social satire of teenage stupidity. In any case, now I can finally say I saw a James Dean film. Rating: 6
Hidden floodwaters
01/13/17 6:13 PM PST

Man, it rained so hard in San Jose that the road outside of my workplace flooded and I couldn't drive to work one day. Cars (including a police car) even got stranded on that road (local news sites had footage of it). The good news: I read that thanks to these rainstorms in Northern California, 42% of the state is no longer in a drought!

Rented Amazon.com movie: "Ida" (2013-2014)
Stark foreign language Oscar winner from Poland about a Jewish orphan who survived WWII and is about to take her vows as a Catholic nun; but then reluctantly meets her hard-drinking aunt and accompanies her on a road trip to locate where their executed family members were buried. Not only did the black and white cinematography feel stark, but the plot and characters too. The Ida character showed nary any personality, and my mind had to fill in some blanks due to some gaps in the narrative. Admittedly, it amused me watching such odd pairings of characters. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Hidden Figures" (2016)
Poignant 1960's biopic about three African-American women who worked for NASA during the Space Race. I found it particularly inspiring how well they fought segregation using their self-motivation and smarts. I also found it realistic how the antagonists never redeemed themselves, but yet never said anything red-handedly racist. Rating: 7
Watched movie: "Underworld: Blood Wars" (2016-2017) in 3D
Movie #5 of the Underworld franchise and still no end in sight to the war between vampires and werewolves. Still a focus on hybrids even though they never change anything. The only progress I found noteworthy: Selene's acquirement of another cool power (even though I felt like she got soft, starting with her carelessness at that enemy vampire fortress). Action-wise, I thought some of those fighting scenes looked pretty cool. Rating: 6
Holiday movie marathon 2016
01/03/17 6:09 PM PST

I might have to restrategize my annual holiday movie marathon. Thanks to all that L.A. gridlock, the distance to each theater, and my reluctance to leave any luggage alone in my car, I only had time for three total movies in L.A. Next time, I might just book separate hotels next to the theaters I'm most likely to patronize.

Watched movie: "Toni Erdmann" (2016)
Clownish Oscar entry from Germany about a prankster who grows concerned with his workaholic daughter and badly disguises himself as a businessman to nose in on her life. The charade amused me at first, but then got tiresome. Also, some parts of the movie got cringeworthy and made me really uncomfortable. But overall, the film had enough funny and emotional moments for me to view it favorably. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Silence" (2016)
Messed up Scorsese film about the persecution of Christians in feudal Japan of the 1600's, including desecration tests and cruelties such as imprisonment, torture, and executions. (The second movie I saw this year where Andrew Garfield played a pacifist tormented by the Japanese.) Pretty bleak stuff given how futile the Portuguese priests' mission felt--plus all that piety meant no payback on those cartoonishly annoying villains! Rating: 6
Watched movie: "I, Daniel Blake" (2016)
Blue collar Palme d'Or winner about two working class people down on their luck in England: a carpenter struggling to get disability after his heart attack and a starving single mother of two. Unfortunately, I wasn't in the mood for a populist message and wanted to see solutions rather than problems. But I liked the characters (despite my difficulty with their heavy dialects) and found the carpenter's ignorance with computers amusing. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Sing" (2016) in 3D
Fun and stirring computer-animated musical from Illumination Entertainment wherein an ensemble cast of talking animals auditions for a singing competition (each for their own personal reasons) at a koala's declining theater. I enjoyed all of the main character arcs, and wanted them all to succeed (except for that annoying Seth MacFarlane mouse). Rating: 7
2016 Year in Review
12/26/16 4:11 PM PST
Best of 2016 Worst of 2016
Events that happened to Steve
  1. Completing everything I wanted to accomplish on my Brazil vacation, including touring Itaipú Dam, sightseeing Christ the Redeemer and the Olympic cauldron, watching a thrilling Rafael Nadal Olympic tennis semifinal, witnessing Michael Phelps win his 23rd Olympic gold medal, and watching Usain Bolt win his third straight Olympic gold medal in the 100M sprint.
  2. Serena Williams finally winning her 22nd Grand Slam title to tie Steffi Graf's Open era record.
  3. Enjoying one of Michael Flatley's final performances from one of the best seats in the house.
  4. Watching the Chicago Cubs win Game 7 of the 2016 World Series in what I would call the best baseball game I've ever seen.
  5. Watching some great TV moments in "Game of Thrones" season 6.
  1. The U.S. presidential election of 2016.
  2. Losing a lot more colleagues to layoffs.
  3. An aunt and uncle passing away.
  4. Bitter sports disappointments: Serena Williams losing two straight Grand Slam finals then later in the year losing her #1 WTA ranking at the US Open (just one week shy of breaking Steffi Graf's record 186-week streak), the Golden State Warriors blowing a 3-1 NBA Finals lead in a historic loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, and Roger Federer blowing his possibly last best chance for a record eighth Wimbledon title to Milos Raonic (then missing the Rio Olympics too).
  5. Enduring quite possibly the worst hotel stay ever in a Brazilian ghetto, where even walking a few blocks alone at night from the train stop scared me.
Movies
  1. "Lion"
    "...I've never felt so emotional watching someone web surf."
  2. "Train to Busan"
    "Stressfully thrilling South Korean zombie flick..."
  3. "Zootopia"
    "A thoughtfully written, thoroughly animated gem from Walt Disney Animation Studios..."
  4. "Finding Dory"
    "...I found this sequel inspirational and tearjerking..."
  5. "La La Land"
    "I found the movie delightful."
  6. "Don't Breathe"
    "White-knuckle horror thriller...Some of the cat-and-mouse got pin-droppingly tense..."
  7. "Nerve"
    "Fun movie from the Catfish directors about a smartphone game that dares its players to risk life and limb for cash and glory."
  8. "Green Room"
    "...this director smartly understands the reality of how hard it is to think clearly in stressful real-time situations."
  9. "The Finest Hours"
    "Solemn and thrilling historical disaster drama..."
  10. "Moana"
    "Computer animated Disney musical highlighted by gorgeous Polynesian landscapes, beautiful tropical ocean effects, and interesting villains..."
  1. "Blair Witch"
    "Not only did this new installment completely fail to scare me, it relentlessly tried to nauseate me with unsteady camerawork."
  2. "Swiss Army Man"
    "So it probably goes without saying that I found this film pretty cringeworthy and tasteless."
  3. "Elle"
    "I'll be puzzled if this screwy movie ends up getting nominated."
  4. "The Neon Demon"
    "Points for style and music, but just too sickening for me to dignify the movie as 'art'."
  5. "Regression"
    "Slow and pretentious paranoia thriller..."
  6. "Suicide Squad"
    "The drama and comedy felt so formulaic, and the supervillains seemed way too nice."
  7. "Sharknado: The 4th Awakens"
    "Such a chore to watch these movies every year."
  8. "Warcraft"
    "An inane mess of CGI and gobbledygook."
  9. "Ice Age: Collision Course"
    "...for this installment, I found none of the characters funny."
  10. "The Angry Birds Movie"
    "Mind-numbingly dumb. I actually found the video game funnier."
Songs
  1. "Rise" Katy Perry
  2. "Still Falling for You" Ellie Goulding
  3. "Starboy" The Weeknd f/ Daft Punk
  4. "Hurts" Emeli Sande
  5. "Good Girls" Elle King
  1. "Famous" Kanye West
  2. "Fake Love" Drake
  3. "2 Phones" Kevin Gates
  4. "Watch Out" 2 Chainz
  5. "Sorry" Beyoncé
Music video "Upside Down & Inside Out" OK Go "Famous" Kanye West
TV series "Game of Thrones" "The X-Files" (revival)
Commercial Android commercial where rock, paper, and scissors come together Offensive Miracle Mattress commercial where the spokespeople spoof 9/11

Dishonorable mentions: Yoplait commercial where a family of four MMMs to Yoplait yogurt; a maddening Schick and Skintimate commercial where "The Emojis" sing "Ready, Shave, Shine"; and a Yahoo Fantasy Football commercial where a player flies in his rival's high school crush to gloat
Movie trailer (tie) "Don't Breathe" and "Phantasm: Ravager" "The Woods"
'Member
12/25/16 1:23 AM PST

Someone finally invented a word for people who spend too much time on their smartphone: phubbing (a fusion of "phone" and "snubbing"). I'm happy to say I've never had this problem, since I've never owned a smartphone. I also do not have a trolling problem thanks to my avoidance of social media.

Watched movie: "Rogue One" (2016) in RPX & 3D
A Star Wars story (not an episode even though it deserved one) about the expendable rebels who stole the Death Star plans that Princess Leia wound up hiding in R2-D2. (Though if the plans were that portable, the scientist who designed the fatal flaw should have just put them in his original covert message.) I liked the parallels to "Seven Samurai", including how unrewarded their heroism felt. However, each character felt so flat to me that I ended up liking the candid droid the best. Props to preserving Darth Vader's mystique. Rating: 7
Watched movie: "La La Land" (2016)
A musical from Damien Chazelle that follows the romance between an aspiring actress (Emma Stone) and a jazz pianist (Ryan Gosling) in Hollywood. I found the movie delightful. The singing, dancing, and production numbers felt nostalgic. My only complaint is with the ending, but I might be in the minority. Rating: 7
Watched movie: "Passengers" (2016) in 3D
Whether it was a lack of chemistry between Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence or the lie that their onscreen relationship was built on, I totally didn't care for the romance between them. Minor spoiler alert since the trailers revealed only part of this movie's premise: the film begins with a hibernation pod malfunction that awakens passenger Chris Pratt from suspended animation about 90 years too soon on a luxury starship of over sleeping 5000 colonists--and in his loneliness, he considers waking up another passenger. Unfortunately, what could have been a weighty movie devolved into contrived sci-fi action--so among other missed opportunities like Chris Pratt showing some kind of remorse, I never got to see how long Jennifer Lawrence could stay mad in a vacuum. Side note: Interesting zero gravity pool scene--I never thought about whether someone could swim and/or drown in weightless water. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Lion" (2016)
A moving biopic about Saroo Brierley, a lost Indian-born boy who was adopted by an Australian couple; then as an adult spent months using Google Earth (and its onscreen tacks) to search for his birth family. To the director's credit, I've never felt so emotional watching someone web surf. Stay after the credits. Rating: 8
Watched movie: "Fences" (2016)
Denzel Washington's theatrical adaptation of August Wilson's Pulitzer Prize winning play, set in 1950's Pittsburgh. I was impressed with the acting. I think Viola Davis is destined for the Oscar no matter which category she ends up in. Denzel Washington's hardheaded character amused me at first and reminded me of my own father, but after awhile I got sick and tired of listening to him. Rating: 7
The fridges of Santa Clara County
12/14/16 4:56 PM PST

I finally disposed of my broken mini-fridge for $10 at a recycling site. Best Buy wanted to charge me $100 to dispose of it, and then later--to my chagrin--one of Santa Clara County's household hazardous waste facilities (where I scheduled an appointment) turned my car away on the grounds that the mini-fridge wasn't hazardous waste. They said it wasn't e-waste either, and even called my empty bluff of tossing it in a dumpster.

To my surprise, both "Hacksaw Ridge" and its director Mel Gibson received Golden Globe nominations--obligating me to go out and screen the movie after I had downplayed its Oscar chances. I was surprised to see a Golden Globe nomination for "Hell or High Water" too, making me speculate whether a Trump presidency gave this film more socioeconomic weight.

Watched movie: "Manchester by the Sea" (2016)
Scenic Oscar contender wherein a death in the family brings Casey Affleck back to the Massachusetts hometown he exiled himself from, where his nephew is now an insolent teenager. Actually, all of the characters seemed to lack manners and I had trouble getting used to it. Plot-wise, I found the movie slow until a critical flashback from Casey Affleck's past made the rest of the film much more emotional (and led up to my one favorite scene of the movie). Acting-wise, I wasn't a big fan of Casey Affleck's minimalist performance even though he's sure getting a lot of Oscar buzz. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Hacksaw Ridge" (2016)
Gory, occasionally pretentious WWII biopic about combat medic Desmond Doss, the first conscientious objector to receive the Medal of Honor. Just like in "Unbroken", I felt like the movie overdramatized this guy's moral victories--such as his stubborn refusal to train with a rifle when he could have just gone through the motions to placate his commanding officers. Plus when the film got to what the Japanese do to the U.S. medics, this symbolic protest of his struck me as an inexcusable liability. Props to the intense "Saving Private Ryan"-type combat sequences. Rating: 6
Inquiring minds want to know
11/30/16 5:36 PM PST

Recently I saw a movie poster that asked, "What's your favorite thing about Earth?" My answer: the Internet. :) Unfortunately, I think it's grown polluted with some ugly problems though. I'm particularly disturbed how cyberattacks, privacy leaks, and fake news (and other disinformation) poisoned the U.S. presidential election. I also feel like trolling and cyberbulling have become normalized now--how do you "not feed the trolls" when our own President-elect does it and the media dignifies each inflammatory or unsubstantiated tweet with a national headline?

Speaking of the Internet, I'm still wrestling with how to deal with spoilers. After I screened "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them", I watched an Internet video to confirm what I already remembered about a certain side character in the Harry Potter canon. But the video was so thorough that it might have spoiled big plot points from the next four Fantastic Beasts sequels. On the other hand, this might be ok since I think prequels generally assume you're up to speed on the entire series.

I do regret detailing to my friends what the Mockingjay movies cut out of Haymitch's backstory. At the time, I had no idea that Lionsgate would consider a prequel series that could very well cover Haymitch's Quarter Quell.

Watched movie: "Loving" (2016)
Heart tugging biopic from Jeff Nichols about the interracial married couple in the Supreme Court case regarding Virginia's state law against interracial marriage. The film reminded me how far American civil rights have come, and I liked it overall even though it skipped over some big scenes that could have really brought the emotion. Maybe the director didn't want to risk the movie getting corny? Come to think of it, his last three films kind of restrained the emotion too. Rating: 7
Watched movie: "Elle" (2016)
Perverse Oscar entry from France about a businesswoman so detached that getting sexually assaulted and stalked doesn't even seem to bother her. I'll be puzzled if this screwy movie ends up getting nominated. Rating: 3
Watched movie: "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" (2016) in RPX & 3D
This Harry Potter spin-off prequel is based on a fictional textbook by J. K. Rowling, so to me it felt light on plot and heavy on CGI creature effects and jargon. Pretty imaginative though, and I liked the main characters. Rating: 7
Watched movie: "Moana" (2016) in 3D
Computer animated Disney musical highlighted by gorgeous Polynesian landscapes, beautiful tropical ocean effects, and interesting villains like the coconut pirates and the lava demon. I might've rated it higher had the main characters not felt so hammy, e.g., The Rock (and his tattoo), the chicken, the treasure crab, and even the ocean itself. Stay after the credits. Rating: 7
Postmortem USA
11/20/16 3:11 PM PST

After Brexit and Trump, I wonder whether I should be seriously worried about Calexit? I think that instead of seceding from the United States, California should just pull a reverse "North Carolina bathroom bill" and legislate state laws that annoy conservatives. :) I also wonder whether I should seriously worry about Kanye West 2020. :(

Remove the Electoral College by 2020? I'm still open to the idea. At a minimum, I think we need to outlaw "faithless electors". Because what an affront to democracy that a presidential elector could just ignore the people's votes from their state and defect from either Clinton or Trump. This also goes to why I've never been a fan of the delegate system (especially in regards to caucuses and winner-take-all).

Remove all pundits, predictors, and pollsters from the media? Now that's an intriguing thought. I've always hated sensationalism in the news (especially their overemphasis on negative stories), and I feel like all these on-air partisans do nothing but sensationalize and rile up both liberals and conservatives alike.

Remove fake news from Google and Facebook? Best idea I've heard all year. I'm still embarrassed over the fake articles I believed, like Donald Trump calling Republicans the "dumbest group of voters in the country".

Watched movie: "Arrival" (2016)
Intriguing sci-fi thriller wherein Amy Adams works to decipher the splotchy written language of alien visitors whose speech makes no sense. Although I found it kind of slow and anticlimactic, the movie's linguistic insights fascinated me. Rating: 7
Watched movie: "Moonlight" (2016)
An inner city Miami version of "Brokeback Mountain" that follows the torment of a gay African-American from boyhood to manhood. Just like in "Brokeback Mountain", the movie started out kinda slow but then got really emotional and cathartic by the end. Rating: 7
President-elect Donald Trump?!
11/09/16 1:50 PM PST

This might be the most cynical I've felt about America in my entire lifetime. The liberal side of me has always tried to sympathize with working class people, e.g., using my taxes to improve their lives with services like unemployment and affordable health care. But after they overwhelmingly voted for Donald Trump, who openly plans to make the rich richer, my liberal-guilt has all but vanished. Similarly, I can't reconcile how Trump overperformed with women and the very minorities he degraded! It just makes social justice feel so hopeless to me right now.

Election day 2016
11/08/16 10:37 AM PST

This FBI Director James Comey, man. Suddenly drops a second congressional letter clearing Clinton after her campaign suffered nine days of rampant speculation from his first letter. WTF?! I guess on the bright side, Comey has now achieved bipartisanship by getting both Democrats and Republicans to hate him.

Here's a couple of distractions while you're waiting for the election day results to come in today:

Watched movie: "Doctor Strange" (2016) in RPX & 3D
Trippy special effects-fest reminscent of "Inception". I found the mystic jargon and disorienting visuals both ambitious and overwhelming. (Special props to the cool cloak of levitation.) Unsurprisingly, Benedict Cumberbatch reminded me of House. Stay during and after the credits. Rating: 7
108 years in the making
11/03/16 5:46 PM PDT

Congratulations to the Chicago Cubs for finally winning the World Series! I think that psychological rollercoaster of a Game 7 will go down as the best baseball game I've ever watched, edging out even that thrilling Game 7 my home team won two years ago. Mostly because to me, the Cubs' 108-year drought made the stakes more epic than quite possibly any professional sports game ever played.

All the backstory livened up the game's narrative as well. In addition to pitchers on both teams coming back on short rest (leading to some coaching decisions that left me dismayed), the Cubs have always seemed jinxed by a "Billy Goat curse" that dooms them to blow a big game no matter how well they play. Last time it was the Steve Bartman incident; this time it was the Cubs blowing their big lead with only four outs left! Every mishap from the wild pitch to the defensive slips made me more and more superstitious.

Watched movie: "The Accountant" (2016)
Shades of Dexter in that Ben Affleck plays a stone cold killer who quietly helps people. Except the movie got kind of laughable for me--not just because of this campy-sounding notion of an accountant who fights like Jason Bourne, but because Ben Affleck's portrayal of autism didn't seem all that different from his past performances (which made me realize what a stiff he is). I also found some of the twists really corny. Rating: 5
October surprises
10/30/16 6:01 PM PDT

This FBI Director James Comey, man. Drops a bombshell of a letter on Congress regarding new e-mails related to the Clinton investigation, and then leaves us all hanging without another word. WTF?! Nothing can affect my vote since I already cast my ballot early, but what's America coming to when even the FBI starts dropping October surprises. This has got to be some kind of record.

Watched movie: "Jack Reacher: Never Go Back" (2016) in IMAX
Enjoyable sequel to "Jack Reacher" wherein Reacher (Tom Cruise) becomes a fugitive with an espionage suspect (Cobie Smulders) whom he had planned to date. I found this storyline kind of dull until a delinquent teenage girl (who might be Reacher's illegitimate daughter) began tagging along. It amused me watching someone as antisocial as Reacher trying to deal with these two headstrong women. Rating: 7
Watched movie: "Inferno" (2016) in IMAX
One of the better Da Vinci Code films wherein Prof. Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) wakes up in Italy with amnesia, and follows a Dante scholar's clues to locate the biological weapon he hid. Illogical when I think about in hindsight, but ok. I liked not knowing which character Langdon should trust, and found the "facilitator" from the private security firm particularly interesting. Rating: 6
The Day Will Come When You Won't Be
10/24/16 5:38 PM PDT

That was a dark season 7 premiere, Walking Dead.

I voted...
10/22/16 10:32 PM PDT

...and am looking forward to this long national nightmare ending.

Congratulations to the Chicago Cubs for advancing to the World Series. How historic would that be, if this team finally breaks its 108-year championship drought in the same year that America elects its first female President?

Well, "The Walking Dead" finally resolves that Lucille cliffhanger in tomorrow's season 7 premiere. And thanks to my months of vigilance against spoilers, I still don't know who it is. I might just avoid the Internet altogether tomorrow, just in case.

I've been disappointed with this "Supernatural" season so far, the biggest anticlimax being how casually Mary Winchester reacted to finally meeting an angel. Since her younger self appeared in both of my favorite "Supernatural" episodes, I guess I had high expectations.

Watched movie: "Phantasm: Ravager" (2016)
Cool seeing the Phantasm characters and spheres back for one final (?) installment, but I hated how the narrative kept questioning which reality was real. The storylines basically wound up nowhere, and the continuity got so chaotic that life and death no longer seemed to matter. Personally, I would have just focused the movie on the entertaining apocalyptic warzone reality (I liked the midget soldier and the gas masks), and cut out the farmhouse and dementia scenes. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Shin Godzilla" a.k.a. "Godzilla Resurgence" (2016)
Too much talking, bureaucracy, and onscreen captions. In essence, it felt like the director recreated his Neon Genesis Evangelion series as a live action monster movie where Godzilla wrecks Japan instead of an Angel. Same music even! Rating: 5
Watched movie: "The Birth of a Nation" (2016)
Top dramatic awards winner from Sundance about Nat Turner's slave rebellion. I spent much of the biopic rooting for the villainous slaveowners to finally get their comeuppance, but then felt unsatisfied when it finally happened. I think because the movie glorified it too much, to the extent where it felt pretentious. Rating: 5
The guy on the sinking ship
10/08/16 5:28 PM PDT

Pretty remarkable how sharply the U.S. Presidential race turned since I last blogged. Donald Trump went from nearly tied before the first debate to plummeting into a tailspin. Will these leaked hot mic comments finally sink him for good? He's survived so many offensive comments this election season, that I'm not even certain.

In other news, the kids in that turkey family outside of my workplace look all grown up now. I think the mother turkey left them because now I only count eight. To their credit, they still remain close and call out to each other when they get separated for too long (might have been my imagination, but one time their incessant chirping seemed to annoy the stray cat that was trying to sleep).

Watched movie: "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children" (2016) in Cinemark XD-RealD 3D
A peculiar Tim Burton film about peculiar children that certainly lived up to its billing. Not at all like the X-Men series. The plot started out slow for me, but got better once Samuel L. Jackson made his presence known. He totally highlighted the movie for me with his hyperbolic "talking villain" shtick. Man, they sure pushed the PG-13 rating with some of that stuff. Side note: I still don't understand how the time loops work. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "The Woman in the Window" (1944)
Simplistic film noir wherein a criminology professor, who just got done lecturing students about justifiable homicide, kills a stranger in self-defense and then works to cover it up! Sloppily too, as he keeps blurting out facts about the case before his district attorney friend even has a chance to mention them. :( For the most part I liked the film, but didn't care much for the ending. Rating: 6
Read book: "Xenocide" (1991) by Orson Scott Card
A cerebral and imaginative book, but exasperating in so many ways. First, Path irritated me to no end. Had I known how little that half of the book would intersect with Lusitania, I might've just skipped past those chapters altogether. Second, I felt like the author got way too preoccupied with plot devices, i.e., the descolada virus, Jane's quantum strings, and faster-than-light travel; plot devices so convoluted that they could only be solved with even nuttier plot devices (culminating in a magic spaceship that grants wishes). At times, the discourse felt like dissertations written by someone in a tinfoil hat. I'd rather the author had just focused on character detail (for example, Valentine's family and her relationship with Ender), the xenophobic tensions on Lusitania, and other meaningful topics. Third, a lot of characters from the previous book became so insufferable that I almost stopped caring about whether they all perished or not. Disappointing, given how much I liked some of them in the previous book. Fourth, a lot of promising storylines either disappeared or ended in antimclimax (for example, the underwhelming reunion between Ender and Valentine and the Warmaker problem). Rating: 6
Watched movie: "The Girl on the Train" (2016) in Cinemark XD
Cringeworthy psychological thriller that just like in "Gone Girl", alternated between the investigation of a missing wife and the months leading up to her disappearance. I say "cringeworthy" because of how hard it was watching Emily Blunt's "train wreck" of a character, i.e., an unstable stalker who can't remember what happened during her alcoholic blackouts. Admittedly, she added an X factor to the mystery that totally disrupted my sleuthing efforts. Rating: 6
Debate of debates
09/26/16 4:36 PM PDT

This U.S. Presidential election is stressing me out. I keep checking the latest polls online and going into denial about how close the race is. When I distracted myself with a movie like Sully, I even felt a pang of anxiety during the scene when people banded together to rescue the passengers. And this third Ender book I've been reading keeps reminding me of the election too, thanks to all the rude, close-minded, and xenophobic characters in it that I just want to give up on.

Watched movie: "Blair Witch" (2016)
I walked into this new Blair Witch Project found footage sequel thinking it couldn't possibly suck worse than Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2--but to my dismay, I was wrong! Not only did this new installment completely fail to scare me, it relentlessly tried to nauseate me with unsteady camerawork. In fact, that camerwork might go down as the worst I've ever had to endure. I did like one scene at least: the claustrophobic impasse. Rating: 2
Non-apology
09/16/16 5:06 PM PDT

So Donald Trump finally admitted the whole Birther Movement was a sham, and now he just thinks bygones will be bygones? There actually used to be a time when I admired Donald Trump. I even sided with him against Rosie O'Donnell. But as soon as he helmed that vile Birther Movement, I never forgave him. You can also cross Rudy Giuliani off the list of people I respect. That guy is dead to me.

To my surprise at the US Open men's final, Stan Wawrinka upset Novak Djokovic once again to win a grand slam title! But sigh...Serena Williams lost her second straight US Open semi-final and as a result, lost her WTA No. 1 ranking just one week shy of breaking Steffi Graf's streak of 186-consecutive weeks. Though I guess I should look on the bright side, and be thankful that Serena was able to even tie the record after coming so close to losing that No. 1 spot to Angelique Kerber mere days before this US Open started. Ironically, the relatively unknown player (Karolina Pliskova) who beat Kerber to deny her the No. 1 spot ended up being the very same player who beat Serena in the US Open to award Kerber the No. 1 spot!

I was also surprised to learn that San Jose's Camera 12 Downtown theater closed down. Something about losing revenue and too much maintenance cost for the aging building. This was my theater of choice for D-BOX Motion Effects Seating and Barco Escape, so I guess I'll have to find someplace else for these gimmicks. Though in all honesty, when I tried "Star Trek Beyond" in Barco Escape it really bugged me how the footage kept alternating between one screen and all three screens. Just keep all three screens on.

I read about a new gimmick called 4DX that's going to expand to theaters across the U.S. During a movie, the environmental effects blow air in your face, rain water or snow down on you, generate fog or bubbles, move your chair, tickle your lower back or legs, flash strobe lights, and unleash scents.

Watched movie: "Sully" (2016) in IMAX
Poignant "Miracle on the Hudson" biopic (directed by Clint Eastwood) that follows Captain Sully as the National Transportation Safety Board second-guesses whether he made the right decision to steer the plane toward certain death. It really spoke to the cynic in me how human beings can just take the truth and reframe it with their own narrative. But the movie also showed me what's good about human beings as well. As for the flight, I found the reenactment pretty emotional, but would have preferred one uninterrupted sequence rather than the disjointed time-hopping. Side note: I found it amusing listening to the safety instructions that I always ignore on flights, like what to do in the event of a water landing. Rating: 7
Winter is here (spoiler alert)
09/07/16 6:15 PM PDT

I bought tickets to next year's Game of Thrones Live Concert Experience at the SAP Center in San Jose. Also finally got around to writing my review of TV season 6, which will go down as my favorite season of the entire Game of Thrones series until I see one better.

SPOILER ALERT: Instead of hiding everything with a spoiler tag, I appended my current thoughts on the "Game of Thrones" series after the graphic below. Warning! Do not scroll down until after you have watched SEASON SIX of "Game of Thrones"!

Outstanding season of "Game of Thrones". The emotion-packed episodes made me realize how much I care about a lot of the characters still left on the show.

That Jon Snow is one lucky bastard. How many other Starks died because they followed their heart instead of their head? But despite his charging headlong into a trap at the Battle of the Bastards, I still proclaim him my favorite character on the show (even over Tyrion), and would defend him against any cynic who'd dare criticize him. Mostly because I credit Jon Snow with the greatest humanitarian mission in the show's history, something I can't picture any other character risking much less accomplishing. (This also goes to why "Hardhome" is my favorite Game of Thrones episode of all time.)

And what a powerful story for Jon Snow, to suffer his entire life stigmatized as a "mistake" and ashamed of who he is; completely unaware of his regal birthright. (Side question: now that R+L=J, does that still make Jon a bastard?) What irony that the character with the best claim to the Iron Throne probably has the least interest in it.

I feel like I have to start memorizing the sigils on this show. When the knights of the Vale rode in to save Jon Snow at the Battle of the Bastards, I didn't recognize their banner. I did notice that in the opening credits of the finale, House Stark's direwolf replaced House Bolton's flayed man on Winterfell. Makes me wonder whether House Lannister's lion will replace House Baratheon's stag on King's Landing?

Speaking of the fallen House Baratheon, I really hate Cersei now as I felt that Tommen and Margaery would have made a perfectly fine King and Queen had Cersei not meddled. I know fans hated how Tommen outlawed Trial by Combat, but when I thought about it that tradition really is stupid and would have let Cersei escape the punishment she deserved. I also liked Margaery and was disgusted that "Mad Queen" Cersei murdered her and at least 700 other innocent bystanders in that wildfire explosion. If I had my way, Jaime would go from Kingslayer to Queenslayer. :)

I have a really long memory when it comes to the GoT characters I hate. Although I finally forgave Jaime for crippling Bran (when Jaime rescued Tyrion from King's Landing), I still can't bring myself to forgive Littlefinger (for secretly starting the War of the Five Kings), Melisandre (for burning Shireen at the stake), and The Hound (for killing Arya's childhood friend).

I think out of all the GoT characters who made it to the finale, I hated Walder Frey's guts the most (even more than Ramsay Bolton). I kept worrying he would die of old age before somebody killed him. And if it disturbed you what Arya did to him and his sons, go watch the Red Wedding massacre again.

In conclusion, all the emotion in that season finale impressed me: Arya avenging the Red Wedding, Davos confronting Melisandre about Shireen, Daenerys naming Tyrion the Hand of the Queen, the show finally revealing the truth about Jon Snow's birth, Lyanna Mormont and other Lords rallying behind him, and even the minor (yet major) moment when Sansa informed Jon that "winter is here".

Infrequent flyer miles
08/31/16 8:00 PM PDT

Delta Air Lines sent me a bonus miles voucher in response to the "inconveniences I may have experienced" during my trip to Rio de Janeiro, i.e., getting me there about two days late so that I couldn't make Michael Phelps' 100-meter butterfly race. I did feel like flaming them on the surveys they e-mailed me, but then I reasoned that their only failing was that one delayed flight that made me miss a connection I should have buffered more time for anyway. Since the subsequent flights were crowded, I have to admit they did a good job getting me to my destination. Plus as fate would have it, I was thankful to have missed that race.

Having said that, I'm not going to mark "satisfied" on anything they send me either. :) I decided to just delete the surveys.

On a related note, I hate these special treatment programs like "Delta Sky Priority" that let the rich cut in line at the boarding gate. Makes a penny-pincher like me feel like a second-class citizen. :P If that wasn't bad enough, AMC Theatres now has an "AMC Stubs Premiere" program that lets its members cut in line for both the ticket and concession counters. It sparked some unrest on one particular occasion when my line grew longer and longer as the Stubs members kept cutting in front of us.

Well, I finally posted pictures from my Brazil vacation in my blog entries after waiting over a week for them to develop. All in all, I considered the trip a success despite my anxiety about the language barrier (it was the first time I ever vacationed in a country that didn't speak English), and was happy I stepped out of my comfort zone.

No more Olympics for me for awhile. The next three will take place in South Korea, Tokyo, and China.

Watched movie: "Kubo and the Two Strings" (2016) in 3D
Splendid stop-motion animation from Laika about a young string musician in ancient Japan who can fight evil with origami. The dialogue got corny and the plot got confusing, but overall I liked it. That talking snow monkey had a funny anger face. Stay during the credits. Rating: 7
Watched movie: "Hell or High Water" (2016)
Amusingly no-nonsense crime drama wherein two brothers seek to repay their late mother's debts by robbing the very banks that exploited her--a bank robbery spree which heads them on a collision course with the movie's other two main characters, a retiring Texas Ranger (Jeff Bridges) and his Indian-Mexican partner. I liked all the Texas wit and the "don't mess with Texas" sass. Great climax too, despite what I saw as strange plot turns. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Don't Breathe" (2016) in Cinemark XD
White-knuckle horror thriller wherein two teenage burglars stumble upon a blind killer's deep dark secret and try to escape his barricaded house without getting shot. Some of the cat-and-mouse got pin-droppingly tense, e.g., the scene where the burglars had to tiptoe and the scene where they stumbled around with dilated pupils. I also liked the Breaking Bad aspect where the burglars didn't want anyone to get hurt, and could have easily called the police had they not gotten greedy (though who can blame them). P.S. Man what a plot twist. I never would have predicted something like that. Rating: 7
Olympic Summer Games XXXI: The triple-triple
08/20/16 6:18 PM PDT

Congratulations to Usain Bolt on accomplishing an unprecedented "triple-triple" a.k.a. nine out of nine Olympic gold medals! I actually rooted for the Jamaican men to win the 4x100-meter relay over USA, as this doping stuff really soured me.

Congratulations to the U.S. women's 4x100-meter relay team on winning the gold medal after their successful appeal when Allyson Felix dropped the baton in the preliminary heat. The Brazilian TV coverage kept replaying the drop, but it wasn't until I saw the American coverage that I found out about the appeal.

Finally, congratulations to Brazil for winning their first Olympic soccer gold medal vs. Germany in a suspenseful penalty shootout. What a fairy tale ending for Brazil: avenging their humiliating 1-7 loss to Germany in the World Cup, Neymar kicking the winning penalty, and the Brazilian team being able to celebrate in front of their ecstatic home crowd at the Maracana stadium.

Well, I'm settling back in here in California. The drugstore estimated two weeks for my photo rolls to get developed, so don't expect them on my blog anytime soon. :P

Brazil, Day 6: Free day
08/17/16 2:03 PM PDT

Now that I leave Brazil tomorrow, I thought I'd reflect on my vacation. First of all, now I know how illiterate people must feel because I couldn't comprehend Brazilian Portuguese at all. My pocket dictionary was completely useless. I couldn't read signs or menus, I couldn't understand the taxi drivers or Olympic workers, and I struggled with the public transportation. Even when Brazilians used their smartphone or Google to translate, I'd often get gibberish like "What impo?".

Second, my fears felt kind of stupid in hindsight. I saw so many crowds in Rio that it Zika were as contagious as Americans feared, then Rio would be in a full-on epidemic right now. I also saw a lot of soldiers with AK-47s, which would make it foolish for terrorists to attack Rio instead of someplace less protected. I still worried about muggers and thieves though. I avoided Copacabana beaches even though one was literally outside my hotel window. I also kept my cell phone in the hotel safe, which was fine because it didn't work in Brazil anyway.

Oh, and I did avoid drinking tap water the entire time, e.g., brushing my teeth with bottled water and abstaining from both ice cubes and fountain drinks.

Brazil, Day 5: Itaipu Dam
08/16/16 11:58 AM PDT

Today I completed another goal on my list, the Itaipu Dam. The Special Tour took me through the interior of the hydroelectric plant (I've never seen such long hallways) and outside to a couple of panoramic views. As the only English speaker in the tour group, I felt self-conscious when the guide had to talk to me one-on-one in English while the other 11 tourists waited.

Interestingly, the plant is split between Brazil and Paraguay so there's one room with Portuguese signs on one end and Spanish signs on the other end. Apparently in addition to dividing the electricity, the employees are divided up too between Brazilian and Parguayan technicians.

It was cool how my hotel shuttled me to the visitors' center and back. I'm glad I got to the visitors' center early, because they wouldn't let me through without a passport (the poor driver had to rush me back to the hotel to grab it). I also had to leave my camera bag in the shuttle, as even small bags are prohibited.

Well, tomorrow is the free day that I inserted in my travel itinerary. I really could have used a free day after the Athletics when I was dead tired, but I wanted to buffer an extra day after the Itaipu Dam tour in case anything went wrong (like a cancellation).

Penstocks that vibrate from the water
Load Dispatching Room for the dam's energy transmission system
Turbine shaft
Generators Hall
Panoramic view of the dam including the Olympic relay torch
The dam's spillway was closed

Brazil, Day 3: Fastest man of all-time
08/15/16 5:44 PM PDT

I couldn't blog yesterday because the hotel I relocated to had no Internet. In fact, that hotel stay might go down as the worst I ever had. First, the taxi driver couldn't find it and ended up charging me ~200 reals without any deduction for the time he wasted wandering around lost. Then the hotel clerk spoke zero English, and wouldn't even call me a taxi to get to the Olympic Stadium. She also wouldn't let me leave the hotel holding the room keys, and when I returned the new clerk (who also spoke zero English) eyed me suspiciously when I asked for them back. The room itself had no clock, TV remote, or safe--things I can live without--but the malfunctioning bedroom lights wouldn't turn off and every 10 minutes or so a train would rattle the room. PLUS I kept hearing loud party music. But since I was so dead tired, I actually slept through all of it. The dealbreaker was the run-down, graffiti-covered ghetto outside. I've never felt so unsafe walking alone at night. (No on-duty taxis so I had to walk/run a few blocks from the train stop to the hotel.) I can see why protesters would hate the Olympics, because man what a dump to have an Olympic stadium in.

Despite this lowlight, I had a good day and managed to fit in BOTH the Christ the Redeemer tour and the Olympic cauldron.

Christ the Redeemer
So many steps and people, but worth it just to say I visited Brazil's most famous monument. I'll never get used to people imitating the statue's pose for their snapshots. That seems so inappropriate. Also weird seeing soldiers patrolling the statue with AK-47s, but I guess that's prudent. The gift shop had statue replicas and stuffed animals for Corcovado's (?) cute wildlife such as bats, snakes, and raccoons.

Santa Teresa steps
So many steps and people, but worth seeing just for the eye-popping extravagance of the artistic tiles.

Olympic pyre
An underwhelming Olympic cauldron, but an impressive kinetic sculpture by Anthony Howe behind it.

Athletics
The track & field was like gymnastics in that high jumpers, triple jumpers, and runners all competed at the same time (sometimes the high jumpers even had to move out of the way when runners came tearing around the bend!). The running definitely took center stage though. I liked how the pulse-pounding music livened up the races and made them feel more thrilling. The men's 100M final started with main-event-feel entrances, and Usain Bolt's presence electrified the crowd into a frenzy, reaching a fever pitch when he sprinted into Olympic immortality with his third straight 100M gold medal. I don't know how much of his celebratory partying aired on TV but haha, what an entertaining showman. Definitely a highlight of my trip.

Today I flew into Foz do Iguacu, so nothing much happening on Day 4. To my relief, this Viale Tower Hotel is leaps and bounds better.

Women's 1500m Semifinal
Men's 400m Final
The main event
Usain Bolt sprinting in the Men's 100m Final
Usain Bolt celebrating his third straight Olympic gold medal in the Men's 100m!
Usain Bolt, #1 all day every day
The pose

Brazil, Day 2: Greatest Olympian of all-time
08/13/16 11:32 PM PDT

I'm glad I decided to attend the Olympics tennis event, which took place in the same Olympic park as the Olympic swimming. After catching the tail-end of a boring-looking semifinal match between Andy Murray vs. Kei Nishikori, I got to watch one helluva semifinal between Rafael Nadal vs. Juan Martin Del Potro (man that guy has a wicked surprise super-forehand). The crowd sounded like soccer fans, chanting and booing despite the umpire's admonishment to respect BOTH players. In the deciding set, Delpo just had to serve out the game to win but Nadal broke back. Then in the very next game, Delpo had triple break point but blew it! The final tiebreaker went 7-5.

The women's gold medal match between Monica Puig vs. Angelique Kerber came after, but I skipped it. Looks like I falsely predicted that the latter would win. :P

Later that evening at the Olympic Aquatics stadium's last day of swimming races, I got to watch the greatest Olympian who ever lived, Michael Phelps, win his 23rd gold medal in the 4 x 100-meter medley relay. If he never swims again, then it means I witnessed his retirement race. I'm still skeptic about that though. :)

I got to watch the U.S. women win their 4 x 100-meter medley relay too.

I signed up for a van to pick me up for a 4-hour Christ the Redeemer tour tomorrow morning. I'll see if I can fit the Olympic cauldron in too before the track & field. Busy, busy day tomorrow.

Andy Murray wins Olympics Tennis Semifinal Match #1
Olympics Tennis Semifinal Match #2
Rafael Nadal
Juan Martin Del Potro
Women's Gold Medal Match
Michael Phelps in the Men's 4 x 100m Medley Relay
Gold medalists for the Women's 4 x 100m Medley Relay
Gold medalists for the Men's 4 x 100m Medley Relay
23rd Olympic gold medal for Michael Phelps!

Brazil, Day 1
08/12/16 9:25 PM PDT

I finally arrived in Rio de Janeiro today about two days late thanks to Delta re-routing me through Buenos Aires. As a result, I missed Friday's Olympic swimming event...which actually turned out for the best once I saw that Michael Phelps tied for second place in the 100-meter butterfly (I would've been dejected had I witnessed this from the stands).

I kind of felt like Ender in the book I read on my way to Rio, i.e., how time speeds by anytime he takes a relativistic space flight. Here's what happened while I was jumping from airport to airport:

Looks like I don't have enough time to hike to Christ the Redeemer anymore, so I might just settle for a faraway picture.

Update: In addition to a sink, toilet, and shower, my hotel bathroom has some kind of three-knobbed sink on the floor--and I can't figure out what it is. It also took me a long time to realize that none of the lights or TV in my room work until I leave my room keycard in a slot on the wall. Power conservation?

Read book: "Speaker for the Dead" (1986) by Orson Scott Card
Powerfully emotional sequel to "Ender's Game" full of amazing intellectual insights and self-inflicted mental suffering. Talk about bombshells. From the shocking vivisection discoveries to the cruelties of relativistic space travel, my mind kept getting blown. Sometimes the bombshells seemed hidden in plain sight, like an excerpt from a future treason prosecution and WTF instances of cultural contamination (the humans in the book are forbidden to tamper with the natural evolution of the pig-like aliens they've been observing--apparently not even to ask about those dumbfounding vivisections!). By the way, thanks to that Angry Birds Movie, I kept picturing the aliens as green cartoon pigs. :P P.S. Maybe I'm xenophobic to think this, but I don't fault humanity at all for what they did to the buggers. Rating: 9
Stuck overnight in Atlanta
08/10/16 10:24 PM PDT

These Delta computer problems sure came at a bad time for me...although they didn't cancel my flight, my plane to Atlanta got delayed so long that I completely missed my connection to Rio de Janeiro. Consequently, they set me up at a hotel and put me on standby for the next flight.

On paper, I'll still be able to make the first Olympic event--but having lost a whole day, I might have to decide which tourist attraction to put on my "only if time permits" list: the Olympic cauldron or Christ the Redeemer. (I'm actually thinking the latter.)

Finger wag
08/10/16 1:45 AM PDT

Why do I get that feeling that Brock Lesnar will get booed by the New York crowd at this year's WWE SummerSlam? Not only did he fail two doping tests before his UFC 200 fight, but the WWE completely exempted him from their wellness policy even though this is precisely what the wellness policy is supposed to discipline against! (Just when I was starting to respect the policy too after top WWE star Roman Reigns got suspended.) As far as I'm concerned, Brock Lesnar's mystique is gone for me. I feel like all of his WWE accomplishments--like defeating the Undertaker at WrestleMania--should have an asterisk now (even though I know full well they were staged).

Can't believe this Rio Olympics trip I've been planning for over a year has finally come. It'll be great not having to avoid Olympics spoilers all the time. :) I won't be taking a laptop with me, so hopefully my hotel has an Internet terminal I can blog from.

Congratulations to the "Final Five" and Michael Phelps on their hard-fought gold medals! That makes 21 total gold medals for Phelps and he's still not done! It actually felt sort of cathartic watching him win the 200-meter butterfly. I was in the stands when he lost that race during the London Olympics. I may not have reacted with a #PhelpsFace, but I was pretty dejected.

Sigh. No Olympic gold medal defense for Serena Williams--she lost the third round to a 21-year-old. Given that Serena managed to double fault five times in one game (!), my speculation is either fatigue or some kind of injury. It's a bummer, but the silver lining is that now I can skip the tennis medal matches altogether and easily make the swimming event on time. One exception: I might still attend the bronze medal match if Rafael Nadal plays in it.

P.S. I'm also still shocked that the men's #1 Novak Djokovic lost in the first round!

Watched TV movie: "Sharknado: The 4th Awakens" (2016)
Such a chore to watch these movies every year. The only bit of satire I liked was when the conservative politician blamed the sharknadoes on Fin Shepard. Stay during the credits. Rating: 4
Watched movie: "Nerve" (2016)
Fun movie from the Catfish directors about a smartphone game that dares its players to risk life and limb for cash and glory. I think the film did too good a job romanticizing the main girl's dares as cool, because I left the theater hoping for a sequel with even cooler dares instead of reflecting on what the movie tried to say about the game being bad and stuff. (Even when they showed a death from the previous game, I couldn't bring myself to take it seriously--maybe they should've showed the dude's grieving parents or something.) Also since the main girl started out the film shy and repressed like me at that age, I found myself living vicariously through her when she "broke bad". Rating: 7
Watched movie: "Suicide Squad" (2016) in RPX & 3D
Dull sequel to "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" wherein a government agent recruits a team of supervillains to save the world. The drama and comedy felt so formulaic, and the supervillains seemed way too nice. They felt more like Breakfast Club misfits than hardcore antiheroes. Even Jared Leto's Joker struck me as unremarkable. Stay during the credits. Rating: 4
The appearance of partiality
07/31/16 5:52 PM PDT

Following this recent DNC e-mail leak, I'm convinced that the primaries for both the Democrats and Republicans might need more transparency going forward. I'm almost thinking the entire delegate system of both parties should be replaced by a straight popular vote. (Heck, I'm even open to replacing the Electoral College too.) I especially think that caucuses and winner-take-all should be scrapped. I've also yet to see the merit of superdelegates given that historically, they've always sided (more or less) with the popular vote. Why even have them then, when they keep inviting accusations of a rigged system?

Roger Federer announced that he will miss the Rio 2016 Olympics and the rest of season due to a knee injury. :( Sigh, I was hoping he could finally win that one trophy that has always eluded him.

Watched movie: "lights out" (2016)
Horror movie that gets better as it goes along wherein a family fights a supernatural monster whose only apparent weakness is light. I really liked the variety of ideas for fending off the monster (though personally, I would've gone on a shopping spree for light devices and also would have tried to communicate with the monster since she spoke fluent English). I also had to suspend disbelief that the family stood any kind of chance against her, given that she had the acumen to cut the power and pull people into shadows! Rating: 7
Watched movie: "Star Trek Beyond" (2016) in RPX & 3D
Like a continuation of the original Star Trek TV series in that it picks up around three years into the starship Enterprise's five-year mission. To my fascination, Kirk feels burned out and Spock wants a career change, i.e., what Ambassador Spock did (R.I.P. Leonard Nimoy). I found the first act amazing, the second act slow, and the third act strong. Lots of good humor and awe-inspiring visual effects too. Rating: 7
Watched movie: "Ice Age: Collision Course" (2016) in 3D
I know in every one of my Ice Age reviews I pick on Manny as the least funny character, but this time around I'm going to give him a break...because for this installment, I found none of the characters funny. I guess the movie did have one mildly redeeming storyline for me, though: Scrat's UFO hijinks. Stay during the credits. Rating: 4
Watched movie: "Jason Bourne" (2016) in D-BOX
I consider Paul Greengrass' last two Bourne films two of the best action spy thrillers ever made, so he probably should have just quit while he was ahead. I still enjoy his directing, but that's about the only compliment I have for this latest installment. The plot he co-wrote kept vexing me. I can forgive some of the coincidences and careless lapses (after all, maybe Bourne got rusty or the CIA got better), but not egregious plot holes like Bourne's hacker friend leaving him a note to meet her in public instead of just speaking to him right there in person (or at least somewhere with no cameras)! I also felt like his origin story got retconned to make his father a part of it (where did all these major players suddenly come from?), and was confused how the CIA could just continue their illegal black ops projects as if Bourne Ultimatum never happened. Side note: Maybe not the best movie to see in D-BOX. Felt like I was bull riding when the onscreen car crashes kept bucking my seat. :) Rating: 6
Slow news day
07/18/16 7:07 PM PDT

Well, I now have a clear frontrunner for least favorite music video of the year: "Famous" by Kanye West. If you ask me, the celebrities who were depicted nude in that video without their permission should sue. Taylor Swift, in particular, should totally sue Kim Kardashian for leaking that private phone conversation about the lyrics. Moreover, I found the lyrics themselves incredibly offensive, and it further proves that Kanye West wasn't really sorry for rudely interrupting Taylor Swift at the VMAs! Someone please explain to me why this shameless jerk is still relevant.

Watched movie: "The Secret Life of Pets" (2016) in IMAX 3D
Cute movie (especially the fluffy white dog). Not something I would call funny, emotional, or believable though. The premise reminded me of "Toy Story". Stay during the credits. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Swiss Army Man" (2016)
At the beginning of this movie, Paul Dano finds a farting corpse (played by Daniel Radcliffe) and proceeds to ride him across the ocean like a jet ski. Things get kookier from there. Cases in point: Paul Dano uses Daniel Radcliffe's penis as a compass and then cross-dresses as a woman to go on dates with him. Oh, and their conversations range from farting to poop to masturbation. So it probably goes without saying that I found this film pretty cringeworthy and tasteless. Rating: 2
Watched movie: "Ghostbusters" (2016) in IMAX 3D
Comedic reboot that reunites Paul Feig, Kristen Wiig, and Melissa McCarthy (and stars from the original movie popping in as different characters). It pains me to say it, but I simply did not find this movie funny. Too much drivel and in particular, that Kate McKinnon just annoys me (I don't like her Hillary Clinton impersonation on SNL either). Stay after the credits. Rating: 4
Greatest female tennis player of all-time
07/09/16 9:12 PM PDT

Huge congratulations to Serena Williams for finally winning that elusive 22nd Grand Slam title! I once scoffed at the notion of Serena tying Steffi Graf's record of 22 Grand Slam singles titles in the Open era. It was after Serena turned 30-years-old and had just won (if I'm remembering this correctly) her 14th Grand Slam title at the 2012 Wimbledon. A tennis commentator remarked (I think half-seriously) that maybe she could win another eight to tie Steffi and I was like, yeah right. Maybe, just maybe, she could tie Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova at 18, was my thinking. Little did I know that after her struggles to finally reach that milestone, that she would go on to win the next three Grand Slam tournaments after that too!

I'll probably skip the Gentlemen's Wimbledon Final tomorrow morning as I don't really care who wins between Andy Murray and Milos Raonic. I'm still bitterly disappointed that Roger Federer might have blown his last best chance to win an 18th Grand Slam title following Novak Djokovic's rare upset on his side of the draw.

Well, my Rio Olympic tickets arrived in the mail. I have tickets to Michael Phelps' final two events, Usain Bolt's 100m dash (assuming he recovers from his hamstring injury in time), and the women's singles gold medal match for tennis (maybe I'll get to see Serena). Also got my travel vaccinations (sure a lot of diseases in Brazil), currency, and renewed passport. Unfortunately, no vaccine exists for Zika though.

Not sure how to feel yet about Kevin Durant joining the Warriors, as I've seen so many cases where top players joined the Lakers to no avail. But just like I never faulted LeBron James for defecting to the Miami Heat, I think Kevin Durant needs to do whatever he can to get at least one NBA championship ring in his lifetime.

Watched movie: "The Neon Demon" (2016)
Points for style and music, but just too sickening for me to dignify the movie as "art". Bad enough I had to watch the repulsiveness of the modeling world and a 16-year-old girl's sexualization in it, but the knife nightmare, her not calling the police, the necrophilia, and the cannibalism killed whatever open-mindedness I had left. So going forward, I might be done with Nicolas Winding Refn films. Rating: 3
Watched movie: "Independence Day: Resurgence" (2016) in IMAX 3D
Unsurprisingly disappointing sequel to one of my favorite disaster movies of all time. I liked some parts, e.g., a couple of dramatic character deaths and the alien queen's gun, but hated others, e.g., everything with Judd Hirsch and the school bus. Most of the humor struck me as asinine, and much of the aliens' attack lacked logic for me (including why Bill Pullman could sense them). Rating: 5
Watched movie: "The Purge: Election Year" (2016) in Cinemark XD
Finally a Presidential candidate (Elizabeth Mitchell) who wants to outlaw The Annual Purge! In this third installment, main characters from the first two movies work to protect her from assassination during a Purge night where government officials no longer have special immunity. I loved the film's sociopolitical overtones and the unapologetic parallels to our current U.S. Presidential race (right down to the states she won on the electoral map!). I also love the novel ideas that people come up with in this Purge universe--for instance, this installment featured predatory Purge insurance, "murder tourism", civilian paramedics, and volunteer safe zones. Rating: 7
Wrong side of history
06/26/16 3:56 PM PDT

That narrow Golden State Warriors loss in game 7 sure stung, but my congratulations to LeBron James for finally leading the Cleveland Cavaliers to their first NBA title. I was pleased to see how emotional they got.

I never realized that Brexit (United Kingdom leaving the European Union) would turn into such a big deal. I still remember how when I vacationed in London, not a single vendor accepted my euro coin. Even when I hid it in the loose change, they always picked it out.

Watched movie: "Finding Dory" (2016) in IMAX 3D
Even though I never really cared for Dory and Marlin (and that awful gag about speaking "whale"), I found this sequel inspirational and tearjerking--mostly because it finally treated Dory's disability with the gravitas and sadness it deserved (instead of making it into a joke like the first movie did). The film didn't just contrive some quick and easy cure for it either--like any real-life handicap, she had to work on it and tough through it. Animation-wise, Pixar never ceases to amaze me. Just the chameleonic octopus alone impressed me. Definitely stay after the credits for an update to something I've been wondering about since the first film. Rating: 8
Watched movie: "Now You See Me 2" (2016)
Awful villains, lame magic tricks, and an illogical twist that actually blemished my opinion of the first film. Given that I liked the whole "long game" caper and mystery in the first film, it disappointed me that this sequel failed to come up with anything remotely close. In other words, why even stage a new act if it's nowhere near as good as the previous act. Side note: Although I liked the card passing scene, it made zero sense to me that magicians would risk something so Goldbergian. Rating: 4
Watched movie: "The Shallows" (2016)
Scenic survival thriller wherein a Jaws-like shark strands Blake Lively (and a seagull) on a tiny islet 200 yards from shore. I found the movie pleasing to the eye, but boring and corny. Rating: 4
Two worlds, one destiny
06/17/16 7:29 PM PDT

I guess these NBA Finals have proved more intriguing than I originally thought. In Game 7, either LeBron James will finally win an NBA title for Cleveland (in the greatest comeback in NBA Finals history) or the Golden State Warriors will punctuate the greatest season in NBA history. Which leads me to wonder--am I a bandwagon fan for rooting for the Warriors, having previously been a Lakers fan? In the past, I had always shrugged the Warriors off as an Oakland team (like the A's and the Raiders) and didn't even root for them in the NBA Finals last year. I only found myself rooting for them when they had a chance to make history with the season record (using their entertaining small ball style).

To my fascination, a wild turkey family (one mother with 8-9 poults) has been wandering around outside of my workplace. (Also to my surprise, they all can flap their wings and fly.) I read that male turkeys don't help raise their own children--instead, they seek out other females to mate with. And also, once the children grow up, they all leave the mother and go their own separate ways. Seems sad, but perhaps they're actually the normal ones and we humans are the strange ones. :)

Man, AMC Theatres really seem to be cracking down on patrons sneaking into movies. At a hallway in the AMC Mercado, an employee saw me loitering by the film posters, asked to look at my ticket, and then ordered me to leave the building upon checking that the movie on my ticket had ended. Pretty draconian considering that I was just standing in the hallway--if I had actually been sneaking into an auditorium, then I would understand. Then just recently at the AMC Eastridge, an employee walked in during the trailers (before my R-rated film) and announced a random ticket check. Though judging by the droves of patrons who suddenly left the auditorium, I'm thinking this particular measure made sense.

Watched movie: "The Lobster" (2015-2016)
What a bizarre movie. Much too cynical of a film to be categorized as a romantic comedy, if you ask me. The movie takes place at a hotel that turns its singles guests into animals (of their own choosing) if they fail to find a romantic partner in 45 days. (The film never explains why this happens or why anyone would ever want to check into a hotel like this.) I found the extreme deadpan humor hilarious until something happened about halfway through the movie that really turned me off. The sterile and twisted nature of the characters kept reminding me of another film called "Dogtooth", and sure enough I verified afterward that "Dogtooth" had the exact same director. Side note: John C. Reilly losing his cool after his friend's cutting remark that as a parrot, he'd still have a lisp...genius. :) Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Dheepan" (2015-2016)
Slow-paced Palme d'Or winner wherein an ex-soldier and two other strangers (a woman and a little girl) flee Sri Lanka, pose as a family in a ghettoish housing project in France, and start getting attached to one another. To the movie's credit, I rooted for them to succeed--but a number of plot points left me dismayed. For example, why did the ex-soldier keep provoking drug dealers, and why did he insist on jeopardizing the lives of his "family" in such a dangerous neighborhood when his "wife" had a better prospect in England?? I also got irrevocably disappointed in the "wife", and didn't understand why she decided to go back to work in that warzone. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Warcraft" (2016) in IMAX 3D
An inane mess of CGI and gobbledygook. Although I liked the main characters, I felt that almost all of their arcs ended stupidly. Just save your money and see superior fantasy epics like Lord of the Rings or Game of Thrones instead. Rating: 4
Watched movie: "The Conjuring 2" (2016) in Cinemark XD
Too long for me, and fraught with hauntings that struck me as incoherent rather than scary. Like if I had to explain the differences between The Conjuring rules and the Insidious rules, I don't think I could. The movie's attempts at comedy didn't work for me either, though I loved the two parts where the adults (the mother and the authorities) suddenly found the childrens' claims convincing. Character-wise, I did find myself caring about the family and whether the paranormal investigator's Amityville vision about her husband would come true. Side note: That Annabelle doll still creeps me out. Rating: 6
Finish line
06/06/16 7:01 PM PDT

Well, congratulations to Novak Djokovic for finally winning that elusive French Open, thus completing a non-calendar year Grand Slam which hasn't been done since Rod Laver in 1969. I'm dejected that Serena Williams lost her second straight Grand Slam final though. Admittedly, that Garbine Muguruza's pretty good.

I'm still impressed with those Golden State Warriors, after their thrilling comeback victory in the Western Conference Finals series against the Oklahoma City Thunder wrecked my nerves. So far, the NBA Finals seem kind of dull by comparison.

Given that my home team the San Jose Sharks finally made the Stanley Cup Playoffs, I made an effort to watch some of it. But alas, I just can't stand hockey.

Watched movie: "The Heiress" (1949)
Unpredictable drama wherein a shy heiress' wealthy father suspects her charming new love interest of secretly wanting her inheritance. Cynical as I am, I completely agreed with the father and felt like a prenuptial agreement would have solved everything (maybe those didn't exist back then?). Rating: 6
Watched movie: "X-Men: Apocalypse" (2016) in RPX & 3D
Wholly amusing but to my disappointment, lacked the depth and emotion of the previous two gems. I mostly blame the villain--I never liked him in the comic books, so I guess what chance did his movie adaptation have. To make matters worse, his movie adaptation could turn people into dust and teleport--so why couldn't he just smite the X-Men? Quicksilver had too much power too, IMHO--he made the film so cartoonish for me. Also didn't care too much for anyone's storylines--I hated the Magneto and Mystique ones in particular. Stay after the credits. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "the nice guys" (2016)
Funny noir comedy wherein Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling team up to investigate a bizarre case in 1970s Los Angeles. I enjoyed most of the humor even though Ryan Gosling's shtick as a pseudo-intellectual moron began losing flavor for me. I also felt the plot went overboard on all those lucky coincidences. Rating: 7
The Door
05/25/16 10:01 PM PDT

Wow, I actually cried during Sunday's "Game of Thrones" episode. What an emotional haymaker; an even bigger wallop than the previous episode. To me, Hodor was like the Giving Tree...always there for Bran. Afterward, I went for a drive instead of watching the Simpsons season finale. I just wasn't in the mood to laugh.

Update 5/31/2016: Another thing that made me break down during that final scene: the dignified Stark music that played as Hodor held the door. When I reflect on how profoundly Bran ruined the poor guy's life, I can't think of anybody who's sacrificed more for House Stark than Hodor.

Watched movie: "The Angry Birds Movie" (2016) in D-BOX & 3D
Mind-numbingly dumb. I actually found the video game funnier. Also felt like the film failed in its message about anger management (the main bird got vindicated despite his serious anger management problem). On the plus side, props to the impressive bird attack sequences and D-BOX motion effects. Stay during the credits. Rating: 4
Watched movie: "Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising" (2016)
Not many laughs in this one, especially compared to the first movie. I actually found Zac Efron funnier than Seth Rogen. Nothing about the sorority really amused me except for their smartphone addiction, Shelby's argument with her father, and the "bionic woman" jump. Rating: 5
In the flesh
05/15/16 12:34 AM PDT

Man, maybe I should start carrying a camera phone. While walking through the lobby of my hotel, I actually spotted Tai from this current season of Survivor checking in at the front desk! I did a double-take because I'm so used to seeing him on a remote island every week. What would he be doing here in my hometown? I didn't approach him though--generally I don't like bothering celebrities unless they're at a public event.

In other TV news, I subscribed to HBO just to watch the latest episodes of Game of Thrones. I've become a big fan of the show, and have been getting excited about where the current season is heading. Sometimes I go on YouTube to watch real-time fan reactions to certain scenes from the show. Don't hold your breath for any YouTube clips of my own reactions, though. Most of the time I just watch TV stoically. Even when my favorite characters die (like on Game of Thrones or Walking Dead), I just gape at the screen with a blank, dumbfounded expression.

I've also starting getting into that TV series "Supernatural" recently. After various seasons of demons, angels, and even Lucifer assuming human form, the show finally revealed that one of the recurring characters is actually God--leading to a lot of interesting conversations and ironies, plus some perplexing scenes like God eating chow mein and watching...curling.

Watched movie: "Captain America: Civil War" (2016) in RPX & 3D
Cool superhero vs. superhero brawls even though when I thought about it, what did any of them have to do with the movie's thought-provoking theme about whether the Avengers need political oversight? I also got confused about what point the film tried to make about vengeance, and felt like all those different superhero arcs overstuffed the film. Spider-Man got too much screen time, if you ask me. Unlike many of the amusing comedic touches in the movie, I did not find him funny. By the way, that Secretary of State was the same guy who's always pursuing the Hulk. Stay during and after the credits. Rating: 7
Hatred & prejudice first
05/04/16 11:41 PM PDT

I've been chomping at the bit to vote in the California Presidential Primary...and now that I've finally received my voter information in the mail, both races are pretty much over. Why does California hold its primary so late? I guess I'll have to just cast an emphatic symbolic vote.

Watched movie: "A Streetcar Named Desire" (1951)
Cringeworthy with two main characters that irritated me to no end. I hated the treatment of women in the movie, and even felt like it romanticized misogyny. (Marlon Brando played an abusive husband, wife-beater shirt and everything.) P.S. Now that I know the context behind the famous "STELLAAA!!!" scene, I don't find it very funny anymore. Rating: 3
Watched movie: "Green Room" (2016)
Not as good as the director's previous thriller, "Blue Ruin", but interesting nonetheless. Patrick Stewart played an amusingly precise white supremacist villain trying to kill a trapped rock band with the least amount of mess possible. So even though his men could easily just storm in with guns blazing, it was this overthought-out surgical approach that gave the rock band a fighting chance. I could have been dismayed by all the different mistakes the characters made, but in my opinion this director smartly understands the reality of how hard it is to think clearly in stressful real-time situations. P.S. Maybe his next film title can start with "red". Rating: 7
Et tu, Tai?
04/21/16 6:31 PM PDT

Wow, that "Survivor: Kaoh Rong" tribal council ended with one of the coldest blindsides I've ever seen. For someone as nice (and non-confrontational) as Tai to look into his closest ally's eyes and shake his head "no" instead of having his back...messed up. I should start calling him "Tai"-senberg. :)

For the first time ever, I finally got to screen a movie at an Alamo Drafthouse theater (a new one opened up in San Francisco). Each seat comes with a mini-table where you can fill out food and drink orders (including alcohol) that get served to you during the film. I ordered a burger and fries. They also strictly enforce a no talking/no texting policy. Pretty cool all in all, but I'm still smarting from the prices ($16 for the burger and $13.50 for parking!).

As for the movie itself, I think I enjoyed the preshow of ironically humorous shorts more, such as the manners tutorial and a doomsday infomercial segment.

Speaking of the Alamo Drafthouse chain, its founder/CEO rebutted AMC's idea to allow texting in theaters to attract more millenials. I actually don't care about lit phone screens in an auditorium, but the notion of more selfie-obsessed teenagers in my theater...ugh.

In other news, I read that "Game of Thrones" might end with 13 episodes (a.k.a. two shortened seasons) following the finale of season 6. I suspect it's because George R.R. Martin didn't provide enough material. Well if you ask me, the creators should just load up the final two seasons with wish fulfillment and send the fans home happy. Part of me always wondered whether George R.R. Martin meant "All men must die" as a Buddhist message. Because when I think about it, so many of Daenerys' enemies and the people on Arya's kill list have died without them having to do anything.

Watched movie: "The Invitation" (2016)
Ominously-scored horror "thriller" wherein a high-strung guy senses something wrong at his ex-wife's dinner party, but is unable to convince the other guests. Notice I put "thriller" in quotes, because man it took long for something to happen. It did have some amusingly awkward WTF scenes at least. Rating: 5
The Warriors came out to play
04/14/16 1:54 PM PDT

Congratulations to the Golden State Warriors on successfully finishing their season 73-9, breaking the record for best season in NBA history! And congratulations to Steph Curry on breezing through the eight 3-point shots he needed to reach an unprecedented 400 3-pointers in one NBA season! Needless to say, I was impressed. I'm glad the team prevailed because in order to watch them, I had to miss Kobe Bryant's wild 60-point retirement game.

Watched movie: "Hardcore Henry" (2016) in D-BOX
This theatrical equivalent of a first-person shooter started out fun, but then began numbing my brain. So much graphic violence with so little reprieve (a video game would have a pause button or save point at least). Nice comedic moments though (like when bystanders stared at Henry and when he tried to ride a horse). Side note: The D-BOX seat made me feel like a crash test dummy during some of those high-impact scenes. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Midnight Special" (2016)
Intriguingly mysterious Jeff Nichols film--reminiscent of "Firestarter"--wherein an eight-year-old federal fugitive, his parents, and a family friend struggle to reach a predetermined spot on a predetermined date. Although the movie started out kinda slow, it picked up once the boy began using his trippy paranormal powers. Rating: 7
Last Day on Earth
04/05/16 5:41 PM PDT

I wound up watching TV for about eight and a half hours on Sunday. Mostly because WrestleMania 32 lasted nearly five hours (six if you count the kickoff on the USA network). I could've sworn last year's show went less than four. Contrary to a lot of vocal wrestling snobs out there, I enjoyed this year's show. Though admittedly, I agree with critics of Roman Reigns (I changed the channel during his headline match to watch "The Simpsons"), and agree that Shane McMahon needs to stop risking his life on these scary stunts (could've sworn I heard the crowd chanting "Please don't die!" when he climbed to the top of the cell, which has gotten even taller after Mick Foley's famous fall). Secret crash mat or no, so many things could've gone wrong.

Minor spoiler alert for "The Walking Dead" season 6 finale: the TV series finally enacted the Lucille scene I've been dreading for much of the season, ever since the Internet spoiled for me exactly how that scene went down in the comic book. Pretty clever of the TV series to switch to first person POV like that--because the original artwork really sickened me and I couldn't imagine how such gruesome cruelty could be shown on TV. Although I was dismayed by the cliffhanger, I'm like 80-90% sure that the TV victim will match the comic book victim. Even though I verified that hardly any of the comic book characters' fates matched their TV counterparts', lately the TV series has been following the comic book so faithfully that I'm skeptic the show would just suddenly fork away from this important of a plot point.

Grudge match
03/31/16 6:52 PM PDT

Japan is releasing the ultimate J-Horror crossover this June, titled "Sadako vs. Kayako". It will feature Sadako from The Ring vs. Kayako from The Grudge. There's a trailer out and everything.

Yeesh. Following the box office success of Dawn of Justice, it looks like DC will be going forward with at least 10 more superhero movies:

  1. "Suicide Squad" (August 5, 2016)
  2. "Wonder Woman" (June 23, 2017)
  3. "The Justice League Part One" (November 17, 2017)
  4. "The Flash" (March 16, 2018)
  5. "Aquaman" (July 27, 2018)
  6. "Shazam!" (April 5, 2019)
  7. "The Justice League Part Two" (June 14, 2019)
  8. "Cyborg" (April 3, 2020)
  9. "Green Lantern Corps" (June 19, 2020)
  10. Untitled Batman reboot by Ben Affleck (TBD)

While I was at it, I checked on the next phase of superhero movies from Marvel Studios:

  1. "Captain America: Civil War" (May 6, 2016)
  2. "Doctor Strange" (November 4, 2016)
  3. "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2" (May 5, 2017)
  4. Untitled Spider-Man reboot (July 7, 2017)
  5. "Thor: Ragnarok" (November 3, 2017)
  6. "Black Panther" (February 16, 2018)
  7. "Avengers: Infinity War - Part I" (May 4, 2018)
  8. "Ant-Man and The Wasp" (July 6, 2018)
  9. "Captain Marvel" (March 8, 2019)
  10. "Avengers: Infinity War - Part II" (May 3, 2019)
  11. "Inhumans" (July 12, 2019)

We also have another four Transformers movies to look forward to (that was sarcasm):

  1. Transformers 5 (June 23, 2017)
  2. Transformers 6 (June 8, 2018)
  3. Transformers 7 (June 28, 2019)
  4. Transformers 8 (TBD)
Watched movie: "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" (2016) in RPX & 3D
Overly-long with a pretty flimsy build-up for why Batman and Superman would want to fight each other. I also failed to see much value in the senate committee hearings and Lois Lane's investigation. On the plus side, I felt that Wonder Woman, Ben Affleck's Bruce Wayne, and Doomsday turned out better than I expected (I hope they use that same cool Wonder Woman music in her stand-alone movie). Can't say the same for Jesse Eisenberg's lame Lex Luthor, though--every second he prattled onscreen irked me. At least they made him smart enough to see though Clark Kent's horrible disguise. Rating: 6
Us v. them
03/20/16 12:35 AM PDT

What a crazy Presidential election. I usually don't blog much about politics and religion, but come November I do plan to blog either euphoric relief or unadulterated disgust.

In related news, I'm really disappointed by how partisan the Supreme Court has become. My political science professor once lectured that the SCOTUS is supposed to decide what is right, not what is popular. That's why I hate it when Senators say "the people should decide" Scalia's replacement. To me, that's a slippery slope.

I did smile at the rhetoric from one of Ted Cruz's ads: "Life, marriage, religious liberty, the Second Amendment. We're just one Supreme Court justice away from losing them all." Thing is, the SCOTUS already legalized abortion and gay marriage even before Scalia died.

Watched movie: "Zootopia" (2016) in IMAX 3D
A thoughtfully written, thoroughly animated gem from Walt Disney Animation Studios about a diverse city of talking animals who struggle with the same problems of racism that us humans do--from politically incorrect gaffes (bunnies can only be called "cute" by other bunnies) to equal opportunity challenges (bunnies can be police officers too) to deep-seated prejudices (like the subconscious fear and distrust toward predatory animals). Even the cynical fox character had a childhood trauma that resembled mine. So yeah, I found this movie pretty timely and think that children of all ages (and certain ignorant adults) should watch it. Rating: 8
Attended performance: "Lord of the Dance Dangerous Games"
As usual, I enjoyed the ferocious toe-tapping performances much more than the ballet, prancing, singing, fiddling, fluting, and provocative dancing. The villain looked like a Borg drone this time, with minions that all looked like Judge Dredd. Special props to the rousing new dance routine that I think came from Celtic Tiger. At the end when Michael Flatley--decked out in a suave sparkly tuxedo--swaggered out (with no need for introduction) and performed a couple of toe-tap numbers, I couldn't stop smiling. I drove from San Jose to San Diego just to see one of his final performances, and it was totally worth it. Rating: 8
Watched movie: "10 Cloverfield Lane" (2016) in RPX
I felt cheated. If you ask me, the movie spent way too much time in that bomb shelter and didn't deserve the Cloverfield branding. Rating: 5
Watched movie: "The Divergent Series: Allegiant" (2016) in IMAX
Finally some answers as to why post-apocalyptic Chicago really got divided into five factions (assuming it's the truth). Though I had the same criticism for this film that I did for "The Giver": that it started with an intriguing premise but turned into a mediocre action movie. I did like the visual effects and the tension between Tris and Caleb. Also, my opinion of Tris has improved. Rating: 5

I actually liked that they titled the last two Divergent films Allegiant and Ascendant instead of Allegiant - Part 1 and Allegiant - Part 2 (presumably to camouflage that moneymaking stigma of splitting the final novel into two parts). I came up with my own suggestions on how the final installments of previous young adult series could have been titled:

Sputum
03/08/16 3:12 PM PST

To my misery, I think I caught both a head cold and hay fever allergies at the same time last week. Kept sneezing from a tickle in my sinus and coughing from a sore throat. Guess I can't really complain though, given what's going on at my company (again!).

Watched movie: "London Has Fallen" (2016) in Cinemark XD
Some of the 24-like action scenes were fun, but the notion that terrorists could assassinate a bunch of world leaders so easily (and that the security for the exact same U.S. President from "Olympus Has Fallen" could be breached so easily again) insulted my intelligence. I also wasn't in the mood for xenophobic undertones given all the demagoguery in U.S. politics right now. Rating: 5
Watched movie: "Omohide poro poro" (1991) a.k.a. "Only Yesterday" (2016)
Like a Studio Ghibli version of "Boyhood" in that the main character's childhood (and adulthood) felt no more interesting than my own. Although I found a lot of moments delightfully funny (for example, when characters blushed or when the director cutaway to pop culture references), I regret to say I was bored for most of the movie. Rating: 6
Voice of the world
02/29/16 4:59 PM PST

Google released an app where Morgan Freeman voices GPS directions! Now das cool. I can't believe no one thought of this before. Dude, they should make one for James Earl Jones and Jeffrey Wright. And for female voices, Alex Morgan.

Speaking of Morgan Freeman, his Best Picture announcement and Mark Rylance's shock win managed to ruin my Oscar predictions three-peat.

Watched movie: "Laura" (1944)
I wasn't able to guess the murderer, but how could I keep any facts of the case straight when even the innocent suspects were tampering with evidence and lying. :P The homicide detective's dismayingly unprofessional conduct didn't help either. Bad enough that he let suspects touch evidence and hear each other's statements, but then to jealously fall in love with the woman whose murder he was investigating! Talk about inappropriate. Side note: Did the director purposely make the plot twist look like a dream sequence? Because man what an anticlimax. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "The Witch" (2016)
Bleak and disquieting Shining-like horror flick wherein occult evils prey upon a devout Puritan couple's children one-by-one (starting with the baby, to my discomfort) despite the family's piety and prayers. Although long stretches went by where nothing happened, I still felt dread even during scenes as mundane as the father chopping wood. P.S. I found the ending of the movie...memorable. Rating: 6
Rented Amazon.com movie: "Atlas Shrugged III: Who Is John Galt?" (2014)
Finally made it through the whole trilogy but man, I had a tough time choking down this final installment. Straight up propaganda from the preachy dialogue to the shamelessly caricatural villains (since when do altruists believe in totalitarianism, torture, and letting people starve??). I was also dismayed how Dagny Taggart's love interest from the past two films got inexplicably marginalized. Rating: 4
Valentine's Day massacre
02/18/16 6:29 PM PST

Jeez, what kind of Valentine's Day episode was that for "The Walking Dead". The deaths came so unexpectedly that my brain mistook them for a dream sequence or someone's imagination. Is this really happening?! I gaped. This show, man--develops characters to get you invested and then just kills them off without warning.

Was Monday's X-Files episode about the Islamic terrorists supposed to be a comedy? Because it wasn't funny. Total waste of a Lone Gunmen cameo too.

I'm also starting to lose interest in that new show "Lucifer" following Monday's episode where the female detective went back to disbelieving that the title character is Satan. I don't really like how shallow he is. I thought the show would be like "Dexter", but the Lucifer character seems completely unashamed of who he is, and doesn't really take much seriously.

Watched movie: "Deadpool" (2016) in IMAX
Deadpool talks too much. Stay after the credits. Rating: 5
Predictions and prognostications
02/12/16 11:25 PM PST

Ugh, not happy to be reading about that Zika virus outbreak in Brazil. But I already bought the plane tickets so no turning back now. :P

Well...without further ado, here are my Oscar predictions for 2015:

Best Picture seems like a complete toss-up this year given that each major Guild Award went to a different film. So I'm just going with the PGA on this one, given that it uses the same preferential ballot system as the Academy.

Watched movie: "Regression" (2015-2016)
Slow and pretentious paranoia thriller wherein the allegations of a teenager (Emma Watson) and regressive hypnosis sessions with her family members lead a detective (Ethan Hawke) to seek proof of a secret satanic cult in their Minnesota town. Oh, and David Thewlis played the psychologist so it was like a Harry Potter reunion. Rating: 4
Watched movie: "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies" (2016) in RPX
So faithful to the civility in the original "Pride and Prejudice" that I began to wonder whether the zombies were just a ruse to lure men into the world of Jane Austen. :) Amusingly, the zombie apocalypse seemed like just another nuisance to young Elizabeth Bennet (other nuisances included the pressure to marry a rich suitor, class prejudices, and that exasperating Mr. Darcy). Cast-wise, the actors and actresses seemed pretty elite and I was impressed by how well the romantic leads (Lily James and Sam Riley) made me care about the fate of their relationship. Side note: I found it curiously refreshing to see women from this era brandishing weapons in their own defense rather than relying on any men to protect them. Stay during the credits. Rating: 7
Catch 22
02/04/16 5:43 PM PST

To my chagrin, Serena Williams (uncharacteristically) lost the Australian Open final and is still one shy of the Open Era record of 22 Grand Slam singles titles. Just when I overcame my superstitions too. Meanwhile, Novak Djokovic won his third Grand Slam singles title in a row and is now one shy of a "Djoker Slam".

Sadly, nothing really comes to mind when I try to come up with my favorite tennis match of all-time. That's because the most riveting matches I can remember got ruined by the wrong player winning. :) I might just have to go with that suspenseful 2012 US Open women's final, where Serena came two points from losing.

Watched movie: "The Finest Hours" (2016) in IMAX 3D
Solemn and thrilling historical disaster drama wherein a short-handed Coast Guard station sends a pitifully small motor lifeboat across ridiculously stormy waters to search for an oil tanker that literally ripped in half. Although Walt Disney Pictures produced the movie, it didn't feel like a Disney movie at all. I found the peril pretty gripping, from the assistant engineer (Casey Affleck) problem-solving how to keep the tanker afloat (and trying to convince the crew to listen) to the Coast Guard captain (Chris Pine) trying to will their lifeboat past the waves of a notoriously treacherous sand bar. Astonishingly, I read afterward that the film depicted the events pretty accurately and that the real-life Coast Guard crew really did chance upon where they needed to be without any kind of beacon or compass! Rating: 7
Watched movie: "Kung Fu Panda 3" (2016) in RPX & 3D
Laugh-out-loud funny...until the panda village, that is. I was not amused by that place (especially the Lennie-esque panda whom to me bordered on offensive), and frowned that the cool formidable villain got beaten by them so easily (I guess I shouldn't be surprised after the first movie). Props to the gorgeous animation. Rating: 6
Rented Amazon.com movie: "Synchronicity" (2016)
A smart yet dumb "Sci-fi Noir" about a physicist who spends most of the movie obsessing over a girl he just met rather than the monumental time travel experiment that could end life as he knows it. The biggest insult to my intelligence: that the success of that multimillion-dollar experiment would hinge on a lab technician's guess over which direction is left! All in all, if you liked "Source Code" then you would probably like this movie too--though I think the ending of this film actually left me with more unanswered questions. Rating: 5
Impunity
01/26/16 5:52 PM PST

Man. While watching the 2016 Royal Rumble Match, I missed a huge elimination because my eyes had momentarily wandered away from the TV. (By the time my eyes darted back, the entrant whom I had predicted as the winner was lying outside the ring.) The match was ok, I guess. Brock Lesnar disappointed me by not making more of a splash. I also don't like it when the crowd gets "smarky" and tries to ruin the match for everybody.

Haha, I read an amusing article that questioned why Royal Rumble entrants don't try harder to exploit the no DQ loopholes in the rules. Specifically, in this most recent match:

Maybe it's time for the WWE to enforce some oversight on their Royal Rumble Match similar to how the Academy overhauled their Oscar rules to promote diversity. :)

In other Sunday programming, the premiere of that X-Files revival seemed to completely ignore what happened in the series finale. Specifically, the fate of the Cigarette-Smoking Man and the colonization by aliens on December 22, 2012. Unless maybe we're supposed to infer that those were just hoaxes, which exemplifies the exact kind of convoluted storytelling that made me sick and tired of this show.

Pound for pound
01/25/16 4:20 PM PST

That movie "Creed" reminded me of how much I love the philly cheese steaks in Philadelphia. Maybe it's just me, i.e., some kind of "placebo effect", but the philly cheese steaks here in California don't taste nearly as good. (P.S. Still annoys me that things like soup cans and paint splatters are considered art, but not the Rocky statue.)

Similarly, the best Starbucks coffee I ever had was at its birthplace first store in the Pike Place Market.

It wasn't the best coffee I ever tasted, though. That honor goes to the very first mocha I ever ordered from Seattle's Best Coffee, from a cafe located at Yosemite National Park.

As for the best pie I ever tasted, that distinction still belongs to the warm slice of cherry pie I ordered at Twede's Cafe (filming location for the Double R Diner in "Twin Peaks"). Again, this might be a "placebo effect".

Watched movie: "Creed" (2015)
I really didn't want to see another Rocky sequel, but I'm glad I gave this one a chance because it turned out to be pretty good. Much more grounded, soulful, rousing, and electrifying than I expected. This director Ryan Coogler has a bright future, I think. I'm also impressed with how Sylvester Stallone managed to mature Rocky Balboa into such a likeable and heartwrenching character (compared to those other Supporting Actor nominees, I can totally see him winning the Oscar). Rating: 7
Watched movie: "The 5th Wave" (2016)
I like disaster movies, so I felt like this film should have devoted a lot more screen time to the first three waves of the alien invasion (would've been like three disaster movies in one). Instead, the film focused on the one wave that struck me as the least interesting and the least logical. Also, the romance reminded me of "Twilight"--and as usual, the young adult characters felt shallow to me. Side note: Will the rest of the trilogy get filmed? Rating: 6
Watched movie: "The Boy" (2016)
Pretty slow horror flick wherein an American nanny (played by Lauren Cohan of Walking Dead fame) begins to suspect that the boy-sized doll she's babysitting is really alive. (If you're wondering why she didn't tell the parents WTF back when they first revealed their son was a doll, I'm still wondering that myself.) Admittedly, the audience's reactions made my experience more fun. Overall, I was getting bored with the movie until finally a plot twist livened things up. Rating: 5
No room for Carol
01/14/16 10:39 AM PST

My aunt who lived alone in San Francisco died, which is probably how I'll die too should I make it past 94. I never really understood the big deal about dying alone though. Maybe someday I will. Anyway, the memorial service will be next month in her hometown (not San Francisco where she lived most of her life) which makes me wonder whether she specified any burial wishes.

Looks like "Carol", Ridley Scott, and Idris Elba got snubbed from the Oscar nominations. I'm glad that "Room" made it in though, as that was one of my favorite movies of the year and it dismayed me when pundits started counting it out.

I'd rank the 2015 Best Picture nominees as follows (notice which director's film ended up last on my list for the second consecutive year):

  1. "Mad Max: Fury Road" (My rating: 9)
  2. "Spotlight" (My rating: 8)
  3. "Room" (My rating: 8)
  4. "The Martian" (My rating: 8)
  5. "The Big Short" (My rating: 7)
  6. "Bridge of Spies" (My rating: 7)
  7. "Brooklyn" (My rating: 6)
  8. "The Revenant" (My rating: 6)

Also looks like "Terminator Genisys" got snubbed...from the Razzie Award nominations. I agree with the other nominations except I actually liked "Jupiter Ascending" (even though I called it "gobbledygook").

Holiday movie marathon 2015
01/04/16 9:51 PM PST

I hate L.A. traffic.

Watched movie: "The Revenant" (2015)
Scenic Alejandro González Iñárritu movie that I found surprisingly violent. Good performance by Leonardo DiCaprio...maybe he'll finally win that elusive Oscar. I also love that film technique where the voiceovers whisper (but it has to be done right to avoid coming across as a perfume commercial). Side note: That bear sure f'd Leo up. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "The Hateful Eight" (2015) in glorious 70mm
Quentin Tarantino, man. Unpredictable as always. I think he purposely used music and homages to "The Thing" (a blizzard trapping Kurt Russell with strangers where one or more imposters might be hiding?). But it had that usual Tarantino style of civil conversations, racism, messed up developments, and alarming acts of violence. I'm still puzzled why so little happened before the intermission--perhaps to lull us into dropping our guard for the second half? Side note: Other than some scenic winter shots at the beginning, the wider 70MM format didn't really add anything for me--mostly because almost the entire movie took place inside of a saloon. Cool souvenir roadshow program though. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Anomalisa" (2015)
An awkward albeit amusing stop-motion dramedy from Charlie Kaufman that a cynic like me could relate to. :) Except I'm not so far gone that every man, woman, and child I meet drones on in the same monotone voice. :P I did share the main character's attraction to the one female voice in the entire film, even though I couldn't identify with his loneliness. Side note: Stop-motion sex is just wrong. :) Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Saul fia" a.k.a. "Son of Saul" (2015)
Joyless Oscar entry from Hungary that follows a prison worker around with a camera as he moves from job to job at a Nazi death camp. I thought the guy had great screen presence, but I kept frowning at his reckless desire to find a rabbi and properly bury a gas chamber victim (which led to multiple close calls with death). Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Joy" (2015)
Despite the all-star cast headed by Jennifer Lawrence, David O. Russell's direction, and what seemed like a feel-good American Dream story, I found this semi-biopic completely lacking in both humor and emotion. For some odd reason, the movie kept wallowing in the title character's failures instead of her successes. Which is disappointing because to J-Law's credit, I spent the whole film rooting for her to succeed. Rating: 5
2015 Year in Review
12/24/15 10:10 PM PST
Best of 2015 Worst of 2015
Events that happened to Steve
  1. Watching the USWNT finally win that FIFA Women's World Cup in my favorite soccer match of all-time (which included the mother of all hat-tricks).
  2. Watching American Pharoah win the Triple Crown after a 37-year drought.
  3. (tie) Watching Serena Williams win Wimbledon to complete her second Serena Slam; and watching a great Super Bowl XLIX while snacking on mixed nuts in my hotel room.
  4. Replacing my glitchy 15+ year-old TV with a state-of-the-art HDTV.
  5. Muse playing all of my favorite songs at their concert.
Honorable mention: Receiving a free 3-month HBO subscription right before "Game of Thrones" season 5 premiered; then no longer having to avoid "Game of Thrones" spoilers.
  1. Losing long-time colleagues to Project Chrome.
  2. A self-diagnosed sinus infection causing me to feel dizziness for weeks whenever I tilted my head or got up too quickly.
  3. Serena Williams blowing her best chance at a Calendar Grand Slam in quite possibly the most depressing upset in U.S. tennis history.
  4. My Toyota Corolla odometer freezing at 299,999 miles and becoming an ongoing nuisance.
  5. My Mom's memorial tree vanishing without a trace.
Honorable mention: The California drought causing my workplace to mulch trees and uproot plants and grass.
Movies
  1. "Mad Max: Fury Road"
    "Magnificent eye-popping insanity..."
  2. "Inside Out"
    "Bittersweet and adventurously brainy."
  3. "Spotlight"
    "Using keen rhetoric, dry wit, screen presence, and even subtle visual cues...this film excelled at stimulating both my emotions and intellect."
  4. "Room"
    "...it featured enough powerful scenes to keep me engaged."
  5. "Shaun the Sheep Movie"
    "Enjoyable, touching claymation film from Aardman Animations that really tickled my funny bone."
  6. "It Follows"
    "A refreshingly creative, electronically-scored horror thriller..."
  7. "The Martian"
    "Intellectually stimulating astronaut movie..."
  8. "Ex Machina"
    "Eerily provocative A.I. movie...really haunted me intellectually."
  9. "Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens"
    "Overall I liked it, and felt like J.J. Abrams did right by the returning 'Star Wars' characters."
  10. "Time Lapse"
    "Impressively smart time/causality movie..."
  1. "[·REC]4"
    "...the quality of these [REC] sequels is really starting to deteriorate into "direct-to-video" territory. They should probably just stop."
  2. "Terminator Genisys"
    "Convoluted head-spinning time travel mess that I penalized for ruining some perfectly good James Cameron canon."
  3. "The Lazarus Effect"
    "Forgettable and undaring, from the weak PG-13 horror to the overall lack of answers."
  4. "Fantastic Four"
    "Fantastic fail."
  5. "Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No!"
    "Still bad, but tolerable thanks to all the celebrity appearances..."
  6. "Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter"
    "...I honestly believed she needed psychological help."
  7. "Pixels"
    "Basically an Adam Sandler movie with video games rather than a video games movie with Adam Sandler."
  8. "Hot Tub Time Machine 2"
    "Mean-streaked albeit occasionally funny..."
  9. "Predestination"
    "...'The Mother of All Cosmic Improbabilities' because WTF."
  10. "Pan"
    "...frowned at all the Hollywood tropes..."
Songs
  1. "Style" Taylor Swift
  2. "Blank Space" Taylor Swift
  3. "Stand By You" Rachel Platten
  4. "Shots" Imagine Dragons
  5. "Heavy Crown" Iggy Azalea f/ Ellie Goulding
  1. "Watch Me (Whip / Nae Nae)" Silento
  2. "Tomboy" Diana Espir featuring Nelly
  3. "Doing It" Charli XCX Featuring Rita Ora
  4. "FourFiveSeconds" Rihanna and Kanye West and Paul McCartney
  5. "Pretty Girls" Britney Spears f/ Iggy Azalea
Music video "Style" Taylor Swift "Photograph" Ed Sheeran
TV series "Game of Thrones" "The Simpsons"
Commercial GEICO Insurance cat commercial where if you're a cat, you ignore people because it's what you do Chevys Fresh Mex "Guactoberfest" commercial where annoying customers chant for guacamole
Movie trailer (tie) 2oolander and The Revenant and Star Wars: The Force Awakens Jem and the Holograms
The Force is strong with this one
12/23/15 5:41 PM PST

Unsurprisingly, Star Wars 7 obliterated the box office records for opening weekend in the U.S. (and worldwide). I ended up screening it opening weekend because I didn't want to accidentally stumble onto a spoiler. To the Internet's credit, I surfed for spoilers afterwards and didn't spot any overt ones until I clicked on certain articles or read certain comment threads. I noticed Twitter's a really bad place for spoilers.

Haha, bad publicity for the ArcLight Hollywood. First, Quentin Tarantino blasted them for breaking their commitment to show "The Hateful Eight" at their Cinerama Dome (which also affects me as I had hoped to screen it there); then one of their projectors broke down during Star Wars 7 and restarted too far ahead. That actually happened to me during the second Lord of the Rings movie and to this day, I still don't know what happened in the scenes I missed. At least nowadays, everything's digital so the projectionist can just jog to the right spot (assuming they know where it is).

Attended concert: "Muse: Drones World Tour" with Phantogram
Dat VOICE. Hypnotic. To my amazement, the band played every single song that I ever liked from them including longshots like "Undisclosed Desires" and "Time Is Running Out". Though I finally concluded that "Madness" is now my favorite song of theirs, when listening to it live put me in a veritable trance. Side note: Not happy that the Oracle Arena charged me $40 for parking, but all in all I still felt I got my money's worth. Rating: 9
Watched movie: "Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens" (2015) in RPX & 3D
Overall I liked it, and felt like J.J. Abrams did right by the returning "Star Wars" characters. The movie had a lot of good humor that the prequel trilogy seemed to lack. I did question one of the creative choices though (first "Star Trek", now this?), and felt like the plot had some glaring coincidences (The Force notwithstanding). Side note: That crossguard lightsaber makes sense to me now when I look at how its owner overcompensates. Rating: 7
Watched movie: "The Big Short" (2015)
Like a disaster flick in that it jumps between multiple characters prior to the financial crisis of 2007-2008...except that in order for these characters to win (due to the ballsy bets they all placed), their ridiculed forecasts against the American housing market have to come true. Everything about the movie reminded me of "The Wolf of Wall Street", i.e., the overdirection, over-the-top stockbrokers, characters breaking the fourth wall, and even an appearance by Margot Robbie. I also saw parallels to the author's earlier book, Moneyball, in that the characters began second-guessing themselves. Rating: 7
The olden days
12/13/15 3:01 PM PST

I'm still not quite sure what makes someone a cinephile, but I'm convinced that I qualify given the habits I've developed over the last few years. Specifically, I've made it a point to...

Consequently, I guess I'll try to attend one of the limited screenings for the 70mm roadshow release of "The Hateful Eight" starting on Christmas Day. Or at a minimum, I'll try to see it in its original "Glorious Ultra Panavision 70" format (which requires a much wider screen and specially equipped cinemas).

Watched movie: "Brooklyn" (2015)
Slow albeit occasionally emotional Oscar contender wherein an aspiring accountant (Saoirse Ronan) has to choose between marriage to an Italian plumber in 1950s New York vs. life with her lonely mother and an Irish suitor in Ireland. Quite the dilemma considering how bored I felt toward both of these futures. :P But in all seriousness, returning to New York--like she promised--seemed like a no-brainer to me, and it annoyed me that she would even entertain the idea of staying in Ireland...PLUS she wouldn't have gotten in this mess had she disclosed that she was already with someone! Anyway. To me the funniest scenes came from her boarding house in Brooklyn--they should make that place into a sitcom. :) Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Carol" (2015)
An even slower Oscar contender about a secret lesbian romance in 1950s New York. I'd liken it to watching a flower, waiting for it to bloom. Ironically though, despite how long it took for something to happen between Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara, the timing still felt wrong to me given where they were in their lives. This realism might be why their romance continued to haunt me even after the movie ended. Rating: 7
Hunger Games: The Panem Menace
12/03/15 10:17 PM PST

Well, I guess the Hunger Games franchise finally concluded...or has it? I heard rumors that Lionsgate wants to keep it alive somehow, possibly in the form of a prequel or a sequel. Personally, I wouldn't mind movies that cover past Hunger Games. I couldn't help noticing that Haymitch's backstory never came up during any of the films, even though book Katniss reviewed his Hunger Games (a historically significant Quarter Quell) and discovered what originally made him an alcoholic.

I felt Johanna Mason had an interesting Hunger Games too, which the movies never touched upon.

Watched movie: "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2" (2015) in RPX
This might be the first time I've ever called a movie "underdirected". I had actually hoped for something more melodramatic, e.g., musical swells, sentimentality, and maybe even some slow motion. Because in my opinion, only raw emotion could have saved this storyline. But to my disappointment, the same grievances I had about the book came through on film and the scenes that I actually looked forward to either fell flat for me or got cut altogether (one exception: Finnick's last stand turned out pretty cool). Side note: That insult Peeta hurled at Katniss...wow. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "The Good Dinosaur" (2015) in 3D
Less ambitious than other Pixar films in that the premise basically amounted to talking dinosaurs. I still found the movie beautiful, funny, and tearjerking though. Rating: 7
It was a dark and stormy night.
11/23/15 12:39 AM PST

Still shaking my head that Holly Holm knocked out Ronda Rousey to win the UFC bantamweight championship in one of the biggest upsets in MMA history. I'm convinced that Rousey tried to outbox her instead of relying on her effective armbar submission. It was like "Rocky III" in that I feel like fame got to Rousey's ego--in the news I kept seeing bravado like retiring undefeated, winning world championships in other combat sports, beating Mayweather in a fight, filming a movie about herself, wanting to wrestle in WWE, and disrespecting her opponent with nary any provocation. On the plus side, I do feel like this loss added credibility to women's MMA as now people can't complain that Rousey only won against unworthy challengers.

Speaking of which, I had Ronda Rousey on my personal shortlist for 2015 Sportsman of the Year...but not anymore. :P I also ruled out both Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams due to their unfortunate failures in capturing the calendar Grand Slam. So I've actually narrowed down my shortlist to two contenders: Triple Crown winner American Pharoah and Golden Ball winner Carli Lloyd. I'm actually leaning toward Carli Lloyd because of her unprecedented performance at that World Cup tournament and that mind-blowing half-field goal in the final. Although American Pharoah did end a 37-year Triple Crown drought, that Triple Crown is something 11 other racehorses have already accomplished.

I also might be biased because if I had to choose just one feel-good victory this year at the cost of all others, I would've picked the FIFA Women's World Cup.

Speaking of broken undefeated streaks...as part of the celebration of 25 years of Undertaker, WWE posted a video about the end of his Streak at WrestleMania XXX. I spotted myself at the end of the video, but it's deceptive in that I never attended WrestleMania XXX (that clip was from WrestleMania XXVIII). When the Undertaker's Streak ended, I was sitting at home watching my TV in dumbfounded disbelief wondering whether the referee had miscounted. Then unadulterated dismay when I saw the "21-1" graphic.

Watched movie: "Room" (2015)
Poignant drama that follows a kidnap victim (locked inside of a furnished shed for seven years) and her five-year-old son (locked inside of the shed all his life) as she tells him the truth about the outside world and builds up their nerve for an escape attempt. Actually, the movie seemed to only follow her son because to my disappointment, some really important moments for the mother happened off-screen because I presume he wasn't there to witness them. In summary, although the film moved slowly, it featured enough powerful scenes to keep me engaged. P.S. Even a cynic like me had trouble believing that the media would stoop to such insensitive questions! I was also incredulous that a grandfather could act that shamefully. Rating: 8
Watched movie: "Spotlight" (2015)
Speaking of the media, this Oscar contender successfully inspired me on the merits of investigative reporting without resorting to anything sappy, spoon-fed, or preachy. Using keen rhetoric, dry wit, screen presence, and even subtle visual cues (like how the characters paused or sprung into action), this film excelled at stimulating both my emotions and intellect. Rating: 8
Watched movie: "The Peanuts Movie" (2015) in 3D
To my delight, this 3D computer-animation of Peanuts managed to shoehorn almost all of my favorite gags in, such as the hilarious winter dancing. (No Lucy missing the baseball, but oh well.) But huh?! The little red-haired girl actually speaking to Charlie Brown? Charlie Brown successfully flying a kite? Charlie Brown making gallant choices? Snoopy finally thwarting the Red Baron? I felt like now that Charles M. Schulz is no longer with us, his descendants decided to lavish Peanuts fans with wish fulfillment. What will we see next, Charlie Brown finally kicking Lucy's football? :) Stay during and after the credits. Rating: 7
That Plan Voodoo that you didn't do
11/12/15 2:17 PM PST

Looks like a player I originally endorsed finally got voted out of Survivor: Cambodia - Second Chance: Andrew Savage. Admittedly, he had some kind of air about him that was rubbing me the wrong way. Like he would be cold enough to scheme a blindside of Spencer, but then get self-righteous toward other players who would dare to make their own plots.

I was greatly puzzled by his parting words that no one foresaw Kelley Wentworth playing an immunity idol. Surely this possibility must have crossed their mind, given that they had just got done splitting their votes against Kass in the previous tribal council! If it truly did not cross his mind, then he deserved to go home.

Hopefully the next episode will explain why NINE different players saw it necessary to vote for Kelley. Because it was even safer to split the votes this tribal council (6-3 would have sufficed) than the last one where the alliances sought a 7-6 majority! Maybe they feared Joe would follow through on his sub-alliance with the bottom three girls?

P.S. Anyone see the irony of Kelley teaming with Ciera? :)

Watched movie: "Spectre" (2015) in RPX
Despite the revival of James Bond's most personal enemy (and supposed "author of all his pain"), I felt like Bond took him too lightly and basically reverted back to his old smug self--even, to my chagrin, conversing over the phone during a high-speed car chase. The main highlights for me: the opening fight sequence, the melancholy opening theme by Sam Smith, and the fight with Batista. Though in conclusion, I hope the next installment concentrates less on repackaging past 007 material and more on breaking some new ground (for example, how about a love interest who lasts longer than one movie?). Side note: Why did Blofeld's trap have a net and speedboat in it?? Rating: 6
Crowning achievement
11/05/15 7:20 PM PST

Congratulations to the Kansas City Royals for winning the World Series this time. I was impressed by how many times they came from behind in the late innings. (I rooted for them because I felt bad about how Madison Bumgarner crushed their dream last year.)

In other news, my photos from the WWE event finally developed. :)

Rented Amazon.com movie: "The Final Girls" (2015)
Amusing and bittersweet dramedy wherein a teenager, on the third anniversary of her mother's death, ends up trapped with a group of friends inside of a famous slasher film that her mother played a camp counselor in...leading them to exploit the rules of the movie to try to defeat the machete-wielding villain. Some parts got corny, but I did find the teenager's bond with her mom's character touching. Rating: 7
Beast incarnate
10/30/15 6:20 PM PDT

Well, still waiting for my WWE Hell in a Cell 2015 photos to develop (takes over a week now). Because I still use 35mm film, the photo department had to ship the rolls to Arizona to process. They won't even send back negatives with the prints--only a photo CD. So it looks like once my film rolls run out, I'll need to shop for a digital camera. :)

Regarding the event, I finally got to see a post-UFC Brock Lesnar match. Even saw blood which is banned by WWE's PG rating, requiring a ringside doctor to interrupt the match, glue the wound shut, and wipe away the blood to a chorus of boos. In what I considered the highlight of the night, Brock finally shoved that doctor onto the mat to a chorus of cheers (and rumor has it this was unscripted!).

The other Hell in a Cell Match between Roman Reigns vs. Bray Wyatt turned out pretty good as well.

The Dudley Boyz match disappointed me the most in that they performed none of their vintage table spots and didn't even execute their finishing move. Bah.

Roman Reigns vs. Bray Wyatt
Brock Lesnar vs. The Undertaker
Stairs

To my confusion, the TitanTron remained off most of the time. I guess that forces the TV audience to stay focused on the ring instead of looking off to the side.

Watched movie: "Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension" (2015) in 3D
Well, the premise of a video camera that could actually see the paranormal activity certainly hooked me in--but just as I expected, the demon's smoke monster-like appearance proved nowhere near as scary as what my mind had imagined. It also felt really gimmicky how the camera kept making the CGI effects pop out in 3-D. I'd rather the filmmakers had just innovated new scares instead a la the first three films. Rating: 5
Wednesday, October 21 2015 4:29 PM PDT
10/23/15 5:06 PM PDT

In the spirit of Back to the Future Day, i.e., October 21, 2015 (the date Marty and Doc Brown travelled forward to in Back to the Future Part II), I re-watched the first two Back to the Future films on demand. I loved the first movie as a kid and I find I still love it today.

The second film feels dated to me now given how it depicted fashion, levitation, and flying cars (looks like it got the Chicago Cubs World Series prediction wrong too). To my amusement, Marty and Doc Brown arrived at Jimmy Kimmel Live where he updated them on current events such as cronuts, selfies, and Donald Trump.

I do think it's mind-blowing how far personal computing has come since the Apple //e I programmed on in the 1980's, e.g., Internet, social media, e-mail, texting, video streaming, smart phones, GPS.

Watched movie: "Steve Jobs" (2015)
For a guy who believed in user friendliness, this biopic sure made him look unfriendly and difficult to comprehend. To my confusion, the movie glossed over the Apple ][ and iPod and mostly fixated on his failings (including his relationship with Lisa). A lot of key events either fleeted by in flashbacks or got mentioned in passing, in order to focus on three specific product launches where Jobs got into some heated backstage arguments (including a couple of cringeworthy ones with Steve Wozniak). And when I say arguments, I mean the typical Aaron Sorkin kind where the snark and mental gymnastics race along until they wear out their welcome. (I also hate it when characters start having two conversations at once a la House, M.D.) Rating: 6
Post-Streak
10/20/15 2:15 PM PDT

After over two years of abstention from both airline flights and WWE events, I finally decided to attend an upcoming WWE pay-per-view event here in California. I couldn't resist the "final chapter" Hell in a Cell Match between Undertaker vs. Brock Lesnar.

I would actually rather that the Undertaker win this one. If you ask me, the WWE has built Brock Lesnar into such a superbeast that nobody on the active roster can credibly challenge him anymore. Plus Brock already got such a monumental win over the Undertaker at WrestleMania XXX that I question whether these past two matches will even be remembered (case in point: does anyone remember that Ladder Rematch between Shawn Michaels vs. Razor Ramon at SummerSlam 1995?).

Can't say I'm looking forward to the Hell in a Cell Match between Roman Reigns vs. Bray Wyatt. Both of these wrestlers bore me. I literally change the channel when Roman Reigns talks on the mic, and rarely ever understand Bray Wyatt's promos (I never cared for The Ultimate Warrior's incomprehensible rants either).

I was hoping to see a Tables Match between The Dudley Boyz vs. The New Day, but I guess WWE is saving that for TLC?

I think in total, I've only regretted missing three WWE events since the last one I attended:

Watched movie: "Crimson Peak" (2015) in IMAX
Colorful and grisly like "Suspiria", but nowhere near as scary. Mostly because the CGI ghosts looked totally fake and because the haunted mansion looked and felt like Hogwarts (complete with indoor weather). Also don't know whether Guillermo del Toro ever saw Hitchcock's "Rebecca" or "Notorious", but man the plots seemed similar. So if you liked "Suspiria", "Rebecca", or "Notorious", this movie might feel like a knock off. Rating: 5
Watched movie: "Bridge of Spies" (2015)
Stirring historical drama, directed by Steven Spielberg, about a Cold War event where the U.S. and Soviet Union considered exchanging captured spies in Berlin. Tom Hanks plays the American lawyer who not only negotiates for the exchange, but tries to expand the deal to free an American student from East Germany too. It felt like some kind of high-stakes poker game in that Tom Hanks had to bluff, gamble with the CIA's chips, and figure out each negotiator. Some of the heartstring playing scenes got too corny for my taste, but one point Tom Hanks made about due process for the Russian spy really resonated with me. Rating: 7
Garn scale
10/11/15 4:21 PM PDT

Thanks to some food poisoning I self-diagnosed a couple of weeks ago, I began avoiding cucumbers, tacos, and the food trucks that visit my workplace. Unfortunately, since the symptoms didn't hit me until the middle of the night, I still don't know which food made me sick. The chill in my nerve endings got so bad I finally had to take an Advil to get to sleep.

I also came really close to throwing up and losing that 29-year streak of mine, but the streak endures. :) The two other closest times my streak came under jeopardy: that time I got space sick during the zero gravity flight, and that time I got airsick on a plane and had to smell the vomit from the kid in front of me.

Watched movie: "Hotel Transylvania 2" (2015) in 3D
Laugh-out-loud funny, which I guess is a testament to animator Genndy Tartakovsky's comedic genius considering that both Adam Sandler and Kevin James star in the movie. Some parts got disconcerting, but overall I enjoyed it. Rating: 7
Watched movie: "The Martian" (2015) in RPX & 3D
Intellectually stimulating astronaut movie wherein a marooned botanist (Matt Damon) problem solves how to survive long enough on Mars to get rescued. Seemed a lot more scientifically factual than Ridley Scott's previous sci-fi films. Funny how out of all the space technology I saw, the toilet that vacuum sealed the poop might have fascinated me the most. :) Lingering question: after the crop disaster, why couldn't Matt Damon just re-plant and re-fertilize his potatoes? Rating: 8
Watched movie: "Pan" (2015) in 3D
Prequel to Peter Pan where apparently Peter and his archenemy Captain Hook started out as friends. It actually bothered me how closely Hook resembled Han Solo to Peter's Luke Skywalker. I also frowned at all the Hollywood tropes, particularly the nick-of-time rescues, the romantic comedy between Tiger Lily and Hook, and the sappiness with Peter's mother. On the plus side, I found the flying pirate ships pretty cool. Rating: 5
Watched movie: "The Walk" (2015) in IMAX 3D
Harrowing caper/suspense film that recreates the illegal, totally insane high-wire act that Philippe Petit performed between the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center. Ironically, I felt that the story itself walked a fine line between bravery and hubris. I would probably lean toward hubris when he kept tempting fate with all those daredevil stunts (like laying down on the wire?!) instead of just walking straight across. Though admittedly, I enjoyed the policemen's reactions when he kept disobeying their orders to come in. :D Rating: 7
Movie recommendations
10/02/15 11:24 AM PDT

In the spirit of At the Movies, I made movie recommendations to my friends and then sought film clips on YouTube to help tease each movie:

Watched movie: "Everest" (2015) in IMAX 3D
Exhilarating cinematography that really brought Everest to life, making it look stark, majestic, and cruel. I could feel the mountaineers' suffering and then their cathartic relief when they reached the summit. Then as a result of the blizzard, the second half of the movie managed to wreak havoc on everything that the first half of the movie had romanticized. Not that an exploit this crazy would have ever made it onto my "goals list" anyway. :P Rating: 7
Watched movie: "Sicario" (2015) in Cinemark XD & Auro Sound
A taut but somewhat farfetched thriller wherein an anti-drug cartel task force strings an FBI liaison along on their missions without really telling her the objectives, rules of engagement, or who she's working with. Which really dismayed me because by not forewarning her about what amounted to black ops, they risked getting her killed or compromising the whole operation! Rating: 7
Now or never
09/24/15 10:34 AM PDT

Loved that hidden immunity idol twist in the Survivor: Cambodia - Second Chance premiere. Ordinarily I get bored during the tribal challenges (and tend to fast-forward through them if I DVR'd the episode), but this particular tribal challenge gripped me like some kind of Hitchcockian thriller. Man that was suspenseful, waiting and waiting for Kelley to build up the nerve to snatch that idol while no one was looking! It reminded me fondly of that final tribal challenge in Heroes vs. Villains tribal challenge where the Heroes smuggled an idol to Russell.

Really hated that twist where the tribe suddenly had to vote someone out before they were ready. In general, I hate it when twists, rocks, or unfair advantages decide the outcome of a Survivor season (just like I hate it when referees decide the outcome of a soccer game). Moreover, I see this twist scaring future Survivor players into forging more of those "flash alliances" that bore me so much.

Finally, I don't understand why the editors kept cutting to Jeff Varner talking about how disoriented he is. I would have rather heard more about what Shirin and Spencer were plotting, but oh well.

Update 10/1/2015: Messed up what happened to Shirin and Spencer, but it made for some great drama. Next week, another twist where the two tribes split into three? If it ends up saving Spencer, I approve (but knowing his Charlie Brown luck he'll end up with Kass, Woo, and Abi or maybe even a second "Brains" tribe, hahaha). I'm rooting for "new school" as I fear that "old school" could make this season boring.

Sneak Attack by Roger
09/21/15 4:11 PM PDT

Well, Novak Djokovic now has 10 Grand Slam titles thanks to that latest depressing win over Roger Federer (despite his cool SABR attacks). Now that Djokovic has reached double-digits while Andy Murray is still at two (tied with Stan Wawrinka), I think the media needs to retcon this notion of a "Big Four". It's never been more than a "Big Three", people. :) While I'm at it, I get annoyed by that term "Golden Slam" (when a player coincidentally wins the Olympic gold medal plus all four Grand Slam tournaments within the same calendar year), and still think that the term "Grand Slam" should just mean winning all four Grand Slam tournaments in a row.

I saw articles speculating on why the US Open crowd blatantly cheered against Djokovic. My guess is that like me, they really wanted Federer to capture that elusive 18th Grand Slam title. Federer just seems like the nicest guy, while his top competitors act like babies when they don't get their way.

Watched movie: "The Visit" (2015)
Found footage film by M. Night Shyamalan that actually had a lot of good humor and personality in it. Fun WTF scenes too. I could've done without the diaper (I couldn't get that gross image out of my head) and the obligatory vanquishing of personal demons though. Side note: I actually did not predict that plot twist at all, but I blame M. Night Shyamalan's previous movies for warping what I've come to expect from him. :) Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Lang Tu Teng" a.k.a. "Wolf Totem" (2015) in IMAX 3D
A scenic and IMHO, pretentious Oscar entry from China wherein a student shepherd raises a Mongolian wolf cub as his people feud with the cub's starving wolf pack. I probably would have liked the movie better had I shared the shepherd's insatiable fascination with wolves. Personally, I don't care for wolves and would never want to meet one much less keep one as a pet. :P Props to the animal sequences. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "The Scorch Trials" (2015) in Barco Escape
"Phase Two" of the Maze Runner series where now instead of running from Grievers, the young adults spend the whole movie running from WCKD, zombies, and solar storms. I observed so little plot and character development that I'm convinced this whole installment could've been skipped. Perhaps a big Machiavellian twist could have saved the film, but to my surprise I guess the WCKD leader was telling the truth! All in all, the movie did have a couple of redeeming qualities IMHO: a) the panoramic landscapes that looked magnificent in the three-screen Barco Escape experience, and b) the promising tension between Thomas and Teresa. Rating: 5
Watched movie: "Black Mass" (2015)
I found that Johnny Depp character distastefully creepy and hard to watch for two hours. But I liked the whole story about how Whitey Bulger exploited the FBI. Rating: 6
"If I look back, I am lost."
09/11/15 3:36 PM PDT

An unseeded semi-finalist spoiled Serena Williams' bid for a Calendar Grand Slam and I'm still sick about it. It never once crossed my mind that this particular player could pull off the upset. Man that's so depressing. My brain came up with the following rationalizations to help me cope:

Watched movie: "The Transporter Refueled" (2015) in D-BOX
Stylish with some suave professionalism and fun action scenes, though a bunch of plot holes stuck out enough to bother me. For instance, Anna inexplicably lying about the number of passengers, the girls recruiting Frank Martin's kidnapped father into their Rube Goldberg-like heist (?!), and one of the girls magically bouncing back from bullet surgery. Plus for Frank to combat those potentially armed security guys instead just driving through/past them struck me as inexcusably arrogant. Rating: 6
D.O.P.
09/03/15 5:31 PM PDT

The Internet is really starting to alarm me. One misspoken sentence (even if said in private) can now spark outrage and cyberbullying all across the Web. And nowadays it's like there's no shame to what some people post, from nude photo leaks to videotaped murders. It's also easy to snark at that Ashley Madison hack, but to me if a company that dedicated to privacy could get hacked, what chance do the rest of the business sites on the Internet have?

On a side note, that new Google Autocomplete prediction feature can be messed up sometimes, when I'm typing celebrity names and the most popular search queries about them automatically display underneath the field. Fortunately my name always brings up the music artist, but for other people I've seen a lot of unflattering predictions come up. Interestingly, I read in the Google help that you can ask that your personal information (like bank account numbers or nude photo leaks) be removed from the search results.

Watched movie: "Sinister 2" (2015)
Continuation of the first movie which to my disinterest, followed the kids this time around. Now that I know where the film reels come from, the "home movies" began putting me off instead of creeping me out. But I did find one redeeming quality in this installment: the return of a character from the previous film (Ex-Deputy So & So (?)) who became dedicated to stopping Bughuul. Rating: 5
Dead rising
08/24/15 3:45 PM PDT

I liked the Undertaker vs. Brock Lesnar match at SummerSlam, and have no complaints about it (other than my wish that this had been the Streak match instead of that WrestleMania debacle). The Undertaker--despite his age--looked like a credible opponent for Brock, and even took some suplexes. As far as I'm concerned, the WWE can go ahead and close this chapter...and start planting seeds for Undertaker vs. Sting.

I got bored watching the "Fear the Walking Dead" pilot. Mostly because all that family drama seemed so mind-numbingly trivial in lieu of the zombie apocalypse to come. But I still look forward to seeing what we missed while Rick Grimes was in that coma. :)

Update 9/1/2015: I keep forgetting that these Fear the Walking Dead characters don't know zombies that well. What folly watching the main character trying to reason with one, and watching a student futilely stabbing it with a tiny knife!

Watched movie: "The Man from U.N.C.L.E." (2015) in IMAX
Not much plot, but I enjoyed all the eloquent dialogue and style (including one particularly funny scene where the male spies bickered over women's fashion). Haha, man that Henry Cavill character was suave. Though I did feel that the movie went overboard with how little he took seriously. :P Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Phoenix" (2014-2015)
A serious drama--not a comedy--wherein a Holocaust survivor's reconstructed face fools her husband into thinking she can impersonate his wife to inherit a family fortune...leading him to unwittingly coach his own wife on how to mimic herself (too hard for me to explain her motives but basically there's strong circumstantial evidence that the Nazis had gotten him to give her up). The whole thing felt like a soap opera to me, and I kept wondering how much longer I had to put up with this charade. But somehow the movie received a 99% on rottentomatoes.com. Rating: 5
License to creep
08/14/15 11:34 PM PDT

I read some interesting rumors about who might sing the next James Bond opening:

Sam Smith, Florence + the Machine, and Ellie Goulding all strike me as too high-pitched for a Bond opening. Radiohead would be interesting, to say the least. I also got to thinking that Muse would be an intriguing choice too.

Watched movie: "Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation" (2015) in IMAX
In theory, I really liked this idea of a "rogue nation" (basically a worldwide union for disgruntled spies)--but in practice, how could you trust any of them and wouldn't it be like herding cats? Case in point: the double-double-crossing female spy whom the villain kept trusting over and over again (inexplicably). While I'm at it, for a villain made to look like the spy equivalent of Moriarty, he sure disappointed me. Side note: Cool motorcycles (even cooler when I re-watched the movie in D-BOX). Rating: 7
Watched movie: "Fantastic Four" (2015) in Cinemark XD
Fantastic fail. Plenty of convoluted special effects but little in the way of humor or emotion--or for that matter, any kind of personality at all. The glimmers of character development (for example, the romantic tension and Reed Richards' guilt) just seemed to sputter out. A big shame because I always considered the characters' personal storylines and relationships (for example, The Thing's self-disgust and Dr. Doom's obsession with proving himself smarter than Reed) to be the comic book's best quality. The Dr. Doom in this film bored me and confused me with his inconsistent powers. Rating: 4
Watched movie: "The Stanford Prison Experiment" (2015)
Head-shakingly irritating but mostly because of the subject matter, a real-life prison study at Stanford University in 1971. Cynical as I am, I refuse to believe that a college experiment of randomly selected guards and prisoners would organically turn into some kind of Abu Ghraib within a matter of hours! I keep questioning how much kayfabe factored into the guards' abusive behavior and how much financial need factored into the prisoners' subservience. Or given that all of the volunteers went to college, perhaps some kind of "hazing" mentality factored in? Rating: 5
Watched movie: "The Gift" (2015)
I only saw this psychological thriller because of its high rating on rottentomatoes.com. I liked the film's unpredictability and its realistic exploration of "one-sided friendship"...but as with all American revenge movies, it paled to "Oldboy". :) I was also reminded of another psychological thriller that I liked better, Michael Haneke's "Caché". Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Shaun the Sheep Movie" (2015)
Enjoyable, touching claymation film from Aardman Animations that really tickled my funny bone. Those humans in the movie, man--hilarious. They basically spent the whole film uttering noises, gesturing, and making funny faces. I even found humor in the little details such as the pictures on the farmer's bags. Stay during and after the credits. Rating: 8
12-0
08/04/15 5:31 PM PDT

Haha, another quick win by undefeated UFC champ Ronda Rousey. I watched a couple of Rousey's previous MMA fights for free on my cable box, and cringed when one of her opponents refused to tap out to her armbar submission. Basically if the opponent won't tap out, then Rousey has to snap the arm!

Watched movie: "Mr. Holmes" (2015)
This fictional Vertigo-like drama follows Sherlock Holmes at 93 years of age, when he's retired and deteriorating both mentally and physically. I braced for something depressing (like Sherlock losing his dignity or dying of boredom), but instead Ian McKellen managed to portray him with both humor and distinction. The film also flashed back to his final case, which I didn't find very good (I guess the real mystery was why it traumatized him into retiring). The movie's lack of insights also disappointed me--I wanted to know less about the housekeeper and her boy, and more about what Sherlock thought about life and nuclear warfare. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Ant-Man" (2015) in IMAX 3D
Humorously directed and trippy. The visual macro/micro effects left me awestruck. Even the villain's computer presentation was cool. Stay during and after the credits. Rating: 7
Watched movie: "Pixels" (2015) in IMAX 3D
Contrived, un-funny, un-romantic, illogical, wrong (biggest plothole = the cheat codes), and stupid. Basically an Adam Sandler movie with video games rather than a video games movie with Adam Sandler. Good special effects though. Rating: 4
R.I.P. "Rowdy" Roddy Piper (1954-2015)
07/31/15 5:48 PM PDT

Public eye
07/24/15 5:05 PM PDT

Haha, not sure if I can ever bring myself to erase the USWNT's 2015 FIFA World Cup semi-final and final from my DVR. I still re-watch the clips from time to time, and particularly enjoy the players' visceral slow-motion reactions. To my disappointment, the broadcast barely showed any reaction shots to the mind-blowing goal where Carli Lloyd chipped the goalkeeper from the midstripe. Too bad the technology's not there yet for a TV viewer to be able to shuttle back to that moment in time and see the look on everyone's faces. At least two players called that moment their favorite of the tournament (I saw a couple of pictures where Hope Solo looked uncharacteristically overcome with emotion), and I myself found that goal so surreal that I just stared at the TV with my mouth open.

As for the USMNT's loss to Jamaica in the CONCACAF Gold Cup semi-final...facepalm.

Regarding this whole Hulk Hogan scandal, I'm actually trying to ignore it due to my contempt for people's private conversations being recorded without their consent and released to the public. If he had ranted this stuff while running for President or licking donuts in a public place, that'd be different.

Watched movie: "Ted 2" (2015)
Mildly entertaining even though most of the jokes fell flat for me (especially the celebrity cameos and the recurring gag about Google). Plus I've always found Seth MacFarlane's attempts at drama cringeworthy and insincere. I did find the court battle over Ted's civil rights timely given the recent legalization of gay marriage (but I didn't find the lawyers' arguments all that compelling). Side note: Haha, I didn't even catch that Michael Dorn was "cosplaying" as Worf. Stay after the credits. Rating: 5
Watched movie: "Witness for the Prosecution" (1957)
A snarky, verbose courtroom drama that dragged for me until the title character was finally revealed. Unfortunately, since I knew beforehand that Agatha Christie penned this story, I was able to successfully forecast the big twist. But a couple of surprises still caught me off guard. Rating: 6
Watched TV movie: "Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No!" (2015)
Still bad, but tolerable thanks to all the celebrity appearances (for some reason George R.R. Martin's out of the blue cameo stood out for me the most). I actually had a problem with the lapses in physics throughout the movie...which sounds strange, I know, considering the premise (converging sharknadoes). I also disliked the gimmicky ending, and felt concerned that Tara Reid's feelings could get really hurt by the resulting tweets. Rating: 4
Serena Slam 2.0
07/14/15 6:40 PM PDT

Well, Roger Federer lost again to Novak Djokovic in the Wimbledon final despite one of the craziest tiebreaker comebacks in recent memory. Although the result disappointed me, his woes could be much worse when I think about it. Unlike Djokovic, Federer has won a French Open. And unlike all of the other tennis players on tour, Federer has won 17 Grand Slam titles.

Congratulations to Serena Williams on winning Wimbledon to complete her second Serena Slam, i.e., winning all four Grand Slam titles consecutively! Which if you ask me, is just as good as the Grand Slam where all four of the same titles are won in the same calendar year. But she now has a big opportunity for that exceedingly rare accolade too!

To put that mountain in perspective, a racehorse only needs to win three major races for the Triple Crown. For a Grand Slam, the tennis player has to win a perfect 28 of 28 total Grand Slam matches, against a wide variety of hungry opponents (many of whom she came so close to losing to, especially during that period in the French Open when she got horribly ill). Even in this last Wimbledon final, she looked close to cracking (and almost seemed manic after the victory, inexplicably balancing the Venus Rosewater Dish on her head and what not). But I've come to know this mental roller coaster as her M.O.: her game starts tanking in the second set, and then at some point in the third set she goes Super Saiyan and completely obliterates her opponent.

Anyway, to reiterate what I blogged before, if Serena wins the US Open again (or any other future Grand Slam title for that matter) to tie Steffi Graf for most Grand Slam titles in the Open Era, then I will proclaim Serena the greatest female tennis player of all-time.

Speaking of great female athletes, I'm still starstruck by this United States women's national soccer team and have been monitoring their Twitter accounts for celebration updates. Quite a whirlwind: a phone call from Obama inviting them to the White House, a ticker tape parade in New York (plus keys to the city), a concert appearance onstage with Taylor Swift, and each player (plus the coach) appearing in their own individual Sports Illustrated cover! Looking back, it's funny how four years ago both my Dad and I rooted for this U.S. women's team and had absolutely zero allegiance to Japan. Personally, I hate how the Japan team likes to starve their opponents by hogging the ball--to me that's about as dull as watching Mayweather box. :)

Watched movie: "minions" (2015) in Cinemark XD-RealD 3D & Auro Sound
Mildly entertaining but also pretty mind-numbing. Not just because of that gibberish/Spanglish they babble, but because of the asininity of the plot (starting with the humans' lack of reaction to such alarming creatures). Stay after the credits. Rating: 5
Better than I ever could have imagined
07/07/15 12:12 AM PDT

So proud of team USA for winning the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup in the most memorable, insane soccer match I've ever had the privilege of witnessing. The U.S. women basically burst out of the gates guns blazing (could've sworn I heard war drums in the background a la the 300 sequel). First Carli Lloyd scored two goals inside the first five minutes! Then later my mind got blown again when she lobbed the ball from halfway up the field and it narrowly brushed over the retreating Japan goalkeeper's fingertips to score a hat-trick! Four USA goals in 16 minutes! Unreal.

I never bought into that forecast that team USA had a "67% chance" of winning. I felt like that percentage overlooked intangibles like how hungry the core U.S. players would be for the one trophy that eluded their grasp. I also felt that deep down they thirsted for sweet revenge...and man they got that in spades.

I guess my only minor disappointment was that Carli Lloyd narrowly lost the tiebreaker for Golden Boot. It actually had me in suspense whether she'd win the Golden Ball for best player in the tournament--but I don't know why I even worried--that conclusion was about as foregone as it gets. :) Also congrats to Hope Solo on the Golden Glove (say what you will about her personal life--as a U.S. goalkeeper, I consider her indispensable).

This might very well be recency bias, but within the past few months I feel like I've witnessed the best baseball game (Game 7 of the 2014 World Series), the best football game (Super Bowl XLIX), the best horse race (American Pharoah's Triple Crown victory), and now the best soccer match of my entire life.

Watched movie: "Me and Earl and the Dying Girl" (2015)
Cynical coming of age dramedy that struck me as alright, but nowhere near as good as the previous Sundance drama winner for both Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award, IMHO. It almost felt like this director tried to imitate Michel Gondry. Overall, I felt like the characters lacked dimension--especially Earl who seemed like a borderline offensive stereotype. Granted, this might have all been intentional given the irreverent tone of the movie--but I find I'm not too big fan of counterculture. Like I didn't find those "sweded" films they made the least bit funny (I just found them bad as opposed to "so bad they're good"). Rating: 5
Watched movie: "Terminator Genisys" (2015) in IMAX 3D
Convoluted head-spinning time travel mess that I penalized for ruining some perfectly good James Cameron canon. The filmmakers basically contrived ways to bring back (and milk more money out of) an old Arnold Schwarzenegger and all the original characters. Stay during the credits. Rating: 3
Must...avert...eyes...
07/02/15 11:43 AM PDT

Still can't believe England lost to Japan in the closing minutes of a tied World Cup semi-final because one of the star English defenders accidentally kicked the ball into her own goal! For whatever reason, the soccer gods must want USA vs. Japan III. USA will want to avenge their finals loss to Japan in the last World Cup and Japan will want to avenge their finals loss to USA in the last Olympics. Man, I might fall into a depression if USA loses the World Cup final to Japan again. But I'm confident that the U.S. team will fight like never before to avoid that outcome.

In memoriam out
06/30/15 10:14 PM PDT

Thrilling semi-final showdown between No. 2 USA and No. 1 Germany at the FIFA Women's World Cup 2015. It seemed like a foregone conclusion that team Germany's best scorer would extend their perfect World Cup record for penalty kicks...but to my astonishment, she missed! Then later Carli Lloyd (the MVP of this tournament, IMHO) netted a clutch penalty kick and assisted in another goal.

I'll be so happy if I finally get to watch the U.S. women win one of these things. I was dejected when they lost the finals four years ago.

In other news, to the dismay of me and my family members, our Mom's memoriam tree has disappeared from Adam park. Granted, it never seemed to grow in all the years I've visited it--but man, we sprinkled our Dad's ashes all around that tree and now the tree is gone.

Watched movie: "Jurassic World" (2015) in RPX & 3D
Cringeworthy as a comedy or drama, but good as a monster movie (even though I had trouble suspending disbelief that the main characters--one of them in heels the whole time (!)--could keep surviving the dinosaur pursuits). I also rolled my eyes at the moral indignation toward genetic modification and weaponization as if these practices were any less ethical than cloning dinosaurs! Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Inside Out" (2015) in 3D
Bittersweet and adventurously brainy. Finally, a Pixar film that answers why I lose teeth in my dreams, and why I lost the ability to feel things like loneliness and bliss. :) Though unlike the Amy Poehler character, I just shrugged off everything I lost in childhood. I'd personally consider it a curse to retain all those memories--and also a sign of mental illness if an imaginary friend ever resurfaced. :P Haha, nice touch to make Disgust's impersonation of Joy sound like sarcasm. Rating: 8
How to train your Drogon
06/17/15 4:00 PM PDT

I'm still dismayed by a couple of occurrences on Sunday. First was the "Game of Thrones" season 5 finale. So much cruelty. And what kind of ending was that?? I refuse to accept that we've seen the last of that character. :P (On the plus side, for the first time in my life I'm all caught up on Game of Thrones and don't have to worry about spoilers!)

Second, I found out that "Jurassic World" edged out both "Marvel's The Avengers" and "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2" on Sunday for the highest-grossing box office opening weekend ever (U.S. and international, respectively)! Whaaaat. Clearly I underestimated how much people like dinosaurs.

In sports news, congratulations to the Golden State Warriors on their first NBA Championship in 40 years. Could've sworn I heard fans in the audience chanting "War-ri-orrsss" just like in the movie, hehe.

Watched movie: "Spy" (2015) in Cinemark XD
Well, I found Melissa McCarthy and Jason Statham funny. The other characters--not so much. Stay after the credits. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Insidious: Chapter 3" (2015)
Pretty much the same as the first two "make-you-jump" installments, though I found this particular demon even less interesting than the Bride In Black. I was hoping this movie would explain the ending to "Chapter 2", but the entire film--despite being titled "Chapter 3"--was just a prequel. Side note: The part with the legs made me squirm. Rating: 6
IMMORTALITY
06/07/15 10:19 PM PDT

Congratulations to American Pharoah [sic] for winning the Triple Crown after a 37-year drought where 13 other racehorses tried and failed! Someone give that horse a party or whatever it is horses like to do because that is most impressive. When California Chrome fell short last year, I didn't expect its jockey Victor Espinoza to get another shot so soon. And apparently that horse trainer Bob Baffert failed to win the Triple Crown three previous times. Side note: What's the deal with that Burger King mascot (first Mayweather's entourage and now here)?

Congratulations to Serena Williams for winning her 20th Grand Slam title at the French Open! Struggled with sickness too, just like in the Australian Open. I got freaked out when she blew a commanding lead in the second set and trailed 0-2 in the final set. But then she went on to steamroll the next six games (which included a dramatic on-air expletive that got her an obscenity warning from the chair umpire). If she can win Wimbledon next, she'll have another non-calendar year Grand Slam. If she wins the US Open too, then she'll have both a calendar year Grand Slam and my endorsement as greatest female tennis player of all-time.

Too bad about Novak Djokovic coming up short on the Career Grand Slam again. He finally dethroned the King of Clay Rafael Nadal only to lose the French Open final to Stanislas Wawrinka. Now that Nadal's stranglehold on the French Open might be over for good, we could be witnessing the end of the Big Three era (I call it a Big Three, not a Big Four).

Watched movie: "Good Kill" (2015)
Museful, even-handed drama about the ethics and ironies of drone warfare. Though personally, I couldn't really grasp what made a drone better or worse ethically than say, a bomber, an American sniper, or a Tantalus field. I actually got irritated that the Ethan Hawke character, a family man, would have the audacity to brood instead of counting his many blessings! Rating: 6
Watched movie: "San Andreas" (2015) in D-BOX & 3D
A disaster movie that's about as formulaic as it gets (even features a cornball scene with an American flag), but I did have fun watching my home state fall apart as tremors shook my D-BOX seat. I wonder if growing up in California desensitized me to earthquakes, because I still find tsunamis much more terrifying. Side note: I've toured Coit Tower and would not want to be caught there in an earthquake. Rating: 6
299,999 MILES
05/28/15 10:27 PM PDT

How's this for irony: my 2004 Toyota Corolla has never had a malfunction bad enough to make me want a new car...until just recently, when the odometer froze at 299,999 miles! I researched that it could cost over $500 to fix even though this is a known defect. Sure smells like a scam, that a digital odometer would freeze at 299,999 instead of 999,999. The thing is, I'm actually thinking of paying for the fix because what a nuisance to re-calculate the actual miles using the smaller odometer.

In other news, I finally tried Sprite LeBron's Mix (the aluminum can offering). Tasted like orange soda.

Watched movie: "Mad Max: Fury Road" (2015) in Cinemark XD-RealD 3D
Magnificent eye-popping insanity from the same guy who directed the original Mad Max trilogy. Almost as if three decades worth of pent-up imagination and hostility came bursting out onto the screen. As for the characters, I found all of the women pretty cool and wanted them to succeed. Rating: 9
Watched movie: "Tomorrowland" (2015) in RPX
The scene where Athena told Casey that the vision of Tomorrowland needed context--then just provided cryptic answers--pretty much summed up the movie for me. The film's headstrong characters, timely reflections about human attitudes, and marvelous special effects basically distracted me from the big mysteries that the film never clarified. Which I could easily live with, but I at least wanted an explanation for why George Clooney got banished and why he held such a stubborn grudge against Athena. Rating: 7
DROUGHT
05/18/15 5:42 PM PDT

I've been growing more and more amused by the audaciously terse headlines on CNN.com. The big breaking stories now use large blockbuster phrases as the headline, for example, SUSPENDED, 106 MPH, and DEATH. Makes me want to follow suit in my blog entry titles. :)

This California drought is starting to depress me. At my workplace, they mulched a bunch of trees and are now uprooting bushes and grass. I also read a bleak outlook that someday California (particularly the southern region) could turn into a desert.

To a much fewer--I mean lesser--degree, last night's "Game of Thrones" depressed me as well. I'm just so incredulous that Sansa consented to this marriage at Winterfell, and that Queen Margaery could be arrested by homophobes! I never thought I would say this, but ever since the Night's Watch earned my respect in that special season 4 episode about them, they actually interest me more now than most of the other storylines in season 5.

Well, next year's vacation to Rio de Janeiro is a go. I secured the Olympics tickets I wanted (through a hotel travel package, not the lottery). I decided to pick tennis over gymnastics, because last time I didn't leave enough buffer between my flight arrival and the first Olympic event. Also, this time I plan to minimize what I put on my itinerary. Side note: That new invention the narcisstick would sure come in handy at Christ the Redeemer, but alas I still use an analog camera. :P

Looks like David Lynch decided to return to "Twin Peaks".

Watched On Demand movie: "Time Lapse" (2014-2015)
Impressively smart time/causality movie wherein three friends stumble upon and exploit a gigantic camera that at fixed intervals, automatically photographs their living room 24 hours into the future. In other words, each time the camera photographs their living room at 8pm, it spits out a Polaroid picture of what their living room will look like at 8pm the next day. And just like in another favorite film of mine "Timecrimes", the friends agree to recreate whatever they see in the picture--no matter how alarming the image--to avoid a potentially life-ending causality violation (which may have incinerated the camera's inventor)! I actually could not find a single loophole in the plot. (I thought I had found one until one of the scenes I replayed clarified that Danielle Panabaker intended to overwrite the 8pm crime scene photo that the camera had spit out when she was all alone in the room--so not a loophole, but still an awfully foolhardy risk.) Also, the movie's big brain-teasing twist really helped clear up a lot of my confusion about what precipitated some of those pictures. Heh...I found it amusingly ironic that maybe instead of distrusting each other, they should have distrusted their own future selves. :) Rating: 7
Survivor: Second Chance vote
05/09/15 10:52 PM PDT

I really like this idea, letting Survivor fans vote on which ex-players to cast in the 31st season. I was happy with a lot of the choices, unhappy to see others (and will fume if they make it back onto the show), and had to look up the ones I couldn't remember. Was also surprised that Shirin would want to come back--but when I think about it, how could her second experience possibly be as bad as her first.

I hope people don't just log in so they can vote for the cutest castaways--I wouldn't even suggest voting for the most likeable ones.

My first round of endorsements would go to ex-players whom I feel deserve second chances because of how they got screwed over their first time playing:

Spencer Bledsoe
A good player who hung on a long time despite all the Charlie Brown-type misfortunes that befell him, from "Chaos" Kass yanking the football away every time he tried to kick it, to Woo stealing his idol clue, to his unlucky loss of an idol to the most immune player in Survivor history!
Stephanie Valencia
Another player with potential, who had the misfortune of aligning with Russell Hantz on a tribe full of fools who had the bright idea of throwing a challenge just to get rid of him--ultimately resulting in the entire tribe's elimination by Boston Rob's tribe.
Kelley Wentworth
When this player's father brought bad blood over to her new tribe (no pun intended)--which handicapped whom she could ally with--I actually saw a nobility in her ill-fated decision to stand by him. Nowadays, I legitimately worry that a Blood vs. Water player could turn on their loved one!
Andrew Savage
I liked this player, and hated how one easy mistake (failing to reconcile with an outcast player who unexpectedly returned to the game) cost his alliance everything.
Mikayla Wingle
The only reason I'd give this player another chance would be because of the uncool, suspiciously gynophobic prejudice that seemed to prompt her elimination.
Kelly Wiglesworth
Basically lost the very first Survivor to Richard Hatch because she picked the wrong number between 1 and 10. Also meant she took and bore Sue Hawk's "snakes and rats, dying of thirst" speech for nothing.
Terry Deitz
This might be a stretch, but I felt like this player (the last likeable one left on his season) got a bad challenge just before Survivor began expanding the final two into a final three.

My next round of endorsements would go to ex-players who seem open to winning by any means necessary:

Ciera Eastin
I've seen players dump out their tribe's food; I've seen a player suffer second-degree burns; and I've seen a player lie that his grandmother died...but to this day, I still think the most shocking moment in Survivor history was when this player voted out her own mother. Granted, the mother gave it her blessing and other Survivor fans I know shrugged it off as good strategy--but for me, it breached the conventions of the game (namely the time-honored rationale, "it's just a game") and even rattled how I viewed reality TV as a whole (as in, "what is this world coming to?"). In any event, I feel like this move combined with Ciera's subversive revival of the rock tiebreaker ended up trailblazing--for better of for worse--this new era in Survivor where players try to make "big" moves whether they're smart or not.
Brad Culpepper
The other player who made Blood vs. Water extremely interesting, by purposely going after the rival tribe's loved ones and taking nuclear backlash for it.
Mike Holloway
This guy played so hard that he apparently crossed a line (during the auction episode) that I didn't even know existed anymore in Survivor. He had some weird strategies that eventually made him an outcast, but I'd rather players continuously think outside the box rather than spend the whole season doing the same old same old. Actually, I might be premature talking about him in the past tense since he's still hanging on by a thread in the current season. :)

Finally, I would endorse Stephen Fishbach because of a blog he writes where he editorializes each episode's Survivor strategies. I'm curious whether he would still blog and give out Fishy awards for a season he just gone done filming for.

I'm still conflicted about whether Kass McQuillen deserves back in the game after playing kind of like a griefer the first time. Admittedly, I am kind of curious whether her "chaos" strategy would work again.

Update 5/21/2015: Fume...someone explain to me how Woo, Keith, and Abi all got voted back into the game. I just can't wrap my head around it. I can live with the rest of the cast but am bummed Stephanie Valencia got snubbed. Like this Monica and Peih-Gee, I read up on them and still can't remember who they are.

Float like a gnat and sting like a mosquito
05/08/15 10:45 PM PDT

Mayweather vs. Pacquiao...what a profound disappointment. Granted, that's the first boxing match I ever watched (and most likely my last)--but Mayweather's grandstanding made me expect a fight, not round after round of him evading and hugging Pacquiao. (I thought hugging was supposed to be illegal in boxing.) Hahaha, check out this Punch Out! spoof of the match.

I finally researched why the MGM had Mexico's national anthem before the boxers'. Apparently, it was to celebrate Cinco de Mayo (three days early).

In miscellaneous news, where can I buy Sprite LeBron's Mix? All I could find was the 2 liter bottle.

Watched movie: "Avengers: Age of Ultron" (2015) in RPX & 3D
Good overall albeit weak on the drama and hit-and-miss on the comedy (mostly superheroes, bad dudes, and even the evil robot acting juvenile). All of the personal storylines either bored or confused me. For instance, I'd rather just watch the Hulk smash things (and not let villains finish their sentences) than enter into a romance. Even the action began to disinterest me--I had much more fun watching the superheroes trying to mingle at a party. Stay during the credits. Rating: 6
Real-time 3D environment
04/28/15 8:56 PM PDT

This morning marked the closest I've ever come to calling into work sick. As I got out of bed, the room seemed to spin, and tasks as simple as putting my shoes on made me nauseated. Fortunately, I began feeling better when I sat down next to my phone. Due to the pressure behind my eyes, my leading theory has been sinus headache (though oddly my nose wasn't congested).

I've actually never called into work sick but have, at least once or twice, left work early to lie down.

In travel news, I submitted ticket requests in the Rio Olympics lottery for two Usain Bolt sprints and two Michael Phelps races. I don't plan to attend all four events (I'm hoping to stick to my plan of minimizing my itinerary this time), but I purposely overreached because historically I've only gotten one ticket per Olympic lottery I've requested tickets in. If I can't a Usain Bolt ticket, I'll cancel the trip (I'm already half-hearted about visiting a country where I can't speak the language).

In video game news, Konami cancelled Guillermo del Toro's Silent Hills video game (starring Norman Reedus of Walking Dead fame). I'm actually happy about this, because now I have zero temptation to buy a new gaming system. My last Sony purchase: Playstation 2. My last Nintendo purchase: Game Cube. I still don't know why my passion for video games waned so much. I just got tired of collecting them I guess.

Watched movie: "Ex Machina" (2015)
Eerily provocative A.I. movie made entertaining by Domhnall Gleeson's uncomfortable reactions to both Alicia Vikander (his interview subject, a flirtatious female robot with ulterior motives) and Oscar Isaac (her creator, a reclusive genius CEO with his own ulterior motives). My biggest trepidation--other than the big one about whether it's ethical to imprison and/or decommission this robot against her will--was why the CEO found it necessary to program her with wiles! Meaning that even if she states what she wants, she could be lying. All in all, this writer/director clearly did his homework and the end result really haunted me intellectually. Rating: 7
Birds of a feather
04/21/15 6:00 PM PDT

I'm used to seeing female wild turkeys pecking the ground around my workplace, but recently a couple of male ones arrived. One of the male turkeys keeps fanning out its tail and puffing out its feathers like some kind of Thanksgiving float (I read online that this is called strutting, a courting tactic to attract females). But from what I saw, the females just ignored him. Though I read that turkeys mate differently from humans in that the males are polygamous, and don't "go steady" with just one female.

I finally got around to researching why the metallic fringe--hanging above the pool at my apartment complex--repels geese from swimming (and pooping) there. Apparently, both the flapping noise and the reflections of light bother the birds' senses. (I read that decoys of their enemies like swans and alligators can scare them away as well.)

Watched movie: "Unfriended" (2015)
Actually not bad for a teen horror film that unfolds (in real-time) on a single computer screen. I mean literally, this is all the movie showed: a teenager's laptop screen as she multi-tasked between windows, including:
  • A Skype chat between her circle of friends and some kind of ghost hacker who could kill them at will. Man it wrecked my nerves whenever a live stream of something horrific kept stopping to buffer. But the scariest scene of all for me: that live stream of the "frozen" girl with the vibrating cell phone.
  • Web browser windows where she would watch videos, visit social media sites like Facebook, and google things like police codes.
  • Instant messaging conversations wherein just like me, the teenager liked to delete and rewrite what she typed.
Though unlike me, I noticed she accepted untrusted attachments and even neglected to turn her screen sharing off. Bad. :( All in all, I probably liked this movie because of how often I use a computer, and seeing this teenager get hacked/violated was like a nightmare come to life. I also feel like teenagers should watch this movie despite the R rating because of its important messages about cyberbullying, posting things irresponsibly, and getting drunk. Side note: At one point, to my amusement, someone in the audience blurted a technical suggestion at the screen. Rating: 7
Watched movie: "Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter" (2015)
Started out amusingly deadpan when the sullen title character harmlessly obsessed over the cash Steve Buscemi buried in "Fargo", but then got cringeworthy once she threw her whole life away trying to find it! I already wasn't happy with her habitual misconduct--but when she kept risking death by exposure, I honestly believed she needed psychological help. Rating: 4
Merica
04/10/15 5:08 PM PDT

I'm getting more impressed with this Mike after he went above and beyond looking for that hidden immunity idol on Survivor: Worlds Apart. I assume that by openly pretending that Joe had it, it deterred others from looking for it. Also, if Kelly hadn't gotten voted out at the merge, I probably would have praised Mike as the first player to ever make "throwing a challenge" into a successful strategy. :)

In contrast, I didn't see much cause for the "No Collar" alliance to gloat when Jenn got lucky with that hidden immunity idol. Losing one of their own and the two swing voters should've instead been a big cause for alarm.

But at least the "No Collars" have yet to commit jury vote suicide like "cool calm collected" Rodney, who got mad (again) over salami skin, and "I know how to talk to women" Dan, who might be the worst talker to women in Survivor history.

Update 5/11/2015: Man, I shudder at the nightmarish thought that the final three could come down to Dan, Will, and birthday-boy Rodney!

First world problems
04/09/15 9:34 PM PDT

April started out inauspiciously for me in that I had three days ruined by what Weird Al would call "first world problems". First, I stressed out over a defect in an irreplaceable workplace application that went out-of-support. Then I had another day ruined because of a defective DVD-ROM that cost me over five months of WWE recordings. Finally when I was all ready to catch up on "Game of Thrones" during XFINITY Watchathon week, the episodes wouldn't play. To my frustration, the other HBO shows in the Watchathon played just fine--and the XFINITY service technicians weren't much help. (One of them didn't even know what a Watchathon was, and told me I needed to subscribe to HBO!) Fortunately, my complaints eventually resulted in a free 3-month HBO subscription. I still can't play any "Game of Thrones" episodes, but I'll be able to watch season 5 when it premieres this Sunday.

In other TV news, I read that David Lynch pulled out of directing Showtime’s "Twin Peaks" revival due to a budgetary disagreement (and a bunch of cast members made a video expressing their disappointment). But I can live with it since Mark Frost (the original co-creator) is still on board. Although I credit David Lynch with some of the best "Twin Peaks" canon, e.g., the Fire Walk with Me movie, I also blame him for driving the show off the deep end, e.g., introducing crazy supernatural themes, filming old men shuffle across the room, and directing the notoriously awful series finale.

In movie news, I gotta give props to the Furious 7 filmmakers for how they handled Paul Walker's death. Every scene where they presumably used stand-ins and CGI looked completely seamless to me. They also handled his exit in a really classy way--infinitely better than the lame idea I had brainstormed (writing off his character with an explosion). :P

Watched movie: "Furious Seven" (2015) in D-BOX
Easily the most ridiculous, over-the-top Fast & Furious testosterone-fest yet (not just in action but in dialogue)--but I had fun with it, and viewed it as an earnest celebration of Paul Walker's life. (In fact, some of his scenes got too real for me and made me profoundly sad.) Side note: I don't think my D-BOX seat has ever shaken so violently. :) Rating: 7
Suplex City
03/31/15 6:43 PM PDT

Durn it. Had I known that the Triple H vs. Sting match would end up escalating into DX vs. nWo (complete with Kevin Nash faking a quad injury), I probably would have attended last Sunday's WrestleMania 31 in person! Instead, I watched it on pay-per-view from my apartment (about 15 minutes from the actual venue).

Haha, when the Rock walked along the barricade to recruit a woman against Stephanie McMahon, I expected some kind of relative like his mother or Tamina Snuka. But when the camera panned to UFC Women's Bantamweight Champion Ronda Rousey, I marked out. Hmmm, what if in the future they book her in a WWE match? In no way could I suspend disbelief that a WWE Diva could stand any kind of chance against her. It'd have to be a squash match or a 15-second victory by armbar. :)

Other highlights of the show: Randy Orton's super RKO to Seth Rollins and Undertaker's sit-up as Bray Wyatt spider walked.

Funny how closely that the daylight outside my window corresponded to the daylight on the TV (which lasted nearly the entire duration of the show).

That Walking Dead season 5 finale made me think back to some advice Mike once gave Walter White in Breaking Bad: don't take half-measures.

Beast mode
03/28/15 11:56 PM PDT

It pleased me to read that Brock Lesnar re-signed with the WWE. If you ask me, this announcement singlehandedly saved the main event of this weekend's WrestleMania. Now I'm honestly unsure of who will win the match (though my money's on Brock now).

Haha, Bushwhackers in the WWE Hall of Fame. Das cool.

In TV news, "The X-Files" is returning as a limited series of six episodes. First thing I want explained: why aliens didn't colonize the Earth on December 22, 2012.

Also read that the companion show to "The Walking Dead", titled "Fear the Walking Dead" (and set in Los Angeles), will finally premiere this summer on AMC.

Watched movie: "'71" (2014-2015)
A tautly-scored survival thriller wherein an abandoned British soldier plays cat-and-mouse with IRA gunmen in a volatile Belfast neighborhood. The guy's astoundingly good luck (his evasion of bullets bordered on miraculous) was rivalled only by his astoundingly bad luck (plain clothes in the safe side of town and he manages to stumble right into a shadow British conspiracy??). Throughout the entire movie I kept trying to place where I saw this guy's face before--then afterward it finally hit me: "Unbroken" (I guess this actor really likes to suffer). Rating: 6
Watched movie: "It Follows" (2015)
A refreshingly creative, electronically-scored horror thriller (reminiscent of both Cronenberg and Hitchcock) wherein a teenage girl's dreamy suburban life gets shattered by an STD that like some kind of homing beacon, attracts an unrelenting shapeshifter who literally just walks straight at you until either: a) it kills you with its bare hands, or b) you postpone your fate by sexually-transmitting the curse to someone else. Interestingly, the movie handicaps the shapeshifter with the following tells:
  • It never seems to speak and always walks at the same slow pace, with a fixed gaze.
  • Other people cannot see it.
  • Although it can look like anyone, for some reason it tends to show up either naked or underdressed.
The genius of the film is that the shapeshifter behaves so habitually that it's easy to underestimate (consequently lulling me into getting caught off guard). All in all, I would've rated the movie higher had the characters exhausted more possibilities, e.g., brainstorming more ways to try to kill it and/or coming up with better safeguards. I myself was curious whether it would be resourceful enough to follow someone overseas. If it was after me, I'd probably move to Hawaii and then tell everyone I know to announce themselves aloud when they approach me. :) Rating: 8
Watched movie: "The Divergent Series: Insurgent" (2015) in IMAX 3D
Sloppily plotted second installment fraught with irreconcilable messages. First, Tris wants to assassinate the person she just gone done sparing in the previous film (?!)--even though this might lead to civil war, as if the attempted genocide in the previous film wasn't cause enough already! Second, the plot device with the puzzle box made no sense to me (plus how do they know the message is even authentic?). Third, I found the inner conflict between "deadly" Tris vs. that mind-numbingly useless "bleeding heart" Tris extremely irritating, given the proven necessity of violence throughout the movie. I mean, it's laughable to me picturing what the Hunger Games would've been like had Katniss kept sparing her enemies' lives. Rating: 5
Game of trivia
03/18/15 6:26 PM PDT

Das funny. Last Thursday's "Jeopardy!" ended up with only one contestant in the Final Jeopardy! round, because the other two contestants got -$200 and -$6800 and couldn't wager any money!

Speaking of game show rules, it's still a mystery to me what happens on "Survivor" if the jury votes tie. Perhaps the jury has to re-vote for the top two of the final three?

Here are some other "Survivor" rules that I picked up on through interviews and casual remarks. The players are...

Also read an interesting interview one time where Jeff Probst explained how he determines what order to read the votes in...which isn't always easy. (In summary, he always goes for the biggest dramatic effect.)

Game of imitations
03/12/15 12:48 AM PDT

My workplace recently showed a hacking documentary that made me paranoid enough to start strengthening some of my passwords and security questions. I also started deleting accounts I don't need, as the hackers prey on login sites with the weakest security to get a foothold into your other accounts. The scariest message of the documentary for me was that sooner or later, any security system can be broken as long as its weak link--human beings--can be tricked or taken advantage of.

Watched movie: "The Lazarus Effect" (2015)
Forgettable and undaring, from the weak PG-13 horror to the overall lack of answers. One scene did pique my interest, at least: when Olivia Wilde, following her resurrection, described what it was like in the afterlife (or more specifically, what it was like in Hell). (I also liked how sad that poor dog looked after the researchers brought it back to life.) Side note: This director's previous film was "Jiro Dreams of Sushi"?? Rating: 4
Watched movie: "Chappie" (2015) in RPX
The good news is that Neill Blomkamp made this movie more like his earlier masterpiece, "District 9" (this time with a seamless infusion of police droids in Johannesburg rather than aliens). The bad news is that the end product felt more like "Short Circuit" rather than anything of substance. In particular, I really hated how the film just shrugged off both the moral and scientific complexities of cloning a human mind--as if you can just copy someone's consciousness onto a USB stick, resurrect them as an inorganic robot, and say it's still them! Rating: 6
Leonard Nimoy (1931-2015)
02/27/15 11:11 AM PST

L.L.A.P.

When Niagara Falls freezes over
02/24/15 7:52 PM PST

Another perfect score on my Oscar predictions. Though if you ask me, "Boyhood" deserved Best Picture more than "Birdman"...but I guess the Academy identified more with Birdman.

In other news, Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Manny Pacquiao is finally on! Even though I've never watched a single boxing match in my life, I understand what an epic dream match this is. Come May 2, I'll be tuning into this one (or at least that's the plan).

Watched movie: "Hot Tub Time Machine 2" (2015)
Mean-streaked albeit occasionally funny comedy sequel wherein characters from the first movie rip-off other peoples' future ideas for their own selfish gains; then travel 10 years into the future on a mission to stop an attempted murderer from travelling 10 years into the past. Rating: 4
What Happened and What's Going On
02/16/15 6:18 PM PST

My TV of over 15 years finally shorted out after months of intermittently glitchy lines at the top of the screen. I could tell by the stench that something had burned out, and had to lug the huge thing outside to ensure my smoke alarm didn't go off (picture me weaving around and knocking things over like Baymax). Then I paid Best Buy to haul it away since I couldn't put something like that in a dumpster. The upside: I finally had an excuse to splurge on a new HDTV (that is, if you call ~$220 on a 28" Samsung LED splurging). No support for S-Video though, so that facet of my home entertainment system is now obsolete.

I also couldn't figure out how to watch the Simpsons and the mid-season 5 premiere of Walking Dead in high-definition. By the way, after watching that depressing Walking Dead episode, I was in no mood for the series premiere of "Better Call Saul" (though I did catch up on it later in the week).

Haha, the Cookie Monster has his own Twitter account: @MeCookieMonster. Mostly just tweets about cookies.

Watched movie: "Kingsman: The Secret Service" (2015)
A fun albeit twisted comic book movie wherein a cheeky street lad competes for a spot in a debonair intelligence agency. I found his mentor (Colin Firth) unusually careless, and the supervillain (a lispy Samuel L. Jackson) unusually bereft of antagonistic qualities. As far as the humor and violence went, I detected shades of Tarantino. Stay during the credits. Rating: 7
Watched movie: "Fifty Shades of Grey" (2015) in IMAX
That Anastasia Steele's kind of a dork. But enough about her--let's look at Christian Grey's flaws: possessive, intrusive, bossy, perpetually unhappy, sadistic, guarded, and so emotionally unavailable that he can't even sleep in the same bed as her. Nary any personality or sense of humor. Doesn't believe in dating or romance. Pressures her to sign a "pre"-prenup contract that permits him to do whatever he wants to her. Oh, and is still friends with the lady who sexually abused him. Yet apparently, none of these things were dealbreakers! Admittedly, his character flaws made their attempt at a relationship entertaining to me (enough for me to want to see the sequel, if one ever gets filmed). I also like how up-front he was about everything, i.e., establishing clear expectations for their relationship before entering into it. :) Side note: How on earth did those sex scenes escape with an R rating? Rating: 6
Armchair running backing
02/07/15 11:40 PM PST

Congratulations to Serena Williams on her 19th Grand Slam title! The final tiebreaker had me on edge--not just because the score was so close, but because Serena served a let at match point and dropped her racket like she was about to lose her temper. Fortunately, she collected herself and then hit a winning ace.

What a crazy ending to that Super Bowl XLIX game. First that Seahawks receiver miraculously caught the ball after it bounced around his moving body like a hacky sack (leading me to wonder, taking into consideration their improbable NFC victory, whether they had divine intervention on their side). Then one yard from the goal, they had victory in the palm of Marshawn Lynch's hand...but what happened instead? They threw an interception and lost everything! I'm still dumbfounded.

In WWE news, I'm still curious whether Roman Reigns will really close out WrestleMania here in the Bay Area after his booed Royal Rumble victory. I keep picturing a repeat of the infamous Goldberg vs. Brock Lesnar match, where die-hard WrestleMania fans booed both guys out of Madison Square Garden.

Ugh, now that "Birdman" has unexpectedly swept the Guild Awards (SAG, PGA, and DGA), I have no choice but to forecast it as the Best Picture winner over "Boyhood". Here are my official Oscar predictions for 2014:

Although I'm not confident about Eddie Redmayne over Michael Keaton, I still feel that the former's demanding performance as Stephen Hawking has Oscar bait written all over it.

Watched movie: "Project Almanac" (2014-2015) in Cinemark XD
I actually found this found footage flick about teenage stupidity amusing. Unlike other time travel dramas where the characters take their alteration of past events seriously, this group of idiots managed to brainstorm some of the dumbest, most irresponsible uses for a time machine ever. They even shrugged off a causality paradox that nearly erased one of them from existence! I gave up trying to make sense of the film's time travel logic (or lack of), like what becomes of their alternate selves when they return from a trip or why footage of David's time travel continued to exist even after he destroyed the time machine. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Jupiter Ascending" (2015) in IMAX 3D
Another Wachowskis extravaganza of mind-blowing visuals, e.g., space-age marvels and gravity boot surfing. As for the rest of the movie...gobbledygook. Rating: 7
Blue wedding
01/30/15 5:33 PM PST

This might sound completely trivial given everything that's been happening at my company (my head's still spinning), but the music video results for 2014 have been tabulated.

Watched movie: "Deux jours, une nuit" a.k.a. "Two Days, One Night" (2014)
Emotional roller coaster of a drama wherein (Oscar-nominated) Marion Cotillard spends a weekend visiting her co-workers one by one, trying to persuade each of them to vote away their bonuses so she won't get laid off from their solar panel (?) company. I don't know what employer in their right mind would ever put something like this to a vote (Mark Burnett maybe?), but there you go. Some important facts to consider before you make up your own mind:
  • Her husband works at a restaurant. Although they're raising two kids and trying to pay a mortgage, I noticed some of her co-workers seemed much worse off, e.g., working second jobs!
  • She needs a majority (9 out of the 16 employees) to win the vote. In the original vote, 14 of the 16 employees picked the bonus over her. But the boss authorized a re-vote (via secret ballot on Monday) due to the foreman's alleged scare tactics.
  • She was singled out for the lay-off after taking a long sick leave for depression. So it's not like she's necessarily the least qualified, but...I have to tell you, her addiction to Xanax really made me doubt whether she was recovered enough to work again.
  • Might be self-evident, but this company has no HR person. :P
Ultimately, I ended up siding with Marion Cotillard (even though she did something unacceptable during the movie that totally made me lose respect for her). My reasoning: that guy with the anger management problem should have totally been fired in place of her. Originally, I kept wondering why she approached each co-worker with such a meek "sales pitch" rather than no-holds-barred tooth-and-nail tactics (like begging or using her kids to really lay on the guilt)--but eventually it dawned on me that more than anything else, she needed to be fighting for her self-respect. Rating: 7
Watched movie: "Still Alice" (2014)
Still forecasting an Oscar win for Julianne Moore. In this movie, she plays a distinguished linguistics professor who begins losing her intellect to early-onset Alzheimer's disease. And if that's not depressing enough, at least one of her two daughters inherited the genetic predisposition as well! To the film's credit, it did a good job trying to show the dignity in this horrific deterioration of the mind. Did a good job trying. Rating: 6
"Kommen sie!"
01/23/15 2:13 PM PST

Ah, memories. Thanks to the EM-DOSBOX in-browser emulator on this Software Library: MS-DOS Games, I was able to play one of my favorite childhood computer games: "Castle Wolfenstein".

Watched movie: "Notorious" (1946)
Hitchcock film wherein Ingrid Bergman, recruited by Cary Grant to infiltrate a Nazi group in Brazil, preoccupies herself with a much more important matter: why he won't admit he loves her. :P Exasperating lack of professionalism aside, I enjoyed the movie. The villain's sleuthhound mind impressed me, and his mother cracked me up (like how a smile creeped across her face and how she had to light a cigarette). I also liked all the suspense that Hitchcock managed to generate from a single wine cellar key (through close-up shots). Side note: I totally missed Hitchcock's cameo but I guess someone in the audience spotted him judging by their alarmingly loud applause. Rating: 7
Foxpuzzler
01/15/15 3:04 PM PST

How did "Foxcatcher" manage to nab an Oscar nomination for director without a best picture nomination? Other than that mystery, "The LEGO Movie", and maybe David Oyelowo, no snubs really jumped out at me. I saw a lot of surprise nominations, but only in the spots that I had always considered "wild card".

I'd rank the 2014 Best Picture nominees as follows:

  1. "The Imitation Game" (My rating: 8)
  2. "American Sniper" (My rating: 7)
  3. "Selma" (My rating: 7)
  4. "Whiplash" (My rating: 7)
  5. "The Grand Budapest Hotel" (My rating: 7)
  6. "Boyhood" (My rating: 6)
  7. "The Theory of Everything" (My rating: 6)
  8. "Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)" (My rating: 6)
A most vicarious year
01/13/15 6:25 PM PST

Now I know why I saw so many police cars speeding past me on Sunday morning: five people got shot during a Chris Brown performance at a nightclub right next to my neighborhood.

In other news, I compiled a list of coming attractions that caught my eye for 2015 and beyond:

"Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension" (March 13, 2015)
First in the series slated for 3-D (possibly to differentiate between dimensions).
"Avengers: Age of Ultron" (May 1, 2015)
With Joss Whedon directing again, I have high hopes.
"Inside Out" (June 19, 2015)
Pixar equivalent to "Herman's Head". I guess "Finding Dory" got bumped to 2016.
"Terminator Genisys" (July 1, 2015)
Yes, that's exactly how it's spelled. From the trailer it looks like a sequel rather than a reboot, but confusingly convoluted given that all of the main characters appear to be bah-ck.
"Spectre" (November 6, 2015)
Daniel Craig will return as James Bond. Will Christoph Waltz play Blofeld? I also heard a great suggestion that Lorde should sing the opening credits.
"The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2" (November 20, 2015)
With the right directing and acting, I think this final installment can easily improve upon the book. (I'm calling it final despite rumors that the movie franchise might continue past the final book.)
"Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens" (December 18, 2015)
Directed by J.J. Abrams, the same guy who reimagined Star Trek. I'm not a fan of the new crossguard lightsaber though.
"Phantasm: Ravager" (2015)
The "final" installment that I've been waiting over 16 years for.
"Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" (March 25, 2016)
With the exception of Henry Cavill, this precursor to the Justice League movies might be the worst cast superhero movie ever. But I'll try to keep an open mind. :)
"Captain America: Civil War" (May 6, 2016)
The premise of Iron Man vs. Captain America sounds like a much better main event than Batman vs. Superman. :)
"Star Trek 3" (July 8, 2016)
Directed by Justin Lin of Fast & Furious fame. :P
"Doctor Strange" (November 4, 2016)
Benedict Cumberbatch has officially been cast as the latest Marvel superhero.
"Toy Story 4" (June 16, 2017)
Will reluctantly see it even though it can't possibly outdo "Toy Story 3".

P.S. Marvel is also planning at least seven more movies starting in 2017.

I'm also looking forward to a Steve Jobs biopic directed by Danny Boyle and written by Aaron Sorkin (with Michael Fassbender as Jobs and Seth Rogen as Steve Wozniak).

Watched movie: "Inherent Vice" (2014)
I have no idea how serious the original private eye novel by Thomas Pynchon was, but I would place this theatrical adaptation by Paul Thomas Anderson in the same category as "The Big Lebowski". Not just because everything felt comical, but because the main character (played by Joaquin Phoenix) struck me as a total stoner whom people inexplicably confided in. (Plus he often got stigmatized as a hippy.) My favorite part: when Joaquin Phoenix attempted to diagram who was connected to whom--in my interpretation, the scene was a self-parody about how ridiculously convoluted the entire plot was. Because even after the movie ended, I still wasn't sure who had committed what and who had conspired with whom. Rating: 7
Watched On Demand movie: "[REC] 4: Apocalipsis" (2014) a.k.a. "[·REC]4" (2015)
Dunno why this installment is billed "[REC] 4: Apocalypse" given that the entire zombie outbreak takes place onboard a single ship. Also don't know why they're still calling it [REC] when at the beginning of the previous film, they abandoned the found footage format for good. (I guess maybe the ship's surveillance cameras counted as recordings.) Anyway, I feel like the quality of these [REC] sequels is really starting to deteriorate into "direct-to-video" territory. They should probably just stop. Rating: 3
Watched On Demand movie: "Predestination" (2014-2015)
Perverse time travel flick (based on a Robert A. Heinlein short story) wherein temporal agent Ethan Hawke, having failed to stop a criminal named the Fizzle Bomber, travels back in time to (eventually) recreate all of the circumstances that led him to join the Temporal Bureau in the first place. I found this particular movie title apropos, but would also bill it as "The Mother of All Cosmic Improbabilities" because WTF. The notion that a time traveller could give birth to herself (meaning every molecule in her body would have to be a perfect 100% match to the original) struck me as both outrageous and scientifically obscene. Rating: 4
Watched movie: "Taken 3" (2015) in Cinemark XD
Laughable even for a Taken movie. In addition to Liam Neeson being way too nice again (not only to the bad guys but to his irresponsible daughter), we get treated to vintage Forest Whitaker as the tenacious cop on his trail. The film also featured distractingly overedited action scenes (probably to mask what a slowpoke Liam Neeson is) and illogical plot holes (like when Liam walked away unscathed after his car tumbled off a cliff and burst into flames, and walked away scot-free after all the murder, mayhem, and havoc that he wreaked). All in all, I actually would have rated the movie higher had Liam delivered one of his classic phone monologues. Rating: 5
Holiday movie marathon 2014
01/06/15 5:02 PM PST

After all the times I've patronized the ArcLight Hollywood, I finally screened a film ("American Sniper") at their Cinerama Dome. As one of only three Cinerama theaters in the world today, it uses three projectors to project a movie onto a gigantic curved screen. (My reaction: shrug). Having previously caught a movie at the Seattle Cinerama Theatre, I guess that just leaves the Pictureville Cinema in England (though I won't be adding that to my bucket list anytime soon).

I was pleased that "The Interview" opened on New Year's Eve at the historic Fremont Theatre...until I actually watched the movie. Still...I gotta give props to Sony Pictures for standing up to cyberterrorism.

Watched movie: "Selma" (2014)
Stirring historical drama wherein Martin Luther King, Jr. and other civil rights leaders (including Malcolm X) head straight into the lion's den (Alabama) to protest racist voting injustices, and to pressure Lyndon B. Johnson to expedite a new voting rights bill. I kept wondering whether MLK really second-guessed himself that much, but all in all I found the movie poignant and learned a lot about 1960s voter obstruction. Rating: 7
Watched movie: "A Most Violent Year" (2014)
An interesting crime drama in that the main character refuses to commit any crimes, even as enemies (and allies) threaten the survival of his business. Although I admired his professionalism and non-violent principles, I found myself agreeing more with his not-so-goody two-shoes wife (played by Jessica Chastain). Rating: 6
Watched movie: "The Interview" (2014)
Well, I did my patriotic duty...but now having watched this harebrained comedy, it pains me that something this dumb managed to become the flag-bearer for free speech in America. :P I mean, it started out hilarious (particularly the James Franco scenes)--but then the jokes started getting bad (and occasionally racist). It's like they modeled Kim Jong-un after Chow from The Hangover. Stay after the credits for another un-funny reference to that cute puppy. Rating: 5
Watched movie: "The Babadook" (2014)
Slow and disconcerting psychological horror film from Australia about a worn-down widow who reaches wit's end with her belligerent 6-year-old son and his obsession with a menacing storybook monster. Ultimately, I found the storybook about the monster (and the creepy pop-up illustrations) much more interesting than the movie itself. Rating: 5
2014 Year in Review
12/30/14 4:26 AM PST
Best of 2014 Worst of 2014
Events that happened to Steve
  1. Three-peating a good appraisal at work.
  2. Watching the San Francisco Giants win Game 7 of the 2014 World Series in what I would call the best baseball game I've ever seen.
  3. Watching Serena Williams win that elusive 18th Grand Slam title.
  4. Eventually convincing Firestone to waive the labor cost of replacing the perfectly good catalytic converter in my car, even though the manager initially got flustered by my request.
  5. Getting my new USB external zip drive.
Honorable mention: Game of Thrones: Purple Wedding (after Watchathon Week)
  1. Both my brother-in-law and aunt dying within 30 days of each other.
  2. (tie) Feeling bummed by Roger Federer's narrow five-set defeat to Novak Djokovic in the Wimbledon final; and feeling bummed from Olympic disappointments like in women's hockey and snowboard cross.
  3. Losing the conveniences that my Dad's empty house provided, such as a free place to stay on weekends and free usage of a washing machine & dryer.
  4. Losing over $1000 as a result of a new $900+ "direct fit" catalytic converter (plus three smog checks)--although the "universal" one Firestone installed back in January 2011 was still perfectly good, a new mandate in the smog certifications made that particular model non-compliant with my 2004 Corolla.
  5. The Undertaker anticlimactically losing at WrestleMania XXX, which consequently soured me to WWE programming.
Honorable mention: Game of Thrones: Red Wedding (during Watchathon Week)
Movies
  1. "X-Men: Days of Future Past"
    "Arguably the best, most poignant X-Men movie of them all..."
  2. "Interstellar"
    "Started out slow, but got much more interesting once the astronauts began staking humanity's survival on some major life-and-death decisions."
  3. "Big Hero 6"
    "Another home run from Walt Disney Animation Studios..."
  4. "The Imitation Game"
    "Fascinating biopic about Alan Turing..."
  5. "Blue Ruin"
    "A suspenseful, realistic revenge thriller reminiscent of the early episodes of 'Breaking Bad'..."
  6. "American Sniper"
    "...biopic about the deadliest sniper in U.S. military history..."
  7. "The Purge: Anarchy"
    "More interesting than the first movie...an odyssey reminiscent of 'The Warriors'."
  8. "Captain America: The Winter Soldier"
    "Thrilling hi-tech Marvel sequel reminiscent of '24'..."
  9. "The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies"
    "A golden heartfelt triumph...when it followed the book."
  10. "A Most Wanted Man"
    "Another great spy thriller from John le Carré (this time about post-9/11 counterterrorism), and another outstanding performance by Philip Seymour Hoffman (unfortunately one of his last)."
  1. "Need for Speed"
    "Harebrained plot and torturously asinine characters."
  2. "Transformers: Age of Extinction"
    "A mind-numbing, illogical, visually taxing ordeal that lumbered on and on and on (until finally it ended in a completely nonsensical way)."
  3. "Bad Words"
    "Mean-spirited comedy...I disliked his character too much to laugh..."
  4. "Pompeii"
    "Less like a disaster movie and more like a movie disaster."
  5. "Annabelle"
    "Illogical and boring."
  6. "In Fear"
    "Man, that film title tricked me. I expected something scary."
  7. "I, Frankenstein"
    "...a bad, plot holey mess."
  8. "Oculus"
    "The time-swapping narrative and the evil mirror's powers really confused me..."
  9. "Under the Skin"
    "Like watching paint peel."
  10. "Sharknado 2: The Second One"
    "...glanced restlessly at the clock during commercial breaks."
Songs
  1. "I Choose You" Sara Bareilles
  2. "Turn Down For What" DJ Snake & Lil Jon
  3. "Only Love Can Hurt Like This" Paloma Faith
  4. "Immortals" Fall Out Boy
  5. "Come With Me Now" Kongos
Honorable mention: "Word Crimes" Weird Al Yankovic
  1. "Hangover" PSY f/ Snoop Dogg
  2. "Shower" Becky G
  3. "We Dem Boyz" Wiz Khalifa
  4. "Night Changes" One Direction
  5. "Loyal" Chris Brown f/ Lil Wayne & Tyga
Music video "The Writing's On the Wall" OK GO "Anaconda" Nicki Minaj
TV series "Game of Thrones" "24: Live Another Day"
Commercial AXE PEACE commercial where people make love, not war. Time-wasting Porsche GTS car commercial about a Porsche Cayman GTS and Porsche Boxster GTS 2014 Committee meeting.
Movie trailer (tie) Gone Girl and American Sniper Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Watched movie: "The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies" (2014) in IMAX 3D
A golden heartfelt triumph...when it followed the book. When it invented its own storylines, e.g., the love triangle and filler to keep Legolas busy, my interest waned. #OneLastTime, Bilbo and Thorin (and Bard) stole the show. Side note #1: Azog the Defiler finally fixed that prosethetic arm! Side note #2: Why did people keep trusting that Alfrid?? Rating: 7
Watched movie: "American Sniper" (2014) at ArcLight Cinerama Dome Hollywood
Never thought a biopic about the deadliest sniper in U.S. military history could ever get dull, but to me it actually dragged a little. Maybe because I got numb to his routine, seemingly bottomless missions and expected something more like "Rear Window" with crosshairs. Fortunately, the movie got much livelier once it introduced a formidable antagonist for the U.S. troops: an Olympic-winning enemy sniper. Rating: 7
Figurative drought
12/27/14 3:09 AM PST

Well, 2014 is almost up and I haven't attended a single concert or WWE event this year. Haven't taken any plane fights either.

I also managed to see zero films in San Francisco this year--opting instead to wait for them in San Jose. I will, however, make a special effort to see "The Interview" during my holiday vacation--even if it means driving over an hour to the nearest theater. (But first I need to get through the last of the Oscar contenders.)

Watched movie: "Wild" (2014)
Despite my boredom with hiking and my dismay that someone as inexperienced as the Reese Witherspoon character would walk this Pacific Crest Trail all by herself (amongst all those dangers and creepy men), I liked the movie. Mostly because I found the flashbacks about her downward spiral into depression, sex, and drugs poignant. To me, her flashbacks had more profound messages than the hike itself (but I guess she overlooked them at the time). Rating: 6
Watched movie: "The Imitation Game" (2014)
Fascinating biopic about Alan Turing, the misunderstood genius instrumental in breaking the Nazis' Enigma code during World War II. Despite the dramatic liberties and my suspicion that Benedict Cumberbatch channeled some "Sherlock" to make this guy far more entertaining than he really was, I enjoyed the film. Also liked how they got Mark Strong to play the MI6 chief, as the casting reminded me fondly of "Zero Dark Thirty". Rating: 8
Watched movie: "Foxcatcher" (2014)
Ominous biographical Olympic wrestling drama wherein Channing Tatum's creepiness gets completely dwarfed by Steve Carell's creepiness as USA Wrestling sponsor John du Pont (a millionaire with mommy issues and a big-@$$ nose). I mean seriously, that part where John shot the ceiling should have been a big red flag! :) Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Into the Woods" (2014)
Movie adaptation (directed by Rob Marshall) of the Broadway musical wherein a baker and his wife, on a mission to break Meryl Streep's curse, race to collect famous items from various Grimm fairy tale characters. I enjoyed most of the tongue-in-cheek humor, particularly that ridiculously campy duet of the two love-tormented princes. But overall the musical numbers didn't really resonate with me, and "I wish" the storyline had just wrapped up before the female giant arrived (or alternatively made her an open-ended cliffhanger)--because that's precisely when the film starting going downhill for me. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Unbroken" (2014) in Cinemark XD
Decent biopic (directed by Angelina Jolie) about Louis Zamperini, an Olympic U.S. runner who fought in WWII, drifted in a liferaft for 47 days, and endured harsh Japanese POW camps. I didn't really care for how the film overdramatized some of this guy's moral victories, but all in all I'd characterize the movie as "good". Rating: 6
Oh Shenandoah
12/16/14 11:47 PM PST

Ever since Entertainment Weekly published that stick figure death diagram in their magazine, spoiling each major TV death of 2013, I've actually been hoping for another 2014 edition now that I'm caught up on every show I care about. In particular, I'm interested how they'll illustrate that last death on the Sons of Anarchy series finale (which I decided to tune in for). By my tabulation, the major fatalities on Sons of Anarchy have now surpassed both The Walking Dead and Game of Thrones for 2014.

Even The Newsroom had a major fatality. While channel surfing in my hotel room, I happened to tune into HBO right when this character collapsed and died. Having seen no previews or warning signs for it, I was shocked.

Watched movie: "Force Majeure" (2014)
True-to-life Swedish Oscar entry wherein a controlled avalanche panics a restaurant patron into bolting from the table without his wife and two kids...an act which continues to eat away at her even after they appeared to settle it. Ordinary a cynic like me would just excuse what he did as a fight or flight reaction--except that I (and his wife) found two of his actions particularly damning: a) he had the wherewithal to grab his phone and gloves, and b) he kept denying what he did (which to me showed consciousness of guilt). I will say one thing in his defense: that I agreed with the movie's apparent message about double-standards between men and women. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night" (2014)
Enthralling black-and-white Iranian Western (?) wherein a bored female vampire (who preys on dregs in a seedy city and occasionally dabbles in mischief) takes a liking to a restless young guy. (Did "Let the Right One In" inspire this plot?) The film excelled at visual compositions, long takes (particularly when the characters moved ever so slowly), and musical selections. Rating: 7
Coda
12/06/14 3:36 PM PST

Exasperating mid-season 5 finale of "The Walking Dead". Mostly because I thought this character's death could have easily been avoided had Rick simply said "no and that's final" to Dawn's overreaching stipulation. Also felt that Dawn, Noah, and Beth made idiotic errors in judgment as well. Yet despite this huge senseless result, I still liked the plan better than Rick's. Dude's crazy. :) Side note: AMC apologized for spoiling the death for the West Coast on The Walking Dead Facebook page. Seems like common knowledge that you should always avoid social media (or better yet, the entire Internet) hours before a new episode airs, but there you go.

To my relief, I managed to carve the Thanksgiving turkey successfully despite a couple of hiccups trying to get the legs off (one leg came off without any meat and the other one came off with too much meat). The legs came off really easy in the videos. :) Also couldn't slice underneath the breast due to the rib cage. The one trick that worked really well: placing a paper towel underneath the turkey to keep it from sliding.

Man, that forehead detective game can sure get tricky if your questions start going down the wrong path. Someone had "Wizard of Oz" and once she learned that he was in a musical ("Wicked"), that derailed her. Similarly, it was misleading for us to confirm that the Phantom of the Opera was a movie character.

Watched movie: "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1" (2014) in RPX
As I expected, the movie easily outshined the book (and even ended where I predicted it would). The improvements that I welcomed the most:
  • More action, including insightful scenes of District rebels getting "fired up".
  • Funnier scenes, most notably Katniss' list of conditions and a propo that brilliantly resembled a Hunger Games trailer.
  • Talented performances, especially Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jeffrey Wright, and Woody Harrelson. I also continue to maintain that the Hunger Games franchise only turned out as well as it did because of Jennifer Lawrence.
  • A saner Katniss. Then again, I guess they had to make her watchable. :)
Some of the confessionals came off as corny to me--probably because of the music. Side note #1: Did it not occur to the District 13 citizens that Peeta was coerced? Also, I guess we'll never know how he managed to kill Brutus. Side note #2: Not at all how I imagined the tune for the Hanging Tree song. Stay after the credits for a flaming Mockingjay logo chronology. Rating: 7
Watched movie: "Penguins of Madagascar" (2014) in 3D
As I expected, utterly silly. A lot of dud jokes, e.g., the octopus name puns and the failure to recognize Shanghai, but admittedly, some amusing ones too. Hehe, cheezy dibbles. Stay during the credits. Rating: 6
Heir apparent(ly)
11/27/14 12:56 AM PST

I almost skipped Survivor Series this year due to my boredom with the card. Good thing I decided to order it, because I might have just witnessed the best Traditional Survivor Series Elimination Tag Team Match in WWE history. From Stephanie McMahon’s great heel acting to John Cena's shockingly early elimination to Dolph Ziggler's perseverance to the historic WWE debut of Sting, I was riveted.

Das funny, Grumpy Cat's pictures with the WWE wrestlers. That cat did not look happy to be there.

In other news, congratulations to Roger Federer for finally winning the one trophy that has always eluded him: the Davis Cup. I guess all that's left is an Olympic gold medal in singles, but at his age he'll likely have to settle for the silver one he won in London.

Well, looks like it's up to me to carve the turkey for Thanksgiving now. Based on the videos I watched online, I concluded that I need to remove all of the string and detach all of the limbs first. After that, the techniques vary:

Watched movie: "The Theory of Everything" (2014)
A biopic about cosmologist Stephen Hawking's married life that left me with mixed feelings. Mostly because it aired some dirty laundry about the couple that I felt should've stayed private. (I guess the wife opened the door by writing that memoir.) On the positive side, I appreciated the honesty and heart in the film, and was impressed by Eddie Redmayne's commitment in portraying Lou Gehrig's disease. Rating: 6
Rains of San Juan del Sur
11/20/14 9:45 PM PST

Wow. Jeremy, my favorite Survivor player of the season--the one who seemed positioned to win it all--just got ruthlessly blindsided in a conspiracy reminiscent of the Red Wedding! (Although the conspirators discussed it beforehand and I sensed something wrong when the camera spoiled Jeremy's vote, the outcome still shocked me.) This after he relinquished his reward and suffered for his allies on Exile Island! Backstabbers and ingrates, if you ask me. I was already annoyed with Jon & Jaclyn for their constant PDA, but now I totally despise those two (they just betrayed the same allies whom they were holding back tears for earlier in the episode!). At the same time, I have to give Jon & Jaclyn credit for a really smart move.

Man, I guess that strategy of Jeremy and Natalie relinquishing their rewards wasn't nearly as brilliant as I originally thought. Come to think of it, good deeds do seem to get punished a lot in this game.

In other news, I drove down to Dublin to watch "Interstellar" in 70mm film IMAX on their tall, 2-3 story square-shaped screen. (I actually could have seen it locally at the Tech Museum Hackworth IMAX Dome, but the projection's so gigantic there that during onscreen conversations I can only see one person at a time!) Although the film featured quite a few grand 70mm shots, it kept alternating distractingly between full height (70mm) and normal letterbox (I presume 35mm). For example, the interior of the spaceship would use a letterbox ratio while the space outside of the spaceship always took up the whole screen. I wished the whole thing could've been 70mm. :)

Also, the sound would get so loud that I could feel my seat shaking. Good thing I had earplugs.

Watched movie: "Before I Go to Sleep" (2014)
Slow mystery thriller wherein Nicole Kidman wakes up with amnesia every morning due to an attack that she can't remember. Nowhere near as good as "Memento" IMHO, but some things did pique my curiosity. For instance, thanks to a secret video diary that she started filming with her digital camera, she began unearthing that her husband lies to her (even tampering with her photo wall at one point). Though to my discomfort, her video diary wavered from don't trust him (such a dangerous thing to say) to accept what he says as truth (also dangerous). My advice: just limit the diary to solid, corroborated facts--no assumptions or half-baked conclusions. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)" (2014)
Weird movie from director Alejandro González Iñárritu. Firstly, the whole film felt like one continuous take (the camera floated from character to character like some kind of ghost drone--often skimming ahead in time as if the making of this Broadway play was in and of itself a play). Secondly, Michael Keaton's character exhibited superpowers that in my view, appeared to be real! As for the movie's insights, I felt like Emma Stone's character had the most important ones, e.g., about ego and what the human race looks like on toilet paper. One lingering question: I wonder what the Edward Norton character thought of those last couple of improvisations. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Big Hero 6" (2014) in 3D
Another home run from Walt Disney Animation Studios (excellent Disney short too, i.e., "feast"). Loved Baymax the inflatable health care robot. Ba-la-la-la-la-lah! Someone should make that robot for real, funny walk and fist bump and everything. I found the other technological ideas fun to behold as well. Stay after the credits. Rating: 8
Corner of the sky
11/11/14 6:35 PM PST

During the lunch after my brother-in-law's second memorial service, I found out that the reverend was a "Survivor" fan. A Buddhist minister regularly watching "Survivor"! It blew my mind. Naturally, I had to get his thoughts on the show. He reflected that "Survivor" is a social game which relies on interdependence, and that no player could win by isolating themselves. (My own personal perspective about the "Buddhist meaning" in that show: that it's about letting go of grudges, to which he replied: "...yeah.")

Also watched a high school performance of the musical "Pippin" (which was a lot more suggestive than I expected). I was actually able to follow the storyline even though it contained illogical impossibilities and liked to break the fourth wall.

Finally, I enjoyed the Simpsons' crossover with "Futurama", but couldn't reconcile how Fry’s dog ended up in Springfield. Hehe, I guess now the door's open for Bender to reappear in some future Simpsons episode.

Watched movie: "Kaguyahime no monogatari" (2013) a.k.a. "The Tale of the Princess Kaguya" (2014)
Tearjerking, breathtakingly scenic, exquisite hand-drawn animation from Studio Ghibli where even messy strokes and ugly cry faces looked like works-of-art. The film seemed to seamlessly blend all sorts of contradictory styles, e.g., sketches vs. watercolor, clean lines vs. sloppy lines, intricate detail vs. contour, realistic people vs. caricatures. Plot-wise, I'm still not sure what the moral of the story was (after all, if the bamboo cutter was indeed misguided, it was only because of those "godsends" he received). But I'm thinking something Buddhist, because one scene totally gave me flashbacks of my old church. Rating: 7
Watched movie: "Nightcrawler" (2014) in Cinemark XD
A crime journalism thriller that I found fiendishly entertaining thanks to Jake Gyllenhaal's performance as what I would best describe as a creep motherf***er. Just something about his eyes and the precision of his words--like some kind of high functioning sociopath. :D Rating: 7
Watched movie: "Whiplash" (2014)
Top dramatic awards winner from Sundance about a student so obsessed with becoming one of the best jazz drummers who ever lived that he gives up any kind of social life and endures a vicious instructor's mind games. If the Oscars ever awarded onscreen duos, I'd easily nominate Miles Teller and J.K. Simmons. That was some wildly intense stuff--almost reminiscent of "Full Metal Jacket". Rating: 7
Watched movie: "Interstellar" (2014) in IMAX
Started out slow, but got much more interesting once the astronauts began staking humanity's survival on some major life-and-death decisions. Props to those cool robots (they actually had honesty and humor settings!). As for plot holes, I didn't dwell too much on them since the movie established fairly early that fifth dimensional beings (?!) were helping humanity out. Though I still wondered why they couldn't just spell out exactly what they wanted humanity to do (I guess they followed the same logic as Matthew McConaughey when he opted to telegraph "STAY" to his daughter instead of something like "IT'S ME, DAD"). In conclusion, I'm a big fan of Christopher Nolan's darker noir films--so his attempt at a feel-good "reach for the stars" movie about wonder and love just never felt right to me. :) Rating: 8
Eternal October
10/30/14 5:30 PM PDT

Congratulations to the San Francisco Giants for their narrow, odds-defying 2014 World Series victory! Or maybe should I say, congratulations to Madison Bumgarner for winning the 2014 World Series for them! His historic John Henry-type heroics under such nail biting, winner-take-all stakes immortalized Game 7 of this World Series as my favorite baseball game of all time.

When I look back, the outcome arguably turned on the slimmest of margins, for instance, that double play (which sparked an instant replay review) and Omar Infante's slip on the grass for the run that eventually won the game.

I still have gaps in my knowledge about Major League Baseball, for example, why the Royals couldn't just replace injured catcher Salvador Perez with a pinch runner. Dude could barely even walk to first base when that pitch drilled him!

Watched movie: "John Wick" (2014) in IMAX
Decent Keanu Reeves action flick (albeit overrated on rottentomatoes.com, IMHO). For better or for worse, the characters kept erring in judgment (for example, it never occurred to the villain to attempt an apology??). P.S. Keanu's "acting" in one particular scene made me cringe. Rating: 6
My childhood home sold
10/27/14 4:56 PM PDT

Watched On Demand movie: "V/H/S Viral" (2014)
Four more VHS (?) "found footage" horror shorts (all with pretty good production quality). Just like in the previous two installments, I felt that the frame narrative had the weakest storyline. However, the other three shorts (the killer magician, the parallel universe, and the skateboarder throwdown) all exceeded my expectations. Side note: I keep waiting for the film title to upgrade to at least "D/V/D" because who uses VCRs anymore? Rating: 6
Fringes
10/17/14 12:07 AM PDT

Drove down to Redwood City to watch "The Maze Runner" in Barco Escape, an experimental new movie gimmick wherein two angled side screens (one left and one right) fold out from the main screen, and supplement the movie with peripheral imagery. Specifically, the side screens projected scrolling shaft walls when Thomas first rode the elevator; then during his trip to a key section of the maze, the side screens projected a few minutes of maze walls and other peripheral sights. For everything else in the film, the side screens remained off (so we really only got 5-7 minutes worth of peripheral footage).

I liked the peripheral footage for the most part, but got disoriented whenever the maze runners vanished off the edge of the middle screen (my brain kept expecting them to continue onto the side screen). I also can't envision much future for this new format. Although it augmented "The Maze Runner" pretty well, I can't think of any other movies (besides maybe "Cube") that would benefit from extra peripheral imagery.

Not sure why I'm so curious about emerging movie technologies, but here's a couple more that I read about:

Auro-3D
A 3D audio format from Barco that adds two new layers of sound ("height" and "overhead") above the existing surround sound layer. The Cinemark XD theater near my workplace listed Auro Sound screenings a couple of times, but then aborted them.
IMAX 70mm film
A wide motion picture film with a much higher resolution than the standard 35mm. Presumably when "Interstellar" premieres early in 70mm on November 5 (select sequences filmed with IMAX cameras), it will screen exclusively in the large IMAX auditoriums using 70mm projectors, not the normal auditoriums using the lower resolution digital IMAX projectors.
Watched movie: "The Guest" (2014)
Adam Wingard film in a similar vein as "Dexter" wherein a suspiciously charming soldier befriends a grieving family and goes through great lengths to help them out. All the catchy music and Halloween imagery made me wonder whether this movie was somehow inspired by John Carpenter's "Halloween". All in all, I liked the film but still can't reconcile that huge rating on rottentomatoes.com. Rating: 6
Hiroko Maenaga 1933-2014
10/11/14 12:06 AM PDT

My aunt passed away from stomach cancer. I don't have any current pictures of her, but did scan this old family photo of her, my mother, their brother, and their parents:

"I'll see you again in 25 years?!"
10/09/14 4:42 PM PDT

Looks like I'll be ordering Showtime again come 2016. David Lynch and Mark Frost will be reviving "Twin Peaks" as a limited series of nine episodes! Finally a resolution to that infamous "How's Annie?" cliffhanger (I hope). (Though I read that the actor who plays BOB died after the Fire Walk with Me movie.) My question: Will the show bring back Sheryl Lee as Laura Palmer? Considering the actress' age, maybe she could play an angel or something (we never did get to see the White Lodge).

Watched movie: "Gone Girl" (2014)
Cynical psychological thriller (directed by David Fincher) wherein beloved childrens' book muse "Amazing Amy" goes missing, leaving behind a lot of peculiar clues and a suspiciously detached husband (played by Ben Affleck). (Guy sure had a knack for inappropriate photos.) Although I felt like the film began going off the rails, overall it kept me intrigued. Also liked its portrayal of sensationalism in the media. P.S. Best ending I've seen in awhile. Rating: 7
Watched movie: "The Equalizer" (2014) in IMAX
Pretty formulaic action fare (complete with a slow walk from a background explosion)--except for one major conceit where Denzel Washington's vigilante character inexplicably limits his bad guy-killing arsenal to ordinary household objects. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Annabelle" (2014) in Cinemark XD
Illogical and boring. Disappointing considering how that ugly hideous doll struck me as the most memorable highlight from "The Conjuring". I found a couple of scenes good, i.e., the childrens' drawings and the girl running at the door, but that was about it. Conclusion was dumb, IMHO. Rating: 4
Off-color
09/30/14 6:49 PM PDT

So weird seeing the Simpsons on "Family Guy". Although the animation styles seemed to blend ok, I had trouble reconciling the Simpsons with all that crude and misogynistic humor. Like it almost seemed beneath them to even appear on that show.

One time my friends and I mused about who's dumber: Peter Griffin or Homer Simpson. I had trouble deciding, but eventually went with Homer. :)

Watched movie: "The Maze Runner" (2014) in IMAX
Like a young adult version of "Cube" wherein teenage boys wake up trapped inside of a giant, shifting circular maze puzzle--a rather intriguing puzzle that in my opinion, the filmmakers should've invested more time and thought into. If the film had had more intellect (for example, more discourse with that cool Asian cartographer who charted out and memorized the shifts in the walls) and less of the formulaic drama (for example, anything related to that pudgy kid), then I probably would've raised my rating. Moreover, I found most of the movie action contrived, and felt that the main guy kept overacting. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "The Boxtrolls" (2014) in 3D
Unsightly stop-motion animation from the same studio that made "Coraline" and "ParaNormaN". Despite my displeasure with all of the eyesores (humans and boxtrolls alike) and the Red Hats' annoying mannerisms, I did see some redeeming qualities in the film (for example, the party and the cheese allergy). Stay during the credits for a behind-the-scenes glimpse. Rating: 6
Writing history
09/18/14 9:43 PM PDT

Belated congratulations to Serena Williams for finally winning that 18th Grand Slam title! Ironic how the US Open, Serena's worst Slam in terms of scandal, has now become her best Slam. During that first set of the final, I got worried that my jinx was messing up her serve--but since she basically dominated Caroline Wozniacki the entire match I didn't have to turn my TV off. My favorite moment: when Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova personally welcomed her to the "18 Grand Slam singles titles" club by presenting her with an 18 carat bracelet. (I knew Evert and Navratilova both worked for the tennis sportscast team, so I would've been disappointed if they hadn't shown up.)

As for the US Open Men's Final...I skipped it.

In data storage news, my new USB zip drive works great. I bought it off eBay, and the device plugged straight into one of my USB ports without any further setup. Currently, zip disks are the only way to transfer data between my laptop and Pentium (the latter has no Internet access). Heck though, technology changes so rapidly that flash drives might become obsolete next.

Similarly, I believe my Dad transferred his wedding video from 8 mm to VHS before he died...and it occurred to me that maybe we should transfer that to DVD because who uses VCRs anymore? But then I thought: how much longer before DVDs become completely obsolete? Everything's digital now.

Watched movie: "Frank" (2014)
Amusingly offbeat comedy wherein Michael Fassbender fronts some kind of avant-garde band--wearing a hilarious papier-mâché head that he never takes off. (At least I hope it's a comedy, and not a serious drama about mental illness!) I thought I might tire of both his and the band's shticks, but the film managed to keep my interest. Rating: 6
Nick Trachsel 1955-2014
09/16/14 5:39 PM PDT

Can't believe I had to write another obituary so soon. My brother-in-law passed away suddenly, in his bed. A total shock because even though he had cancer (of unknown origin) in his hip, we all felt optimistic about an upcoming operation that would allow him to walk again. None of us expected his health to decline so rapidly.

Memorial services will be held this Saturday.

Niklaus "Nick" Trachsel
1955-2014

Nick was born on 9/9/1955 in Berne, Switzerland to parents Hanspeter and Elisabeth Trachsel.

Nick passed away in his sleep on September 10, 2014.

Nick graduated high school in 1974, spent a year as an exchange student in Rochester, Michigan, trained as a goldsmith until 1978, and emigrated to America on June 14, 1980. He worked as a goldsmith in Monterey, designing and crafting fine jewelry for over 34 years. He married June Aoki in 1995, and raised one daughter.

Nick was preceded in death by his father Hanspeter Trachsel.

He is survived by wife June Trachsel of Pacific Grove. Daughter Corinne Trachsel of Pacific Grove. Mother Elisabeth Trachsel of Switzerland. Sister Barbara Josi of Switzerland. Brother Lorenz Trachsel of Switzerland.

The reclusive network, part II
09/06/14 4:49 PM PDT

I inadvertently figured out a way to improve your privacy on the Internet: change your name to someone famous. Ever since this DJ Steve Aoki's career took off, I've all but vanished from Google. :)

While I'm at it, I have a solution for all those celebrities who had nude pictures leaked onto the Internet: don't photograph yourself naked.

Watched movie: "As Above/So Below" (2014)
This found footage horror flick piqued my interest because the filmmakers shot on-location in the actual Paris catacombs...which ended up disappointing me (I guess I thought the walls, ceilings, and floors would all be made of bones). Then the movie piqued my interest again when the characters found a crawlway labelled Abandon all hope, ye who enter here...unfortunately, Hell ended up disappointing me too. :P For some reason, I had trouble getting into the film--either because everything just felt inauthentic, or because I couldn't tell what was happening a lot of the time due to the constant shifts in perspective between the characters' head cams. Rating: 5
Say its name
08/27/14 4:23 PM PDT

Congratulations to "Breaking Bad" for sweeping the Emmys! I still consider that final half-season of the show some of the best TV I've ever watched. Seemed like a foregone conclusion that Moira Walley-Beckett would win for writing "Ozymandias", and that Bryan Cranston would clinch lead actor--but I was surprised that both Aaron Paul and Anna Gunn won too.

In contrast, I was dismayed that my least favorite music video of 2013, Miley Cyrus' "Wrecking Ball", won MTV's video of the year! Whaaaat.

Weekend box office results...I still can't wrap my head around why Sin City 2 bombed so badly while tripe like Transformers 4 and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles performed so well. The PG-13 rating, perhaps? Unfortunately, this will probably scare movie studios into catering to teenage audiences now. :(

Haha, Homer Simpson took the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge.

Finally in travel news, I already found a hotel in Santa Maria that I like. Although it lacks room service and an on demand library, I like its quiet, complimentary business center. I'm too paranoid to travel around with a laptop, so internet stations that charge fees or have a lot of distracting hustle and bustle around them become deal-breakers for me.

Watched movie: "Frank Miller's Sin City: A Dame to Kill For" (2014) in Cinemark XD-RealD 3D
The first Sin City movie felt like "A" stories--this Sin City movie felt like "B" stories. Each plot struck me as skin-deep (even the one that ended with what amounted to a miracle). Rating: 6
King of the mountain
08/20/14 7:14 PM PDT

Can you believe the year Brock Lesnar has had? First he snapped the Undertaker's 21-win WrestleMania streak, then last Sunday he totally squashed "Super Cena" for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship! Going forward, I can't think of any challenge left for Brock to conquer--except perhaps John Cena's undefeated record in "I Quit" Matches. I can't imagine Cena's character ever losing one of those.

Watched movie: "The Giver" (2014)
Well, the premise showed a lot of promise: the rulers of a disciplined "utopian" society (where the people can't see color or feel emotion) purposely exempt one individual from their everyday taboos, e.g., rudeness and lying, empower this individual with emotions and top-secret memories of the world, and then entrust this aptly-named "Receiver of Memory" to help them make their society a better place. Curiously, the movie's main character gets this new position 10 years after some kind of tragedy befell the previous trainee. Interesting, right? Too bad all three Receivers of Memory turned out to be such bores, IMHO. :( Side note: Dug the precision of language. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "The Expendables 3" (2014) in RPX
PG-13 violence and a new younger team...is it just me or did this franchise sell out? :( The dialogue seemed worse than usual as well. Rating: 5
Robin Williams (1951-2014)
08/12/14 7:11 PM PDT

What a downer, Robin Williams taking his own life. R.I.P.

Watched movie: "Into the Storm" (2014) in Cinemark XD
A found footage-ish disaster flick with entertaining special effects (including a cool firenado), but with personal drama that made me want to gag. I spent much of the movie wondering where I had seen that intense main actor before (answer: Thorin "take back Erebor!" Oakenshield), and my brain kept typecasting the female storm chaser as Lori Grimes. Rating: 5
Watched movie: "A Most Wanted Man" (2014)
Another great spy thriller from John le Carré (this time about post-9/11 counterterrorism), and another outstanding performance by Philip Seymour Hoffman (unfortunately one of his last). Heh, those parts where the agents hid in plain sight reminded me fondly of "The French Connection". I find I actually prefer these intelligent, slower burning thrillers where the agents patiently watch, wait, manipulate people, and gather intel (as opposed to holding guns to heads and blowing away bad guys left and right). I also appreciated how the movie dumbed nothing down, e.g., Hoffman's quick-witted tact and the suspenseful contract signing. As for the ending--it haunted me with mixed feelings because I felt that Hoffman's critics had valid points. Even if the escapee was just guilty by association and the terrorist donor could become a long-term informant, when it comes to counterterrorism I say err on the side of caution. Rating: 7
One less key
08/07/14 7:23 PM PDT

Well, I spent one final weekend at my Dad's house before the estate liquidation service empties it out and the realtors put it on the market. Was I sad to leave my childhood home forever? Not really. Maybe because I negatively associate the place with constant schoolwork, curfew, and not being allowed to play video games. Or maybe I'm just not sentimental about places. (Either way, when I first left that house for college--that was one of the happiest times of my life. :))

Also, out of everything that my Mom and Dad ever hoarded, I only salvaged one item for myself: a Phillips screwdriver. Not because of any kind of sentimental value, but because of how well it fits into my car's license plate screws. Haha, maybe as a prank on my future heirs I'll leave that screwdriver behind in a safe deposit box. :) Dude, when my family found those rusty scissors in my Dad's safe deposit box, we almost asked his old internment camp friend whether the scissors had some kind of special meaning!

Watched TV movie: "Sharknado 2: The Second One" (2014)
Actually watched this Syfy premiere live, and glanced restlessly at the clock during commercial breaks. Admittedly, I liked it better than the previous film--primarily because I felt that they really strove for "campy" this time. For example, D-list celebrities galore and a gag where Fin "jumps the shark". Rating: 4
Watched movie: "Guardians of the Galaxy" (2014) in RPX & 3D
Kinda corny and convoluted (and I was cynical about how quickly these hard-boiled strangers became good friends), but I liked it. Rocket turned out to be my favorite character even though I hate raccoons. Also found Drax amusing once they explained his shtick. Stay after the credits for...Howard the Duck. Rating: 7
Watched movie: "The Big Lebowski" (1998)
I don't get this movie at all. Rating: 5
Eternal September Part III
07/30/14 5:04 PM PDT

Someone finally wrote an article about insensitive photos at serious places. Yeah, I still hate it when tourists smile for pictures at the World Trade Center memorial. I also don't get why people would even snap pictures at a funeral, much less smile in them.

Strangely though, I wasn't offended by the September 11 "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" poster. Probably because it looked like an unfortunate fluke.

Watched movie: "Boyhood" (2014)
The mother of all coming of age movies in that it filmed the same boy (and his fictional family members) on-and-off for 12 years! Meaning, the actor who played the boy started the film at age 7 and finished the film at age 18. Unfortunately, besides some keen musings and a couple of bad stepfathers, I found this kid's childhood no more interesting than my own. :P Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Hercules" (2014) in IMAX 3D
Okay overall, but after the opening characterized Hercules' trailer-popping labours as tall tales, I found the rest of the movie disappointingly plain. Rating: 5
Watched movie: "Lucy" (2014) in Cinemark XD
Despite all the pseudo-scientific theatrics (made deceptively more credible by Morgan Freeman's documentary-like narrative voice), I did feel that the movie managed to stimulate thought and broaden my horizons--particularly in regards to humanity's shallow priorities and the fallacy of mathematics. I was also able to suspend disbelief that Scarlett Johansson could magically get smarter (possibly because her aloof behavior reminded me of Dr. Manhattan). Side note: I wish she had elaborated on what she meant by "we never really die". Rating: 7
The laws of cars and men
07/19/14 11:55 PM PDT

To my chagrin last Saturday, my car passed smog testing but still failed certification due to a technicality with the catalytic converter. Apparently, the "universal" catalytic converter that Firestone installed back in January 2011 was only officially compatible with a 2002 Corolla at the latest, not a 2004 Corolla. A new smog mandate, apparently. I had trouble believing the smog inspector at first--until I received the exact same bad news when I attempted a second smog check somewhere else.

The next morning, I approached Firestone about whether they would replace my catalytic converter for free if I paid $900+ out of my own pocket for a new one (a more than fair offer, IMHO). The manager got flustered and stammered why I would reason that. I told him that it was Firestone who obtained the incorrect catalytic converter, and added that the smog guy actually recommended I report them to the BAR (California Bureau of Automotive Repair). So after that thinly veiled threat on my part, further research on his part (including a look, I suspect, at how frequent a customer I was), and their own in-house inspection, the manager agreed to waive the labor fee.

In other news, I really hated that "24: Live Another Day" finale. Not as much as I hated the series finales for "Dexter" and "How I Met Your Mother", but same ballpark. I felt like the writers silent clock'ed a romantic chemistry for Jack that no future storyline could ever equal. Ugh--knowing Hollywood, the writers will probably entertain some kind of "ship" between Jack and Chloe next. :(

Watched movie: "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes" (2014) in Cinemark XD-RealD 3D
Stirring sequel to Rise of the Planet of the Apes wherein a colony of human survivors--desperate for electricity--sends a delegation to Caesar's ape community to negotiate the usage of a hydroelectric dam there. Thanks to the quality of the motion capture and the pithiness of the simian dialogue, those apes struck me as total badasses--especially that scarred-up, teeth-baring Koba. Hehe--Koba was cool. Side note: Those apes used guns remarkably well, considering they lack opposable thumbs. Rating: 7
Watched movie: "The Purge: Anarchy" (2014)
More interesting than the first movie in that the main characters end up downtown during Purge night, and come across various psychos and factions (each with their own unique agenda) in an odyssey reminiscent of "The Warriors". (The film also delved into the ugly truth behind the Purge, like what happens when people don't purge enough.) The scariest part for me was how people could just hire experienced professionals (for example, professionals skilled at sabotaging cars or breaching homes) to do their dirty work--meaning that no one could ever truly be safe. Side note: Couldn't the main guy have driven to his intended destination before the Purge started? Rating: 7
Schrödinger's cat
07/12/14 10:07 PM PDT

What did I ever do before the Internet? Google solved the mystery about why my Dad kept old scissors in his safety deposit box (most likely reason: bond coupons). And awhile back, Wikipedia managed to diagnose my beeturia (better than my original theory, kidney failure!).

Watched movie: "Transformers: Age of Extinction" (2014) in IMAX 3D
A mind-numbing, illogical, visually taxing ordeal that lumbered on and on and on (until finally it ended in a completely nonsensical way). But at least I got it over with. Side note: Cool Dinobots. Rating: 3
Watched movie: "Coherence" (2014)
A cerebral, detail-oriented puzzler wherein quantum versions of the same dinner party (at differing points in time?) begin to coexist within walking distance of each other. Had the storyline not teased my brain so heavily, I probably would have analogized the movie to the Twilight Zone. (If you don't believe me, see the table I worked on below.) Though the more I thought about it, the less I cared about how shuffled the realities got (it's not like the quantum doubles had any differences that should matter). While I'm at it, what kind of bonehead would entertain killing or blackmailing their quantum double much less become distrustful of them?? Rating: 7

Spoiler alert: I actually re-watched the movie and made this chart to tell each quantum counterpart apart. Strangely improbable how Hugh and Amir stole another house's box at least four times. Also struck me as improbable that the realities didn't get more crowded with duplicates.

House 1 Lee (glasses) Beth (white hair) Em (blond hair) Kevin (Em's boyfriend) Laurie (red dress) Mike (idiot) Hugh (beard) Amir (black sweater)
Stolen ping pong paddle, stolen numbers in red, blue glowsticks, broken cup, early flower vase compliment, cracked phones (Hugh 1 & Amir 1 left through dark zone)
Stolen ping pong paddle, stolen numbers in red, blue glowsticks, broken cup, early flower vase compliment, cracked phone (Em 1, Kevin 1, Laurie 1, and Mike 1 left through dark zone while Lee 1 & Beth 1 stayed behind at first house) Cloth band-aid (Hugh 2 & Amir 2 stayed behind at first house)
House 2 Lee (glasses) Beth (white hair) Em (blond hair) Kevin (Em's boyfriend) Laurie (red dress) Mike (idiot) Hugh (beard) Amir (black sweater)
Stolen oven mitt, stolen numbers in green, blue glowsticks, unbroken cup, late flower vase compliment (Lee 2 & Beth 2 already there at second house) Stolen ping pong paddle, stolen numbers in red, blue glowsticks, broken cup, early flower vase compliment, cracked phone (Mike 1 snuck out through dark zone while Em 1, Kevin 1, and Laurie 1 stayed at second house) Cloth band-aid, red glowsticks (Hugh 3 & Amir 3 already there at second house)
Stolen oven mitt, stolen numbers in green, blue glowsticks, unbroken cup, late flower vase compliment (Lee 2 & Beth 2 still at second house) Stolen ping pong paddle, stolen numbers in red, blue glowsticks, broken cup, early flower vase compliment, cracked phone (Em 1, Kevin 1, and Laurie 1 still at second house) Stolen napkin, blue glowstick (Mike 2 more depressed) Cloth band-aid, red glowsticks (Hugh 3 & Amir 3 left through dark zone with book & box)
Stolen oven mitt, stolen numbers in green, blue glowsticks, unbroken cup, late flower vase compliment (Lee 2 & Beth 2 helped create new box containing coaster & blue numbers on photos) Stolen ping pong paddle, stolen numbers in red, blue glowsticks, broken cup, early flower vase compliment, cracked phone (Em 1, Kevin 1, and Laurie 1 helped create new box containing coaster & blue numbers on photos) Stolen napkin, blue glowstick (Mike 2 helped create new box containing coaster & blue numbers on photos) Stolen stapler, normal band-aid, both red and blue glowsticks, uncracked phone (Hugh 4 & Amir 4 brought book and helped create new box containing coaster & blue numbers on photos)
Family heirloom?
07/07/14 5:35 PM PDT

At long last, my family got to open our Dad’s safety deposit box. We surrounded it, lifted the lid, and found one lone item inside: a rusty pair of scissors. Needless to say, this discovery left us dumbfounded. Did it have some kind of meaning behind it? Did it have sentimental value like Citizen Kane’s sled? Did he intend for our Mom to find it instead? Did he just place it in there absentmindedly? Did he leave it there on his way to the airport? Is it evidence in a cold case? Is it a clue to a hidden treasure? Guess we'll never know. :(

Given that both of my parents died shortly before Fourth of July, I find that I hate this holiday more than ever (especially in my Dad's neighborhood, which I guess I won't have to worry about anymore next year). Nowadays I prefer to just hole myself up in a hotel room while the fireworks explode outside in muffled bursts.

In other news, Roger Federer's narrow five-set defeat to Novak Djokovic in the Wimbledon final left me dejected. Federer lost a perfect opportunity to win an unprecedented eighth Wimbledon title, and now at his age might never reach another Grand Slam final again. Oh well. He's already won a historic 17 Grand Slam titles so I guess it's not like he needs another one. :P I really want Serena Williams to win one more Grand Slam title though.

Watched movie: "Snowpiercer" (2013-2014)
Colorfully offbeat English debut from Korean director Joon-ho Bong, full of flair and violence and mainstream actors (including Captain America himself, Chris Evans, and a very weird Tilda Swinton). The story takes place 17 years after a global freeze trapped the last of humanity on a perpetually moving train, and follows a rebellion of lower class passengers as they fight their way from train car to train car (each with its own unique survivalist theme). Overall I enjoyed the movie (two tense scenes in particular), but did find it pretentious at times. Rating: 6
Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair
06/27/14 2:43 PM PDT

Interesting. I read that Rian Johnson will direct the sequel to J.J. Abrams' upcoming Star Wars movie. Rian Johnson is the guy who directed quite possibly the greatest TV episode ever made, "Ozymandias" from Breaking Bad (which unsurprisingly topped Entertainment Weekly's 50 Best TV Scenes of the Past Year).

To this day, I still feel a pang of emotion thinking about that episode. It struck me as a cruel, visceral tragedy about a man who shatters the lives of everyone he loves, and then has to exile himself in disgrace. Maybe I should have expected the shocks in that episode after the ominous teaser of a happier time, but they still caught me off guard (I incorrectly reasoned that big deaths would only occur at episode's end). Hours later, the events of the episode still troubled me. It was like I had gazed into some kind of bottomless pit of infinite sorrow.

Amazingly after 51,000+ user ratings, the episode still has a perfect 10/10 rating on IMDb.com.

Watched movie: "The Rover" (2014)
This might sound oxymoronic, but I found the movie profoundly stupid. Mostly due to that annoyingly cryptic Guy Pearce character. It's like, he went through all this trouble to get his stolen car back, i.e., a long and bloody road trip with a brother of one of the thieves, and the reason turned out to be--in my opinion--both brilliant and dumb. Also found the depiction of "post-collapse" life in Australia both gritty and pretentious. Rating: 5
R U agitated?
06/19/14 5:22 PM PDT

I do not like that "check engine" light. Tightening the gas cap didn't seem to fix it, so I took an afternoon off work to drive my car to the mechanics' shop. But before I got there, the light vanished by itself. When I had them check the code anyway, they theorized that maybe I'm about to have a timing chain problem. The last time I had the code checked (by the dealership), the mechanic posed some other convoluted theory. It's like House, M.D.

My car is coming up on 278,000 miles, so I guess anything can go wrong at this point.

Watched movie: "How to Train Your Dragon 2" (2014) in IMAX 3D
Sappy but like the first film, visually spectacular. Though ugh, I forgot how ugly those dragons looked (like dyed, toadish bats). Also forgot how much that that nasally, facetious Jay Baruchel character irritated me. Side note: Felt like the introduction of those experienced dragon trainers diminished everything that Hiccup managed to accomplish in the first movie. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "22 Jump Street" (2014) in Cinemark XD
So tired of that running "bromance" gag between Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum. (I didn't find it funny in the previous movie either.) Also found nary anything else funny in this film except for when Schmidt dated Ice Cube's daughter. Stay after the credits. Side note: Unfortunate timing on that Tracy Morgan joke. Rating: 4
Watched movie: "The Signal" (2014)
Started out like Catfish and then got all Twilight Zone. I liked all of the different curiosities, from the sterile personalities & interior designs to those eye-opening bionic limbs. Cool twist ending too. Rating: 6
Return, Revenge, Recycle
06/12/14 6:43 PM PDT

I keep seeing rumors that the 30th season of Survivor will cast returning all-stars again. Also read an article that the show won't have an all-winners edition because "some of the winners have been boring". If you ask me, that's an understatement. :) Though admittedly, I wouldn't mind seeing Tony, Yul, Cochran, and Parvati again. Not sure how much of this is coincidence, but Parvati has appeared in all three of my favorite seasons--and also took part in both of my favorite Survivor moments/tribal councils.

Personally, I'd bring back Cagayan players like "Chaos" Kass, Spencer, and the aforementioned Tony. I'd actually nominate Ciera as well--mostly because to me, she heralded this new generation of "big move" players whom I find subversive to the game.

Speaking of Blood vs. Water, I read that Redemption Island got nixed from the next Blood vs. Water so that the arena could be used for some kind of new twist. I can't help thinking that they're planning something evil, like forcing the eliminated player to duel their own loved one to stay in the game. I still remember the one and only time this happened in the first Blood vs. Water, i.e., when Tina and her daughter simply agreed to let the best woman win. (That choice was spared for the other players who had to duel their loved one, because one of them always managed to beat the third competitor.) Logically, you would think that the originally voted-out player would simply volunteer to forfeit the duel--but I could totally see players (like Rupert and Ciera's mother) romanticizing it and sacrificing themselves.

In other news, I found it amusing that the co-owner of California Chrome called it cowardly to skip the first two legs of the Triple Crown. It's like, he just now figured out why a Triple Crown is so freaking difficult? Not only can the owners enter fresh horses into the Belmont Stakes, but the horses can specialize at that distance too! (Haha, imagine if Michael Phelps called it unfair that he had to keep competing against fresher Olympic swimmers.)

Watched movie: "Edge of Tomorrow" (2014) in IMAX 3D
Enjoyable cross between "Groundhog Day" and "Halo" wherein a soldier (Tom Cruise) relives the same day over and over each time he dies. (Some of the deaths were actually pretty comical too.) It made me nostalgic of those times when I got so addicted to a video game that I'd play it over and over until I unlocked the best possible ending + extras (example). Sometimes muscle memory wasn't enough for me either--I had to write down notes too (though to my recollection, nothing as complicated as the battlefield map that Tom Cruise marked up like a playbook!). Side note: I actually didn't notice very many loopholes, though I did find it hard to believe that Cage couldn't just direct (or misdirect) Rita past the helicopter ambush. Rating: 7
Watched movie: "Saturday Night Fever" (1977)
Couldn't figure out if this movie was as shallow as it seemed, or if it had some kind of deep meaning behind it. On one hand, it touched upon socioeconomic issues and appeared to make John Travolta's racist, metrosexual character less narrow-minded. On the other hand, I felt like it blew over disturbing incidents such as the misguided gang attack, the two non-consenting women, and Bobby's plunge from the bridge. Rating: 5
The science of silence
06/04/14 5:39 PM PDT

Last Sunday, I yelled at some guy in my theater. He came in late to the movie (after the lights went dark) and then kept shoving his backpack onto me. "What the hell are you doing!" I finally exclaimed. "Sorry, I didn't see you there," he apologized as people in the audience shushed me. As Homer Simpson would say, they were shushing me?

Then yesterday when I was watching X-Men again, something happened that I don't remember ever happening before. A noisy group of 3-4 people--after coming into the movie really late and ignoring every shout from the audience to stop talking--actually got escorted out by security! I've never even bothered to report talkers (or shadow puppeteers) to security in the past, so maybe now I'll try that route someday.

I don't know if it's my imagination or not, but people seem more rude in the less crowded theaters than the crowded ones. Maybe because they care less about the movie than the people who show up on opening day?

I'm starting to think that the quietest time to see a movie might be early in the morning. :P

Watched movie: "Maleficent" (2014) in IMAX 3D
A revisionism of "Sleeping Beauty" that makes its classic villainess so "defanged" and sympathetic that she struck me as more of a traditional heroine. Had Angelina Jolie played her as more of an antiheroine, then I would've found the movie much more interesting. (I'm guessing that Disney didn't want to confuse little kids.) Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Cold in July" (2014)
Felt more like a wild wild Western than a crime drama. It bothered me to no end that the Michael C. Hall character, a family man who frames pictures for a living, would jeopardize his life for a complete stranger who never even asked for his help. (At least when Dexter Morgan did stuff like that, he had sociopathy as an excuse.) Though I guess I shouldn't have been surprised after that one scene where he idiotically crept into his house (with his family outside) to see if an intruder was still in there. Side note: Cool synthetic music--like something that would play during a Halloween movie. Rating: 5
X
05/28/14 6:37 PM PDT

Even though we're not even halfway through the decade yet, I'm already looking ahead to my best and worst of 2010-2019. The worst event that happened to me is a foregone conclusion, but for best event I'm already leaning toward the joy I felt when the United States got bin Laden. Also, I think I can safely predict "Inception" as my favorite movie.

I won't always stick to my year-end countdowns either. Last decade, that Riverdance trip with my Mom jumped ahead after she stopped going out because of her health. This decade, my #1 of 2013--Edwards Santa Maria 10 becoming an art-house theater--will plummet due to months and months of disappointing selection from that place (by my count, I've only seen two movies there since it first opened on 11/22/2013).

Watched movie: "Godzilla" (2014) in IMAX 3D
Pretty good U.S. reboot of the original Toho franchise, featuring a menacing albeit fatter Godzilla. (Weird how I rooted for him even though when I think about it, what makes him any better or worse than the other destructive monsters?) Much of the rampage took place in San Francisco, which looked much flatter than I remembered (in real-life I think Godzilla would easily lose his balance on all those steep hills). Overall, I liked the movie but wouldn't have minded less screen time on all those human gnats. Side note: Is it just me, or is Bryan Cranston boring when he's not playing a criminal? Rating: 7

Watched it again in D-BOX/3D and enjoyed the motion effects. The monsters' roars shook my seat, and every giant footstep made my seat quake. I could also feel the wind shear from the HALO jump.

Watched movie: "X-Men: Days of Future Past" (2014) in 3D
Arguably the best, most poignant X-Men movie of them all thanks to a powerful storyline where James McAvoy's Xavier, now a bitterly depressed recluse who numbs himself with drugs, struggles to find his way again. Due to the greatness of the film's overall message and my happiness with Patrick Stewart's return, I basically forgave all of the glaring disparities in the X-Men/Wolverine continuity (not just after Wolverine wreaked havoc on the original timeline, but before too). I also acquiesced that Shadowcat could inexplicably project people back in time, that Sentinels could exist in 1973, and that Magneto could somehow co-opt them. Stay after the credits for a first look at Apocalypse. Side note: movie Blink had much cooler powers than comic book Blink. Rating: 8

Update 6/4/2014: Read an article about a deleted scene where Xavier, Magneto, and Iceman rescue Rogue to relieve Shadowcat. Sounded cool, but it would've meant cutting one of my favorite slow-motion shots: the Sentinel blast reflecting in Shadowcat's tired eyes.

"I'll see you again in 25 years."
05/20/14 4:20 PM PDT

At long last, nearly 90 minutes of never-before-seen footage from "Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me" will be released in a new Twin Peaks box set. From the teaser, two scenes in particular grabbed my attention: a) Agent Cooper asking the dwarf how to leave the Black Lodge, and b) a catatonic Annie rolling through a hospital on a gurney (brought in by Sheriff Truman from Glastonbury Grove)! Dang, almost makes me want to buy a Blu-ray player.

Watched movie: "The Warriors" (1979)
Unapologetically campy cult classic wherein a falsely accused street gang fends off a smorgasbord of attacks during their scramble back to Coney Island. I say "smorgasbord" because of the wide variety of bizarre enemies, from "Baseball Furies" to a bunch of punks (led by a roller-skater) that looked like the Mario Bros. Given my enjoyment of beat 'em up video game classics like Streets of Rage, River City Ransom, and Double Dragon, I found the brawls in this movie highly entertaining. (Who knows, maybe the movie inspired those games.) Great music and an amusing villain too. Hehe, "Warriors, come out to play-i-ay!" Rating: 8
Armillary sphere
05/13/14 3:01 PM PDT

Ticketmaster temporarily blocked my IP address, to my chagrin. It must've mistook me for a bot or scalper when I was scouting seats for a rumored "Buried Alive Match" (I kept requesting and releasing seats on the Web site). The problem was that the site kept offering me "Best Available" seats, i.e., open seats closest to the ring. I wanted a ticket in a row farthest from the ring, next to where the grave for the Buried Alive Match would be. :) Anyway, I called off the search once Daniel Bryan announced his neck surgery.

Panda Express came out with a new entree, Orange Chicken with Bacon. Blegggghhhhh. I like their new Shiitake Kale Chicken though.

Interesting...I read that FOX will air an hour-long crossover event between "Family Guy" and "The Simpsons" in September.

Haha, great 16-bit Game of Thrones title sequence: Super Mario Game of Thrones.

Watched movie: "Blue Ruin" (2014)
A suspenseful, realistic revenge thriller reminiscent of the early episodes of "Breaking Bad" (back when Walt--smart as he was--wasn't very good at killing people). The main character of this movie, a vagrant with nary anything left to lose, seemed on the ball at times--but also made some really bad mistakes under pressure. Case in point: during his ambush of an ex-convict, he botched so many different things that is was almost comical to watch. I also considered it a big oversight on his part when the resulting feud put his sister's family in grave danger. Rating: 8
Watched movie: "Locke" (2014)
An overrated film, if you ask me. Tom Hardy basically spends the duration of it driving to London and talking to people on his Bluetooth. Although I enjoyed and identified with his efforts to placate the people freaking out over his absence, my brain just couldn't get past that underlying, nonsensical reason for throwing his life away (not like that newborn baby would remember who showed up for the birth). I also found those tirades toward his imaginary father really corny. Rating: 5
Watched movie: "The Amazing Spider-Man 2" (2014) in RPX & 3D
More like the Amazing Spider-Ham given all the overacting. Also felt like the film missed the mark on Peter's parents and Gwen Stacy (I had a similar disappointment last movie regarding Uncle Ben and Captain Stacy). So if the Black Cat is next, I don't have high hopes. Good special effects at least. Stay during the credits for an X-Men: Days of Future Past scene with Mystique. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Neighbors" (2014)
Seth Rogen and a Bridesmaids-seasoned Rose Byrne (who really holds her own) vs. the loud fraternity house next door. Seth Rogen = funny. Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne putting their heads together = funny. Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne and Ike Barinholtz putting their heads together = funny. Zac Efron and his fraternity brothers...not funny. Stay after the credits for some kind of Hebrew message. Rating: 7
Day 9: 11:00 A.M.-1:00 P.M.
05/06/14 5:24 PM PDT

I liked the "24: Live Another Day" premiere, as it was good to see all my series favorites again: Jack Bauer as the rogue "Dammit!"-shouting (corners-cutting) counterterrorist, Chloe as the blunt hacker talking him through the missions, and Audrey as his love interest. I noticed they harvested a lot of real-life security controversies too: drones, Edward Snowden, and WikiLeaks. I haven't seen anything about the NSA yet though.

I'm also optimistic that this 12-episode format will reduce a lot of the bloat that past seasons suffered from whenever they struggled to keep the characters busy for 24 episodes straight. :P

Timeless
04/30/14 6:37 PM PDT

This "Resurrection" series might be going downhill. Are the writers just drawing plot points out of a hat now? Examples:

And finally the plot development I care for the least: a massive influx of strangers coming back from the dead, including ones from over half a century ago like a soldier who died in the Korean War. :(

Update 5/5/2014: Decent season 1 finale for "Resurrection" (did the ending imply that Bellamy might be that returned couple's missing baby?). I found it hard to believe that a military commander would just take the sheriff's implausible story at face value though.

Thanks to an On Demand promotion for the upcoming 24 mini-series this Monday, I've been able to roam through all eight of the previous season premieres for free. My reaction: so many ill-fated characters and forgettable storylines. One particular gem stood out though: the third season introduction of Chloe O'Brian, a CTU analyst whom Jack Bauer finds so irritating that he resolves to fire her. Nearly fires Chloe O'Brian! The irony of it.

Update 5/2/2014: While skimming through some more "24" episodes, I came across a couple of pivotal fourth season scenes that started the friendship between Chloe and Jack. The first is when Chloe goes behind her boss' back, and asks Jack to help her hacker friend. The second is when she rebukes Jack over the phone (for letting her hacker friend get brutalized), saying she'll never forgive him and that their partnership is over. Fortunately, his subsequent "you know I'm right" speech changes her mind. (Then soon afterward, he saves the lives of Audrey Raines and--ironically enough--her father.)

Update 5/3/2014 After re-watching more fourth season episodes of "24", I think I can call that season my favorite. It's the first season with Audrey, Bill Buchanan, and that lame President Logan, and the first season where Chloe got to shine (including the best "24" scene ever where she was the one in the field instead of Jack). The season did have its flaws, though, like how this terrorist Marwan kept escaping and convoluting the season with layers upon layers of "premeditated" conspiracies.

Watched movie: "The Ten Commandments" (1956)
Started out emotional albeit melodramatic, mostly due to the swaggery screen presence of Charlton Heston and Yul Brynner. After the intermission, however, I felt like the film got cheesy. I mostly blame the special effects, e.g., fake-looking fire and prominent bluescreen outlines. But I also found it laughable how people would still scoff, talk of stoning Moses, and worship a golden calf despite all of those incredible miracles. Side note: This movie was rated G? Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Only Lovers Left Alive" (2013-2014)
A highbrow Jim Jarmusch vampire film big on name dropping and hipsterism, but weak on actual insights IMHO (though I did find Adam's Tesla generator and water prognostication interesting). Overall, I felt that Tilda Swinton and Tom Hiddleston made convincing vampires. Their lack of precautions vexed me, however, as I could foresee a lot of hitches that could strand them in the daytime or exhaust their blood supply. I also couldn't reconcile how a strictly nocturnal recluse like Adam managed to socialize with all those historical figures. Rating: 6
The Lion and the Rose
04/22/14 5:46 PM PDT

Accidentally saw a spoiler about Game of Thrones' Purple Wedding. My reaction: happy dance. I keep reflecting on what George R.R. Martin meant when he blogged: "Walter White is a bigger monster than anyone in Westeros." I can probably think of at least 10 Westeros scumbags worse than Walter White. But I can certainly concede that Walter White defied his conscience worse than all of them--and really should have known better--so maybe that's what George R.R. Martin meant.

Weird how "Wheel of Fortune" recently went from best contestant to worst contestant within a month of each other. The best contestant managed to guess the correct answer from: "N E _ / _ _ _ _ / _ _ _ _ _", whereas the worst contestant blew the Million Dollar Wedge because he mispronounced a board that had every letter filled in: "MYTHOLOGICAL HERO ACHILLES". Ouch.

Watched movie: "Under the Skin" (2014)
Like watching paint peel. What kind of idiots would fall for Scarlett Johansson's cold seduction ploy? Do they not have kidnappings in Scotland? Rating: 4
Watched movie: "Transcendence" (2014) in RPX
Thought-provoking even though it grossly overplayed the ramifications of artificial intelligence, IMHO. I guess to me, making a digital copy of someone's brain doesn't come remotely close to controversies like cloning or abortion. So I found the terrorists' mass murders really disgusting, and felt insulted when the film seemed to vindicate them. (Lessons learned from A.I. movies: don't give the A.I.s emotions, make them self-aware, or put them online.) Rating: 6
Qoy qoyi
04/15/14 4:46 PM PDT

According to a CNN article, "Khaleesi" (from "Game of Thrones") has become a popular baby name. Heh, I wonder if anyone ever considered naming their baby Joffrey, Viserys, or Eddard?

Man, I'm sick of seeing BREAKING NEWS that there is no news of Flight 370. Just let me know when the plane is found.

Michael Phelps swimming competitively again? Excellent. Even if he struggles to just win one medal, I still think he should compete at the next Olympics.

Watched movie: "Jodorowsky's Dune" (2014)
Interesting albeit presumptuous documentary about surrealist director Alejandro Jodorowsky's doomed crusade to film Dune. I say "presumptuous" because I felt like the documentary was premised on a conceit, i.e., the perceived importance of Jodorowsky's unfinished movie to mankind. :) Had I seen this finished film, I'm certain that I would've went WTF and panned it. The guy basically said screw Frank Herbert, wrote whatever he wanted (dismembering Leto and having Arrakis consciously leave the galaxy (!)), and sought out whomever he wanted (Salvador Dalí, Orson Welles, Pink Floyd) no matter how impractical. To put it mildly, he overreached. On the plus side, his experiences did make for some entertaining anecdotes--particularly when he had to suffer Dalí's laughable mind games. :D Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Serbuan maut 2: Berandal" a.k.a. "The Raid 2" (2014)
Wipes out everything Rama accomplished in "The Raid: Redemption"; then transplants him into a completely new undercover mission. The plot felt really sloppy this time (half the time I couldn't tell who was who), but I did enjoy the fight sequences (even though half the time I didn't know why they were fighting). I especially liked that slow-burning "calm before all hell breaks loose" suspense. Cool assassins too. Rating: 7
Watched movie: "Bad Words" (2014)
Mean-spirited comedy where Jason Bateman subversively competes in a kids' spelling bee tournament. I disliked his character too much to laugh, and found his treatment of the rival kids (including the one he befriended) inexcusable. Rating: 4
Watched movie: "Oculus" (2014)
The time-swapping narrative and the evil mirror's powers really confused me, and I couldn't reconcile how this learned, cautious girl ever thought she stood a chance against something that could just hijack people's minds and perceptions at will. (How could she not feel hopelessly outmatched after the kill switch close call and the bulb-apple illusion??). I'm still unsure which scenes were even real (if any). Rating: 4
Watched movie: "Rio 2" (2014) in 3D
Somewhat formulaic but lavishly scenic as always. The mere sound of Jesse Eisenberg's voice still annoys me (and it still vexes me that he's going to play Lex Luthor). I dug the capoeira turtles. Rating: 6
Ultimate Warrior 1959-2014
04/09/14 11:32 AM PDT
Total shock. He gave a live speech the other night on WWE Raw (following his WWE Hall of Fame induction last Saturday), and looked completely healthy.
Winter can't come fast enough
04/07/14 3:21 PM PDT

These past few days, I went from bitter disappointment over the "How I Met Your Mother" series finale--which marginalized The Mother--to the MOTHER of all bitter disappointments: The Undertaker LOSING at WrestleMania (out of nowhere)! This is how Undertaker's 21-match win streak ends...to a part-timer?? I still can't believe it. I'm telling you, WWE has just jumped the shark. Those Streak defenses were the main reason I watched WrestleMania every year! It's an incomparable yearly attraction that simply cannot be replaced.

In other less appalling news, thanks to Watchathon Week on XFINITY TV, I managed to binge-watch "Game of Thrones". Sort of. To make it through all of the seasons in time, I fast-forwarded through anything that bored me, e.g., Winterfell, Essos, and Night's Watch. I found it harder and harder to fast-forward though, and ended up binge-watching past 5 in the morning--twice! (The second time I took a day off work so I wouldn't fall asleep in the office.)

I enjoyed the second season overall, and often found myself humming the theme song in my head at work. However, by the end of the third season, I got so sick and tired of the Seven Kingdoms that I wanted a meteor to just wipe Westeros (and all of its cruel, rotten inhabitants) off the map. It's like, just bring in the zombies and obliterate the whole lot of them.

Props to Peter Dinklage at least. I found him magnificent as Tyrion Lannister, and thought he totally deserved that Golden Globe.

I read that NBC Universal closed that recap Web site, Television Without Pity, on April 4. I used to read "Survivor" recaps on it, but then stopped once I realized how much the writer hated the show. It's like geez, couldn't they get someone who likes the show to write about it?

Watched movie: "Enemy" (2014)
Eerily suspenseful (like a De Palma film) and surreal (like a Cronenberg film) book adaptation wherein Jake Gyllenhaal and his identical look-alike become obsessed with each others' lives (though they behaved so strangely, that part of me wondered whether Jake Gyllenhaal just imagined being two people). I didn't understand what the spiders meant. Rating: 5
Watched movie: "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" (2014) in RPX & 3D
Thrilling hi-tech Marvel sequel reminiscent of "24", wherein Steve Rogers goes rogue from S.H.I.E.L.D.--kick-started by one heckuva slobberknocker--and becomes a fugitive. The Winter Soldier had some cool music and "arm"-aments. Stay during the credits for an Avengers tease featuring Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch. Stay after the credits. Side note: That trailer had a big spoiler in it. Rating: 7
Next chapter
03/31/14 4:38 PM PDT

The Winchester Domes closed down last night. These three San Jose Century Dome Theaters (Century 21, Century 22 and Century 23) neighbor the Winchester Mystery House, and played movies that I enjoyed watching for the first time such as "The Bourne Ultimatum" and "District 9". I feel kinda guilty that I didn't patronize these theaters more often. It's basically because they kept on using analog film reels while their competition upgraded to digital projection. I got spoiled by digital picture quality and began finding film defects, cigarette burns, and blurriness distracting.

Interestingly, the historic Fremont Theatre re-opened after being closed for much of March. Given how empty it was each time I went last year and the lack of top attractions there, I can't reconcile out how they can continue to stay in business.

To my surprise, I came across some news that a fifth Phantasm movie, titled "Phantasm: Ravager", has been filmed! Not directed by Don Coscarelli this time, but the cast includes all of the original actors...even Angus Scrimm. Supposedly this installment shows The Tall Man's home world, and will finally conclude the series. To give you a sense of how long I've waited for this installment, "Phantasm IV: Oblivion" came out in 1998...16 years ago!

Maybe someday I'll get the other cult sequel on my wish list, Cube 3D.

Watched movie: "Muppets Most Wanted" (2014)
I didn't care for the main celebrity co-stars (and their cringeworthy musical numbers), but overall I found the movie funny. For some reason, I've always enjoyed gullibility gags--for instance, how the Muppets just accepted Kermit's evil impersonator despite his thick accent and bad mispronunciations; and that scene where he mistook the real Kermit for a mirror image despite huge mimicking errors. Side note: The more I thought about that daydream where Kermit and Miss Piggy had kids, the more disturbed I got. :P Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Noah" (2014) in IMAX
Misanthropic and full of death and destruction, yet easily the most uplifting film Darren Aronofsky ever made. :) Never seen a moral dilemma of that magnitude before (wickedness vs. extinction)--if it were up to me, I think I would just delegate the decision to "fate". :P Props to the special effects folks for the animals, cool Watcher angels, and time-lapse of Creationism (!). Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Sabotage" (2014)
Started out like a good whodunit thriller wherein an old-looking Schwarzenegger and his DEA team members begin getting killed off one-by-one, and suspect a traitor among them. But then I thought the conclusion sucked, and had trouble reconciling who had actually killed whom and why. Rating: 5
Watched movie: "Ernest et Célestine" (2012) a.k.a. "Ernest & Celestine" (2014)
Delightfully entertaining, exquisitely animated Oscar nominee wherein a cute little mouse befriends a "big bad" bear (voiced to perfection by Forest Whitaker) despite the prejudices against it. The visual style looked a lot like watercolor. Side note: Extremely dangerous, falling asleep with a candle on the bed! Rating: 7
Life and death
03/24/14 6:02 PM PDT

I started watching this new ABC show "Resurrection", but haven't made up my mind yet. It's about a small town in Missouri where deceased loved ones starting coming back to life (for example, a couple's 8-year-old son who died more than 30 years ago). Technically, I guess I should say doubles of the deceased loved ones, given that their remains still exist in whatever casket or urn they ended up in. Apparently, the clothes get replicated too--the boy woke up in a red sweater identical to the one in his casket (right down to the name on his neck tag), and the guy had a suit and handwritten letter identical to the ones that he got cremated with! One element I found unrealistic: the loved ones' instant acceptance of the "returnee". If it were me, I would probably freak out and fall backwards.

So far I still can't tell what direction the show plans to go in (for example, "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" or "Lost"), but since one of the returnees appears to be a psycho killer I managed to rule out "Hallmark special". :) Side note: That same returnee still had biological traces of the heart attack that killed him...so would a cancer returnee still have cancer?

It did amuse me that the primary investigator scoffed at an "alien doppelganger" theory, as if that was harder to believe than a mystic river that brings the dead back to life. :)

"The Walking Dead" edited for syndication to comply with a TV-14 rating? They'd pretty much have to edit out every single zombie kill. I'm also really curious how they would censor last week's "The Grove", easily the most disturbing episode of the entire series. Guess they could just show the girls eating pecans and looking at flowers, haha.

Ugh, CGI faces for Paul Walker in "Fast and Furious 7" and Philip Seymour Hoffman in "Mockingjay"? I've rarely ever seen this technique look realistic.

Man, I see that TV spoilers continue to make headline news. Fortunately, I never planned to watch "The Good Wife".

I'm still concerned about the fate of The Mother in "How I Met Your Mother". That one glimpse into the future better be a red herring. :(

Watched movie: "300: Rise of an Empire" (2014) in IMAX 3D
Matrix-like circumquel/paraquel to "300" that follows the Athenians this time rather than the Spartans. I found the movie pretentious, over-the-top, corny, and gratuitously violent. In other words, a guilty pleasure. :) I enjoyed the final battle sequence the most, even that ridiculously farfetched horseback ride. Eva Green had great screen presence. Side note: Cool drum-like battle music. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "The Grapes of Wrath" (1940)
Not enough "wrath", if you ask me. I guess the title led me to believe that Henry Fonda would fight back and unionize all those exploited, impoverished farmers. Needless to say, the ending left me unsatisfied. :) Also felt guilty afterward, given that my Dad's family grew up on a farm in California too. Side note: I liked how those "Okies" spoke. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "The Grand Budapest Hotel" (2014)
Vintage deadpan from Wes Anderson with a wide array of stars. Although I appreciated the eloquence of the dialogue, I found myself tiring of both the verbosity of the sentences and the unrelenting manner in which they streamed from the characters' mouths. :) Rating: 7
Watched movie: "Divergent" (2014) in IMAX
Not as good as "The Hunger Games", IMHO. For starters, this five faction system made no sense to me (not even metaphorically). It's like a college that lets you pick one and only one major in your lifetime, and if you pick a different major from your family's then you never see them again. And the careers paths sounded more like virtues than practical vocations (selflessness, kindness, honesty, intelligence, and bravery). While I'm at it, the villains' plot made no sense to me either. They basically declared war to save an anti-war society. Maybe I should have read the novel instead. :P Rating: 6
Course correction
03/17/14 3:55 PM PDT

I gotta hand it to WWE. Thanks to that clever "Occupy Raw" segment, I felt like WrestleMania went from dismal to must-see. WWE would've been crazy not to channel this Daniel Bryan "YES!" Movement at WrestleMania. I experienced it first-hand at the last one I attended--energetic "Yes! Yes! Yes!" chants everywhere, from the lines outside the Sun Life Stadium to inside the arena.

Weird seeing the MIA CM Punk on "Talking Dead". Unfortunately for him and his propensity for irreverence, he got saddled with one of the most solemn, tragic episodes in the show's history. "Look at the flowers..."

Mr. T finally going into the WWE Hall of Fame! I pity the fool who don't like that.

Watched movie: "Kaze Tachinu" (2013) a.k.a. "The Wind Rises" (2014)
Gorgeously scenic, tearjerking WWII-period anime by Miyazaki about a well-mannered aeronautical engineer (Jiro Horikoshi) who loves to design airplanes. Strangely--even though this guy unapologetically designed military aircraft for Japan (at one point semi-neglecting his ill wife to do so)--I never got the impression that his actions were wrong. Miyazaki's still a pacifist, right? I guess it's always possible that Miyazaki simply wanted to shy away from the more mature themes (like I didn't see any swastikas in Germany or kamikaze attacks either). Or maybe his message got lost in translation? :P P.S. Man that Jiro smokes a lot. Rating: 7
Watched movie: "Need for Speed" (2014) in D-BOX & 3D
Harebrained plot and torturously asinine characters. It's possible that Paul Walker's death dampened my enjoyment of street racing movies, because to me the drivers in this film were wasting their lives and putting innocent lives at risk. Props to the D-BOX motion effects though. Whenever they revved up an engine, I could feel its vibrations in my spine. The seat also bucked and lurched wildly, and at one point wobbled awesomely when a driver slammed on the brake. Rating: 3
Epicurean paradox
03/08/14 10:55 PM PST

I don't know if it's me or planetary climate change, but I've gotten airsick three times in the past three years, i.e., during my flights to Atlanta, London, and New York. After reading recent horror stories about violent turbulence and now about this missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, my interest in travelling has really waned. :(

In general, I've always found plane disasters unsettling. I mean, I can live with the idea that omnibenevolence doesn't exist--what really bothers me is the thought that everything in life could be happening randomly for no reason.

Rented Amazon.com movie: "In Fear" (2013-2014)
Man, that film title tricked me. I expected something scary. Granted, I identified with the couple's anxiety when they got lost on back roads and ran low on gas--but to premise a feature length movie on it? Moreover, the psychological horror that followed interested me even less. Rating: 4
One helluva ride
03/02/14 10:58 PM PST

Congratulations to all of the 2013 Academy Award winners! And congratulations to me for successfully predicting all 6 of the 6 top categories. :) (Man, "Gravity" was on such a roll that I began second-guessing my "12 Years a Slave" prediction.)

I'm glad Steven Price won the Oscar for Original Score for "Gravity". Awesome music. I even enjoyed hearing the orchestral reenactment every time "Gravity" won an Oscar.

Incidentally, I raised my rating of "Gravity" to a 9. I've seen it eight times at the theater, and still feel awed by it. (Sadly, a TV would probably shrink a lot of the meticulous details--onscreen, I could actually make out a reflection of George Clooney in Sandra Bullock's visor.) During one viewing, I just kept my eyes on Sandra Bullock during a particularly heavy render-fest--and found it amusing how she hung on for dear life like a rag doll. :)

I also stopped holding the movie's scientific inaccuracies against it, such as the close proximity of each space station and certain inconsistencies in zero-g. For the most part, I felt that the film depicted zero-g pretty accurately--for instance, I noticed that one of Sandra Bullock's tools kept bouncing back and forth without slowing down (akin to that time I tapped an M&M during my weightless flight).

Finally, and this might sound odd--but as a career tech writer who's used to customers not reading the manuals, I appreciated Sandra Bullock's usage of them to help her out of crises. :) Though nowadays, manuals don't even exist anymore--they've all been replaced by searchable onscreen documentation.

Watched movie: "Non-Stop" (2014) in Cinemark XD
Illogical, escapist post-9/11 whodunit wherein an alcoholic federal air marshal (Liam Neeson) works to stop an anonymous texter from killing someone on their flight every 20 minutes. I could say it's like "And Then There Were None on a plane", but for me that analogy would give this movie too much credit given that I found the murders way less creative and the solution much more disappointing. Rating: 6
Brawn vs. Brains-numbing vs. Beauty
02/27/14 4:14 PM PST

That "Brains" tribe on Survivor: Cagayan annoys me greatly. I guess that's what happens when contestants are selected by IQ rather than social grace. I'm not saying I could do any better (heck, I could actually relate to some of those follies), but for sure I wouldn't forewarn a target that I'm voting them out, or ally with a nuclear engineer (!) who dumped out the tribe's rice! (They should've removed J'Tia from the game a la Brandon Hantz.)

So remember my Survivor idea about casting intellectuals only? I take it back. Without the Brawns and Beauty, I probably would've prejudged this season as bad--like Nicaragua and One World bad.

Maybe disregard my "Survivor: Babel" idea too. :P

This police officer (!) Tony shows a lot of promise. Engineering a "spy shack" to eavesdrop on "useless Cliff and weasel Woo"? Hahahaha!

Update 3/6/2014: Latasha sticks by J'Tia when she dumps out their rice, but then considers it an outrage when she eats some of the rice?! Gotta love this Brains tribe.

Olympic Winter Games XXII: Star-respangled
02/24/14 11:10 AM PST

Interesting...despite what seemed like a lack of star power for team USA at Sochi, the USA ended up tying its gold medal count from Vancouver 2010. I guess maybe I spent too much time reading spoilers, fast-forwarding through the athletes' human interest stories, and lamenting woeful losses like in speedskating, hockey, snowboard cross, and men's halfpipe. Another problem might be the delayed medals ceremonies--by the time the athletes got their medals, I felt like the emotion had worn off by then. Moreover, I felt like the NBC coverage lacked shots of the proud families in the audience (I don't even see them during the televised medals ceremonies).

In some exciting news, Hulk Hogan will host WrestleMania XXX after being away from the WWE since December 2007! Man, he hasn't wrestled in the WWE since SummerSlam 2006--so I literally witnessed his last WWE match.

Watched movie: "Omar" (2013-2014)
Frownworthy foreign film Oscar nominee wherein the antagonist (an Israeli agent) pressures the protagonist (a jailed Palestinian freedom fighter) into turning mole, so that presumably he could live happily ever after with the girl he loves. The thing is, had he originally chosen nonviolence over taking a life, then he wouldn't have been stuck in this mess to begin with! So...I didn't sympathize with the guy very much (nor anyone else in the film for that matter). Rating: 5
Watched movie: "Pompeii" (2014) in Cinemark XD-RealD 3D
Less like a disaster movie and more like a movie disaster. Vastly inferior to both "Titanic" and "Gladiator", if you ask me. The love story felt underdeveloped, and pretty much every storyline felt like a waste of time. I also came to the realization that no amount of special effects could make this volcano interesting enough to redeem the film. Rating: 4
Olympic Winter Games XXII: Star-unspangled
02/18/14 6:48 PM PST

While watching the short track races for the Men's 1500m on NBC, I suddenly realized that Apolo Ohno was the one giving commentary. Haha, his personal prejudices totally came through. Too bad he and Katherine Reutter retired from racing--short track has gotten really boring without them. Though admittedly, I've found this shutout of South Korean men from the short track podium interesting--especially because their skaters have been losing to Viktor Ahn (formerly known as South Korean legend Ahn Hyun-Soo) after he defected to Russia. Side note: With both South Korea and Canada now out of the Men's 5000m Relay final, can USA finally win gold there?

Overall, I've found that the Winter Olympics has gotten boring for me (probably because my Dad was the one who got me into it). Instead of avoiding spoilers and watching the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics in suspense, I've just been reading the results online. Though I did abstain from spoilers for one event: the women's snowboard cross--but alas, Lindsey Jacobellis fell yet again, blowing a huge lead in the semifinal race (albeit on a snow bump, not because of a showboating mishap). Man that's depressing. Another annual snowboard cross winner who seems cursed when it comes to the Olympics: Nate Holland.

Oh, congratulations to Meryl Davis & Charlie White for winning the USA's first ice dancing gold medal. Makes up for all that Tessa Virtue & Scott Moir victory coverage I had to suffer through during my Vancouver 2010 trip. :P Surprising side note: These two pairs share the same coach?!

Watched movie: "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" (1939)
Despite my sourness toward filibusters (a.k.a. time-wasting publicity stunts), I admired Jimmy Stewart's idealistic fight against cynicism and corruption in government. Granted, I felt that the movie went over-the-top with its coincidences (like the coin toss and the location of the dam), the U.S. monuments montage, Jimmy Stewart's punching spree, and a political machine so meticulous that it took the time to strong-arm little boys--but all in all, I found the film emotional and inspiring. Rating: 7
Ask again later
02/10/14 4:33 PM PST

I never used to eat those fortune cookies from Panda Express--but ever since I opened one at the mall and the prediction came true, I started getting superstitious. The fortune predicted that luck would come my way. Soon after, I won a free-meal-for-three at my workplace cafeteria--twice--AND a lottery for a free gym bag at an IBM Christmas reception. Unfortunately, the subsequent fortunes I read at that mall struck me as throwaway, e.g., achieving piece of mind is a most worthwhile goal and adventure awaits you.

Watched movie: "The Monuments Men" (2014) in Cinemark XD
Disappointingly boring given the ensemble cast and the likeability of George Clooney's previous films. Felt like I was watching a caper movie without the caper. Nary any action either, given that the Monuments Men mostly just visited sites that the Nazis had abandoned. I guess it also didn't help that I never heard of those works of art that the Nazis stole. :P Rating: 5
Watched movie: "Vampire Academy" (2014)
Heavy on sarcasm and tongue-in-cheek, but light on actual wit. Thankfully, the movie spared me from the usual high school melodrama by making the vampire princess' BFF something of a mind reader. Rating: 5
Watched movie: "The LEGO Movie" (2014) in 3D
I only saw this movie because of its astronomical rating on Rotten Tomatoes. I found it funny but illogical (do LEGO characters even have free will?), and the 3-D LEGO animation--impressive as it was--gave me a headache. I think my brain had trouble processing all those blocky, convoluted images (especially when it came to smoke and water). Rating: 6
January movie drought
01/31/14 3:54 PM PST

Hardly any movies to see this month. Upon checking my January movie reviews from past years, I confirmed that this month is always dismal for some reason.

Side note: Recently at work I got trapped in an elevator, but was able to manually pry the doors open with my bare hands. I learned that from movies. :)

Man, what a painful tennis match to watch. I tuned into the Australian Open men's final live to see that inevitable semi-historic moment where Nadal ties Pete Sampras for number of Grand Slam titles. Instead, Nadal injured his back and struggled to play though the pain. I'm not really a fan of his, but I gotta give him credit for refusing to quit. (Also in defense of the spectators who initially booed, they probably remembered Azarenka's fishy medical timeout and thought he was flopping.)

Ironically, five years ago at this very same tournament, Roger Federer attempted the same feat (tying Pete Sampras' record) and Nadal was the one who left him in tears after the final.

In other news, what a painful Royal Rumble Match to watch. The #30 entrant and the winner practically got booed out of the building! Though admittedly, I'm not at all thrilled about the WrestleMania 30 main event either. I've found that in general, my viewership of WWE programming has really dwindled--nowadays, I mostly just skim through the results of SmackDown and Monday Night Raw online. I'm not even planning to see WrestleMania 31, which will take place only 13 miles from where I live (I might entertain Super Bowl L though).

Speaking of Monday nights, I've grown impressed with that sitcom "How I Met Your Mother"--mostly because of Cristin Milioti, a former Broadway singer whom the show cast as "The Mother" (before she came on the show, I couldn't even stand watching it). After over eight years of red herrings, teasers, and rare sightings, Monday's episode centered only on her (the series even temporarily renamed itself to "How Your Mother Met Me"). I still don't find the jokes very funny, but the serious dramatic parts redeem the show IMHO.

Well, as part of a team luncheon I reluctantly returned to that Indian restaurant for the first time since that false accusation debacle. The waitress who accosted me wasn't there though.

Dreaming wake
01/26/14 12:05 AM PST

Funny story...on that same morning as the Oscar nomination announcement, I listened in on a teleconference but then had trouble hanging up the phone. Despite pressing the off button and unplugging the thing, I could still hear voices coming from the receiver. Finally, I realized that I was inside of a dream (I had fallen asleep with the receiver still on my ear), and that I could only hang up the phone once I woke up.

Two mornings later, I awoke to the sight and sound of someone rummaging through my bathroom. When I shouted "Who's there!", a homeless man emerged and approached my bed with a rag and chloroform! Alarmed, I swung my fists wildly at him...and then realized I was punching nothing but air. Dang these freaking dreams, man. Good thing I was alone in the bed.

Well, Alfonso Cuarón's win of the DGA has motivated me to once again split Best Director and Best Picture in my Oscar predictions for 2013:

I'm still favoring "12 Years a Slave" for Best Picture even though it tied with "Gravity" for the PGA and lost to "American Hustle" for the SAG.

Watched movie: "Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit" (2014) in IMAX
Decently thrilling reboot of the Tom Clancy series. Like the James Bond reboot, the events postdated 9/11. And like the Star Trek reboot, I had trouble taking Chris Pine seriously. Moreover, I had trouble taking the CIA seriously--it actually insulted my intelligence that their shallow ploys could outsmart this villain. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Ride Along" (2014)
Decent buddy cop comedy highlighted by the chemistry between Ice Cube and a funny Kevin Hart. Interesting side note: My IMAX screening of Jack Ryan was almost empty--whereas Ride Along had really long lines and sold out showings. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "I, Frankenstein" (2014) in IMAX 3D
Frankenstein's monster vs. demons vs. gargoyles? With a premise this absurd, the film should've just gone for campy and fun rather than dark and serious. Consequently, I considered the movie a bad, plot holey mess. Rating: 4
Unseaworthy
01/16/14 1:31 PM PST

Woke up early again to watch the Oscar nominations announcement live. Whenever they announce each nominee, my mind races to deduce who got snubbed.

Once again, I managed to see every nominated film and acting performance before they were announced. I'm also improving in foreign language film as I managed to see three of the five nominees this time. I'd rank the 2013 Best Picture nominees as follows:

  1. "Gravity" (My rating: 9)
  2. "American Hustle" (My rating: 7)
  3. "her" (My rating: 7)
  4. "Captain Phillips" (My rating: 7)
  5. "Nebraska" (My rating: 7)
  6. "Dallas Buyers Club" (My rating: 7)
  7. "12 Years a Slave" (My rating: 6)
  8. "The Wolf of Wall Street" (My rating: 6)
  9. "Philomena" (My rating: 5)

Contrastably, I've seen "Gravity" five times whereas I had trouble seeing "12 Years a Slave" even once (afterward I drove around listening to the radio to get the movie out of my head). Nevertheless, "12 Years a Slave" strikes me as the Best Picture frontrunner.

Urusei
01/14/14 7:18 PM PST

Perfect timing on that recent Simpsons episode where both spoilers and movie theater nuisances ruined a movie for Homer. After that holiday movie marathon I had, I felt like I needed a break from noisy kids. To my chagrin, parents nowadays even bring them to the really late showings and rated R films. Plus I began noticing an irritating new trend where parents encourage their kids to ask them questions during the movie. That's my cue to change seats. (Another cue for me to change seats: when someone near me can't sit still.)

I've even started getting annoyed when people talk during movie commercials, trailers, and end credits (though nowhere near as annoyed as that retired cop in the Cobb Grove 16 theater). Eventually I concluded that it's actually the shallowness and proximity of the conversations, not the timing, that I hate. Outside of the movie theater, I'd have the freedom to move until they're out of earshot. :)

Strangely, movie commercials don't bother me nearly as much as they do Homer. I figure that the commercials help keep movie theaters in business.

Watched On Demand movie: "Autoreiji: Biyondo" (2012) a.k.a. "Beyond Outrage" (2014)
Slightly better than the first film IMHO because this time around, I felt like I had a couple of underdogs to root for (though I found it hard to believe that these two archenemies would befriend one another, just to wage war on a yakuza clan five years after it lost the boss who wronged them!). For the most part though, I still felt apathetic about who lived or died--probably because anytime a lowlife died, I simply shrugged that another lowlife would take his place. :( Though I did feel like that ending took a step forward. :) Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Evangerion shin gekijôban: Kyu" (2012) a.k.a. "Evangelion: 3.0 You can (not) redo." (2014)
Impressive (albeit convoluted) animation. But if you ask me, the story went nowhere. It's like, who cares about saving a world covered in red water! And to my disappointment, all of the character development (including Shinji's headway in the first two films) got wiped out. I also never really cared for Kaworu (cue giggles from the audience). Side note: Having screened both the dubbed and subtitled versions this time, I actually preferred the dubbed. To me, the spoken English dialogue had more levity and edge to it (for example, Asuka called Shinji an "@$$hole" rather than a "brat"). Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Cold Comes the Night" (2013-2014)
Decent crime thriller wherein a desperate mother "breaks bad" and allies with a cold-blooded Bryan Cranston (picture Heisenberg with a Russian accent and poor eyesight). Always a treat seeing Bryan Cranston play a criminal--without his screen presence, I doubt I would've thought much of this movie. Rating: 6
Holiday movie marathon 2013
01/05/14 4:35 PM PST

Well, I accidentally read another Game of Thrones spoiler thanks to Entertainment Weekly's "Best & Worst 2013" issue. One of the pages diagrammed all of the major TV deaths in 2013 (complete with red dots for gunshot wounds and icons for whatever killed each character). Had my eyes initially wandered onto characters from Breaking Bad or The Walking Dead (or shows I don't care about like Downton Abbey and Homeland), then I could've immediately turned the page without reading any further. But as luck would have it, my eyes happened to fixate directly onto a major (and fairly skewered) character from the one show that I'm still trying to avoid spoilers for! Maybe I should just give up. :P

Watched movie: "her" (2013)
Unapologetically weird and voyeuristic Spike Jonze film wherein a ghostwriter (for lack of a better word) played by Joaquin Phoenix begins dating his operating system (voiced by Scarlett Johansson). Without shame too! Not only do they get intimate, but he admits to the relationship openly and nobody gapes at how insane that sounds! Typical Spike Jonze I guess. :P Though weird as this movie was to watch, I liked its depiction of futuristic technologies such as intuitive, evolving A.I.s and seamless voice-activated cloud computing. Rating: 7
Watched movie: "Le Passé" a.k.a. "The Past" (2013)
Another movie about a separation from the director of "A Separation", featuring a temperamental mother who wants to divorce her estranged, level-headed Iranian husband (whom her daughter likes better). I'm starting to suspect some personal prejudices in this director. :) Also like in "A Separation", the characters go back and forth uncovering new information and revising what they think to be true. All in all, I liked it. The part I found most memorable: that amusingly long uncomfortable silence between the two men. :D Rating: 7
Watched movie: "47 Ronin" (2013) in 3D
Colorful and decently entertaining. I thought a samurai movie starring Keanu Reeves would be laughable, but it turned out ok. His stoic disposition fit right in. :) Weird hearing samurai speak in English though (I wonder what they would say in place of gaijin?). I also felt like Keanu's love interest emoted too much in public (making faces and so forth). That culture's supposed to be really strict about courtesies, even between archenemies. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Saving Mr. Banks" (2013)
Amusing, unexpectedly tearjerking drama wherein Walt Disney (played by Tom Hanks) and co. struggle to collaborate with Mary Poppins' cynical, hilariously uptight British author (played to perfection by Emma Thompson). Contrastably, the movie also flashed back (forebodingly) to the good-hearted alcoholic father who inspired the Mr. Banks character. Rating: 8
Watched movie: "The Wolf of Wall Street" (2013) in RPX
Forgot how wildly over-the-top and vulgar that Scorsese films could be. Lots of offensive stuff--but admittedly, I found some of the scenes pretty funny. Especially that long scene where Leonardo DiCaprio had to crawl to his car. Side note: Rocky Aoki is the father of the other Steve Aoki, not me. :) Rating: 6
Watched movie: "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" (2013)
In general, I consider it a waste of screen time whenever a movie digresses into someone's overactive imagination. So I'm glad that the daydreams in this film tapered off once the Walter Mitty character began venturing out across the world. Though personally, I don't agree with the message that a person needs to travel the world and do stunts in order to "live life to the fullest". If you ask me, this Walter Mitty should be proud of excelling at his job and being a good son and brother. Side note: What kind of cell phone did Walter Mitty have, a satellite phone?? Rating: 7
Watched movie: "August: Osage County" (2013)
Good acting but all the verbal abuse, foul dialogue, and dysfunction made me squirm. I can't stand people like this in real-life so needless to say, I did not enjoy this movie very much. Side note: I already felt that the first cousin incest crossed the line, so I basically just shrugged off the brother-sister incest. Rating: 5
Watched movie: "Labor Day" (2013)
Uncharacteristically flat Jason Reitman film wherein a reclusive mother (Kate Winslet) and her seventh grade son grow close to an escaped convict (Josh Brolin). I always felt that Jason Reitman had a flair for levity, but to my disappointment this movie sorely lacked it. Rating: 5
Watched movie: "Lone Survivor" (2013)
Intense Navy SEAL movie about Operation Red Wings (a failed 2005 mission that predated the bin Laden raid). At first I got that "army recruitment video" vibe, but then that romanticism evaporated once I saw the SEALs suffer from gunshots and brutal tumbles down rocks (though man, these guys sure seemed superhuman). I'm glad that the film broke stereotypes and showed friendly Afghan villagers too. Too bad the movie didn't show any kind of postmortem though, as I was curious about how the U.S. managed to underestimate the Taliban forces so badly. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones" (2014)
The midwives coven vs. teenage buttheads and gangstas? This installment felt more like a parody of Paranormal Activity than an actual sequel. Also found it pretty weak how the film tried to tie-in the original Paranormal Activity characters. Rating: 5
2013 Year in Review
12/21/13 9:26 PM PST
Best of 2013 Worst of 2013
Events that happened to Steve
  1. Edwards Santa Maria 10 becoming an art-house theater.
  2. Vacationing in New York, including the WWE Hall of Fame 2013 and the Spider-Man musical.
  3. Receiving an Outstanding Contributor Award at work.
  4. A customer grading my online help as "very satisfied".
  5. Finally selling my Dad's car.
Honorable mention: Listening to the successful Boston Marathon bombing dragnet during my long drive to Santa Maria.
  1. Watching my Dad suffer emotionally and physically before his eventual death.
  2. Being falsely accused of walking out on the bill at my favorite Indian restaurant, and subsequently losing my desire to return there.
  3. (tie) Feeling airsick from my flight to New York, even after a nap, then suffering from stomach cramps on the flight back; and feeling sick the day after Thanksgiving due to what was most likely dehydration.
  4. Worrying about my Dad's house after a burglar tried to break into it.
  5. (tie) Trying to keep my wits about me when my Dad's car stalled halfway down the street, and burning up and nodding off on the highway (particularly through Paso Robles) because of my Dad's broken air conditioner.
Honorable mention: Missing "World War Z" at the Historic Fremont Theatre after looking forward to it all year.
Movies
  1. "Gravity"
    "A breathtaking cinematic ride by Alfonso Cuarón, fraught with jaw-dropping zero-g peril."
    "...still feel awed by it."
  2. "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire"
    "A concise, yet faithful adaptation of the novel that succeeded in keeping all of my favorite scenes while trimming out the excess."
  3. "World War Z"
    "Refreshingly intelligent zombie apocalypse flick..."
  4. "This Is the End"
    "Hysterical apocalyptic film..."
  5. "Saving Mr. Banks"
    "Amusing, unexpectedly tearjerking drama..."
  6. "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug"
    "Coolest talking dragon ever!"
  7. "The Hunt"
    "A hair-raising, grippingly tragic Danish drama..."
  8. "Oz the Great and Powerful"
    "Vibrant, Sam Raimi-humored prequel to 'The Wizard of Oz'..."
  9. "American Hustle"
    "An intriguing David O. Russell film..."
  10. "Upstream Color"
    "...I'd liken it more to a contour drawing."
  1. "The Last Exorcism Part II"
    "Virtually worthless sequel..."
  2. "Texas Chainsaw 3D"
    "...a disgrace rather than just bad. :("
  3. "Sharknado"
    "Shoddy, inexplicably popular Syfy channel tripe..."
  4. "Aftershock"
    "Terribly drawn-out horror flick full of poor taste and eye-rolling drama."
  5. "Evil Dead"
    "Much gorier than the original...beyond that, nothing redeeming comes to mind."
  6. "Pain & Gain"
    "An onslaught of bad taste that makes fun of a pretty appalling real-life capital case."
  7. "The Place Beyond the Pines"
    "More pretentious and cringeworthy than the trailer led me to believe. Not to mention contrived."
  8. "R.I.P.D."
    "Like 'Men In Black', but much harder to care about..."
  9. "Inside Llewyn Davis"
    "I considered the cat the most interesting thing in the movie!"
  10. "The Lone Ranger"
    "Asinine."
Songs
  1. "Brave" Sara Bareilles
  2. "Almost Home" Mariah Carey
  3. "Demons" Imagine Dragons
  4. "Still Into You" Paramore
  5. "Love Don't Die" The Fray
Honorable mention: "#thatPOWER" Will.I.Am f/ Justin Bieber
  1. "Young And Beautiful" Lana Del Rey
  2. "Bruises" Train f/ Ashley Monroe
  3. "Ooh La La" Britney Spears
  4. "Come & Get It" Selena Gomez
  5. "Suit & Tie" Justin Timberlake f/ Jay-Z
Honorable mention: "Cups (When I'm Gone)" Anna Kendrick
Music video "#thatPOWER" Will.I.Am f/ Justin Bieber "Came Back Haunted" Nine Inch Nails

Honorable mention: "Ooh La La" Britney Spears
TV series "Breaking Bad" "Dexter"
Commercial (tie) Oscar Mayer Deli Fresh clear pack commercial with the transparent grandfather, and GEICO commercial where Dikembe Mutombo happily blocks shots. KFC Original Recipe Boneless commercial where some idiot thinks he ate the bones.
Movie trailer (tie) X-Men: Days of Future Past and Prisoners (tie) InAPPropriate Comedy and Planes and The Lego Movie
The times they are a-changin'
12/21/13 1:56 AM PST

I think I finally got tired of screening early releases in San Francisco. According to my tally, I only saw three movies in San Francisco this year (down from nine last year).

I finally screened a movie in the new REGAL Cinema Art Santa Maria 10. Was basically the same as the old theater, but with less patrons. (Not much influx of new movies either--I've already seen 10 of the 12 movies that will be playing there on Christmas.)

That same day, I watched the second Hobbit movie over at the RPX theater and was dismayed by the High Frame Rate. It gave me a slight headache again. Last time I chance watching a Hobbit movie there (if I can help it).

Watched movie: "The Book Thief" (2013)
Boring PG-13 movie about Nazi Germany that pretty much marginalized World War II and the Holocaust to focus on a little girl who steals books. Also for better or for worse, the narration by Death dissociated me from all the different casualties. Rating: 5
Watched movie: "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug" (2013) in RPX & HFR 3D
Coolest talking dragon ever! Totally made up for the absence of Gollum. Also welcomed the character development for Bard (whose appearance in the novel felt like a cameo to me), including that backstory about his ancestor and the Black Arrows. I wish the movie had followed through with his storyline instead of stalling the big payoff with all these filler subplots. Though I will hand it to Peter Jackson--I enjoy his work so much that as far as I'm concerned, he can drag out that skinny little novel for as long as he wants. :) Specifically, I admired the grandeur of the scenery (especially the dwarves' treasury), the artistry of the action sequences (like the barrel ride), and the emotional details such as the dwarves' comradery. The film even explained, to my satisfaction, why Bilbo didn't just stay invisible all the time. (By the way, I'd consider it an outrage if Bilbo withheld the Arkenstone from Thorin!) Side note: Can't Azog the Defiler find himself a better prosthetic hand? :) Rating: 7
Watched movie: "La Grande Bellezza" a.k.a. "The Great Beauty" (2013)
An artsy and philosophical Oscar entry from Italy that exhibits Rome and a variety of bizarre performance art. I pretty much found everything in the film pretentious. Rating: 5
Watched movie: "American Hustle" (2013)
An intriguing David O. Russell film wherein a con man begins losing control of an FBI sting operation that involves his mischievous wife, an ambitious FBI agent, a dubious accomplice, a good-hearted mark, and dangerous mobsters. Just like in "Survivor", I kept wondering who was playing whom. Rating: 7
Watched movie: "Inside Llewyn Davis" (2013)
I considered the cat the most interesting thing in the movie! I already knew that I'm no fan of folk songs; but now I'm more sure than ever that I'm no fan of the Coen Brothers either. Rating: 4
Focus
12/12/13 7:57 PM PST

I'm really starting to like my new Windows 7 interface. The windows remind me of Blu-ray cases (translucent at the top). When I minimize them, they automatically stack atop their corresponding application icons in the taskbar. If an application has an active process, a progress bar gradually eclipses the icon. I can also hover over an icon and jump straight to a window through its thumbnail.

Watched movie: "Nebraska" (2013)
Another relatable film (well, for me at least) directed by Alexander Payne that features a stubborn Dad, an outspoken Mom, and conversations so bare that the whole thing felt like satire. Most of the time, I wasn't sure whether to laugh at the characters or pity them. Rating: 7
Watched movie: "Philomena" (2013)
Wholly unsatisfying. I liked Judi Dench but felt the Steve Coogan character gave cynics a bad name (disproving omnibenevolence isn't the same as disproving existence). I also wasn't happy that he and Philomena began searching for her long-lost son 50 years after his birth. What the heck. Rating: 5
Watched movie: "Out of the Furnace" (2013)
Brain-sullying revenge drama about rural hotheads who seriously need to learn to count to ten. Rating: 5
Watched movie: "The Broken Circle Breakdown" (2012-2013)
Bluegrass-laden Oscar entry from Belgium that shows a singing couple's love story out of sequence. It got so depressing that I started caring less and less about the happy scenes--especially after that alarming incident with the shock paddles. The husband got on my nerves too, and I seriously began to wonder if he had some kind of bipolar disorder. Side note: Weird how the couple spoke in Flemish but sang in English. Rating: 5
Nelson Mandela (1918-2013)
12/05/13 5:04 PM PST

R.I.P.

Too Far Gone
12/03/13 8:29 PM PST

Someone finally died on "The Walking Dead" whom I'll actually miss. Meaning, I now have an answer to that question that keeps popping up: which Walking Dead character would you bring back? I found the death really senseless too, but maybe that was the whole point.

After Thanksgiving, my friends and I went inside the new Edwards Santa Maria Stadium 14 & RPX for the first time. We saw the second Hunger Games installment in RPX (regal premium experience). At first, the giant screen and stadium seating impressed me--until I noticed, on the next day, that a normally priced auditorium in this exact same theater looked virtually identical!

I haven't seen a movie in the new "REGAL Cinema Art Santa Maria 10" yet--but judging by the lack of cars in the parking lot, this theater might be in jeopardy. :P

Incidentally, during my drive to Santa Maria I had a terrible headache that made my stomach feel queasy. Almost felt like motion sickness. I grew worried when three naps and an ibuprofen didn't even help. Later when my friend suggested dehydration, I drank some water and my symptoms actually went away. Crazy. I guess all that sparkling apple cider I drank at Thanksgiving didn't hydrate me. :P

Watched movie: "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" (2013) in RPX
A concise, yet faithful adaptation of the novel that succeeded in keeping all of my favorite scenes while trimming out the excess. Granted, my favorite scenes seemed less potent onscreen, but the weaker parts of the book, e.g., the Victory Tour, Snow's party, and the Reaping, seemed way better. Much more levity in the film too. I found the casting perfect, and felt that Jennifer Lawrence emoted so well that I didn't miss Katniss' thoughts at all (especially her fatalistic ones during the Quarter Quell). Consequently, I now feel more optimistic about Mockingjay. :) Finally, I liked the additional scenes with President Snow and Plutarch (Snow confirmed what I already suspected regarding Katniss' chances). My only minor criticism would be how much more trustworthy that Johanna Mason seemed (the movie even omitted how she won her Hunger Games). To the book's credit, I remember prejudging both her and Finnick as deceptive Victors whom Katniss should never trust. :) Side note: I was also hoping that the film would clarify how Peeta managed to kill Brutus. Rating: 9
Watched movie: "Frozen" (2013) in 3D
Computer animated Disney musical full of songs that I can't remember too well. A lot of neat crystalline and fractal effects. The plot struck me as illogical, but since it's a kids' movie I didn't take it too seriously. Stay after the credits. Rating: 6
Best thing to happen in the history of Santa Maria
11/29/13 11:52 AM PST

Guess I spoke too soon about seeing my last movie at Edwards Santa Maria 10. Starting Friday 11/22/2013, this theater became Regal Cinema Art Santa Maria 10 and devoted all 10 of its screens to art-house movies! Possibly the best news I've heard all year.

Wasn't impressed by the grand opening of Edwards Santa Maria Stadium 14 & RPX. Wasn't able to go inside without buying a ticket. They didn't even have any searchlights in the sky. :)

Watched movie: "Delivery Man" (2013)
Corny dramedy wherein Vince Vaughn plays a sperm donor who discovers he fathered 533 children. Ultimately, I didn't derive much meaning from the film despite its attempts to convince me otherwise. Also, Vince Vaughn seemed so subdued that he felt more like a foil for his funnier lawyer friend. Rating: 5
Watched movie: "Homefront" (2013)
Unfortunately, this movie started off on the wrong foot for me when the opening credits showed that Sylvester Stallone wrote the screenplay. I also had trouble taking James Franco seriously as the villain. But overall, I liked it. The rustic scenery looked so picturesque that I could totally see why Jason Statham and his daughter wouldn't want to leave. I also liked how something as small as a playground scuffle could escalate into a major feud, testing Jason Statham's ability to "be the better man". By the end of the film, though, I had trouble reconciling all the mixed messages about violence, payback, and the antagonists' redeemability. Rating: 6
Flesh and blood
11/21/13 2:42 PM PST

Geez Ciera, no one would've held it against if you had you refused to vote out your own mother. I didn't consider it a stab-in-the-back by any means, but I did consider it misguided. Now I have to eat crow because I never thought any castaway would even entertain voting out their own loved one. :P

Update 11/28/2013: Oddly enough, I found myself pulling for Ciera in this latest episode--probably because I dreaded what a downer it would be had she sacrificed her mother for nothing!

Update 12/5/2013: Ciera has now dismayed me for the third consecutive episode. She made all these sacrifices to build trust with the Galang alliance: voted for her own mother, ratted out her original allies, and shared her immunity clue (which is almost like an immunity necklace at this point in the game). Then in this latest tribal council, threw it all away and nearly voted herself out with a rock. The good news is that once she gets voted out and has to duel her mother, at least she won't have to vote out her out for a second time. :P

Update 12/12/2013: Wow, Ciera actually won immunity and won't have to duel her mother after all. I was really curious about whether her mother would have thrown the duel to save her (and whether Ciera would have asked her to). Guess we'll never know. Admittedly, I was surprised when Tina (who already won Survivor before) eliminated her own daughter.

A Separation II
11/19/13 10:18 PM PST

Last Sunday, I walked into my favorite Indian restaurant and received one helluva shock. The waitress accused me of walking out on the bill! She said that last week, I lied that I had to get my debit card out of the car and then took off. I immediately countered that she had the wrong person because I never pay by debit card, that I'm a frequent customer whom her boss knows, and that I would never do anything like that. I also added "that's racist," when I found out that this guy she mistook me for was Asian (though afterward I didn't play any more race cards because maybe we really did look alike). When she still didn't seem convinced, I decided to just pay her the measly $10 as an act of good faith. A decision I regretted almost immediately. Because as I sat there eating, I began losing my appetite--stewing more and more over the realization that I had just appeased someone who in essence called me a liar and a thief. I was like one of those cartoon characters where the conscience whispers in one ear and the id whispers in the other: my conscience told me she made an honest mistake and to let it go; my id told me to try to get her fired.

So when it came time to pay again, I asked to see her boss instead. When she said he probably wouldn't come in for another 30 to 60 minutes, I replied that I'll wait for him. I declined calling him too, because I wanted to make sure he recognized me. I think she began to worry, because she started backpedaling that she believed me and that the $10 I paid was for today's meal. So I kept talking to her and didn't leave until I felt absolutely satisfied that my name was cleared.

Matter closed, right? Wrong. Two days later, it still gnawed at me. What was to stop her from accusing me again the next time I stepped foot there? Plus I never really got an apology. So this afternoon, I went back there for lunch.

Still no boss, but my accuser was there plus another waitress who knew I came there all the time. So I summoned them both together to corroborate that I was who I said I was. They both sort of laughed it off like, ha ha what a funny anecdote (my accuser even added that she had apologized (?)). :(

So anyway, I resolved not to pursue it anymore. Unfortunately, it's always going to be awkward seeing that waitress again. The whole time I sat there this afternoon, I couldn't even bring myself to look at her. :P

Watched movie: "Thor: The Dark World" (2013) in IMAX 3D
An improvement in writing and comedy over the first film, IMHO. In particular, I liked how they managed to make Loki entertaining while keeping him true to his character. Stay during the credits for a prelude to the Infinity Gauntlet (?). Stay after the credits too. Rating: 7
Watched movie: "Dallas Buyers Club" (2013)
Thought-provoking biographical drama wherein a homophobic cowboy (played by a really skinny Matthew McConaughey) learns he contracted HIV, ironically becomes ostracized from his circle of homophobic friends, and eventually defies the FDA and pharmaceutical companies by trafficking unapproved medicine. Rating: 7
Watched movie: "Carrie" (2013)
Despite my misgivings that this movie would just retread the original 1976 classic, I finally caved in and saw it. It actually turned out better than I thought. It stirred my emotions, and made a good effort to depict modern day bullying, e.g., cyberbullying. The reason I say "good" instead of "great" is because in retrospect, I found the depiction somewhat...sensationalistic. In real life, I see bullying as something that happens again and again with little or no action from adults. (The school officials in this film actually lifted a finger.) Interesting side note: Although the changes in the storyline seemed small, to me they altered the whole complexion of the movie. Case in point: when Carrie singled out bad kids instead of massacring everyone indiscriminately. Rating: 6
This thing all things devours
11/11/13 6:28 PM PST

Recently, I screened a movie in the newly renovated Embarcadero Center Cinema. They have recliner seats now that basically let you watch the entire film on your back. I liked it, but had a hard time reserving a good seat.

I also rented a DVD from one of the last remaining video stores in California. (Unsurprisingly, Blockbuster recently announced that they won't have any more stores in the U.S.)

It occurred to me that fittingly, "The World's End" will likely go down as the last movie I ever screened at Edwards Santa Maria 10. (I can't imagine how this theater could possibly compete with the Santa Maria Town Center stadium seating one opening on Thursday evening, November 21.) Not that I'll miss Edwards Santa Maria 10. I have no sentimental attachment to that theater whatsoever.

Watched movie: "About Time" (2013)
Fluffy romantic comedy about a time traveller who can revisit any part of his life and change it. I say "fluffy" because he mostly just used this power to undo social gaffes, and didn't really explore any deep ethical questions (for example, whether he should prevent child abductions or 9/11). He did blunder into one "butterfly effect" that blew my mind though: after one seemingly innocent course correction, he returned home to discover that he now had a son instead of a daughter! (What better example of chaos theory than human fertilization.) Moreover, I assume he had to erase his son's existence to get his original daughter back! Rating: 6
Watched movie: "La vie d'Adele - chapitre 1 et 2" a.k.a. "Blue Is the Warmest Color" (2013)
French Palme d'Or winner about a lesbian romance. Too NC-17 for my taste, and hardly enough plot for a regular movie much less a three-hour one. I did feel that two intense dramatic scenes redeemed the film though. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "How I Live Now" (2013)
Scenic juxtaposition between the beauty of nature and the ravages of war. For me, it felt like a Japanese animation come to life--possibly because Saoirse Ronan looked like she came straight out of a Final Fantasy game. One lingering question I had: did Saoirse Ronan's love interest have the power to read people's minds? Side note: I'm not a child psychologist, but I felt that the kids didn't take the calamity seriously enough. :P Rating: 5
Watched DVD: "Sharknado" (2013)
Shoddy, inexplicably popular Syfy channel tripe wherein tornadoes suck killer CGI sharks out of the ocean and rain them down upon Los Angeles. :P Rating: 3
Speaker for the cynical
11/04/13 6:16 PM PST

My two cents on some TV that aired recently:

Read book: "Ender's Game" (1985) by Orson Scott Card
An extremely intelligent science fiction novel wherein military trainers, intent on saving the Earth from a vast alien army, work to pressure cook a boy genius (Ender Wiggin) into a battle-tempered warlord (though his thoughts struck me as so hard boiled and mature that I kept forgetting he was only six-years-old!). It actually depressed me how much this "damaged" kid and I thought alike:
  • Why can't they just leave me alone. I've been there.
  • He didn't like Peter's kind, the strong against the weak, and he didn't like his own kind, either, the smart against the stupid. Preach it brother.
  • Don't expect adults to help me. I came to that conclusion too.

I also suspect that Ender will never feel truly happy, and suffer from tremendous boredom. Though I did envy and admire his deep emotional bond with Valentine. I considered her devotion to him one of the book's highlights (another highlight for me: the whole part where Ender had to keep watching his back when Bonzo conspired to kill him).

Plot-wise, the book left me unsatisfied because I felt like Ender had not built any worthwhile human connections (which I consider important to good drama). At a minimum, I expected some kind of apology from Graff (instead of just cutting ties with Ender after he no longer had a use for him). Also, I felt that the climax could have been way more suspenseful had the author had only approached it differently. Rating: 8

Watched movie: "Ender's Game" (2013) in IMAX
Far less dark, cynical, intelligent, and morally ambiguous than the original novel. In other words, far less meaningful. :) Although I didn't mind the toned down PG-13 violence, the marginalization of the battle room tactics, or the injections of humor and romance, it disappointed me how much everything got dumbed down. For example, this Ender struck me as more of a Hollywood protagonist (even standing up to a wifebeater-clad bully), and the film's spin on the bugger war felt kind of pretentious to me. The movie also omitted Valentine and Peter taking over the world. :( On the plus side, I thought Asa Butterfield played Ender perfectly. I also enjoyed the zero gravity games and formations, as I found these hard to visualize in the novel. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "12 Years a Slave" (2013)
Possibly the most brutal film I've seen since "The Passion of the Christ". I found the cruelty so mind-numbing that afterward, I drove around listening to the radio to remind myself that I live in the 21st century. Glad the movie was titled "12 Years a Slave"--because from that I could infer that this guy's living hell would end at some point. Side note: This director Steve McQueen sure has a flair for uncomfortably long takes (I found Epps' stare down of Solomon particularly unnerving). Oscar watch: Considering how much the Academy likes psycho villains, I foresee a Supporting Role nomination for Michael Fassbender. Rating: 6
Indefensible
10/29/13 6:23 PM PDT

Recently while looking through my recordings of last year's London Olympics telecast, I made a special effort to erase anything related to "Blade Runner" Oscar Pistorius. The guy totally sickens me now. Even if I believed that outrage of a defense that he mistook his girlfriend for a burglar, who fires shots through a bathroom door without even verifying whether it's your loved one??

If I could easily erase my recordings of WWE wrestler Chris Benoit, I would do that as well. He won one of my favorite Royal Rumble Matches of all time--but then killed his whole family and ruined my enjoyment of that match forever. I also blogged a photograph of myself shaking his hand during a meet & greet--needless to say, I took that image down pretty quick.

Watched movie: "The Counselor" (2013)
Minimalist crime drama written by Cormac McCarthy (author of "No Country for Old Men"), wherein a bunch of philosophical criminals wax poetic and speak in riddles. Despite the film's star power (including a lot of famous actors who just popped in and out without any context), nary any of the characters interested me except for maybe the spiky-haired Javier Bardem. Though I would've found him way more interesting had he reprised Anton Chigurh. :) Rating: 5
Watched movie: "All Is Lost" (2013)
If you ever thought "Life of Pi" dragged, imagine it without the tiger. Though on the positive side, the complete lack of dialogue and narration ensured that nothing was dumbed down. For example, when Robert Redford read a manual on celestial navigation, spat out his potable water, or failed to flag down passing ships, we the audience were left to figure out why. Oscar note: I gotta hand it Robert Redford--it couldn't have been easy for a 77-year-old to film this movie. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "The Lady from Shanghai" (1947-1948)
Kind of campy for a film-noir, but I liked it. Granted, I found the murder plot and trial completely off-the-wall (a defense lawyer cross-examining himself??), and frowned at Orson Welles' distracting Irish accent--but overall I enjoyed watching the unapologetically fiendish characters (complete with creepy close-ups) and that famous funhouse mirror showdown. Rating: 7
One-track mind
10/22/13 7:22 PM PDT

I'm really puzzled by the walking regiment of this tan dog at my apartment complex. It has a collar and looks like some kind of terrier. It walks with purpose, eyes straight ahead, undistracted by things like me or the neighborhood cat. It walks non-stop along the perimeter of my parking lot, continues across the main gate, and passes by from the other side of the fence (where the homeless people used to camp). That's a helluva distance. Then another day or so later, it inexplicably repeats this routine.

Watched movie: "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre" (1948)
A black-and-white Humphrey Bogart movie that had its merits but in my opinion, could've used more shades of gray. Specifically, I wanted to see all three gold prospectors deteriorate and "break bad". But instead, the film made two of them overly-honest (even having them laugh when they lost everything they worked for) and the third one certifiably insane! (It's like, the guy suddenly turned paranoid without rhyme or reason.) Additionally, I felt like the bandits hijacked the plot without really adding anything. Rating: 7
Watched movie: "Escape Plan" (2013)
A contrived prison break movie from beginning to end, wherein Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger play intellectual geniuses. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Enough Said" (2013)
Slow and cringeworthy, albeit a good conversation piece. Julia Louis-Dreyfus plays a divorced masseuse who starts dating James Gandolfini, but then realizes that one of her clients (whom she recently befriended) used to be married to him. Of course, instead of 'fessing up like a normal person, she decides to get all the dirt on him. I actually didn't have a problem with this gambit of hers (possibly because I felt she should've dumped him when he talked during a movie). My problem was that she kept pushing her luck even after their daughter almost spotted her. After that really close call, how could she possibly go on thinking that she wouldn't get busted eventually?? Rating: 5
GO BIG OR GO HOME.
10/14/13 11:08 PM PDT

After roughly six years of construction at the Santa Maria Town Center mall, the Edwards Santa Maria Town Center Stadium 14 & RPX is finally scheduled to open on November 22, 2013. In addition to stadium seating and digital projection, it looks like they'll have an RPX (Regal Premium Experience) theater...whatever that is.

Watched movie: "Robert Rodriguez's Machete Kills" (2013)
Even cheesier than the first movie. Like, off-the-rails cheesy. Heh, I'll never get tired of Machete's one-liners. "Machete don't joke." "Machete happens." Also glad they answered what happened to the Tom Savini character from the previous film. Side note: That opening trailer for "Machete Kills Again... In Space" spoiled the ending of "Machete Kills"! Stay after the credits. Rating: 5
Watched movie: "Captain Phillips" (2013) in IMAX
I doubt I'd ever want to watch this movie again, but kudos to Tom Hanks and Paul Greengrass for injecting some raw emotion into this real-life story. Both the cargo ship crew and the Somali pirates struck me as actual human beings rather than just Hollywood cliches (though I did read later that the film embellished Captain Phillips' heroism). And fortunately for me, I didn't even know whether the real-life Captain Phillips survived or not (though I had my money on "not" because no way would the U.S. appease that ransom demand). Rating: 7
Sky's the limit
10/07/13 6:30 PM PDT

After enjoying "Gravity" in IMAX, I shelled out some more money to watch it in D-BOX too. Needless to say, the seat didn't spin me around or make me feel weightless (probably for the best given how nauseated I felt during my real-life zero gravity flight). It more or less teetered like a waterbed (when the action wasn't crazy). Interestingly, I could actually feel Sandra Bullock's heartbeat sometimes. Wouldn't that be cool, if Motion Effects Seating got to the point where you could feel certain things whether or not they were triggered by specific onscreen cues? For example, I should still be able to feel random debris hitting the hull even if that's outside of the camera's purview.

Watched movie: "Rush" (2013) in D-BOX
Had its moments (like some cool racing scenes that rattled my D-BOX seat), but bored me overall. I liked neither race car driver, and found it hard to care about which guy would ultimately win the 1976 Formula One season. In fact, I actually found Ron Howard's attempts to convince me otherwise manipulative. Rating: 5
Watched movie: "Wadjda" (2012-2013)
Scenic Oscar entry from Saudi Arabia about a Muslim girl's quest to buy a bicycle. Not the most interesting of plots, IMHO, but I did learn a lot about the customs of Muslim women in that society. For instance, they have to ensure that male bystanders can't see their bodies or overhear their voices, and husbands are allowed to marry a second wife. Also for a reason that I couldn't quite understand, a girl riding a bike is frowned upon. Rating: 5
Watched movie: "Gravity" (2013) in IMAX 3D
A breathtaking cinematic ride by Alfonso Cuarón, fraught with jaw-dropping zero-g peril. Much more thrilling than the trailer led me to believe. Going into the movie, I thought that the barrage of debris would simply strand Sandra Bullock and George Clooney in outer space. But no, that stuff slingshotted around every 90 minutes or so to rain hell on whatever space station they reached for next. (And when I say reach for, I mean desperately flailing and clawing for dear life!) Recommendation: See this on the big screen. Rating: 9
Watched movie: "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2" (2013) in 3D
Amusing, yet taxing at the same time. Don't know if it was the 3-D or the overactive animation, but I started getting a headache. Also got tired of the food puns before they even started saying them, and found the notion of "foodimals" disturbing (both visually and ethically). Props to the "hip" aesthetics of Live Corp. though. Rating: 6
Felina
09/30/13 5:43 PM PDT

Awesome "Breaking Bad" series finale. We got to see "Heisenberg" terrorize the Schwartzes, and I loved every minute of it. He really owned those guys, haha. As an added bonus, Walt finally 'fessed up and confirmed precisely what I had said about him.

Update 10/2/2013: One thing I would have added to the series finale: a couple more scenes where Skyler a) bargains with the DEA, and b) reacts to the trust fund. Because the monetary value and the Schwartzes' insistence would probably make her really suspicious. I actually came to the conclusion that Skyler's intelligence indeed rivals Walt's--because as smart as Walt is, he does the dumbest things sometimes. I also don't share fans' overwhelming hatred toward Skyler--most likely because of my foreknowledge that her misgivings come true in a big, big way.

Born bad?
09/27/13 3:39 PM PDT

While screening my DVR footage of the "Breaking Bad" marathon, I began fast-forwarding through anything related to Jesse, Skyler, Hank, Marie, Mike, and the Cousins. Walt intrigues me the most even though I keep shaking my head at his poor choices. I began seeing his crusade to provide for his family as an excuse; a lie he tells himself in order to break bad. Because man, I look at how euphoric and virile he gets after he's done major bad...and it's "crystal" clear to me that he enjoys it. That's actually how I originally pictured the end to this series: a scene where Hank or some judge asks Walt whether he felt any shame for what he did, and him replying that he's never had more fun in his life.

My new predictions on how the series will end: For starters, I imagine we'll get a flashback about why Walt left Gray Matter Technologies--because I searched the Web and it's still a big mystery. Then...

Ultimately I considered that Walt might just kill himself with the ricin cigarette. But nah, I'm thinking he'll flip off the whole world (a la Homer Simpson in the sinkhole) and go out in a hail of bullets. :)

Haha, I enjoyed the reactions to Walt's newly shaved head. Flynn called him "badass" and Jesse said he looked like Lex Luthor.

Speaking of series finales: not only did I hate the final episode of "Dexter", it gave me a nightmare too--about my phobia of sinking into darkness. To see how I would have ended the series, scroll to the bottom of my "Dexter" season 8 review.

Watched movie: "The Wizard of Oz" (1939) in IMAX 3D
Classic melodrama at its finest (and the birthplace of many famous snowclones). The Wicked Witch of the West made a great villain, and somehow Judy Garland played Dorothy without seeming corny at all. I liked the other characters too except for the Cowardly Lion (I'm not a fan of Snagglepuss) and those creepy little munchkins (Lollipop Kids, blecchh). As for the production value, the fake sets and painted backdrops really stood out in the higher resolution--but thanks to the onscreen talent, I still managed to suspend disbelief. Rating: 7
Watched movie: "Prisoners" (2013)
Man...with a runtime of 2.5+ hours, you would think they could spare a few minutes of onscreen payoff after watching the abducted girls' parents suffer for so long. That was my main complaint. Other than that, I found the film moody, engaging, and unpredictable. Maybe not as organic as "Mystic River", but not as depressing either. Side note: That Jake Gyllenhaal detective character twitched his eyes too much. Rating: 6
Blood in the water
09/19/13 7:18 PM PDT

That "Survivor: Blood vs. Water" premiere turned out more interesting than I originally anticipated. Instead of the friendly competition that the returning players and their loved ones kept teasing (ad nauseam), I began to realize what a liability their bonds posed. Cases in point:

P.S. How in the world did Colton survive that first vote?!

Update 10/3/2013: This Tadhana tribe has no mercy. First they tried to weaken the other tribe by baiting Tyson with his own girlfriend. Then they exiled John to Redemption Island knowing full well that he'll have to duel his own wife! Das cold. P.S. Colton's decision to quit inspired me to revisit the "worst Survivor player ever" debate.

Ozymandias
09/16/13 6:09 PM PDT

What a gut-wrenching "Breaking Bad" episode last night. It perturbed me so much that afterward, I watched "Dexter" in a daze. Then that night I had trouble falling sleep, and today I had trouble concentrating at work. The pure, unadulterated despair on Walt's face as he lay there in the dirt haunted me the most. The fact that he'll have to live with this for the rest of his life (not that he has anything left to live for), and can never redeem himself. I know I should hate the guy but man, I can't help feeling sorry for him.

I might be too depressed to ever catch up on any past episodes now. Instead of escapist fun, my brain will likely keep perceiving this show as a cautionary tale about why crime isn't cool. :(

Rented Amazon.com movie: "Passion" (2013)
Whaaat. I went from questioning what was truth to questioning what was reality (narrative disaster when Noomi Rapace kept waking up from a dream). I never saw the original "Crime d'amour", but I'm pretty sure Brian De Palma took liberties with this remake. Case in point: a split-screen between Rachel McAdams and a ballet production?? Heh, her character made me think of an alternate suggestion for the movie title: "How to Get Yourself Murdered". Though I don't know who in their right mind would still consort with her after the first 15 minutes of the film. Final thought: why the ruse with the pills and the confession? Rating: 5
Watched movie: "Insidious: Chapter 2" (2013)
Man, you would think that this Lambert family would safeguard themselves more proactively after everything they went through in the first film, i.e., no more leaving the children alone to investigate strange noises and at a minimum, doing everything possible to protect Dalton from "further" astral threats (pun intended). Good thing those experienced paranormal investigators from the first film carried over. To the movie's credit, I cared about this family's fate and jumped from a couple of good scares. Rating: 6
Mark on the world
09/10/13 8:48 PM PDT

This Serena Williams keeps feeding my superstitions. I tuned into the U.S. Open women's final in time to see Serena blow a huge second set lead against Azarenka, leading me to immediately turn off the TV. Later on when I tuned back in, I saw that Serena had mounted a commanding third set lead. This latest win now places her one Grand Slam title away from tying both Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova. It also appeases my own personal neurosis by levelling three of her Grand Slam singles totals: five Australian Opens, five Wimbledons, and now five US Opens. So going forward, she just needs three more French Opens to make it an even 20. :)

Later that Sunday, I caught an insane episode of "Breaking Bad". In the past I've never been a fan of this series...but man, I am now. I'm on the edge of my seat wondering what will happen next.

Is it bizarro that I like this Walter White character (and hate anyone who dares to humiliate him)? Maybe I haven't seen enough episodes or maybe it's the ethical egoist in me, but his greed and hubristic pride don't bother me nearly as much as his "altruism" toward Jesse (whom I consider an ingrate, a liability, and a junkie whom Walt should have given up on a long time ago). Admittedly, I try not to fault Walt's critics...unless they're self-righteous or rushed to judgment (or took his hard-earned drug money). One thing would turn me against Walt though: if Marie became a widow because of him--so get out of that shootout alive, Hank! :)

Watched movie: "Riddick" (2013) in IMAX
Started out good when Riddick, marooned in a harsh yellow badland, had to fight tooth and nail to survive the alien wildlife. But then once he lured in the bounty hunters and started speaking actual dialogue, I thought the film got corny. Vin Diesel just has this smug cockiness about him that I don't like. Side note: Glad this movie brought me up to speed on the previous installment (which I had purposely skipped), "The Chronicles of Riddick". But after that, the movie referenced "Pitch Black" as if we could still remember what happened in a film that played over 13 years ago. :P Rating: 6
Attended Plácido Domingo concert: "A Very Special Evening Under the Stars" with guest sopranos Angel Joy Blue & Micaëla Oeste
I always regretted missing Luciano Pavarotti in concert, so in no way would I pass up this rare opportunity to see one of the other Three Tenors, Plácido Domingo. From my fourth row seat in U.C. Berkeley's Greek Theatre, I could see the white in his beard and the spittle from his mouth. Voice-wise, the guy's still got it. The two guest sopranos impressed me as well. As for the guest conductor...what a ham. :P

The concert purposely celebrated Verdi and Wagner, two of the most influential composers of operas of the nineteenth century. Meh. :) Also to my disappointment, the setlist wandered from operas to Broadway musicals like "West Side Story" (a waste of their vocal gifts, if you ask me).

Regarding my seat in the pit, a few things bugged me that I tried to ignore: a) the floor's crinkling sound, b) a pesky bug that kept crawling in my hair, and c) a guy to my right who seemed to be texting. If he texted during "Riddick" that would be one thing--but to text during Plácido Domingo?? Sacrilege! :(

Funny how after the intermission, Domingo explained a German scene to us as if we understood what the heck he was talking about. Also funny that during the encores, Domingo invited the audience to sing "Bésame Mucho" and "No Escudar" (sp?) as if we knew what the heck the lyrics were. :D

Side note: Couldn't figure out why this Micaëla Oeste paused the concert with a fish-like hand gesture--an issue with a teleprompter or the noise from a passing train, perhaps? Rating: 7

FYI, here was the setlist:

1-3. Richard Wagner (1813-1883) Prelude to Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg
  "Winterstürme wichen dem Wonnemond," from Die Walküre
  "Dich, teure Halle," from Tannhäuser
4. Umberto Giordano (1867-1948) "Nemico della patria," from Andrea Chénier
5. Charles-François Gounod (1818-1893) "Je veux vivre," from Roméo et Juliette
6-8. Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901) "Udiste?...Mira, di acerbe lagrime," from Il Trovatore
  Overture to Un Giorno di Regno
  "Pura siccome un angelo," from La Traviata
INTERMISSION
9-10. Franz Lehár (1870-1948) "Dein ist mein ganzes Herz," from Das Land des Lächelns
  "Lippen Schweigen," from The Merry Widow
11. Franz von Suppé (1819-1895) Overture to Light Calvary
12. Johann Strauss, Jr. (1825-1899) Act I Trio, from Die Fledermaus
13. Frederick Loewe (1901-1988) "I Could Have Danced All Night," from My Fair Lady
14. Richard Rodgers (1902-1979) "Some Enchanted Evening," from South Pacific
15-16. Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990) Overture to Candide
  "Tonight," from West Side Story
17. Amadeo Vives (1871-1932) "Canción del Arlequín," from La Generala
18. Federico Moreno-Tórroba (1891-1982) "Amor, vida de mi vida," from Maravilla
Encore #1: "Bésame Mucho"
Encore #2: "Anything You Can Do"
Encore #3: ?
Encore #4: ?
Encore #5: "No Escudar" (sp?)
Breaking and...just breaking
09/03/13 4:37 PM PDT

To my dismay, some burglar tried to break into my Dad's house through the kitchen window. The screen had been cut through and dislodged, but the police deduced that a curtain rod/wind chime bell fell off and scared the burglar off. Nothing was taken or ransacked, but still--not a good feeling that a burglar could be hiding in that house whenever I come to visit.

Watched movie: "You're Next" (2013)
Well, the villains' devious home invasion plot contradicted itself (why did they keep after the final witness?) and the family gathering they targeted behaved unrealistically IMHO (peering out windows after the crossbow attack; loitering around unarmed despite the intruder upstairs)...but overall I liked it. It picked up for me once the survivalist girl took charge and the villains began making unusual blunders. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Kick-Ass 2" (2013)
Started out funny--but then the supervillains' cruelty made me lose my smile (and from what I read, the movie actually toned down the atrocities in the comic book (!)). Definitely stay after the credits. Side note: Good job on the incorporation of social networking and speech bubbles. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones" (2013) in IMAX
All the makings of a young adult film: vampires, werewolves, demons, half-angels, magic, and a love triangle. In other words, blehhh. I did like the whole idea of enchanted runes, at least (especially when the Shadowhunters used glow wands to draw them in the air). Rating: 5
Watched movie: "The World's End" (2013)
Third Edgar Wright film in the Three Flavours Cornetto trilogy wherein Simon Pegg's feckless character--undeterred by an invasion of robotic body snatchers--attempts to finish his friends' pub crawl through their old hometown. Funny, but sometimes cringeworthy. Rating: 6
Curiosity...
08/23/13 7:37 PM PDT

I've seen some relatively interesting developments near the IBM lobby: a raccoon family raiding the cats' feeding spots....the black-striped cat dissing a newcomer cat (this one had similarly black stripes on its legs but with tan fur on its back) by hiding in a bush as it approached...but never have I seen a development as interesting as the other night's. To my surprise, a skunk was sniffing around the cats' favorite hangout...unaware that around the corner, the gray (?) cat was slowly advancing toward it! I gaped powerlessly at this ignorant cat, unable to look away as the skunk recoiled and raised its tail in a kung fu pose. Fortunately, it looked like the skunk missed (judging by the aim of its butt, I probably would've gotten the shot had that window not separated us). In any case, the cat darted out of there like a lightning bolt.

I once saw a Jackass episode where Johnny Knoxville got sprayed by a skunk, and if I remember correctly he needed paint to get the stink off. They also tested personal self-defense weapons one time, and the guy they tested on concluded that pepper spray hurt him the most. So believe it or not, sometimes that show was educational. :)

Watched movie: "Lee Daniels' The Butler" (2013)
Basically fast-forwards through 11 U.S. Presidents and three decades of African-American civil rights activism (omitting key events such as WWII and 9/11). As a result, I felt like the movie lacked depth and paled to dramas like "The Help" and "Lincoln". I did find some parts emotional at least, and was pleased with where they chose to end the film. Rating: 6
Most likely to be cynical
08/15/13 11:31 AM PDT

The only Seattle's Best Coffee in all of northern California closes today. Ordinarily, this would have made my worst of the year list--but looking back on 2013, I doubt it will even crack the top five. Business-wise, the Fremont Theatre can't be far behind...ever since they agreed to a new lease to the end of February 2014, that place has looked more dead than ever. I also saw it as a bad sign that Best Buy did not carry the newly released WWE DVD I was looking for. I had to drive all the way to FYE instead.

After some internal debate, I decided to salvage my old letterman jacket from my Dad's house. I skipped dry-cleaning it because they wouldn't even take it until I removed all the pins. I imagine most people would find sentimental value in their jackets...but not me. Not only did I hate my stint on the varsity tennis team, I pretty much disliked all of high school in general. Although I wouldn't go so far as to call it a "living hell"...I would go so far as to call it a "purgatory". :) I met the rudest people there, and always felt stressed out (which for better or for worse, did prime me for the real world).

Watched movie: "Elysium" (2013) in IMAX
Going into this movie, I had misgivings that I'd find it pretentious and inferior to Neill Blomkamp's previous masterpiece, "District 9". Unfortunately, these misgivings became a reality. I did, however, admire all the seamless, meticulously detailed sci-fi visuals. From 2154 Los Angeles to Max's factory to the space station, I was impressed. Side note: Can a space station really spin fast enough to hold an atmosphere? Rating: 7
Herding cats
08/09/13 8:16 PM PDT

When I stopped by the lab last weekend, that black-striped cat (from my previous blog) meowed urgently at me from its new hangout near the lobby...making me think that it didn't know its food and water bowls had moved to a bush around the corner. So I tried pointing toward the new spot, but the cat didn't understand. I tried to get it to follow me, but it wouldn't move. When I walked toward it, it shied away. So finally I went and fetched the food bowl (which was covered in ants that started crawling onto my hand). Then when it finished eating, I took the food bowl back and raised it over my head to show where I was putting it.

Looking back, I now think the cat knew the bowls' location all along...because later in the week, I saw it creeping over there before eventually returning back to the lobby. So maybe someone by the lobby fed it a tasty treat or something that it wanted more of. The way I see it, this once adventurous cat no longer has a life (says the guy who works in an office job five days a week). It just loiters there by the lobby.

In other news, thanks to a new wet/dry recycling program at my workplace, our printer room stinks like rotting garbage. I actually think I'm getting used to the stench though. :(

Watched movie: "Blue Jasmine" (2013)
Typical Woody Allen fare wherein the characters lack good judgement and make fools of themselves. Maybe it's just me, but the movie seemed to make men look really bad. I felt particularly dismayed by how guys kept pestering the damaged Cate Blanchett character when it looked crystal clear that she could crack at any second! Overall, I think I would've liked the film better had the Cate Blanchett character learned something. :( Rating: 5
Watched movie: "The Wolverine" (2013) in 3D
If you ask me, best part of the movie was during the credits when Patrick Stewart rolled up as if "X-Men: The Last Stand" had never happened! Worst part of the movie: how Jean Grey kept appearing in Logan's dreams, a constant reminder that "X-Men: The Last Stand" had really happened. Man, it's not like they had anything--get over it. :( As for the rest of the film, I liked the depiction of modern Japan and the Yakuza fights (especially the bullet train mayhem). Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters" (2013) in 3D
A tweener version of "Wrath of the Titans" that completely jobs Kronos (the gods don't even come down to fight him; Percy manages to beat him singlehandedly). I'd basically describe this series as a spinning wheel that takes everything cool about Greek mythology and turns it into fluff. Rating: 5
Cat and cat
08/01/13 2:29 PM PDT

Sometimes I like watching videos from that Distraction category on CNN.com. For example, Cat hates ThunderShirt. Even though they don't consider it news, for me it beats all the death, murder, and depravity that fills the headlines ad nauseam.

Speaking of distractions, I've been observing two stray cats at my IBM lab for quite awhile now, one gray and one black-striped. They don't seem to get along as I once caught the gray one sneaking up on the black-striped one, and freezing in place every time the black-striped one turned around. I also heard them catfighting inside of a bush one time.

I considered naming the black-striped one "Catniss" because it always looks hungry and likes to nap in the exact same thicket around 5-6pm each day. But after thinking about it, "Scaredy Cat" seemed like a better fit. :)

Watched movie: "Jagten" (2012) a.k.a. "The Hunt" (2013)
A hair-raising, grippingly tragic Danish drama wherein a growing number of villagers--misled by a little girl's pornographic remark--begin to persecute an innocent kindergarten teacher for pedophilia (and as a result, he finds out who his true friends really are). I found the movie frighteningly believable except for maybe a couple of parts: a) I don't think an innocent person would react so stoically to the initial accusation--rather, I would think he'd deny it with every fiber of his being (!), and b) I found it implausible how those other kids began weaving such elaborate lies about him. One observation about the ending: I guess now he knows what it's like for the deer! :P Rating: 7
Turbo-stoic.
07/25/13 5:55 PM PDT

While getting the lining of my wheel well repaired, I watched an entire episode of "The Price Is Right" in the waiting room. Heh...if I ever competed on that show, I might go down as the worst contestant ever. From the "Come on down!" to the chance of winning a new car, my lack of excitement would probably confuse the viewing audience.

Watched movie: "Turbo" (2013) in 3D
This whole movie was impossible. Great racing animation though. Turbo-tastic! Funny snails too. Can't say the same for those borderline offensive taco vendors. Stay during the credits. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "R.I.P.D." (2013) in 3D
Like "Men In Black", but much harder to care about because the two lawmen seemed impervious to harm and (literally) had no lives. Rating: 4
Watched movie: "The Conjuring" (2013) in Cinemark XD
Not sure why this ghost flick garnered such critical acclaim, as it seemed similar to James Wan's previous film "Insidious". I guess I just don't find crones or retouched ghosts all that scary. In fact, that simple-looking maid spooked me the most. Rating: 6
I think I can
07/19/13 11:28 AM PDT

Last weekend, I rode a train from San Jose to San Luis Obispo for the first time...the Amtrack Coast Starlight. It took roughly five hours but had a few highlights:

Afterward, I rode a bus to Santa Maria and walked home from IHOP.

The mission to sell my Dad's car tested my coolheadedness. To my dismay, the car failed to start (not even an ignition noise), even though its electrical power seemed fine during my previous visit. After roadside assistance jump-started it and left, the car stalled halfway up the street and I had to jump out and push it to the nearest curb. Fortunately, there was an auto shop open on Sunday that the car could be towed to. Once they replaced the dead battery, the car worked fine again. (Mechanic's lesson of the day: a car's fuel injection system needs electricity to work.)

Watched movie: "Pacific Rim" (2013) in IMAX 3D
A no holds barred collision of Kaiju and mecha genres directed by Guillermo del Toro. Thankfully, nowhere near as bad as those horrid Transformers movies. Best viewed on a big screen. Stay during the credits. Side note: Anytime a combatant decimated their opponent with a major weapon, it made me wonder why they didn't use it earlier! (While I'm at it, I found it hard to believe that no one thought of it earlier to smuggle a bomb in through a Kaiju.) Rating: 7
Watched movie: "Fruitvale Station" (2013)
Organic and resonantly human. I actually screened this movie in Oakland, less than four miles from that Fruitvale Station where the BART policeman shot Oscar Grant. Although I expected a partisan crowd, I wasn't prepared for the cries of grief that I heard (it started to make me wonder whether anyone in that theater might have known Oscar Grant personally). The film made the BART police look pretty bad (especially with that villain from "Lost" playing one of them)--but on the other hand, the movie did show Oscar's temper a couple of times. Personally, I'll never understand why people behave belligerently toward police officers, even jerk ones. It's like, you have nothing to gain and everything to lose. Side note: Neat cell phone display effects. Rating: 7
Without further ado
07/12/13 6:22 PM PDT

Interesting. When I mentioned at work that my Dad (stubborn to the end) refused an ambulance during his heart attack, they said it sounded like something I would do as well. What? I may have my pride, but I wouldn't die for it. :P I also wouldn't pinch pennies when it comes to my life either.

One thing that haunts me: my Dad always had low cholesterol and seemed to eat healthy--given that he had a heart attack anyway, what chance do I have later in life. :(

My Dad left behind a 1987 Toyota Camry, a car I always resented because he wouldn't let my Mom and me drive it when I was growing up. Now it's old and out-of-date, e.g., no airbags and still uses cassette tapes--in retrospect, hardly worth slighting one's family for.

Watched movie: "Much Ado About Nothing" (2013)
Well, Joss Whedon and his arsenal of hams tried mightily...but alas, I can think of nothing in heaven nor earth that can make Shakespeare funny. Witty, poetic, or evocative perhaps--but not funny. Rating: 5
Watched movie: "The Lone Ranger" (2013) in Cinemark XD
Asinine. Though admittedly, I liked that whole William Tell Overture train sequence. Rating: 5
Watched movie: "The Bling Ring" (2013)
I like this movie because (I think) it makes fun of everything I hate about today's teenagers, from their unbearably shallow conversations to the cell phones they photograph themselves with. Still hard for me to believe the lack of security at those celebrities' homes, even though Sofia Coppola based the film on a real-life case (the Hollywood Hills Burglars). Also, my brain kept typecasting Emma Watson as a celebrity rather than a burglar. :P Rating: 6
Roller coaster
07/06/13 4:06 AM PDT

During this Wimbledon tournament where all kinds of top seeds got eliminated in the early rounds (I guess tennis fans had griped about Federer vs. Nadal in the quarterfinals for nothing), I made a mental note to discuss it with my Dad; but then realized I couldn't do that anymore.

I have to admit, I respected how my Dad clung to life. His heart kept beating on its own, and his brain seemed perfectly lucid. That's what made all those life and death decisions about him (like a DNR) so agonizing. (Well, that and the way the doctors kept raising our hopes one day only to dash them in the next.) By the end of all that suffering, I actually felt relief that my Dad had finally found peace.

By the way, that West Coast blackout hit the hospital but only brought down non-essential systems like terminals and outlets. I didn't realize the extent of the blackout until we drove home to a pitch black house.

Also found it curious that anytime a new baby was born in that hospital, a lullaby played over the intercom.

I finally go back to work on July 8. I've been away since June 20, and have started feeling anxiety. :P

Watched movie: "World War Z" (2013) in 3D
Refreshingly intelligent zombie apocalypse flick wherein former U.N. investigator Brad Pitt travels the world searching for patient zero. Featured a lot of cool scenes like humans quietly sneaking past zombies, zombies swarming up walls and down pathways like ants, and zombies attacking a helicopter. I also liked Brad Pitt's ingenuity, e.g., taping magazines to his forearms and counting seconds to himself on a ledge. My only minor criticisms: I felt that the movie needed more gore and less family screen time. Rating: 8
Watched movie: "Before Midnight" (2013)
Too much talking, if you ask me. I couldn't stand that overbearingly argumentative Julie Delpy character, and couldn't fathom what the Ethan Hawke character ever saw in her (maybe I needed to see the first two installments). She struck me as some kind of feminist drama queen. Rating: 5
Watched movie: "Monsters University" (2013) in 3D
Funny prequel to "Monsters, Inc." about the two college misfits who ironically, ended up revolutionizing the entire scare industry. Stay after the credits. Rating: 7
Watched movie: "Despicable Me 2" (2013) in 3D
Hilarious and well-animated. I still don't know what those minions are, but they crack me up. Rating: 7
Watched movie: "The East" (2013)
Interesting albeit borderline pretentious thriller wherein undercover operative Brit Marling grows torn between her employer (a corporate security firm) and the eco-terrorist group she infiltrated. In particular, I found that whole business of privatized intelligence intriguing. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "White House Down" (2013)
So corny and contrived that it almost seemed like a mockery of America. I could even picture Jack Bauer scoffing at it. :) Rating: 5
Tad Aoki 1926-2013
06/27/13 2:34 AM PDT

My Dad passed away on Tuesday. He toughed out a rough few days after his heart attack long enough for our family to say our goodbyes to him.

In preparation of his death, he personalized a passage from Coffinman to convey the following message to those he left behind:

There's nothing I regret as I take my leave.
I've lived a full life, in fact, more than I deserve.
Thank you, thank you all for making my stay on this earth such an enjoyable, happy, and fulfilling one
My hope is that Namoamidabutsu will be an important part of your life for I sincerely believe that this is the greatest gift one can ever receive.

I also wrote the following obituary for the Santa Maria Times:

TADASHI "TAD" AOKI
1926-2013

Tad was born on 11/4/1926 in Reedley, California to parents Kanichi and Yachiyo Aoki.

Tad passed away on June 25, 2013 surrounded by his close family.

Tad graduated Reedley College, served as an infantryman at Fort Lewis, Washington until 1950, graduated UCLA in 1956, taught high school and collegiate business in Santa Maria for 30 and 45 years, respectively, and worked part-time for Maguire Investments for over 40 years. He married Michi Aoki in 1960 and raised four children. He also devoted over 50 years to the Guadalupe Buddhist Church.

Tad was preceded in death by his parents Kanichi and Yachiyo Aoki and wife Michi Aoki.

He is survived by daughters Naomi Choquette of Mililani, Hawaii, June Trachsel of Pacific Grove. Sons Stanley and Steven Aoki of San Jose. Grandchildren Nathan, Kelsi and Jarad Choquette of Mililani, Hawaii and Corinne Trachsel of Pacific Grove. Sisters Yosh Ishibashi of Los Angeles, Atsuko Judge of San Francisco. Brothers Hitoshi and Kiyoshi of Reedley.

Viewing services will be held on Saturday, June 29, 2013 from 2:00 P.M. to 4:30 P.M. at Dudley-Hoffman Mortuary. Memorial services will be held on Sunday, June 30, 2013 at 10:00 A.M. at the Guadalupe Buddhist Temple.

Arrangements are under the direction of Dudley-Hoffman Mortuary, Crematory and Memory Gardens.

Upon reflection, my parents always reminded me of that Giving Tree (from my favorite childhood book of the same name). The tree selflessly gave and gave pieces of itself to the growing boy and even after it became a stump, the tree was happy.

Stingy as my Dad was, he always provided for us and ultimately made us into responsible adults.

I will miss him and just want to say, Thanks for everything, Dad.

Not your father's Superman
06/23/13 12:31 AM PDT
Watched movie: "Man of Steel" (2013) in IMAX 3D
Wildy convoluted with plot devices, disjointed flashbacks (including a terribly pointless death for Jonathan Kent), and ludicrously impressive visual effects. Rating: 7
Hell to pay
06/19/13 5:31 PM PDT

The main event of WWE Payback...not the best Three Stages of Hell Match I've seen, but definitely better than the last one I personally attended. (Possibly because now those new breaks between the stages help prevent quick victories.) I liked the spots when the lumberjacks fell, when the ring steps broke tables, and when the ambulance got dismantled. The ending totally confused me. From my seat, I could see John Cena deliver an AA on top of the ambulance--then next thing I knew, the ring bell sounded. Later on the TitanTron replay, I gleaned that Ryback had inexplicably crashed through the roof.

"Ryback ROOOOOLS!"
"The CHAMP is HERRRE!"
Stage 1: Lumberjack Match
Stage 2: Tables Match
Stage 3: Ambulance Match

Watched movie: "This Is the End" (2013)
Hysterical apocalyptic film wherein a whole bunch of my favorite comedic actors, playing (caricatures of) themselves, get left behind in the Rapture during a party at James Franco's house. Of course, hilarity ensues as their narrow-minded brains try to process what's happening--and I don't know how, but they all manage to keep a straight face while saying the dumbest things. During one particularly stupid argument, I laughed so hard that tears streamed down my cheeks. Rating: 8
Watched movie: "Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me" (1992)
I screened this movie again as part of Camera Cinemas' Cult Movie Series. Still as viscerally emotional as ever. The crowd didn't make much sound, but who can blame them. :P

Historically, I always saw Twin Peaks as a community blind to Laura Palmer's suffering. But as I watched this movie again, I realized that she did have positive relationships (including people reaching out to her)--just not the positive relationship that mattered most, i.e., the one with her father. That's what made that one solitary scene between them, where his true self briefly emerged, so heartwrenching. I also liked that theme of Laura (justifiably) feeling like the angels had forsaken her.

Chris Isaak and Kiefer Sutherland made an entertaining onscreen duo, IMHO. I think they'd make a great spin-off. Side note: The interior of the Double R Diner much more wooden than I remembered--it must have been remodeled before my visit. Rating: 9

The King of Clay
06/11/13 2:28 PM PDT

Congratulations to Rafael Nadal on his unprecedented eighth French Open title, making him the first man to win the same Grand Slam title eight times. Crazy seeing that protester storm the court with a flare. Hehe, after Usain Bolt presented the trophy, John McEnroe asked Nadal what he thought of the "crazy idiot" on the court. Nadal replied, "Usain?"

Also congratulations to Serena Williams for finally winning that second French Open title after 11 years! I'm glad she didn't fall on her back in celebration this time (I always worry she'll hit her head). It surprised me that the French audience rooted for her, and surprised me even more when she delivered her victory speech in French! (I guess she had 11 years to practice it.)

Man, Maria Sharapova had a look on her face like she'd lost her best friend. The neurotic in me kinda doesn't want her to win another Grand Slam title because that would throw off her perfectly even, "minimalist" Career Grand Slam.

Watched movie: "epic" (2013) in 3D
Funny, touching, and impressively scenic. Special props to the two comical gastropods (voiced by Aziz Ansari and Chris O'Dowd). Even their silent "told you so" look amused me. P.S. That mismatch in the time rates confused me--like why would a bee and a human look slow to Leafmen but not a slug or a snail! Rating: 7
Watched movie: "Stories We Tell" (2012-2013)
Some kind of brain-teasing documentary by Sarah Polley that unveils her mother's deep dark secrets in a style I'd describe as "algebraic". Stuff in particular that vexed me:
  • For most of the movie, Sarah's father narrated from a bunch of pages with no explanation as to what they were.
  • None of the interviews of the friends and family had captions to identify their connection to Sarah's mother. I essentially had to pencil out a family tree in my own mind.
  • A lot the interviewees' statements felt out-of-context because of the film's delay in imparting certain crucial facts. Case in point: the revelation that the mother died when Sarah was 11-years-old.
  • Jittery, grainy home movie clips often distracted me from the actual narrative.
  • Sarah, one of the most important pieces in this picture, limited her side of the story to e-mails rather than a full interview--possibly to avoid the appearance of partiality or conceit (but if she really wanted to do that, she should've entrusted someone else with the documentary).
In conclusion, by Sarah's own admission, I don't think that she knew what she was doing. Rating: 5
Watched On Demand movie: "V/H/S/2" (2013)
Much better crop of VHS (?) "found footage" horror shorts this time, directed by filmmakers from "The Blair Witch Project", "The Raid: Redemption", "You're Next", and "Hobo with a Shotgun". I liked the recordings from the ocular implant, the "zombie cam", and the Indonesian cult compound. I hated the "dog cam" one and come to think of it, I hated "Hobo with a Shotgun" too. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "The Purge" (2013) in Cinemark XD
Thought-provoking horror thriller wherein the United States government legalizes all crime in America (including murder) for one night a year. Why would the American public ever go along with such a thing, you ask? Apparently it saved the country from some kind of socioeconomic collapse. (Personally, I would've fled to another country first chance I got.) My biggest question: what about weapons of mass destruction? Still off-limits, according to the emergency broadcast. Though with all emergency services suspended, how could the authorities prevent such a thing? (Also, how could they tell if a crime was committed before 7pm or after 7am?) Scariest realization in the movie for me: the thought of some enemy (either known or unknown) plotting ways to get past all of my protections and deterrents. Man, that one part in the movie where hell suddenly broke loose--I didn't see that coming at all. Rating: 7
Legacy
06/04/13 5:51 PM PDT

Looks like Apolo Anton Ohno retired from speed skating. :( He's going to the 2014 Sochi Olympics as a correspondent for NBC (and recently hosted "Minute to Win It" for the Game Show Network). Not that I can blame him for staying away from U.S. Speedskating, given all the recent scandal there.

Watched movie: "From Here to Eternity" (1953)
Despite eight Oscars and a really famous beach scene where the tide washes over two kissing lovers, I didn't find this film all that meaningful. Mostly because I couldn't make sense of the three soldiers' self-destructive (and exasperating) convictions. Where did their self-sacrifices get them? (Rhetorical question.) P.S. That inaccurate account at the end confused me. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "After Earth" (2013) in IMAX
Would've been cool to title this movie "Mutha Earth" instead, but that probably would've sounded racist. The story takes place on a future "quarantined" Earth sometime after the animals and climate (including the air itself) turned against humanity. Crash survivors Will Smith and his real-life son Jaden must recover a beacon in the tail section of their weird-looking spaceship to escape. I'd call it one of M. Night Shyamalan's better films, even though the novelty of his stoic characters wore off on me long ago. P.S. If I were in Will Smith's shoes trying to coach his son, I would've totally lost it. :) Rating: 7
Watched movie: "Now You See Me" (2013)
A magician encases an autographed playing card into a young tree so that 18 years later, he can perform the mother of all card tricks. Some time later, four magicians begin goading the police with illegal bank capers. Why did I mention the former? Because it helped me suspend disbelief for the latter. Granted, the film still contained too many variables, moving parts, snap hypnoses, and special effects for me to consider it remotely plausible. But I still found it clever. Jesse Eisenberg even picked my card at the beginning of the movie! Rating: 7
Watched movie: "Singin' in the Rain" (1952)
What this legendary musical lacked in plot and songwriting (dare I say "fluff"?), it made up for in laughs and showmanship. I was impressed by the stars' talent. Nowadays, I can't think of a single actor who can sing and tap dance like Gene Kelly. Rating: 7
Carmageddon
05/27/13 10:22 PM PDT

If I had to name my favorite car chase in movie history, I'd end up with a three-way tie. In other words, I can think of three car chases so insanely good that I can't decide which one I like the best:

"The Matrix Reloaded" (2003)

Every time I watch this mindbending tour de force, it specifically makes me think of U.S. Highway 101. Eventually I discovered why: it turns out the film crew used a real-life US 101 freeway sign on an otherwise fake freeway. They built the entire freeway from scratch--then dismantled it after about three months--just to shoot roughly ~15 minutes worth of action! What an awesome ~15 minutes of action though.
"The Bourne Supremacy" (2004)

A white knuckle thrill ride through Moscow that felt as much like a demolition derby as it did a high-speed chase. I loved the soundtrack during this sequence so much that I used to play it in my Corolla (while driving responsibly, of course).
"Fast Five" (2011)

Initially, the trailer made it look like two muscle cars would simply drag a vault around with the police in hot pursuit. So when they went medieval with that thing and wreaked havoc all over Rio de Janeiro, my jaw dropped. After screening this movie in D-BOX--which made my seat quake whenever the vault tumbled across the ground--I came back the very next day just to relive the experience. Then about five months later during IMAX Big Movie Week, I re-watched the action without motion effects and still enjoyed every pulse-pounding second.
Watched movie: "The Hangover Part III" (2013)
I've never been a fan of these Hangover films, but at least this one felt a little classier (that is until the credits). Rating: 5
Watched movie: "Furious 6" (2013) in D-BOX
Crew vs. crew in a knockdown drag-out war! I used to roll my eyes at this Fast & Furious franchise, but now I genuinely enjoy it. This latest installment outdid them all in terms of plot holes, but at least they finally stitched up some continuity that had been bugging me, i.e., Tokyo Drift (though deep down inside I had hoped Han would eject from his car or something). P.S. The Rock should add that flying Double Dragon 3 headbutt to his WWE repertoire! :) Rating: 7
Oh darkness 30
05/20/13 5:57 PM PDT

Hehe, saw a devilishly clever bumper sticker that simply read: "fredo deserved it".

I read that Jack Bauer will return next summer for a 12-episode limited series, "24: Live Another Day". It'll take place years after the original series finale and skip hours here and there. (That makes more sense to me as I always found it unrealistic how Jack never once got stuck in L.A. traffic.) Here's hoping they tie up that loose end between Jack and Audrey.

Watched movie: "Star Trek Into Darkness" (2013) in IMAX 3D
Lots of cool stuff (most notably a spectacular free fall where gravity inexplicably shifted), but do J.J. Abrams & co. hold nothing sacred?? After I just got done forgiving the previous film too. Although I didn't mind the British version of Carol Marcus, the way this movie flagrantly retreaded all-time classic Wrath of Khan (complete with a vanilla Benedict Cumberbatch) left me outraged. Like that whole radiation chamber dialogue with Spock co-opting Kirk's famous line--a complete farce, if you ask me. :( Rating: 6
Watched movie: "The Seven Year Itch" (1955)
Famous Marilyn Monroe comedy where her dress blows up over a subway grating (though it pretty much happened offscreen). Between her airheaded routine and Richard Sherman's neurotic ramblings (and overactive imagination), I longed for the movie to end. Side note: At one point, the guy made a confusingly facetious remark that maybe he had Marilyn Monroe in his kitchen. I didn't get it, but the audience laughed. Rating: 4
Survivor: Caramoan finale
05/13/13 1:33 PM PDT

Kudos to Cochran for a well-deserved Survivor victory! A kindred spirit in that he struck me as introverted (judging by his lack of close personal connections with jurors), unassuming, and fond of big words. One really big exception though: I wouldn't be crazy enough to play Survivor. Granted, I would enjoy the part where I vote out enemies...but not the inevitable part where I'd have to vote out friends. I'd also hate the cold, starvation, and total lack of privacy. :)

In regard to Boston Rob's new rulebook, I think I'd identify more with Cochran's rules based on the great points he made about timing and voting people out preemptively. My own Survivor rules would look more like this:

Next season = Survivor: Blood vs. Water? Probably not as interesting as it sounds, as I can't imagine anyone voting out their own family member or spouse. Ugh...I would cringe if they brought Brandon back.

Watched movie: "Aftershock" (2013)
Terribly drawn-out horror flick full of poor taste and eye-rolling drama. Took forever for the earthquake to hit. Selena Gomez made an inexplicable cameo. Rating: 4
Watched movie: "The Great Gatsby" (2013) in 3D
Greatest strength of the original novel, IMHO: F. Scott Fitzgerald's literary flair. Greatest strength of this latest theatrical adaptation, IMHO: Baz Luhrmann's cinematic flair. Such grandeur...way glitzier and more glamorous than anything I could have imagined myself. Possibly because of how lavishly the film seemed to modernize the 1920s (I'm pretty skeptic that the Roaring Twenties had hip-hop music and such wild street racing). Side note: I found Baz's interpretation of the hit-and-run interesting, as it played out more like a legitimate accident than a homicide. Rating: 7
A release date far, far away....
05/09/13 7:38 PM PDT

Compiled a new list of coming attractions on my radar:

"Star Trek Into Darkness" (May 17, 2013)
I'm optimistic about it even though I didn't care for the IMAX extended preview.
"V/H/S/2" (June 6, 2013)
Sequel to found footage anthology "V/H/S".
"World War Z" (June 21, 2013)
One of the two movies of 2013 that I'm most looking forward to.
"Elysium" (August 9, 2013)
A new one from Neill Blomkamp, director of "District 9". Unsurprisingly, it's about a future where the lower-class suffer on Earth while the upper-class thrive in a luxurious space station.
"Captain Phillips" (October 11, 2013)
Latest from Paul Greengrass.
"The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" (November 22, 2013)
The other movie of 2013 that I'm most looking forward to. I really enjoyed the book.
"The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug" (December 13, 2013)
Read the book so long ago that I only remember bits and pieces.
"X-Men: Days of Future Past" (July 18, 2014)
Based on a classic time travel story from the X-Men comics...meaning that in addition to the "First Class" class, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Hugh Jackman, (a pregnant) Halle Berry, Anna Paquin, and Ellen Page all get to reprise their roles. Plus Bryan Singer has returned to the franchise to direct!
"Interstellar" (November 7, 2014)
The next film by Christopher Nolan--some kind of scientific time travel epic.
"The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1" (November 21, 2014)
I can think of spots where the film can improve upon the book. I also have a prediction about where they'll end Part 1.
"The Hobbit: There and Back Again" (December 17, 2014)
Not sure what's left to film at this point.
"The Expendables 3" (2014)
I already heard confirmation for Jackie Chan and Wesley Snipes.
"The Avengers 2" (May 1, 2015)
With Joss Whedon back to direct it, I feel good about it.
"The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2" (November 20, 2015)
I guess in the spirit of the Hunger Games Cornucopia, these installments come out every Thanksgiving.
"Finding Dory" (November 25, 2015)
Sequel to Pixar's "Finding Nemo". I say let her stay lost. :)
"Star Wars: Episode VII" (2015)
Directed by J.J. Abrams who also directed the "Star Trek" reboot! Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, and Mark Hamill all reprise their original roles.

Just wishful thinking, but I think Identity Crisis would make an awesome Justice League movie. It's a whodunit about a terrorist who knows the superheroes' secret identities, and goes after their loved ones. Also explores some past ethical compromises within the Justice League itself.

Silver screen
05/06/13 3:46 PM PDT

Saw another movie on my "famous classic films I've never seen" checklist, "The Graduate". It played for one night in theaters, so I got to see it in widescreen format (I vaguely remembered a film critic using this film as an example of why moviegoers should stick to letterboxing rather than full-screen/pan-and-scan).I still have two other Dustin Hoffman films on my checklist: "Midnight Cowboy" and "All the President's Men". I also resolved to see at least one Marilyn Monroe film and James Dean film.

Incidentally, one of the more recent Simpsons episodes reminded me that I still have "A Streetcar Named Desire" on my checklist...despite my disappointment with "On the Waterfront". (Other classic films I found overrated: "The Searchers", "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly", "Casablanca", and most of all "Sunset Boulevard".)

Watched movie: "The Graduate" (1967)
Funny guy, that Dustin Hoffman. But I gotta say, it really bothered me that the girl he fell in love with after only one date--a veritable supermodel with her whole life ahead of her--could even entertain the idea of marrying him after everything he did (and more importantly, didn't do). I wasn't too sure what Mrs. Robinson saw in him either. :) P.S. I would've bolted out of that house so fast. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Iron Man Three" (2013) in IMAX 3D
Tony Stark, M.D....even when he's suffering anxiety attacks or in a hopeless situation, I still find him aloof. And what arrogance, giving his home address to a terrorist and later discarding his Iron Men saviors! But I have to admit...unlike "House, M.D.", I still like the guy. It wasn't lost on me that his first instinct, in the heat of the moment, was to armor up Pepper instead of himself (plus I found that voice message unexpectedly considerate of him). I also noted the respect he showed for Happy Hogan, that kid he pretended not to like, and--if you think about it--Dr. Bruce Banner. As for all that pseudo-science in the movie...I decided to just cut these "Iron Man" flicks some slack. Definitely stay after the credits. Side note: Quite the millennium party...in addition to the Extremis folks, Tony Stark ran into his future mentor Yinsen and the Chinese surgeon from the operation scene. Rating: 6
Name is mud
04/29/13 10:51 PM PDT

Michael Shannon Reads the Insane Delta Gamma Sorority Letter. Man das funny. This is precisely why I save my flame e-mails in draft mode instead of sending them, so I can tone them down once I've cooled off. If I had kids, I'd give them that same advice--and while I'm at it, warn them against phishing, catfishing, and taking pictures that could leak online. I wonder if parents nowadays even think of that stuff.

Watched movie: "Upstream Color" (2013)
The next intellectual challenge from the director of "Primer". Just like a Terrence Malick film, it's nebulous and apparently took nine years to make. :) Actually, I'd liken it more to a contour drawing. The scenes unfold as fragments, so we only get a holistic sense of what's happening. For instance, at one point I started noticing a ring on the fingers of both romantic leads--meaning, presumably, that the director didn't find their wedding relevant enough to show! Also, the movie didn't explain much. I'm still unsure about the "Ceti eels" that hypnotized the thief's victims, why the pig farmer seemed like a ghost, and why the girl shot him. Rating: 7
Watched movie: "To the Wonder" (2013)
Speaking of Terrence Malick, he came out with this new perfume commercial called "To the Wonder", complete with melancholy whispering, heavyhearted characters (including a priest who lost his faith), and scenic landscapes. The narrative was so minimal that most of the scenes felt out of context to me. For example, due to the lack of dialogue I still don't know what made Olga Kurylenko so furious with Ben Affleck. Rating: 5
Watched in-theater event: "Star Trek: The Next Generation - The Best of Both Worlds"
Digitally remastered presentation of "The Best Of Both Worlds" (a.k.a. the traumatic two-parter where the Borg co-opted our beloved Picard) which seamlessly transitions from Part I to II...effectively ruining one of the greatest cliffhangers in TV history. :( Originally, I (and interviewee Seth MacFarlane) remember the jaw-dropping sequence as "Mr. Worf...fire." followed by "TO BE CONTINUED..." But this uninterrupted version cut straight to the next scene. Otherwise, I enjoyed re-watching this landmark Star Trek classic in a crowd environment. The behind-the-scenes featurette had some great interviews (the actress who played Shelby was funny), and the outtakes/bloopers from season 3 cracked me up.
Watched movie: "Pain & Gain" (2013) in Cinemark XD
An onslaught of bad taste that makes fun of a pretty appalling real-life capital case. Reminded me of "Ren & Stimpy" in that the asinine humor started out funny, but then numbed my brain after awhile. Rating: 4
Watched movie: "Mud" (2013)
Slow Tom Sawyer-esque adventure wherein two boys try to help a fugitive reunite with his on-off girlfriend. Southern etiquette continues to elude me--for example, I couldn't reconcile how a kid polite enough to call people "sir" and "ma'am" could just coldcock somebody on a dime. Also, what was up with that spit shake stuff. Side note: Was it my imagination, or was the movie trying to say that women "cain't" be trusted? Rating: 6
All enemies, foreign and domestic
04/21/13 9:40 PM PDT

A week passed since my last blog and I have to say, I'm really impressed with U.S. counterterrorism. Not just because both Boston Marathon bombing fugitives have been taken down, but because the Feds managed to arrest someone for the ricin letters too! Makes me wish they could spare someone to help catch the perps who keep sabotaging the phone and network lines in our area...

Update 4/22/2013: Wow. Feds charged the Boston Marathon bombing suspect with using a weapon of mass destruction, the equivalent of detonating a nuke or using airplanes as missiles. Minimum sentence = life imprisonment without parole. For a teenager who still has his whole life ahead of him, I'm thinking that punishment might be worse than death.

Watched movie: "Evil Dead" (2013) in Cinemark XD
Much gorier than the original...beyond that, nothing redeeming comes to mind. Still don't understand why Sam Raimi, Bruce Campbell, and Robert Tapert pushed so hard to remake their original horror classic. Stay after the credits for a "groovy" cameo of Ash. Rating: 4
Watched movie: "The Place Beyond the Pines" (2013)
More pretentious and cringeworthy than the trailer led me to believe. Not to mention contrived. At first I squirmed waiting for the first act to end; then I squirmed waiting for the second act to end; lastly, I squirmed waiting for the third act to end. In other words--thanks to such frownworthy characters--I found the entire movie hard to watch. Rating: 4
Watched movie: "Oblivion" (2013)
If an alien invasion laid waste to the Earth, and 60 years later my spouse looked the same age with no memory of me...I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be so stoic about it! That's just one example of why I had some trouble connecting with the characters. Otherwise, I found the movie worth watching. Rating: 6
Game of musical chairs
04/14/13 10:55 PM PDT

After attending the last seven WrestleManias, I was relieved to finally break the streak and watch WrestleMania on TV this year. No more stress of securing a ticket; no more worrying about its authenticity and the actual location of the seat (for example, behind a pillar); and no more fatigue heading back to my hotel.

Admittedly, WrestleMania 29 exceeded my expectations--particularly the Undertaker streak match against CM Punk. I enjoyed Triple H vs. Brock Lesnar and John Cena vs. The Rock as well.

In other news, I finally finished reading Game of Thrones. Unfortunately, I still have to avert my eyes from Internet, magazine, and even billboard spoilers for season 3 of the HBO series. I also have to avoid associating names to faces as well, lest that spoil who survived the second book. (I haven't been entirely successful.)

Some smart aleck in Entertainment Weekly spoiled the twists in "Citizen Kane" and "Empire Strikes Back", quipping how oversensitive people have gotten to spoilers for TV shows and movies that have long been out. Dude, I don't care how old the TV series or movie is. If somebody hasn't seen it, then it's still a spoiler!

Watched movie: "dupa dealuri" (2012) a.k.a. "Beyond the Hills" (2013)
Methodical Oscar entry from Romania about an Orthodox nun whose fulfilling life at a monastery becomes jeopardized by her clingy (and demonically possessed?) menace of a friend. (For those of you still wondering why I don't have a Facebook account, see this movie.) Initially I wanted to liken this film to "Brokeback Mountain"--but despite all of my suspicions, I still couldn't bring myself to positively conclude that the two main characters were lesbian. So I'm forced to liken the film to "Of Mice and Men" instead. :)

I like this director--anytime I watch his characters, I find myself unable to nitpick any of their choices. In particular, whenever they resort to something cringeworthy, I feel like that they weighed or exhausted every possible alternative first. Side note: I half-expected the director to impart all 464 sins on the nuns' checklist. :) Rating: 7

Watched movie: "Kokuriko-zaka kara" (2011) a.k.a. "From Up on Poppy Hill" (2012)
Slow-paced family film, animated by Studio Ghibli and directed by Hayao Miyazaki's son, about a high school girl who has to cope with the likelihood that both she and her love interest share the same biological father (which true or not, forever killed any romantic mood I might have felt toward them). Oh, and they both crusade to save a clubhouse too--but I could neither bring myself to care nor get past that aforementioned twist. Also found the animation pretty plain, other than the girl's funny blushing and the high school guys' cartoonish tomfoolery. Rating: 5
Watched movie: "Trance" (2013)
Some kind of electro-noir film directed by Danny Boyle. (I made that word up because I don't know how else to describe the movie.) It delves into an amnesiac's mind as a hypnotherapist helps him search for a painting that he can't remember hiding. All in all, a weird film but engaging and unpredictable. One part I found particularly cool: when the main character paused his narration to the camera to let the action speak for itself. Rating: 7
Watched movie: "Jurassic Park" (1993) in IMAX 3D
When I first saw this film in high school, I criticized it because I felt that it had distilled an intelligent book into a shallow kids' movie (I still remember my dismay when the T. rex rescued the humans). That was about 20 years ago. Now when I watch it--having forgotten most of the book--I find that...my feelings haven't really changed. P.S. Can someone remind me why the project needed a chaos theorist? Rating: 5
Read book: "A Game of Thrones" (1996) by George R.R. Martin
An absorbing book even though the author's narrative style really tested my patience, i.e., devoting entire chapters to characters whom I had little or no interest in. Specifically, I wanted to groan aloud whenever the book jumped to that kid sitting around in the castle, the guy patrolling the giant wall, or that girl riding around on some whole other continent.

Ultimately when I finally made it through all 807 pages, I was left asking: what progress did any of the characters make ? In particular, I felt like that that dense main character, Eddard Stark, had wasted my time the most. At the very least, spread the results of your murder investigation! I seriously wish the guy had just stayed home. (Also knew from the get-go that he shouldn't trust Littlefinger or Lord Baelish or Petyr or whatever his name is.)

In conclusion, I have to praise this author's flair for writing great villains, e.g., Viserys and Joffrey. I loved hating Viserys so much that I kinda hoped that he had survived his "crowning". Rating: 7

New York IV: WWE Hall of Fame 2013
04/07/13 12:00 AM PDT

Finally visited New York's IFC Center, the theater where for some reason limited releases tend to start from. Pretty small place. As fate would have it, I screened a documentary there that matched the name of my blog.

Lots of emotion at the WWE Hall of Fame 2013 Induction Ceremony in Madison Square Garden. Mick Foley opened the night and as I expected, delivered a great speech. At one point, he literally dropped an elbow on Chris Jericho and pinned him for a 1-2-3 count from CM Punk. Hopefully Foley will make it onto Tuesday's broadcast. Other occurrences worth noting:

Watched movie: "Room 237" (2012)
Maddening documentary about various analysts' theories on messages that Stanley Kubrick hid in "The Shining", including subliminal clues (the genocide of Native Americans and the Holocaust?), intentional production defects (architectural paradoxes and no power cord on the TV), and even hints that Kubrick helped stage the Apollo moon landing (?!). I patiently sat through the voiceovers despite my annoyance with all of the uninsightful non-Shining movie clips (and some dizzying slow motion)--but once the documentary started showing what happens when the film overlays a rewind of itself, my restlessness peaked. Rating: 6
New York IV: Cirque du Spider-Man
04/05/13 11:58 PM PDT

A lot warmer in New York today. I finally got to visit the 9/11 Memorial that opened on September 11, 2011. As a tribute to all of the World Trade Center victims (including the 2/26/1993 bombing), 2983 names were arranged by affiliation (a.k.a. "meaningful adjacencies") and inscribed into bronze parapets surrounding each footprint of the Twin Towers. Inside the footprints themselves, I could see pools with majestic waterfalls on each side and a big square drain at the bottom.

Good thing I reserved a whole afternoon for the visit. First I had to wait in line at the 9/11 Memorial Preview Site to get a free visitor pass (next time I'll know to just print one from 911memorial.org); then I had to wait in line for a security screening.

It was all worth the wait though, to see those twin Memorial pools. (Though personally, I almost wish they had a sign that said "please don't smile when you pose for pictures here".)

I noticed a brand-new visitor center too. But I breezed through there as it made me kinda uncomfortable seeing 9/11 memorabilia like T-shirts, mugs, postcards, and keychains. :(

The 9/11 Memorial Museum was still under construction, so I guess I'll have to come back on a later date. I'll have to see that Survivor Tree I overlooked too.

Attended Broadway musical: "Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark"
An audacious showcase of distorted sets, 2-D props, optical illusions, inflatable dolls, tissue paper webbing, Bono/Edge musical numbers that I can't remember, weird caricatures of Spidey villains (including an Elvis-like Green Goblin), story arcs from the first two Spider-Man films, recurring tangents to some out-of-place "Arachne" character, and aerial stunts so ambitious that I could see why delays and injuries kept postponing the opening. (I counted nine Spidey stunt doubles in all.) In hindsight, maybe I should've gotten a balcony seat as I couldn't help worrying that somebody would fall on me or clip my head (I guess the announcer wasn't kidding around when he warned against "catching a ride"). :P Rating: 7
New York IV: Stomp III
04/04/13 11:18 PM PDT

Nippy here in New York. While reading Game of Thrones as my plane flew through choppy air, I think I got airsick. Even after a long nap at Holiday Inn, my headache persisted (last time that happened: my zero gravity flight).

Attended performance: "Stomp"
Funny how I never noticed before how much this show resembles taiko.

I've seen "Stomp" twice before, but this marks the first time that I've caught it in New York. The interior of the Orpheum Theatre looked really narrow, and fences covered with junk lined the walls.

This time an Asian took on the comic relief role, i.e., the "odd man out" whom the other dancers pick on. I only mention that because had I not seen the show before, I might've misconstrued their behavior as racist. :)

I still like the musical number with the clapping/slapping/tapping/snapping/shuffling the best. Also enjoyed some theatrics that I didn't recall seeing before, e.g., segments with shopping carts, newspapers, and giant inner tubes. Side note: I wonder if that malfunctioning shopping cart and lighter were really part of the act? Rating: 10

...And tribulations
03/30/13 6:54 PM PDT

While researching whether Apolo Anton Ohno made up his mind yet on whether to compete at the next Winter Olympics, I came across a slew of mind-blowing short track speed skating news:

Also, I think Lee Jung-Su (the two time gold medalist for South Korea at the 2010 Olympics) might be eligible for the next Olympics. Awhile ago he received a three-year ban for faking an injury for his coach so that a teammate could win a World Championship medal.

Watched movie: "The Croods" (2013) in 3D
Brilliantly animated DreamWorks comedy made funny by Looney Tunes-style antics and the hilarious shtick of Nicolas Cage, who voices a dejected caveman. Lots of strange creatures and colorful prehistoric scenery. Stay after the credits for a baby elephant trio fanfare. Rating: 7
Watched movie: "Olympus Has Fallen" (2013) in Cinemark XD
Violently entertaining albeit corny and really farfetched. Then again, I once found it farfetched that conspirators would crash a plane into the World Trade Center--so I hope in real-life, the White House harbors countermeasures for every type of attack featured in this film! :P Rating: 6
Watched movie: "The Incredible Burt Wonderstone" (2013)
Vintage humor from both Steve Carell and Jim Carrey. I actually found it pretentious how the movie sentimentalized conventional stage magic over innovative guerrilla magic (and then in my opinion, made the protagonists total hypocrites in the end). Rating: 5
Watched movie: "G.I. Joe: Retaliation" (2013) in IMAX 3D
A contrived but admittedly solid action flick, highlighted by a cool sequence where Snake Eyes and Jinx go after Storm Shadow (who I could've sworn died in the previous movie). As usual, the "character development" bored me. Though I did like the creative decision to turn Storm Shadow face. Side note: This movie made me realize what a liability Snake Eyes is. How does G.I. Joe debrief someone who never speaks, and guard against imposters for someone who never shows his face? :P Rating: 6
Watched movie: "The Host" (2013)
Dystopian Stephenie Meyer drama premised on a human resistance to pacifist alien invaders (called "Souls") who managed to possess most of Earth's population, bring about world peace, and heal our planet's environment. In other words, a dystopian movie about a utopian paradise. Why are we supposed to root for the humans again? (Here's another oxymoron for you: at one point in the movie, The Seeker asserts that unlike humans, the Souls end lives "humanely".)

Character-wise, I liked Saoirse Ronan as the glow-eyed Wanda and got annoyed by Melanie Stryder's constant voiceover nagging. I kinda wished that the writers could just invent some plot device to expel Melanie to a different body. :) (By the way, I didn't expect to see William Hurt in the film...that guy's cool.)

In general, I like Andrew Niccol's films (he wrote my favorite movie of all-time), and don't get why his last two movies have gotten panned so badly. Rating: 7

As fate would have it
03/23/13 2:36 AM PDT

While skimming through some Ticketmaster spam, something interesting caught my eye: "Mick Foley - Tales from Wrestling Past" a.k.a. Mick Foley's stand-up comedy act, happening that very night! From then on, all the stars seemed to align--I bought a ticket, made it to San Francisco in decent time despite a late start and traffic, found a perfect parking spot (an achievement in itself), and breezed into a packed club just minutes before the opening act started.

I wouldn't have minded missing that opening act though. Crude, raunchy, and racist. Which was odd because I could've sworn seeing "All ages with parent" in the show heading. Turns out I was right. When Mick Foley came out, he scolded the comedian for using such foul language with children (!) sitting right there in the audience! Yikes.

Comedy-wise, I found Foley as entertaining and well-spoken as ever. (Why he spent his whole life dedicated to the grind of pro-wrestling, I'll never fully reconcile.) It pleased me to see how much his speaking style resembled his writing style, i.e., digressing into extraordinarily long tangents but somehow snapping back to his original point. It helped prove to me that a) he wrote his own books as opposed to a ghost writer, and b) all those chair shots to the head didn't ruin his short-term memory.

He also showed his impromptu speaking chops by fielding random audience questions and injecting humor into his answers. To my surprise, the audience asked a lot of good questions that led to a lot of great insights. For example, he explained...

The highlight of the night for me: Foley's anecdote about the horrors of rooming with Diamond Dallas Page, and the pranks Foley and Steve Austin pulled as a result.

After the show, I left without waiting around for Foley's meet-and-greet. (I already met him at WrestleMania Axxess and am going to see him again at Madison Square Garden in two weeks.)

Watched movie: "Stoker" (2013)
Unsurprisingly perverse English-language debut from the guy who directed "Oldboy", about a widow (Nicole Kidman) and her family of keen, acutely repressed sociopaths. I would describe the film as sterile, tightly-wound, and overdirected. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Upside Down" (2012-2013)
Visually impressive but disorienting love story wherein an orphan on a working class planet (Jim Sturgess) falls in love with a girl on a nearby upper class planet (Kirsten Dunst). I could maybe suspend disbelief of the office building that bridged the gap between them, assuming that the two planets shared some kind of perfect stationary orbit. I could not suspend any kind of disbelief over their gravity laws though. For some unexplained reason, any people or objects that travelled to the other planet still got pulled by their home planet's gravity (and in the case of the objects, overheated too)! Best example of this: in one scene, a weighted-down Jim Sturgess tried to pee into a urinal on the other planet...only for his pee to trickle onto the ceiling instead. Admittedly, I found it cool how Jim Sturgess and Kirsten Dunst managed to defy both gravities simply by hanging on to one another. But all in all, I found the whole movie pretty corny (mostly due to overacting by both Jim Sturgess and Timothy Spall). Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Lawrence of Arabia" (1962) in Cinemark XD
Strikingly scenic, full of searing landscapes and wide shots where faraway specks trek against the elements. (I'm glad I saw this on the big screen.) Story-wise, I had trouble reconciling what the Arabs saw in the title character, as he spent the whole movie looking distant and insecure. I wanted to ask him what the heck his problem was. Though I guess I couldn't blame him too much, considering how many friends he lost senselessly and how hollow his accomplishments ultimately felt. When you throw in his meaningless death, the film just seemed downright fatalistic. P.S. I didn't even recognize Alec Guinness! P.S.S. Everyone in the movie sure spoke English well. :P Update: Forgot to mention that this film's so long that the theater had a 15-minute intermission in the middle. Rating: 6
Disgrace
03/14/13 11:29 AM PDT

My thoughts on last night's "Survivor: Caramoan" episode where Brandon Hantz melted down, in no particular order:

Life in mono
03/12/13 5:51 PM PDT

White House tours cancelled for the remainder of the fiscal year? Not such a big loss, if you ask me. It's just a walkthrough of a bunch of antique rooms. It's not like you get to see the Oval Office or anything.

Hmm...also read that due to the havoc wreaked by Hurricane Sandy, both Liberty Island and Ellis Island are still closed until further notice. Good thing I had no plans to revisit the Statue of Liberty during my New York vacation.

Watched movie: "Dead Man Down" (2013)
I really liked the original "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" so for me, this second collaboration between director Niels Arden Oplev and Noomi Rapace fell short. It needed more ambiance, I think. Like film noir lighting or some really suspenseful music. Also found the comic relief incongruous. For instance, during one particularly serious conversation the characters suddenly digressed into talk of cookies?! Side note: To show you how desensitized I've become to revenge movies, check out my pick for most appalling scene: the scene where Noomi Rapace realized she plucked too many eyebrow hairs :P (And my favorite scene: when Colin Farrell enjoyed the food from the tupperware.) Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Oz the Great and Powerful" (2013) in IMAX 3D
Vibrant, Sam Raimi-humored prequel to "The Wizard of Oz" wherein Glinda the Good Witch tries to inspire a secretly good-hearted con man to lead their army of pacifists. (Kind of like what "Army of Darkness" could've been like had Ash landed in Oz rather than the Middle Ages, hehe.) I got a kick out of James Franco's swagger and the way he kept dissing his supporters. Though I'm still puzzled by his lack of reaction to Glinda's face and the bellhop monkey's voice.

Although the film would probably frighten little kids, I felt it had good positive messages against killing and womanizing (making a witch who's allergic to water cry...ouch). Rating: 7

R.I.P. Paul Bearer (1954-2013)
03/06/13 10:59 AM PST

Eternal September Part II
03/05/13 3:32 PM PST

Haha, I liked the Miami Heat and Simpsons renditions of the Harlem Shake meme (wherein bystanders act oblivious to a single dancing person, and then suddenly everybody breaks loose). Wouldn't it be cool if say, The Walking Dead did one wherein the cast members, engrossed in their usual drama, ignored a dancing zombie (or maybe a dancing hitchhiker)? :)

Nowadays out of all the social networking trends, I think I might dislike hate-watching the most. That's when people purposely watch TV they hate so they can complain about it on the Internet. Pro-wrestling, in particular, seems to attract a lot of overblown backlash.

Take WrestleMania, for example. Fans seem genuinely outraged that The Rock will face John Cena in a rematch after WWE had billed last year's match as Once in a Lifetime. Similarly, WWE billed last year's Undertaker vs. Triple H match as End of an Era even though they're both competing again this year. Finally, WWE billed WrestleMania XXV as the 25th Anniversary of WrestleMania even though technically it was the 24th anniversary.

Man, they're just taglines people. If they bother you so much then stop watching!

Admittedly, I do get uptight about netiquette sometimes. Like I don't even like getting instant-messaged OK instead of Ok. :)

Watched movie: "The Last Exorcism Part II" (2013)
Virtually worthless sequel that abandons the "found footage" format and follows the father and daughter from the first film. Made me rethink my philosophy about what's worse, a boring movie like this one or a bad movie like "Texas Chainsaw 3D"? :( Rating: 3
Watched movie: "Jack the Giant Slayer" (2013) in IMAX 3D
Pretty tall tale based on a beanstalk (which Jack not only climbs, but seemingly defies gravity on), a floating island of giants, and a man-made crown that can control them. I maybe could've suspended disbelief of a fairy tale island--but not a real-life one floating above London! On the plus side, I liked the cast and the special effects. Side note: That actress should audition for "Mockingjay" because I can think of the perfect character for her. Rating: 6
The Oscars
02/25/13 6:56 PM PST

While gazing at this Oscar poster, I got really stumped on the statuette for 2007. I kept racking my brain for a Best Picture winner that had a woman with a vacuum cleaner in it. :( Also had to jog my memory on the girl in red. I still consider "Schindler's List" the most profound movie ever to win Best Picture--so when films like "Shakespeare in Love" win too, I consider that a shame.

Scored four out of six in last night's Oscar show. But I have no complaints, given how unpredictable the races for supporting actor and director got. And I felt that Ang Lee certainly earned that win.

Although I cringed every time host Seth MacFarlane opened his mouth to say something, his humor actually felt toned down. Nowhere near as offensive as "Family Guy", if you ask me.

As for the Oscar speeches that the orchestra interrupted with the Jaws theme, I hope they had instructions not to play that during any emotional heartfelt speeches!

Watched movie: "Dark Skies" (2013)
Decently eerie with a smattering of memorable scenes, e.g., the birds, the Paranormal Activity recordings, Keri Russell freaking out her real estate customers, and J.K. Simmons explaining the aliens. The movie exemplified a couple of things that I love and hate about modern-day horror flicks. I love it (and find it true to life) when the characters search the Internet to corroborate and research their paranormal experiences. In contrast, I hate those two horror movie mistakes where a) the characters stubbornly cling to skepticism despite all the overwhelming evidence (like I was hoping the aliens would end up abducting that idiot father), and b) the characters inexplicably split up during perilous situations. Even the bystanders' reactions seemed dubious to me. If I had seen Keri Russell's episode or those bruises on her child, I'd like to think I would get immediate outside help! Rating: 5
Watched movie: "Snitch" (2013)
This movie's called "Snitch" because a family man, played by The Rock, goes undercover into a drug cartel in exchange for his estranged son's early release from prison. But I'd suggest an alternate title, "Knucklehead", based on how poorly this guy thought everything through. Best-case scenario: he and those close to him would live in fear for the rest of their lives; worst-case scenario: he and those close to him would all end up dead! I still liked the movie though--reminded me of "The Next Three Days". Rating: 6
What's in the box?
02/18/13 6:34 PM PST

Man, sometimes those free previews on my On Demand menu work pretty well on me. After previewing a few minutes of a twisted Brittany Snow movie, I ended up ordering the whole thing to see what would happen next. I also blame those free Showtime season premieres for first hooking me on "Dexter".

Oddly, CNN.com teased a gruesome surprise for Batman #17 wherein the Joker unveiled a foreboding silver platter to Batman. Took me a long time to find spoilers to it, and...meh, anticlimactic. :P

In contrast, last night's "Walking Dead" episode "Home" certainly did not disappoint. I was like, What happened?! (because my attention had lapsed) and then It's on now!. That's why a DVR comes in handy. (I also reach for the remote during "Talking Dead" anytime they discuss the comic book, which unfortunately happens a lot.)

Watched On Demand movie: "Would You Rather" (2013)
Disquieting "Saw"-like movie wherein financially-desperate dinner guests end up trapped in a cruel game of "would you rather" until only one survivor remains. During each round, each guest has to choose between a) something really messed up, or b) something really messed up. In my case, especially during that Buñuel challenge, I probably would have resorted to c) getting gunned down trying to escape. :P Or better yet, I would've d) avoided this really fishy dinner party altogether. Overall the story reminded me of one of those "twist ending" TV anthology episodes, but IMHO lacked meaning. Like I felt "Saw VI" made a better case for universal health care. :) Also, I've mentioned this before, but after that Asia Extreme stuff I got kinda desensitized to psychological American horror. :P Rating: 5

On a side note, I'm certain I would suck at Fear Factor-type competition. The challenge could be "eat an Almond Joy" and I'd lose. :)

Watched movie: "Beautiful Creatures" (2013)
Like "Twilight" but with spellcasters instead of vampires, and a useless high school guy as the love interest rather than a useless high school girl. I guess one could argue that this film differs from "Twilight", but to me that's like arguing that 'N Sync differs from the Backstreet Boys. P.S. Good point about the end of "Titanic". P.S.S. "Finale Destination 6"...some kind of hidden meaning? Rating: 5
Watched movie: "A Good Day to Die Hard" (2013)
I'm not a fan of this older John McClane. I feel like he doesn't take things seriously enough. Also couldn't believe that he could just walk away from all those ridiculous stunts without a single major injury! Rating: 5
And my pick for the worst Survivor player of all-time is...
02/14/13 1:49 PM PST

...Francesca Hogi. Not just because that "Survivor: Caramoan" premiere marked the second time she got voted out in the very first tribal council (a Survivor first), but because I looked at that tribe of hers and concluded that it had the worst Survivor players of all-time on it! :(

Before that tribal council, I had her tribemate Brandon Hantz pegged as the worst for blowing a spot in the "Survivor: South Pacific" final five when he inexplicably volunteered to give up his immunity idol.

Efficacy
02/11/13 4:44 PM PST

Halfway through Super Bowl XLVII, I gave up on the San Francisco 49ers and started driving back to San Jose with my car radio turned up. Talk about a turn of events. First the announcers kept talking about a power outage; then to my astonishment, the 49ers managed to catch up! I ended up watching the last five minutes or so in a pizzeria by the highway.

I actually didn't care about the "holding" no-call at the end. The way I see it, the 49ers blew so many scoring opportunities throughout the game that they can only blame themselves for coming up short.

On the bright side, I learned that Michael Oher from that "Blind Side" film played in that game for the Baltimore Ravens. Both his adoptive family and Sandra Bullock rooted for him from the stands!

Hmm...I read that after the 49ers' 2013 NFL season, Candlestick Park will be demolished.

Watched movie: "Top Gun" (1986) in IMAX 3D
Despite a deficiency of anything remotely 3-D, the big screen and sound system made it all worthwhile (a TV/VCR just doesn't do the movie justice). It's different watching the film as an adult, but I still enjoyed everything from the pilots' overdramatic head whipping to Maverick's anguished soul-searching. Nowadays it seems like Hollywood can't make movies like this anymore without some kind of satirical tone to them. Other observations I had:
  • The soundtrack still rocked, from the cool opening anthem to Berlin's "Take My Breath Away".
  • I forgot how many famous actors appeared in the movie. Man they looked young. Tom Cruise looked like a little kid.
  • The characters sure perspired a lot (in IMAX I could see every bead of sweat).
  • I misremembered who flew with Maverick at the end. Always thought it was Viper, but I guess it was Tim Robbins.
  • Talk about bromance. "You can be my wingman anytime," before a big bro hug.
Kept my eyes peeled to confirm, once and for all, exactly what happened to Goose (Maverick even explicitly warned him to mind the canopy). Side note: R.I.P. director Tony Scott. Rating: 7
Watched movie: "Side Effects" (2013)
Psychological thriller directed by Steven Soderbergh about, well...the occupational hazards of psychiatry. Started out slow but then got all Hitchockian. Rating: 7
Watched movie: "John Dies at the End" (2013)
Trippy new flick from Don Coscarelli wherein two buddies become omniscient off a drug called "soy sauce". For example, the drug makes them aware of the future, the existence of supernatural monsters, and portals to parallel universes. Oh, and the film is a comedy (in real-life, I'm thinking that prescience of everybody's lives and deaths would just lead to depression and fatalism). So if you're not a fan of say, "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy", then steer clear of this one. Side note: Angus Scrimm, still alive? They gotta make a "Phantasm V"! Rating: 6
Final curtain
02/04/13 12:17 AM PST

After 70 years of business, it appears that the Historic Fremont Theatre of San Luis Obispo has closed! I first noticed it while passing through the city, and then confirmed it on Facebook. Something about an expiring lease.

I fondly remember screening "Star Trek: First Contact" there with my fellow Cal Poly'ers. Contrary to the blogs where I bitterly complain, I actually enjoy watching movies in an excited crowd atmosphere. And that movie, in particular, really lent itself to some fun mark-out moments.

More recently, I enjoyed watching new releases like "Star Trek", "Inception", "Harry Potter", "The Hunger Games", and "The Dark Knight Rises" there, and felt that the movies went best with a feast of sliders and Pepsi at Margie's Diner.

Update 2/12/2013: Guess I eulogized the Fremont prematurely. Apparently they reached a new agreement and will re-open the Fremont this Thursday. :P

Meanwhile at the Santa Maria Town Center Mall, construction of a new 14-screen Edwards Regal Cinemas seems to have picked up. The sign indicated that it would open in Fall 2013.

Looking forward, I might not renew my discount card for the Camera Cinemas. Although it reduces the ticket price to $6, it can't be used on Saturday night--nor do I dare come on Senior Tuesdays and Student Wednesdays. On Thursdays as of 2013, I've started watching special 10:00pm new release screenings at AMC or Cinemark theaters instead. The Sony Digital Cinema 4K that used to make Camera Cinemas unique? Now most theaters I know project in digital.

The patrons at Camera 7 Pruneyard, in particular, seems to have gotten more obnoxious. I finally got fed up with the thinness of the walls too, when I could hear loud vacuuming during a couple of key numbers in "Les Misérables"! (Previous nuisances: the sounds of the club next door and/or another movie playing nearby.) I think that's the straw that broke the camel's back. My discovery that their concession stand began serving Coke instead of Pepsi didn't help either (is Pepsi going out of business?). :P

Final movie news: now that "Argo" has swept the DGA, PGA, SAG, and Golden Globes (despite the Ben Affleck Oscar snub!), I've finalized my Oscar predictions for 2012:

Watched movie: "Parker" (2013)
A real shame that the director made this crime thriller so superficial, IMHO, as I think it could've made a great noir-style film. Looking back, I mostly just liked Parker's ironclad code of ethics--from hunting down renegers to repaying anyone he feels he owes. I hated Jennifer Lopez's shallow doormat character, and felt like she cheapened the movie. (Also, how could she spend that money without looking suspicious?) Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Warm Bodies" (2013) in Cinemark XD
Ok but nowhere near as funny and emotional as this director's previous film, "50/50". Overall, I found it implausible that a zombie could start turning human...but then again, I guess that's no more implausible than a zombie apocalypse. :) At a minimum, I found it way more earth-shattering than the human survivors seemed to give it credit for. The girl's consistent lack of reaction, in particular, greatly disappointed me. Rating: 5
Watched movie: "Bullet to the Head" (2013)
A violent, mildly entertaining Sylvester Stallone flick. The Asian jokes toward his straight-laced partner really needed work. Rating: 5
Screen presence
01/25/13 5:09 PM PST

The third season of "The Walking Dead" continues on February 10. Hopefully they won't kill off any of the characters I care about (and hopefully Michonne will learn to disseminate vital information better). I had this theory about why I and my fellow Walking Dead fans kept forgetting characters' names: maybe it's our defense mechanism so that we don't get too attached to anybody. :P

Last month, the Parents Television Council protested that the show needed a stronger rating than TV 14. Man, I totally agree. This series has showed so much blood and violence and gore (and swearing) that I've always assumed it was rated MA.

Update 2/11/2013: Noticed "TV MA" in the corner of last night's new episode. :P

Still weird to me how British a couple of those actors sound when they give interviews. It does explain Rick's tendency to overenunciate words. I once heard that to emulate American accents, British people must draw out every syllable they say.

The possible final season of "Dexter" will start in June now instead of September/October. I almost feel like Michael C. Hall and Jennifer Carpenter should stay in character outside of the show--because man, they're so boring when they're not playing Dexter and Debra. :)

Similarly, the younger actresses from "The Office" always look plain to me outside of the show. I finally reasoned that it's all because of the company they keep on the show. :)

Watched movie: "Mama" (2013) in Cinemark XD
Similar to (and as illogical as) "Ju-on: The Grudge" but with a lanky CGI-looking crone instead of one of those scary Japanese ghosts. Actually, I think the little feral girl creeped me out the most. The film had its moments, but overall I felt apathetic and even shrugged at the ending. Side note: Slapping somebody's forehead good night instead of kissing it good night? I like it. :) Rating: 5
Watched movie: "The Last Stand" (2013)
A mixed bag action-comedy-Western, made colorful by its noteworthy Korean director and a rainbow of diverse actors (from a deadpan Schwarzenegger to an overacting Forest Whitaker). Although I still can't believe that the movie's small-town folk could stand any kind of chance against such a resourceful militant force, I still found the movie fun. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters" (2013) in IMAX 3D
It met my expectations. Rating: 6
Night and day
01/17/13 6:30 PM PST

Funny zingers by Tina Fey and Amy Poehler at the 2013 Golden Globe Awards. I'm hoping they host the Oscars someday.

Really strange to hear the orchestra play the flight to bin Laden's compound score when Jessica Chastain walked toward the stage to accept her award. Almost seemed sarcastic considering how suspenseful that music sounded. :) Side note: I actually like the music to "Zero Dark Thirty" so much that sometimes I hum it in my head while I'm driving.

I liked Jessica Chastain's emotional reaction to the Golden Globe, and considered factoring that into my Oscar predictions (as part of my "likeability" criteria). Hopefully all this misguided backlash toward "Zero Dark Thirty" won't sabotage her chances. I mean seriously, why deny acting upon information gathered from torture if you're not even going to deny committing the torture?? Moreover, I honestly believe that I can make a stronger case for why this movie is anti-torture rather than pro-torture.

Speaking of 9/11 subject matters, I'm finally going to see that new WTC memorial when I fly to New York this April. I bought tickets to Mick Foley's WWE Hall of Fame 2013 induction. I'm also making a special effort to skip the outdoors WrestleMania 29 this year. Given that every rumored main event is a rematch, I don't feel like I'll be missing much.

During a Studio Ghibli film festival downtown, I managed to screen a bunch of early Hayao Miyazaki films (restored, English-dubbed 35mm prints) that I've never seen before.

Watched movie: "Tonari no Totoro" (1988) a.k.a. "My Neighbor Totoro" (2005)
What the heck is that thing?? Rating: 7
Watched movie: "Kurenai no buta" (1992) a.k.a. "Porco Rosso" (2005)
Post-WWI aerial combat flick wherein the title character, a hard-boiled seaplane pilot, dogfights pirates for money and ends up befriending a young girl engineer. Oh, and the title character is a pig--literally a pig (due to some kind of curse that is never explained). It's a running joke that the film really milks. All in all, I liked the humor and the flight animation--but probably would've rated the movie higher had it eased up on the overly-zany slapstick. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi" (2001) a.k.a. "Spirited Away" (2002)
Still my all-time favorite animated motion picture, and the first time I've ever seen it in a theater. Also the first time I've ever screened Disney's dubbed version of it. Heh, even without subtitles I had trouble catching all of the smile worthy sights (the part where the mouse waddles with the nuts and the No-Face stares down at an empty plate still amuses me to no end). Although I found the American voices ok, I felt like the dialogue really spoon-fed what was going on (for example, that Yubaba took some kind of oath, that the elephant creature is a radish spirit, and that Haku is a dragon). In my opinion, the film had more mystique when it didn't explain every little thing. Final comment: for some reason, I always find it really touching when Sen--possibly out of both gratitude and homesickness--starts shedding huge tears over a rice ball. Rating: 9
Watched movie: "Kaze no tani no Naushika" (1984) a.k.a. "Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind" (2005)
Despite my hesitation to see a "world peace", environmentalist-themed movie where the title character sounds like a total pacifist, I ended up liking the movie a lot. It made me think of "Dune" and "Gandhi". The title character really earned my respect--not just because she could probably win the Nobel Peace Prize in real-life, but because she kept risking her life with such audacity and flair. It's like, that scene where she played chicken with the gunman completely caught me off guard. (In real-life, I think her luck would run out--but I was still impressed.) My only complaints stemmed from the dialogue: a) I found it cheesy how she kept talking to herself (did she really say "my heart is pounding" out loud??), and b) in a movie graced with the voices of Patrick Stewart and Edward James Olmos, it hurt my ears to hear Shia LaBeouf. :( Rating: 7
Watched movie: "Tenkû no shiro Rapyuta" (1986) a.k.a. "Castle in the Sky" (2003)
Uncharacteristically blah for a Hayao Miyazaki film. The stupidity of the pirates numbed my brain--particularly when it came to their creepy attraction to that underaged-looking princess. Rating: 5

Now that I've seen virtually all of Hayao Miyazaki's films, I can rank them from my favorite to least favorite:

  1. "Spirited Away" (2002) My rating: 9, blog
  2. "My Neighbor Totoro" (2005) My rating: 7
  3. "Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind" (2005) My rating: 7
  4. "Howl's Moving Castle" (2005) My rating: 7
  5. "Porco Rosso" (2005) My rating: 6
  6. "Kiki's Delivery Service" (1998) My rating: 6
  7. "Princess Mononoke" (1999) My rating: 6
  8. "Ponyo" (2009) My rating: 6
  9. "Castle in the Sky" (2003) My rating: 5
Directors cut
01/10/13 11:26 AM PST

To my dismay, the Academy snubbed Kathryn Bigelow for a directing nomination. I had her as one of the frontrunners for the Oscar! I guess at this point, "Lincoln" is looking like my most likely prediction for Best Picture.

It appears that this year's Sundance and Cannes winners (if you ask me, two of the most overrated films of 2012), "Beasts of the Southern Wild" and "Amour" respectively, cleaned house. In addition to all the prominent contenders they beat out for Best Director, they got both Best Picture and Best Actress nominations. (I guess now it's a foregone conclusion that "Amour" will win the Foreign Language Film Oscar.) Admittedly, my subconscious might harbor bias against these two movies due to my distaste for squatters and the loss of dignity in death. :P

Update 2/11/2013: In contrast to "Amour", "Les Misérables" totally romanticizes death. What better way to go out than singing. :)

I'd rank the 2012 Best Picture nominees as follows:

  1. "Zero Dark Thirty" (My rating: 9)
  2. "Les Misérables" (My rating: 9)
  3. "Silver Linings Playbook" (My rating: 7)
  4. "Life of Pi" (My rating: 7)
  5. "Argo" (My rating: 7)
  6. "Lincoln" (My rating: 7)
  7. "Django Unchained" (My rating: 6)
  8. "Beasts of the Southern Wild" (My rating: 6)
  9. "Amour" (My rating: 5)

Say, I think this marks the first time I've managed to see the performances of every single actor and actress nominee before they were announced.

I still have misgivings toward Seth MacFarlane as Oscar host, but I'll try to keep an open mind. :)

Reprise
01/06/13 9:08 PM PST

Recently watched both "Les Misérables" and "Zero Dark Thirty" again in Cinemark XD. I decided to raise my "Les Misérables" rating to an 8, which automatically elevates it into my top six films of 2012. My rationale: it's probably the best theatrical adaptation of a musical that I've ever seen. The musical numbers really rouse my emotions, and make me willing to forget everything I took issue with (like Russell Crowe as Javert and the vexing bottom line that when Cosette finally reads Jean Valjean's deathbed confession, it's going to say "I stole a loaf of bread").

If the Academy Awards ceremony ever introduced an Oscar for best cast, this film should clinch it. I actually feel that this year, Hugh Jackman deserves the Oscar more than Daniel Day-Lewis. I also don't see how Anne Hathaway can lose.

Interesting fact: the singer who played the Bishop also used to play the original Jean Valjean. That explains why in my subconscious, he always seemed to have the best voice of the entire cast.

I also noticed, in my second viewing, that Javert does not appear on the barricade with the other deceased characters. Wonder if it's because he (inexplicably) committed suicide?

For my second viewing of "Zero Dark Thirty", I didn't really catch anything new. The film did, however, remind me to go look up the definition for tradecraft:

tradecraft -noun skill acquired through experience in a trade; often used to discuss skill in espionage

Update 1/7/2013: Finally patronized Taco Bell (ordered the same meal that the SEAL celebrated with, two tacos and a bean burrito) after over a year of abstinence from fast food. I'd describe my reaction as...apathetic.

Update 1/8/2013: Forgot to mention that during my second viewing, people laughed (!) occasionally. Like at the part where Dan fed the caged monkeys. Did they not see the parallel to the detainees in the background? :(

Watched movie: "Texas Chainsaw 3D" (2013)
Direct continuation of the 1974 classic rather than the 2003 remake--which in my mind, makes this film a disgrace rather than just bad. :( Although I liked the intense 3-D chainsaw effects, the movie really went downhill for me when it tried to turn Leatherface into a sympathetic character. Are you kidding me?? In pro-wrestling, that's like when a heel turns face (no pun intended) and the crowd reacts indifferently. Definitely stay after the credits. Rating: 3

Man, first movie of the year and already I have a new entry for my worst of 2013 list. :(

Holiday movie marathon 2012
01/03/13 4:41 PM PST

Last Saturday, I decided to try out that Galaxy Theatre in Atascadero. I theorized that I'd enjoy "Les Misérables" better in a VIP screening where no one under 21 could enter.

Before the movie even started, somebody asked if I minded shifting two assigned seats away from the middle so their entire group could sit together. When I started suggesting alternatives, she took my reluctance as a no. So they sat around me and kept passing hors d'oeuvres back and forth in front of me (to which I suffered in silence in order to avoid further confrontation). In hindsight, I don't think my reluctance was wrong at all. That requires a special explanation I think, asking a stranger to move two seats away instead of just one. I would've done it, no questions asked, for one seat. :)

Unfortunately, my brain couldn't completely shut all that out. Also bothered me whenever a wine glass shattered on the ground and the audience laughed. Quite the mood killer.

Watched movie: "Django Unchained" (2012)
Hehe, that Quentin Tarantino has a pretty good thing going here: bring back the vilest @$$holes in world history (in this case, American slaveowners) and massacre them for our viewing pleasure. This time around Christoph Waltz played a good guy, and a hilariously eloquent one at that. Stay after the credits. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Les Misérables" (2012)
Bravo to this ensemble cast for some stellar heartwrenching performances. Pretty rare feat, casting famous actors that can actually sing too. Had Russell Crowe not sung anything, I might've even called the casting perfect. :) (I still think it's within reason to expect great singing in musicals, not just tolerable singing.) My only other criticisms stem from the source material itself, i.e., the over-singing (I need a reprieve now and then) and the "over-suffering" (aside from Fantine, I've never seen so much ado over so little). Rating: 9
Watched movie: "Jack Reacher" (2012)
Sharp vigilante thriller wherein a rogue ex-military cop (Tom Cruise) investigates why a sniper would conspire to kill five random strangers. Sometimes the tongue-in-cheek hurt the movie for me (like when Reacher had to fight the gunmen with a knife...stupid), but overall I enjoyed it. Werner Herzog made a great villain. Rating: 7
Watched movie: "Monsters, Inc." (2001) in 3D
As inventive and hearttugging as I remembered (and I think the only movie where I ever found Billy Crystal funny). Thought-provoking too, i.e., the ethics of scaring children to produce energy. Also liked all the little comedic touches (from the slack-jawed observers to "odorant") and the attention to detail (from the banishment of monsters to Sulley ripping a hidden door off its hinges because he never saw how Boo triggered it). Finally, the door chase still filled me with awe. Stay during the credits for outtakes and the company play. Rating: 8
2012 Year in Review
12/24/12 12:42 AM PST
Best of 2012 Worst of 2012
Events that happened to Steve
  1. Accomplishing various goals in England such as watching tennis at Wimbledon (including a Federer match), witnessing Phelps break the record for most Olympic medals, touring Stonehenge, successfully crossing through the Channel Tunnel, and eventually making it back safely to my hotel following a nightmarish car ride.
  2. Watching WrestleMania XXVIII from the first row, including Rock vs. Cena and a historic "End of an Era" Hell in a Cell dream match that immortalized The Undertaker's 20-0 Wrestlemania streak.
  3. Getting an awesome new toilet that flushes without clogging.
  4. My next-door neighbors moving out.
  5. Seeing a nice clean hillside when I walk along the fence of my parking lot now.
  1. Seeing and hearing squatters across the fence from my parking lot every day for months (including one night where I heard a chilling disturbance).
  2. Feeling bummed from Olympic disappointments like witnessing Phelps lose his signature race, missing out on the Olympic cauldron, and watching Federer lose his gold medal match live on TV.
  3. (tie) Hearing the intermittent sound of rushing water in my apartment; replaced by an intermittently loud buzzing noise.
  4. Paying a $490 fine (plus a $29 FasTrak violation) for driving in a diamond bus lane.
  5. Driving around lost in Folkestone where the roads and car controls are reversed.
Movies
  1. "Zero Dark Thirty"
    "Brutally honest and spine-chillingly good."
  2. "Les Misérables"
    "Bravo to this ensemble cast for some stellar heartwrenching performances."
    "...probably the best theatrical adaptation of a musical that I've ever seen."
  3. "The Hunger Games"
    "Despite the familiar premise...I felt that the plot distinguished itself by establishing political undertones..."
    "...I've found myself appreciating the movie more and more."
  4. "Marvel's The Avengers"
    "...I felt that overall Joss Whedon wove everything together pretty well."
  5. "Wreck-It Ralph"
    "Brilliant, breathtaking, emotional, nostalgic, and downright hilarious."
  6. "The Dark Knight Rises"
    "Cool overall; slow and corny on occasion."
  7. "Silver Linings Playbook"
    "Funny (for the most part) and touching."
  8. "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey"
    "A visual tour de force sprinkled with humor and streaked with strong themes of courage, kindness, and belonging."
  9. "Looper"
    "More like loop-hole than loop-er...but intriguing nonetheless."
  10. "The Raid: Redemption"
    "Like my favorite Bruce Lee movie..."
  1. "Piranha 3DD"
    "Every bit as stupid as the first 'Piranha 3D', and then some."
  2. "Silent House"
    "In practice, it sucked."
  3. "Chernobyl Diaries"
    "I think a real-life documentary about Chernobyl and radiation would've scared me way more than this second-rate horror flick."
  4. "The Devil Inside"
    "I probably got more scared watching an empty room in the 'Paranormal Activity' series."
  5. "Rock of Ages"
    "...seemed more like a hollow mockery of 1980s rock rather than any kind of meaningful homage."
  6. "Contraband"
    "As far as caper movies go, I'd put this one at the bottom of the barrel."
  7. "Take This Waltz"
    "A downcast, mind-numbing drama..."
  8. "Battleship"
    "Pretty bad...but I guess what else did I expect."
  9. "Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted"
    "I didn't laugh one single time."
  10. "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel"
    "Despite the ensemble British cast, this movie still struck me as one of those cringeworthy comedies wherein old people embarrass themselves trying to act young again."
Songs
  1. "The One That Got Away" Katy Perry
  2. "We Are Young" fun. f/Janelle Monae
  3. "Sweeter" Gavin DeGraw
  4. "Lights" Ellie Goulding
  5. "I Can Only Imagine" David Guetta f/Chris Brown & Lil Wayne
Honorable mention: "No Church in the Wild" Jay-Z & Kanye West f/ Frank Ocean & The-Dream
  1. "212" Azealia Banks
  2. "Dive In" Trey Songz
  3. "Let Me Love You" NE-YO
  4. "Give Your Heart A Break" Demi Lovato
  5. "R.I.P." Rita Ora f/Tinie Tempah
Honorable mention: "Never Go Back" Grace Potter & The Nocturnals
Music video "Gangnam Style" PSY "Dive In" Trey Songz
TV series "Dexter"

Honorable mention: "The Walking Dead"

 "The Office"
Commercial Sprite Films Presents: Prom Night. (tie) The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas commercial where they converse the lyrics of Bohemian Rhapsody, and Scion iQ Park! commercials.
Movie trailer (tie) Looper and Les Misérables

Honorable mention: World War Z

 The Oogieloves in the Big Balloon Adventure (incidentally, the film broke a box office record)
Watched movie: "De rouille et d'os" a.k.a. "Rust and Bone" (2012)
Instead of inspirational or emotional, I found this whole movie curiously dull. A shame given all my careful efforts to avoid spoilers. My theories on what went wrong? For starters, the film seemed to lack musical scoring--in fact, I can't even remember any. Second--and I realized this recently--I hate that romantic cliché where love blossoms from a purely physical relationship, e.g., "Pretty Woman". Rating: 4
Life as we know it
12/23/12 4:53 PM PST

Want to know what I did on doomsday? Watched movies. At one point--as I sat in the middle of a theater full of old people--alarms suddenly interrupted the movie, lights flashed, and a voice urged us to evacuate! As a result, I had to politely wait as a sea of slowpokes blocked the exit. :(

Turned out to be a false alarm, but I'd be lying if I said that the end of the world hadn't crossed my mind.

On the plus side, thanks to digital cinema technology, the projectionist managed to jog the movie pretty close to where it left off.

Watched movie: "Zero Dark Thirty" (2012)
Brutally honest and spine-chillingly good. "The greatest manhunt in history"? Hell yeah. When the two stealth choppers finally plodded into the night--carrying the salvation of a decade-long manhunt for Osama bin Laden--the suspense over such monumental stakes combined with the cool goosebumpy music had me riveted. The courier tracking had me on edge too. As for the depictions of CIA torture, I could see why they drew controversy--but I wouldn't have it any other way. I didn't want a single whiff of BS in this film and in my judgment, Kathryn Bigelow managed to keep it real. (I still remember one lame TV movie where the SEAL commander threatened to call the mission a failure if they accidentally shot a woman at bin Laden's compound!) One final note: I really admired the CIA analyst who spent her whole career (!) hunting bin Laden. She seemed to get it that it's not just about smarts, it's about selling the smarts too. Heh, penny for her thoughts in that final scene. Rating: 9
Watched movie: "Amour" (2012)
Pretty sadistic of Michael Haneke, if you ask me. I think all the old folks in my theater expected some kind of tender elderly romance, not this psychologically scarring tragedy about why there's no dignity in dying. Messed up to draw it out for so long! Rating: 5
Watched movie: "The Impossible" (2012)
Mighty impressive recreation of a tsunami and the devastation it leaves behind. Those things still scare me. Although I already knew the family's fate beforehand, I still pulled for them. Rating: 7
Apocalypse when...?
12/20/12 3:16 PM PST

Ehhh...what time is the world supposed to end? I was instant messaging a colleague in the Philippines and it's already December 21, 2012 over there. Those Mayans man, didn't even have the courtesy to specify a time zone. :)

I think I'm more worried about Doomsday nutjobs than I am about say, Armageddon. Because for me, a preordained destiny comforts me much more than an existence where everything happens for no reason.

Watched movie: "Hyde Park on Hudson" (2012)
First off, is a feature length movie about Franklin D. Roosevelt's philandering really necessary? Seemed disrespectful to his legacy, and actually made me indignant. Secondly--despite my amusement with King George VI (the stuttering king from The King's Speech) and Queen Elizabeth--the implication that their visit had anything to do with America entering WWII struck me as a pretentious exaggeration (especially since America did not enter WWII for another two and a half years!). Stay after the credits for a hot dog gag cartoon. Rating: 5

Would suck if that became the last movie I ever saw on Earth. :)

On high in blue glowses
12/17/12 7:27 PM PST

High Frame Rate 3D...I think it gave me a slight headache. Somehow by making everything look more natural, the HFR 3D made everything look less natural (if that makes any sense at all). I dunno, everything just seemed...glossier.

As for the IMAX exclusive, extended preview of "Star Trek Into Darkness"...I didn't like it. It showcased that cartoonishness that I had criticized its predecessor for. That doesn't mean I won't like the movie though. After all, I didn't like last year's extended preview of Dark Knight Rises either.

What a season 7 finale on "Dexter". I'm like, traumatized. Easily the best season ever.

Watched movie: "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" (2012) in HFR IMAX 3D
A visual tour de force sprinkled with humor and streaked with strong themes of courage, kindness, and belonging. Way richer than anything I imagined from the novel, so they must've embellished a whole lot. Case in point: I totally didn't remember a part where Bilbo spared Gollum's life, but I loved how this small act of mercy epically vindicated everything Gandalf said about good thwarting evil. Also enjoyed the dwarves' Misty Mountains song, the dwarves vs. orcs/trolls/goblins match-ups (particularly the eye-popping goblin kingdom chase wherein you could see Gandalf & his cool grey hat plowing through the chaos), and the cataclysmic stone giant battle.

Cast-wise, I felt that Martin Freeman and Richard Armitage made a great Bilbo and Thorin, respectively. Also found Gollum most entertaining, and wished we could see him again. Rating: 7

Occupational hazards
12/10/12 5:35 PM PST

Yikes. Currently, my Survivor Season Rankings Web page tops the Google search results for "survivor season rankings" (I confirmed it after receiving an e-mail that somebody plagiarized what I wrote). Not sure how that happened, given that I only update that page twice a year. Does that make me the foremost authority on Survivor rankings now? :)

Strange to think that Survivor players might very well be reading what I wrote about them. Hope some of them have thick skins. :( The way I see it, if you don't want audiences to blog about you, then don't audition for a reality show.

In other news, my credit card number got stolen somehow. Somebody tried (and failed) to make a big purchase in Florida. I doubt it got stolen online, because I haven't purchased anything online in ages. My mind keeps going back to that soda that I had bought from my apartment vending machine. I remember hesitating because it used an external card reader.

Watched in-theater Tarantino XX event: "Pulp Fiction" (1994)
Has it really been 18 years since I first saw this film? I remember watching it with my sister when it first came out...and interestingly enough, not even liking it that much. From mobsters debating foot massages to a sleeping gimp, I was like, WTF is this movie? But eventually it grew on me. Although I still don't care for Butch's scenes with Christopher Walken and the two women with accents, overall I still feel that the film masterfully embodies a wide variety of subjects:
  • Cool conversation. Lengthy, stimulating, and insightful. I wish more people conversed like this in real life. :)
  • Respect. Although the film showcased a lot of obvious examples, my favorite was how Vincent blew Mia a kiss out of adoration for the night they had.
  • Professionalism. I actually consider "The Wolf" a role model of mine. Oddly enough, I admire the drug dealer's salesmanship too.
  • Panic under pressure. The part where the drug dealer rushes to find his medical book, and can't find it, always amuses me because it's just so true. This might be my favorite scene of the movie in fact.
  • Artful swearing. Very rare to see a movie where expletives accentuate the dialogue so well.
  • American cuisine. The characters successfully enhanced my appreciation of a good burger, milkshake, or cup of coffee.
I never noticed this before, but the drug dealer ran out of balloons and offered Vincent baggies instead. I think this explains why Mia made the mistake she did! Quentin Tarantino's handpicked trailers: Machine Gun McCain (1969), Scarface (1983), The Killer (1989). Rating: 9
Watched movie: "Hitchcock" (2012)
Dramatization--or should I say overdramatization--of Alfred Hitchcock's work and home life during the filming of "Psycho". I didn't much care for his marital problems or his conversations with an imaginary Ed Gein. I mostly just liked his struggle to prove the naysayers wrong. Also found his obsession with leading ladies rather curious. Side note: Hitchcock imitating Elmer Fudd? Huh-uh-uh-uh-uh! Stay after the credits. Rating: 5
Les cinéphiles
12/03/12 5:34 PM PST

I like those "Les Misérables" trailers (Russell Crowe's singing notwithstanding) and twice, to my irritation, I've heard people behind me comment, "I hate musicals." Well I hate people who talk during trailers, but you don't hear me saying that aloud.

I'm sort of a purist in that I best like watching trailers in a theater as opposed to online. Like that awesome "World War Z" trailer, a smartphone or computer screen would not have done it justice in my opinion.

I also like watching movies in IMAX and XD (Extreme Digital Cinema)--not just because of the picture and sound quality, but because the high prices deter large groups of people from coming in. That's also why you wouldn't catch me dead at any Bring Your Baby Matinees, Student Wednesdays, or Senior Tuesdays. In fact, the stuff old folks say during movies might even annoy me worse than what teenagers say!

Nowadays I've seen a lot of merit in screening movies on opening day. My reasoning:

Moreover, I concluded that the type of audience matters much more than the size of it. Cases in point: I screened "Flight" in a theater with only one couple in it--a couple so obnoxiously loud that I ended up relocating several rows back (and could still hear them). Similarly during "Rio", the one other guy in the theater rocked ceaselessly in the handicap area--and it got so distracting that I had to relocate to the back of the theater and elevate my foot high enough to block all sight of him!

Wouldn't it be funny if I ever owned my own theater and posted my own rules? I'd have rules like, "No moving in your seat" and "No breathing too hard".

Watched movie: "Anna Karenina" (2012)
Good acting, story, and dialogue--all ruined by a disastrously bad narrative. Really hard to suspend disbelief when the stage (complete with fake backdrops) keeps appearing in the frame! Could they not afford to shoot on-location?? Rating: 4
Watched movie: "Rise of the Guardians" (2012) in IMAX 3D
Amazing, albeit uninventive and illogical, 3-D computer-animation from DreamWorks. Stay during the credits. Rating: 6
Watched in-theater event: "Star Trek: The Next Generation - A Celebration of Season 2"
A fun HD screening of Star Trek's first Borg episode, "Q Who" (overrated if you ask me), and a restored, 13-minute extended cut of my all-time favorite Data episode, "The Measure Of A Man" (where in my opinion, we get to see Data, Picard, and Riker at their very finest). Side note: Ever notice that Q can't seem to read minds?

During the cast reunion, when Brent Spiner recounted how a fan with Asperger syndrome saw Data as representative of the disorder, I was like Data does not have Asperger syndrome! But then when I thought about it...I guess he sort of does. :P

Watched movie: "The Collection" (2012)
Sadistic and macabre enough to fill that annual void left by the "Saw" series. Don't get why this movie was titled "The Collection" rather than "The Collector 2", but oh well. Props to the refreshingly unconventional ending. Side note: Pretty lethal weapon, that penlight. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Killing Them Softly" (2012)
Brain-sullying crime drama, set during the 2008 collapse of America's economy, wherein the amateurish heist of a mob-protected poker game triggers a similar collapse in the local criminal economy. This leads the mob to hire a professional enforcer, a pretty entertaining cynic played by Brad Pitt, to fix everything. (The guy was so cynical that neighborhood gunfire and the election of America's first black President didn't even phase him!) Basically, Brad Pitt saved the movie for me. All those mind-numbingly unprofessional criminals (including that Keith Richards lookalike) really tried my patience--hence, I found it amusing whenever Brad Pitt had to suffer them too. :) Rating: 6
Landscape
11/27/12 5:34 PM PST

Lots of activity on that ex-junkyard hillside now, i.e., massive tree trimming and backhoe-ing. Could that be why the county cleared out the homeless encampment...for tree maintenance? Or maybe they have something more ambitious in mind, like a precipice and fence to make the area inaccessible? I'll keep my fingers crossed.

Update 11/28/2012: Lots of trees gone from the hillside now. Hmm.

Ugh, I'm starting to see bargain screenings for Senior Tuesdays and Student Wednesdays. At this rate, I might have to start postponing movie night to Thursday. :)

Watched movie: "Skyfall" (2012) in IMAX
Anticlimactic, IMHO, considering my anticipation for what that cool title meant (planes falling from the sky, perhaps?) and for what Javier Bardem's devious character had planned. Needless to say, both his and Bond's endgames greatly disappointed me. But I did feel that ultimately, the film redeemed itself by crafting a relationship of surprising depth between Bond and M. (If I remember correctly, Bond tossed his last friend into a dumpster.) I also found the resurgence of a "vulnerable" 007 refreshing. Side note: My hope that Adele would sing a Bond movie came true. Rating: 7
Watched movie: "Red Dawn" (2012)
Despite all of the casualties and self-sacrifice, I still found this remake too light and too corny to take seriously. The ease in which those teenage rebels kept outwitting the trained military invaders almost reminded me of "Home Alone". I also couldn't reconcile why North Korea would even bother to occupy such a small American town. Rating: 5
Watched movie: "Life of Pi" (2012) in 3D
Gorgeous, emotional, and...perplexing. A multi-religious castaway at odds with a Bengal tiger in the open sea? What was the message, that God = a subjective narrative? Moreover, when the tiger anticlimactically abandoned him, did that make the father right all along? Hmm. Rating: 7
Broad daylight
11/20/12 6:36 PM PST

Can't decide which I hate worse: driving through San Francisco or walking through San Francisco. :P This past Saturday, I rode on BART for the first time, and surfaced a couple of blocks from the San Francisco Centre. Couldn't believe how many homeless people I passed along Market Street. Terrible.

I did like travelling by BART. Plenty of free parking and not too many passengers on a Saturday.

Watched movie: "Silver Linings Playbook" (2012)
Funny (for the most part) and touching. Even though Bradley Cooper's and Jennifer Lawrence's mental instabilities stood my hair on end, I found myself liking them and rooting for them to succeed. I actually wished that the dance competition had simply punctuated their romance--a waltz or tango, perhaps, without all that mood-killing drama, i.e., Tiffany's jealousy of Nikki, the uncertainty around how Pat felt about the forged letter, and Robert De Niro's shameful bet. Robert De Niro sure disappointed me when he seriously (!) blamed Pat for the football loss and then went on to wager his hopes and dreams on the dance score...it made his love for Pat look really conditional! Rating: 7
Watched movie: "En kongelig affære" a.k.a. "A Royal Affair" (2012)
Long Oscar entry from Denmark about Danish Queen Caroline's love affair with the King's personal physician Johann Struensee, a progressive thinker who eventually used the King's authority to institute nationwide reforms. Although I sympathized with Caroline's martial unhappiness (the King seemed like a real nutcase) and found merit in Struensee's politics, I couldn't really blame the film's antagonists for hating. A German atheist manipulating the King and impregnating the Queen behind his back?? Scandalous. Rating: 5
Watched movie: "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part Two" (2012) in Cinemark XD
Although I could see why Twilight fans would hate on the last installment to The Twilight Saga, I actually liked it. Bella finally seemed cool (instead of useless), and I enjoyed her "cartoonish" attempts to act human. The climactic showdown blew my mind. As for Jacob's imprint on Renesmee, I shrugged at that--mostly because I've always felt that his rock-steady loyalty to Bella never got the appreciation it deserved. Heck, if you ask me, Bella lost the right to complain about anything ever again. Eternal beauty with superpowers, the man of her dreams, a miracle daughter (something the other vampire women could never have), and an ongoing relationship with her father (basically trivializing that whole vampire vs. human debate from the first four installments)! Side note: Here's a movie idea that would interest me: what it's like to be Alice, i.e., seeing the future all the time. Rating: 6
The will of the people
11/15/12 8:48 PM PST

Felt pretty ecstatic about the "Survivor: Philippines" tribal council last night until I found out that Michael Skupin had defected from those bullies, not Lisa. Even though I'm awestruck that Jonathan Penner survived yet again, I might've ranked the season as high up as "Survivor: Cook Islands" had his masterful rhetoric managed to persuade her. Update 11/16/2012: Forgot to mention that when I saw one Jonathan vote with "sorry" on it and another Jonathan vote with hearts around it, I mistook them for Michael's and Lisa's votes, respectively. Made me wonder whether any Survivor fans ever tried memorizing each player's penmanship.

I've really enjoyed watching Jonathan Penner this season. It's like he's been hanging on by the skin of his teeth. Here's what I'd put in his highlight reel:

In other news, the workers look like they're about done cleaning up the homeless encampments outside my parking lot. Didn't surprise me one bit that the clean-up lasted six days...if you ask me, they made good time!

Watched movie: "Lincoln" (2012) in Cinemark XD
Long-winded (particularly when Honest Abe digressed from serious issues to tell anecdotes) but historically profound Steven Spielberg dramatization of Lincoln's uphill battle to push the Thirteenth Amendment through Congress. Pretty amazing to see Democrats and Republicans at odds even in the 1860's (though the House of Representatives felt like some kind of bizarro world wherein Democrats, of all people, blocked the abolition of slavery!). Personally, I would have concluded the movie with America electing its first African-American president (rather than Lincoln's assassination), but I guess a move titled "Lincoln" should stay focused on Lincoln. :) Side note: Ulysses S. Grant looked cool. Rating: 7
Watched On Demand movie: "The Wind That Shakes the Barley" (2006-2007)
This Palme d'Or winner follows members of the IRA, so I guess I shouldn't have been shocked by how terrible the fighting got. Still--my brain just couldn't reconcile how both sides could bear to live with themselves. It really made me appreciate Gandhi's non-violent approach to British occupation. Rating: 6
Nine stitches
11/09/12 4:20 PM PST

Yesterday morning, I saw a Roads and Airports Department for the County of Santa Clara vehicle and a porta potty near the homeless encampments. Parked cars lined the street by the hillside too. Now for the past two days, I've seen workers with white suits, dust face masks, and litter pickers working to clean up all of the garbage. About dam time. They really have their work cut out for them though. Had they come months earlier, it wouldn't have looked like a Snickers commercial.

I know I should be happy, but I keep dreading that the squatters will simply come back.

As for my downstairs neighbor, still no conclusive evidence of any criminality.

In other news, I liked Obama's acceptance speech. When he advocated tolerance, health care for the poor, and an end to the war, I felt like he had indeed practiced what he preached. In fairness to Bush, I felt like he had practiced what he preached too: when he vowed that America would avenge 9/11 (ultimately I felt that America indeed got its revenge, in spades).

Watched movie: "Flight" (2012)
Disappointingly uninspirational quagmire of a movie wherein an intoxicated pilot (Denzel Washington) miraculously crash-lands a malfunctioning passenger plane with minimal fatalities. I wasn't sure what to make of the plot. In the big scheme of things, one could arguably condone Denzel Washington's alcoholism as integral to the chain-of-events that led to the miraculous landing. Meaning that although Denzel Washington should seek recovery, he shouldn't be prosecuted and sued over the fatalities that occurred. Heck, as a cynic who hates litigious societies, I didn't blame Denzel Washington one bit for trying to straighten everyone's stories. Rating: 5
Watched movie: "the perks of being a wallflower" (2012)
One of those awkward high school Breakfast Club coming-of-age dramedies that makes me un-nostalgic. Only part that piqued my interest: the mystery behind that freshman's psychological issues. I wasn't too happy with his love interest, a senior played by Emma Watson. Not just because I miss Hermione's hair, but because I felt she led him on (best-case scenario after her graduation: a 3-year long-distance relationship). Cradlerobbing. :) Rating: 5
Breaking uncool
11/04/12 5:54 PM PST

Thankfully, I no longer hear the intermittent sound of rushing water in my bathroom. But recently in the wee hours of the morning, I've heard a loud humming in my bathroom; loud enough to seemingly vibrate the walls. It actually made me suspect my downstairs neighbor of cooking meth. I've never actually seen my downstairs neighbor, but there's a weird pot outside of their door chock full of cigarette butts (to avoid igniting an explosion inside?). I also heard a smoke detector go off a couple of times.

Then again, maybe my neighbor only smokes outside to avoid setting off the smoke detector. And maybe the humming noises radiated from a neighboring, industrial-looking water heater (?) instead of a fume-ventilation machine. Most importantly, I don't smell the biggest telltale sign of a meth lab: pungent odors.

I'll keep my eyes, ears, and nose open though.

Update 11/6/2012: Smelled like B.O. outside of my apartment this morning (I left with my bathroom still humming). Made me realize that I smelt this odor before, in the parking lot (I had always thought it came from the homeless encampment). Also noticed a trash bin downstairs this morning, full of cleaning products (?).

Watched movie: "Cloud Atlas" (2012) in IMAX
Nearly three hours of grandiose story hopping by Tom Tykwer and the Wachowski siblings (formerly known as the Wachowski brothers). Unsurprisingly, the Wachowskis' portrayal of futuristic Korea impressed me the most...even though Hugo Weaving's Asian eyes looked every bit as appalling as the MANAA described (while I'm at it, Doona Bae looked ghastly as a Caucasian and a Mexican). I also liked the nuclear conspiracy story and the "Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome"-like story. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Paranormal Activity 4" (2012)
Weakest of the four films, IMHO. Those guys who directed the last Paranormal Activity might've run low on ideas this time. Great ending though. Also liked the infrared tracking dots cam and the boyfriend's comic relief. P.S. That "kitchen knife of Damocles" really unnerved me. Stay after the credits for something inexplicable, i.e., a Spanish Paranormal Activity?? Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Wreck-It Ralph" (2012) in 3D
Brilliant, breathtaking, emotional, nostalgic, and downright hilarious. Seeing video game characters cross over onto other arcade games' screens, e.g., Ralph in Tapper and the "turbo-tastic!" guy, amused me to no end. Stay after the credits for a kill screen. Rating: 8
Batter up
10/29/12 7:28 PM PDT

Congratulations to the San Francisco Giants for their 2012 World Series sweep (pretty impressive considering that they made a comeback from 1-3 in the National League Championship Series)! I enjoyed watching Game 4, and learned of new baseball strategies like no doubles defense and sacrifice bunt. At the top of the tenth inning with the winning run on first base, the commentator puzzled me with a no mystery what the Giants will do here remark just before the batter bunted himself out so that the runner could advance to second. Made me realize how much I still didn't know about professional baseball.

Watched movie: "Silent Hill: Revelation 3D" (2012)
Nowhere near as spooky as the video game franchise, but downright faithful to the visual stimuli (and incoherent plot) of Silent Hill 3. As soon as the actress put that white jacket on, she totally looked like Heather Mason (though if I had control of her, I would have hung onto the pipe, grabbed the floor plan, conserved ammo, and kicked enemies' heads to make sure they were dead). One thing I felt the movie didn't get quite right: Pyramid Head. He seemed uncharacteristically spry and even parried attacks with his knife!

Fingers crossed that this movie franchise will someday adapt the two Silent Hill games that I rated perfect 10's: Silent Hill 2 (not just Pyramid Head) and Silent Hill 4: The Room (could that prison bus have been transporting Walter Sullivan?). I also hope that that cameo of Travis Grady will be the last reference I ever see to that awful Silent Hill: Origins game. Stay after the credits for one final appearance of Pyramid Head. Rating: 5

Watched movie: "The Sessions" (2012)
Cringeworthy Oscar contender based on the true story of a permanently bedridden polio survivor (John Hawkes) who tried to lose his virginity to a professional sex surrogate (Helen Hunt). Basically I just wanted to get the heck outta there. Good acting though. Rating: 5
Bat's-eye view
10/25/12 4:57 PM PDT

I like Google Maps. For my London vacation, I printed out public transportation directions to each Olympic venue. Most recently, I used the Google satellite to survey an alleged parking lot behind the Fremont Theatre in San Luis Obispo. According to their Facebook page, they intend to build a new IMAX theatre in that spot. I dunno, seems awfully small.

Watched movie: "Hotel Transylvania" (2012) in 3D
Hilarious animated flick by Genndy Tartakovsky of Dexter's Laboratory fame. I found Dracula (voiced to perfection by Adam Sandler) really funny--especially when he looked dejected--and felt that both he and Frankenstein's monster had lot of great lines in response to the stereotypes about them, for example, I do not say, "Bleh ble-bleh!" and who wouldn't [a wooden stake through the heart] kill? Also, good job with the zombies and the party scenes. Rating: 7
Watched movie: "Smashed" (2012)
Weighty Sundance drama highlighted by Mary Elizabeth Winstead's powerful performance as a recovering alcoholic. Chee, once her character realized that being sober amongst drinking people sucked, I was like welcome to my world. Seriously though, those blowups toward her drunkard husband stood my hair on end (but in a good way). I might've rated the film higher had it not excelled at making Octavia Spencer, Nick Offerman, and Megan Mullally so un-funny. Rating: 6
Productive achievement
10/17/12 4:29 PM PDT

Congratulations to Roger Federer for hanging onto the #1 tennis ranking for 300 cumulative weeks now! An unprecedented milestone.

Watched Derek Jeter fracture his ankle on a TV replay. Ouch. Last time I fractured my ankle (while running suicides), I can remember crawling and writhing on the court in agonizing pain. I think my brain actually repressed some of the memory. My foot swelled like a cabbage patch doll, and afterward I couldn't even walk on the cast without crutches. I think tearing the ligament made all the difference, because as a kid I remember fracturing that very same ankle but with considerably less pain afterward (I could even walk on it again once the doctor wrapped it in a cast).

"The Walking Dead" season 3 premiered last Sunday...a strong no-nonsense episode, IMHO. No more fooling around for those characters. They threw down on those zombie hordes like a well-oiled machine. Usually the show follows a format where various characters alternate from likeable to unlikeable, but in that episode I found them all likeable.

As for "Dexter" season 7, which airs in the same time slot...still phenomenal. I can't say enough good things about it. If you've been following it, feel free to read my spoiler-heavy season 7 review.

Update 10/22/2012: More awesomeness from "Dexter" and "The Walking Dead" last night. Sunday's become the highlight of my week lately.

Watched movie: "End of Watch" (2012)
An engaging (and often mind-numbing) LAPD buddy movie that mixes cinéma vérité style and "found footage" pretty seamlessly. Reminded me of that old TV show COPS. Although I liked it overall, all the profanity, moral decay, and idiotic bravado began wearing on me. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Sinister" (2012)
Now that's how you start a horror flick. I was like, WTF, and totally drawn in. Another scene I found memorable: the jolting Lawn Work Super 8 home movie. The rest of the film didn't impress me as much. I did like the throbbing music, and found the deputy's shtick and Ethan Hawke's Homer Simpson-like counterarguments mildly amusing. But all those clichéd parts where Ethan Hawke investigated strange noises felt like filler to me. I also did not find the ghost children very scary. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Argo" (2012)
Coolly suspenseful Ben Affleck thriller that dramatizes the real-life covert rescue of six American diplomats during the Iran hostage crisis. It got kinda formulaic, but I didn't mind. I'd liken the suspense to that ending from "The Birds". Rating: 7
Watched movie: "Taken 2" (2012) in Cinemark XD
Possibly the thinnest plot I've ever seen for a thriller. Action-wise, I found the scenes fun but pretty farfetched. Examples: the daughter drove as skillfully as Jason Bourne, and Liam Neeson fired off shots with a gun that never seemed to run out of bullets (plus I can't believe the Venn diagram worked). Speaking of Liam Neeson, he's cool and all but what...a...slowpoke (just a little faster and he would've easily caught up to his ex-wife's abductors). P.S. I'm glad the movie made an effort to explain why anyone would want to divorce Liam Neeson's super-nice character. P.S.S. After what happened in the previous film, how could anyone possibly fault Liam Neeson for being overprotective? Rating: 5
Watched movie: "Atlas Shrugged: Part II - The Strike" (2012)
For those of you unfamiliar with Ayn Rand's "Atlas Shrugged" saga, think of it as a reverse-Occupy movement wherein America's richest 1% decide to go on strike. Granted, the movie never actually said they're on strike and I still don't know who John Galt is--but that's the message I got. Looking back, this installment pretty much answered nothing. Basically it was just bleeding heart altruists, e.g., the U.S. government, philanthropists, and (hehe) Occupy-like protesters, persecuting Dagny and Rearden for being rich.

Struck me as ironic that the entire cast from Part I had to be replaced. Almost like this film franchise is tanking just like the world it portrays. Rating: 5

Water torture
10/11/12 6:13 PM PDT

I'm stuck with a new annoyance at my apartment: the intermittent sound of rushing water. Given that I can hear it all hours of the day and night, 24/7, I dismissed my first hypothesis: a neighbor repeatedly turning their faucet on and off. Additionally, I don't think that a toilet would refill itself that frequently. Maybe it's an aquarium?

Today in the cafeteria, I witnessed a grand slam on TV during the Giants game. Pretty cool. I don't think I've ever seen a grand slam live before.

Watched movie: "Frankenweenie" (2012) in IMAX 3D
Although I'm not much of a Tim Burton fan, I found this latest stop motion film of his ghoulishly amusing (even the part where the Disney logo went all gothic). Many of the characters had funny caricatural faces, and Victor's weird classmates looked like they came straight out of old school monster movies. I also found Victor's attachment to Sparky surprisingly touching. Hehe...pretty hilarious how that Vincent Price-like character corrected himself: is ignorant the right word? I meant stupid. Also liked the Goodbye Kitty tombstone. Rating: 7
Oblivion
10/01/12 5:16 PM PDT

Comcast finally blacked out all of my analog channels. As a result, I had to install and activate their digital adapter. Now I can see most of the TV channels, but can only record the channel that the adapter is on. I also still need the digital cable box for premium and pay-per-view programming like "Dexter" and WrestleMania.

In other news, I kept spotting a baby coyote outside my workplace. In the last sighting, I noticed it limping. Our workplace newsletter warned us to "appreciate them from a distance"; not to feed them or make direct eye contact. "Coyotes, by nature, are wary of humans they will avoid people whenever possible. However, in urban areas, coyotes are less likely to fear people and are more likely to associate their presence with easy sources of food."

That's called habituation, gradually losing a fear of something through repeated exposure to it. That's mostly what I credit for overcoming my phobia of dogs. Well...whatever phobia I had of friendly-looking dogs, at least. I still get wary of dogs I can't read, and I still fear vicious-looking dogs like pitbulls (same as I fear predators like lions, tigers, and bears).

Now my biggest phobia is death. Or more precisely, nihilophobia (a fear of nothingness). Even looking across dark, pitch-black expanses of water perturbs me.

Watched movie: "House at the End of the Street" (2012)
Just cannot get used to Jennifer Lawrence's smile. I keep picturing her as Katniss. Man, is the next Hunger Games installment here yet? :(

This "House at the End of the Street" movie seemed more like "Jane Eyre" than a horror flick. It actually reminded me of those early Brian De Palma films, back when he was obsessed with "Psycho". It's like, something beautiful would start to bloom and then get stomped out by something violent and horrible. Rating: 5

Watched movie: "Looper" (2012)
More like loop-hole than loop-er (my friends and I discussed the time travel inconsistencies for quite some time afterward), but intriguing nonetheless. The movie followed my own personal time travel theory: that every time a time traveller alters the past, their memory of the past would change accordingly. Though in Joe's case, Joseph Gordon-Levitt's new memories appeared to slowly overwrite Bruce Willis' old memories one second at a time (except one glaring instance where it must've slipped Bruce's mind (?) that Emily Blunt had authenticated Rainmaker's I.D. (!)--also, I noticed that permanent physical wounds manifested themselves in real-time). I might've rated this film higher but I hated the ending. If it were up to me, I would've ended the movie with Joseph Gordon-Levitt promising to mentor Rainmaker, thereby erasing Bruce Willis from existence. Or alternatively, reveal that some other time traveller had become Rainmaker. Final thoughts: What kind of maroon would agree to that loop-closing stipulation, and what kind of insane troll logic was Bruce Willis using (did he realize the improbability of meeting his wife again; and that if his plan succeeded, he'd be erased from existence)?? Rating: 7
The art of transparency
09/24/12 3:17 PM PDT

For the first time ever, the IBM cafeteria served butter chicken. Afterward, I submitted a comment card praising it. I should've submitted one the day they served Pueblo Pork Roast too (the one coated with some kind of cumin (?) sauce). They served it about three years ago and I haven't seen it since.

Last Tuesday, I tried an Italian restaurant in Santana Row called Pasta Pomodoro. I spent most of the time looking down at my table as the couple next to me had a falling out in front of their kid. It started when the guy repeatedly asked the woman why she kept glaring at him. The woman wanted to know whom he had been texting, which led to her asking for his phone and reviewing his messages. Initially I thought how possessive, until she singled out one particular message from someone saying that she hadn't seen him on match.com lately. The guy got defensive, denying that he was on match.com and insisting that it was nothing (Steve's translation: "I'm totally hiding something"). "Tell me the truth," the woman kept repeating. "Let's just forget about it and eat," the guy deflected. So then the woman CALLED the person in front of him, got all the embarrassing details, and then walked out on him with the kid.

The guy should've just told the truth. Although their relationship still might've tanked, it also might've been salvageable. I mean, if she already trusted him so little that she had to check his phone, what more could he have to lose? It reminded me of Tarzan (from "Survivor: One World") and his wife's dubious secret to marriage: never lie to each other.

Personally, I think people are entitled to their secrets. I'm actually so cynical that most lies don't bother me. In fact, I prefer the lie if the truth led to some kind of embarrassment, awkward moment, or spoiler. I do get mad if I lose face because of someone's big mouth, but that applies to both lies and truths. :)

My own reluctance to lie mostly stems from pragmatism rather than self-righteousness. Just like a good credit score is important, I think credibility among allies is important. And the best way to maintain that trust: sharing information and keeping secrets while trying to minimize the lies I have to keep straight. I guess now I sound like Jonathan Penner from "Survivor: Philippines"...I once read an interview where he stated, "I'm a pretty straightforward, honest person. Lying is a lot of work. You've gotta remember what lie you told; it's much easier just to tell the truth."

I also have the ability to trust conditionally. Meaning, I can trust someone when it comes to X, but not when it comes to Y.

Final thought: I'll never understand how people can talk behind each other's backs but then turn around and act like the best of friends. :)

Watched movie: "The Intouchables" (2011-2012)
Basically one long feel-good buddy movie from France, with nary anything heavy. Somehow rated R even though I found it about as tame as "The Blind Side" and "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly". I guess the language was coarser. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Arbitrage" (2012)
One of those "walls closing in" thrillers wherein Richard Gere's character pulls a Chappaquiddick that could destroy his financial empire if the police manage to implicate him. Dunno if it was his unapologetic attitude or that smug look that Richard Gere always seem to have, but I had mixed feelings rooting for him. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Dredd 3D" (2012) in Cinemark XD-RealD 3D
Probably would've appreciated this movie more had I not seen "The Raid: Redemption" earlier in the year, which in my judgment executed the "trapped inside of a druglord's apartment building" premise better. The "Slo-Mo" drug did make for some stylish 3-D visuals. Made me wonder whether all that snail-like violence threw off any of the women who shut their eyes to that sort of thing. :) As for Judge Dredd--that guy needs more personality. Also found it farfetched how the bullets kept missing him and his partner (or in a couple of instances, missed penetrating any organs or arteries apparently). Rating: 6
Watched movie: "The Master" (2012)
Man, between Joaquin Phoenix's dirty mind and Philip Seymour Hoffman's indoctrination methods (time travel hypnosis theory??), I just wanted to get the heck outta there. My compliments to Paul Thomas Anderson's technique of just fixating the camera on the actors and letting them shine. Joaquin Phoenix might very well win the Oscar this time. Rating: 6
Neighbors & Steven & zombies
09/18/12 2:38 PM PDT

At long last, my next-door neighbors moved out! Happy dance. Certainly not the worst neighbors I've had, but vexing nonetheless...a father and grown-up son lounging around all day with their door open and their shirts off (sporting huge pot bellies), drinking beer and unashamedly projecting their embarrassing conversations, e.g., "I love you, baby" or "You don't love me" or inexplicably berating security. The son hocked (and spat) a lot too; a ghastly noise that made my skin crawl.

Strangely, after the father cleared his things I happened to open my door that night to see the son stumbling up the stairs, totally wasted with eyes wide open (for an alarming split-second my brain mistook him for a zombie). Was he not aware that his father had moved out?

Now if only my homeless neighbors followed suit. I read an interesting article that reported how San Jose's homeless returned to their camps after the cleanups. Apparently the city has some kind of obligation to fund alternate housing options and to tag & store homeless people's personal property. Lame.

Watched movie: "Robot & Frank" (2012)
Initially the premise seemed cute: Frank Langella recruiting his heath care robot into cat burglaries. But the movie ended up upsetting me and getting under my skin. For starters, I felt like he had corrupted that robot into becoming an enabler. Second, I hated how he manipulated his kids' emotions. Third, his mental deterioration really depressed me (particularly that one part when he realized he had been dating the mother of his own children).

I did find the robot itself interesting. To fulfill its directive of improving Frank Langella's health, I noticed it had no qualms against bargaining, lying, and breaking the law. Rating: 5

Watched movie: "Finding Nemo" (2003) in Cinemark XD-RealD 3D
Speaking of unamusing characters with memory problems, I screened the 3-D re-release of "Finding Nemo". Once again, all that ambitious, gorgeously vibrant imagery left me in awe. What a breakthrough in computer animation that was. Correction: what a breakthrough in computer animation it still is. Also, I think that newly released "Toy Story" short, "Partysaurus Rex", might be the best short Pixar has ever made. Stay after the credits. Rating: 8
Watched movie: "Resident Evil: Retribution" (2012) in IMAX 3D
Spectacularly convoluted hodgepodge full of bad dialogue and ludicrous slow-mo 3-D Matrix-fu. I did feel nostalgic seeing Leon, Barry, Ada, Jill, Rain, One, and the Red Queen despite the vague, paper-thin explanations for why they even appeared in the movie. I've also come to like the obligatory scene where Alice introduces herself to the other main characters in a dramatic badass fashion. Side note #1: Barry didn't seem to recognize Jill. Side note #2: If only Leon had unlocked his trusty Plaga Removal Laser 412. :) Rating: 5
No easy day
09/11/12 5:29 PM PDT

Man, I hope Jerry "The King" Lawler recovers ok after suffering a heart attack during the WWE Raw broadcast last night. After his commentating went silent, I could actually see him in the background slumped over. One account reported him clinically dead for 20 minutes before a defibrillator revived him! Hope that won't mean brain damage. Weirdest part was that he wrestled a tag team match earlier in the broadcast, and didn't even seem winded afterward.

I watched a really fascinating "60 Minutes" interview of the Navy SEAL who helped kill Osama bin Laden (and authored that book about it). What I found most interesting about his firsthand account: how the SEALs pretty much treated every guy in the compound as hostile and shot them in the head if they peeked around a corner. So the SEALs ended up shooting bin Laden to death without even knowing his identity. Side note: Typical military humor, that warped joke about how curiosity killed bin Laden's son.

I'm hoping that the "Zero Dark Thirty" movie captures all the foresight and acumen that the SEALs showed, from improvising a new plan after the helicopter crash to methodically collecting evidence (including duplicating the evidence of bin Laden's identity in case one helicopter didn't make it back). Man, what commitment for the SEAL on point to rush the women around bin Laden's body in case they tried to blow up the other SEALs.

Other details about the SEAL's account that I found noteworthy:

In other news, congratulations to Serena Williams for pulling out a harrowing U.S. Open victory! To think that last year, her harassment of the chair umpire basically came one swear word away from violating her probation (originally placed upon her for cussing out a lineswoman at the at the 2009 U.S. Open). Meaning, she would've gotten banned from this year's tournament. Side note: I still don't get why Redfoo from LMFAO sat in Azarenka's box.

Also congratulations to Andy Murray on his first Grand Slam title! He didn't look too thrilled for some reason (exhausted, maybe?). Instead of embracing his loved ones, did he just ask them where his shoes were?? Side note: Sean Connery's starting to look pretty old.

I finished tabulating the music results for 1H 2012.

Watched On Demand movie: "[·REC]³ Génesis" (2012)
Paraquel (?) of the first two films that from my perspective, trampled on everything that made the first two films great. As a result, I got kinda bored. I wasn't even sure whether to take the movie seriously. Was it some kind of a soapy love story or an irreverently ironic zombie flick? I guess I'll give the director the benefit of the doubt. Rating: 5
Watched movie: "Raiders of the Lost Ark" (1981) in IMAX
Digitally re-mastered IMAX restoration with such clarity that I could see each fly or bead of sweat on the characters' faces (though once in a while the focus blurred pretty badly). I had forgotten about the futility of Indiana Jones' adventures. He kept going through such inordinate lengths to acquire a treasure, e.g., the ark, only to lose it in the very next scene. Other reflections I had:
  • Alfred Molina sure looked young.
  • Misfortune always seemed to follow Indy's smiles (the bag of sand sinking, the vine by the pit uprooting, getting punched in the face).
  • The movie had a lot of warning signs (like gusts of wind) against disturbing the ark.
I still love that shot where the camera zoomed in on Indy as he gaped at all the baskets. Rating: 8
The reclusive network
09/04/12 6:06 PM PDT

A passion for writing...that's my answer for why I'm still blogging. It also helps that I have no accounts on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, or MySpace to preoccupy my time. Simply put, I don't like to socialize online (or in person, for that matter). I don't even own a smartphone.

I think all in all, the hardest part for me about blogging isn't writing the entries...it's settling upon what to title the entries. :)

Watched movie: "Cosmopolis" (2012)
I did not enjoy "Videodrome" and "Naked Lunch" when I took a film class on Cronenberg, so I certainly did not enjoy "Cosmopolis". In addition to the disconcerting sexuality, I had to endure the characters' (psuedo-)intellectual drivel too. (I'm not even sure they were real people--they might've just been abstractions.) Admittedly, some of their words amused the technical writer in me--but overall, they sounded like robots trying to wax poetic. Rating: 5
Watched On Demand movie: "V/H/S" (2012)
Basically six VHS (?) "found footage" horror shorts by six different filmmakers. Not so much scary as it was gory and debaucherous, but one particular short spooked me pretty good (the one with the "I like you" succubus). I also liked the one with the cloaked slasher. The rest of the shorts: meh. They should have trimmed out more footage, so that each short didn't take so long to get going. Rating: 5
Watched movie: "The Possession" (2012)
For some reason, Jewish demons don't scare me. The PG-13 rating didn't help either. I did care what happened to the main characters, to the film's credit. P.S. How is it that the girl got away with stabbing her father's hand?? P.S.S. Strange to see rap artist Matisyahu playing a Jewish exorcist. Rating: 5
Watched movie: "The Awakening" (2011-2012)
Tepid British ghost movie wherein a learned skeptic investigates a haunted boarding school. Reminded me of "The Others". Side note: Wonder why that WWI veteran only stammered on the letter "B"? Rating: 5
Watched movie: "Premium Rush" (2012)
Overall, a fun bike messenger thrill ride with enjoyable cat and mouse action, entertaining characters, and a "user-friendly" narrative (reminiscent of Google Maps). Rating: 7
Ten years later...
08/29/12 2:38 PM PDT

Today marks the tenth anniversary of my blog! Time sure flies. To commemorate the occasion, I decided to just extol my favorite movie from the last five years...

#1 favorite movie of 2007-2012: "Inception" (2010)

In my humble opinion, the magnum opus of Christopher Nolan. Despite my disappointment with "Dark Knight" (and my subsequent concerns that Nolan, my all-time favorite director, lost his touch), I walked into "Inception" with pretty high expectations. To my astonishment, Nolan blew all of my expectations away. To this day, I'm still in awe that one guy managed to write and direct this masterpiece.

I think Nolan captured my sentiment best with the following quote:

"Every film should have its own world, a logic and feel to it that expands beyond the exact image that the audience is seeing."

In my mind, Nolan loaded so much thought and detail into "Inception" that the movie felt like a whole new world...and "shared dreaming" felt like a real-life science.

Incidentally, Nolan actually explained in an interview what the ending meant. He said that the point of that scene was that Cobb looked at his kids and not the top.

In conclusion, I shattered a personal record of mine by watching "Inception" in a theater a total of eleven times (and each time the movie ended, I sat through the credits listening to the music). I even caught something new on the tenth viewing (scenes where Ariadne taught her architectures to each dreamer)!

Points in time
08/24/12 6:53 PM PDT

Finally came full circle on the "Quantum Leap" series, but still missed a lot of episodes.

The episodes where Sam deeply loved somebody--and had to leave them behind--depressed me...especially given my knowledge now of what I didn't know then. Like I knew Sam would...

Other bits of trivia that I noticed this time around:

Top 15 favorite photographs of 2007-2012

Honorable mention: This WWE Hall of Fame picture came out surprisingly good--you can even see Mickey Rourke in the audience, 4/4/2009

15. The current (and all-time) No. 1 tennis player in the world, Roger Federer, warming up on Centre Court at Wimbledon, 7/30/2012

14. Michael Phelps, lane 6, flapping his arms before the 200M butterfly final, 7/31/2012

13. The sight of Vince McMahon in a sharshooter after 12+ years...surreal, 3/28/2010

12. Awesomest pro-wrestling entrance ever, 4/5/2009

11. What is up with that referee? 3/28/2010

10. A rare stunt for The Undertaker, 6/1/2008

9. Me at the White House, 10/27/2007

8. John Cena, 1/27/2008

7. My favorite picture of the Royal Rumble Match, 1/25/2009

6. Crazy Ladder Match stunt, 10/5/2008

5. Whisper in the wind, 1/25/2009

4. Finally...I photographed the People's Elbow, 4/3/2011

3. A front row snapshot of the extremely rare Buried Alive Match, 10/24/2010

2. Surprisingly crisp picture of the medal-winning Olympic figure skaters during their victory lap, 2/25/2010

1. The money shot that made me the face of zero gravity, 9/20/2008

Watched movie: "The Expendables 2" (2012)
Another fun, nostalgic, all-star action blockbuster full of testosterone-fueled violence and cheesy one-liners. Good seeing Chuck Norris again, and Van Damme a.k.a. "Vilain" made a good villain. Hmmm...which action superstars are still unaccounted for? Steven Seagal and Jackie Chan? Rating: 7
Watched movie: "ParaNormaN" (2012) in 3D
Another enjoyable stop-motion film from the same studio that animated "Coraline". I found a lot of the nuances funny, from the way Norman's peers squinted at him to the way his friend fed his face with chips. Hehe...and just like Coraline's mom, Norman's mom had bags under her eyes! (Why this detail amuses me so much, I don't know.)

Was it just me, or did this whole movie make fun of the shallowness of modern society? For instance, the animators seemed to go out of their way to make everything on TV look stupid. :)

Stay after the credits for a time-lapse of Norman's creation. Rating: 7
Highway robbery
08/17/12 3:04 PM PDT

To my dismay, I discovered that the fine for driving in a diamond bus lane, a.k.a. CVC 21655.5(b) Improper Use of Preferential Lanes, amounts to $490!! Buncha bull. Plus to add insult to injury, I had to pay another $29 for a FasTrak violation.

My blog will turn 10 years old on August 29, but I have nothing special planned. I might just post some countdowns that weren't already part of my 2000-2009 Decade in Review. For example, my favorite screenshots and photographs, and maybe some movies of note. Certainly the #1 events that happened to me haven't changed.

Top 10 favorite screenshots 2007-2012

Honorable mention: Olympic tennis at Wimbledon's Centre Court

10. Elimination Chamber

9. Women's Qualification for Artistic Gymnastics

8. Minute to Win It: Level 10

7. Quite possibly the greatest WrestleMania match of all time

6. WWE Royal Rumble 2009

5. Me flinching

4. WWE No Mercy 2008

3. WWE WrestleMania XXVIII

2. Ladies Figure Skating Free Skate at the XXI Olympic Winter Games

1. Buried Alive Match...I relished this screencap

Watched movie: "The Watch" (2012)
Decently funny albeit stupid with an overabundance of crude jokes. Ben Stiller was too serious, IMHO. I actually thought the funniest part was when they went on for so long about disguising Jonah Hill as a woman. Rating: 6
Olympic Summer Games XXX: Top overall medal count
08/12/12 9:21 PM PDT

Congratulations to the USA men's basketball team for winning the final against Spain. It made me nervous when the score stayed even all the way into the fourth quarter! Side note: Still feels surreal to me that the Lakers managed to acquire both Dwight Howard and Steve Nash.

Time now to rank my favorite highlights from the London 2012 Summer Olympics:

  1. Michael Phelps' final recordsetting Olympic run. I'd easily call him the greatest Olympian who ever lived. The all-time record used to be 18 Olympic medals of any color, held by Larisa Latynina. Well, after London 2012 Phelps now has as many gold medals as Larisa Latynina has medals!
  2. Serena Williams' Olympic gold medal triumph. That makes her only the second woman in history to achieve a Career Golden Slam (Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, US Open, and an Olympic gold medal). Not bad for a 30-year-old. Now if only Roger Federer had followed suit...
  3. The women's USA soccer team's thrilling final against Japan. Pretty cool even though I would've preferred that the USA women had beaten Japan for the World Cup instead. :)
  4. The Fab Five's reclamation of the women's team gymnastics crown for USA (and Gabby Douglas winning the individual all-around). It helped soothe my bitterness over what happened at the previous Summer Olympics. :)
  5. Misty May-Treanor's & Kerri Walsh Jennings's third consecutive gold medal in beach volleyball. I clearly underestimated them this time around.

Interestingly, Apolo Ohno revealed on NBC that he must decide upon his Olympic future within the next few days. I don't see myself attending any Olympic events in Russia, but I might consider Rio 2016 (two points of interest in Brazil: Christ the Redeemer and Itaipu Dam) seeing as I didn't stay in the city of London long enough to catch any track and field sprints.

Watched movie: "Beasts of the Southern Wild" (2012)
Winner of the Dramatic Grand Jury Prize at Sundance and the Caméra d'Or that basically just followed the devil-may-care antics of some crazy off-the-grid Cajuns. I'd liken it to "Swamp People" and "Pan's Labyrinth", even though it's entirely possible that the aurochs in the movie were real and not just figments of the girl's imagination (!). Rating: 6
Watched movie: "The Bourne Legacy" (2012) in Cinemark XD
A pointless spin-off of the Bourne Trilogy, if you ask me, that confused me with messy action scenes and wasted my time with a shallow plot device. I sorely missed Paul Greengrass' directing and the original premise of an amnesiac assassin. Also wondered why cast members from "The Bourne Ultimatum" even bothered to reprise their roles for such inconsequential scenes. I did like one part: when Edward Norton's people combed for Rachel Weisz. P.S. That new Jeremy Renner character sure likes sarcasm. Rating: 5
London recall
08/10/12 5:49 PM PDT

Such a relief being back in the United States where the steering wheel is on the left, cars drive on the right side, and the food doesn't mess up my stomach (though admittedly, I did like the baked beans with my scrambled eggs). :) Interestingly, in the office I mouse with my left hand even though I'm right-handed (the logic being that if I get carpal tunnel in my left wrist, it won't affect the hand that I use to write with). That's likely why in the UK I was able to gear shift with my left hand so easily. Nothing could prepare me for steering from the other side of the car though. I had to keep telling my brain to hug the right side of the lane, so that I'd stop drifting to the left. It's extremely fortunate that I only brushed against curbs instead of guard rails or other cars.

Still bums me out that Roger Federer lost the gold medal match against Andy Murray! If only they could have swapped results: Federer's most recent Wimbledon title in exchange for the one accolade that he's never ever achieved: a singles gold medal.

In contrast, I shrugged when Gabby Douglas (and two of the other Fab Five) blew their individual gymnastics events. The Fab Five already won team gold and Gabby won the all-around gold--so in my mind, they all earned free passes.

Congratulations to Misty May-Treanor & Kerri Walsh Jennings for winning their third consecutive gold medals in beach volleyball! Mighty impressive.

Also congratulations to the women's USA soccer team! The way I see it--after those clutch saves--Hope Solo can run her mouth all she wants. :)

This week, I've been reviewing NBC's coverage of the Olympics. I added both pictures and screencaps to my earlier blog entries.

Watched movie: "Total Recall" (2012)
Although the film's logic didn't add up in my head, e.g., the engineering behind that gravity train and the motivation behind a fake wife, I did marvel at all the cool futuristic spectacles. Even recognized the London locations. Rating: 6
England, Day 6: Channel Tunnel
08/03/12 8:08 AM PDT

I ended up renting a car from Avis, a black Peugeot 207 SW. It was a manual transmission but thankfully, I remembered how to shift gears (even with the stick to my left). The reversed driver seat location proved much more terrifying, as I occasionally nudged the lefthand curb while driving on the left side of the road. :P

Quite the learning experience, that Channel Tunnel. Once I figured out how to buy a ticket, they printed an alphabetical letter for me to hang on my rear view mirror. I matched the letter with its departure time on the terminal screen. Following a passport screening, I queued my car into a line and drove into some kind of long boxcar (which turned into carriages of 4-5 cars once the metal doors shut); then stayed parked there while the boxcar crossed through a dark subway-like tunnel for about half-an-hour.

Passport screening
Boarding area where the employees herd our cars into carriages
Don't know why they instruct us to keep our windows open halfway during the trip
The view outside the carriage window (inside the Chunnel, darkness)

Once I disembarked in France, I immediately wandered my way back to the Euro Tunnel le Shuttle. (Although I welcomed driving on the right side of the road, I had trouble comprehending French traffic signs. :P) Then I went through all that hassle over again. This time, French customs, UK Border Control (questions galore), waiting for my call in a eurotunnel shopping center (not as long as I thought given France is one hour ahead), ineptly driving to the wrong boarding area, and then finally boarding the correct shuttle back to the UK.

So thankfully, I got through all that unscathed despite driving around lost through Folkestone. My nerves are shot. Can you imagine if I had gotten my car into an accident? Goes to show how seriously I take my goals list.

Tomorrow, I fly back to the United States.

P.S. Good that I had my Visa debit card with me. The Discover card wasn't much use. :(

England, Day 5: Stonehenge
08/02/12 3:10 PM PDT

Ever since I picked up a 5 cent euro in my loose change (it looks like the British penny), I've been trying to sneak it past British cashiers. But every single time they've weeded it out and rejected it, like those cats who can sense the pill in their catfood. It might be my imagination, but the cashiers seemed almost indignant that I'd try to pay them with a euro coin.

Pretty rainy at the Stonehenge monument today, but the sky opened long enough for me to snap pictures all around it. The rope path curved in close enough for me to see the greenish discoloration and fungus on the otherwise gray rocks. In person, the rocks looked gigantic. How the heck did prehistoric people transport and stack those things 4500 years ago? Any why?

When I look at Stonehenge photographs, the monument always seems isolated in the middle of nowhere. But in actuality, it's fenced in. Outside the fence: roads, a gift shop, a café (where I bought a cinnamon-flavored rock cake with raisins), a ticket booth, toilets, parking lots, and grazing sheep.

All in all, I think that was worth the 90-120 minute tour bus ride from London.

Stonehenge during visiting hours
Sarsen stone circle with an inner horseshoe of trilithons
I guess nothing is sacred to crows

In other news, security picked me up during my walk toward the Channel Tunnel. Apparently that's a huge no-no--we're only allowed to cross by vehicle. So after the police ran a background check on me and asked me some questions, they sent me on my way. Needlessly to say, I failed to cross off that goal today. :P

England, Day 4: Waiting for Day 5
08/01/12 6:55 AM PDT

Frustrating setback...the private Stonehenge tour only runs on Tuesdays. It seems that the Web site erroneously let me book today's date. So I now have to settle for a tour where I view Stonehenge from afar. But that's not all--because the lady missed the discrepancy, I wasted the whole morning loitering while the other Stonehenge tour groups came and went. As a result, I now have to wait until tomorrow morning for the next tour bus! Grrr...

Good thing that when I scheduled this vacation, I buffered in an extra day.

England, Day 3: Swimming
07/31/12 5:25 PM PDT

Rainy afternoon in London. For lunch, I had fish & chips with earl grey tea. Although I'm not a big fan of fish & chips, I liked it better than any fish & chips I tasted in America.

I'd describe the rest of my day as disappointing. For some idiotic reason, the Olympic cauldron was not outside for visitors of the Olympic Park to photograph. It's inside the track & field stadium, and I have no ticket to grant me admission.

The ticket I did have, Olympic swimming, landed me in the 20th row of the Aquatics Centre...about third row up in the upper balcony. Pretty lousy considered I paid top dollar for an AA category ticket.

Spoiler alert for Tuesday's swimming finals: To my complete and utter dismay, Michael Phelps lost his signature event, the 200-meter butterfly! I had been holding my breath, waiting for his touch to trigger a single red light next to his lane (indicating first place). Instead, I saw two red lights. My reaction: dumbfounded...then when what happened sank in, dejected. Granted, I witnessed history in that he tied Larisa Latynina for most Olympic medals of any color. But *&^%$ it, I purposely picked Phelps' best event so I could see him win a gold medal! It's the topmost reason I flew to London in the first place.

It did give me consolidation that USA later won the 4x200-meter freestyle relay, which Phelps anchored. So I personally witnessed Phelps winning his first gold medal at London 2012 and becoming the most decorated Olympian in history. I also got to personally experience, finally, an Olympic medals ceremony where the American flag rose to the Star-Spangled banner (first for Allison Schmitt, again for the USA relay team).

P.S. Maybe someday I can brag about seeing those two teenage swimming stars, Missy Franklin and Ye Shiwen, in action.

P.S.S. I hope my pictures come out ok. My hands got kind of shaky at times.

Phelps, lane 6, flapping his arms before the 200M butterfly final
Two red lights over lane 6 meant Phelps got second place!
Silver medal for Michael Phelps, tying Larisa Latynina's record
Gold medal for Michael Phelps, breaking Larisa Latynina's record

I'm getting kinda sick of the news here. This just in: Great Britain ranked #20 in the medal count. Granted, it's not like the propaganda that Canada showed during the last Olympics--but I wished that the BBC focused less on Great Britain's defeats and more on the athletes who actually won medals.

I did see one prominent U.S. headline on the BBC: the charges for that shooting massacre in Aurora. :(

Update 8/1/2012: Michael Phelps made the top headlines in the news last night, so maybe the BBC redeemed itself. :) I didn't sleep a wink. Either the swimming excitement gave me insomnia, or my brain feared oversleeping and missing the Stonehenge tour bus. Or maybe it's jet lag?

England, Day 2: From Westminster to Wimbledon
07/30/12 3:36 PM PDT

My feet feel blistered and my face looks sunburned, but I have to say it was a good day.

I started with a big breakfast which included scrambled eggs, potatoes, baked beans, and a nasty brownie-like puck called black pudding that I imagine stuck to my stomach like gum. :P

Then I visited the obligatory tourist attractions in London: Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, and Buckingham Palace. I tried to take photos of the guards as three of them marched out to relieve the ones in the front of the building.

Big Ben
Westminster Abbey
Buckingham Palace

Speaking of disciplined professionals who ignore distractions, all of those Olympic tennis players at Wimbledon's Centre Court seemed to completely block out the audience during their matches (even when we started a wave). A couple of things that I found cool: rhythmically clapping along with the audience during the challenges, and watching the points without spectators walking up and down (the officials block the entrances between set changes). I also enjoyed (twice) the famed strawberries & cream from the Champagne Bar.

The highlight of my Wimbledon experience (and possibly the highlight of my trip): seeing the greatest tennis player who ever lived, Roger Federer, in action. Fortune really smiled upon me, because I had no idea which tennis players I'd get to see when I bought my ticket. The schedule depended upon tournament draw, advancement, and chance. Here's a recap of who played today in Centre Court:

  1. Victoria Azarenka (BLR) (1) vs. Irina-Camelia Begu (ROU)
  2. Roger Federer (SUI) (1) vs. Julien Benneteau (FRA)
  3. Juan Martin del Potro (ARG) (8) vs. Andreas Seppi (ITA)
  4. Caroline Wozniacki (DEN) (8) vs. Yanina Wickmayer (BEL) (but I left early in the first set)

If these matches air in the United States, look for me in my neon cap and shirt in the 9th row from the court (a.k.a. the third row from the purple wall).

Centre Court seemed really small in person. The two retractable roofs looked massive though (for some reason the officials kept repositioning them over the court).

I still don't understand why players raise their hand (apologetically?) when the ball trickles over the net tape.

The rooftop over Centre Court
Delicious strawberries & cream
The current (and all-time) No. 1 tennis player in the world, Roger Federer

Upon my return to London, I tried a 10oz rump steak (with a side of mushroom sauce) at Skylon inside the Royal Festival Hall. Tasty but man, I really had to chew that thing.

England, Day 1: Gymnastics - Artistic
07/29/12 4:26 PM PDT

Survived my 10+ hour flight to London. Afterward the pilot announced that the airport almost cancelled our landing due to weather. Good thing that didn't happen, because near the end there I started feeling airsick from the turbulence.

We still got delayed on the ground, however, so I arrived late to the Women's Qualification for Artistic Gymnastics. The USA's Fab Five had already come and gone so I got stuck watching the rotations for China, Russia, Germany, Romania, Japan, and "mixed groups", i.e., individual gymnasts lacking a team. If NBC airs the qualification floor exercises for China and Germany, look for me in the third row wearing a neon yellow shirt and neon orange cap.

I actually didn't care for the live format. I didn't mind waiting through each of the warm ups, but I found it distracting how all four of the groups competed simultaneously (then rotated amidst rhythmic crowd clapping to the next apparatus). As a result, my eyes kept wandering to the loud musically-themed floor exercises. Also, the live British commentator didn't offer much insight.

Too much going on at once

Spoiler alert from someone who's now eight hours ahead of California time: when I stared at the scoreboard and noticed Jordyn Wieber missing a Q next to her name, I was like what happened). I had to google the result on the Internet, because I'm not sure that'd even make the news on my hotel room TV. Last I checked, the BBC was singing the praises of a bronze-winning British swimmer.

The city of London looks really old to me. It feels like I stepped into an alternate reality where England won the Revolutionary War. I see American franchises like Coca-Cola, Starbucks, McDonald's, and Burger King, but most of the products and snacks I see have strange names. The cars and roads look reversed. Subway signs appear in English but say "Mind the Gap" instead of "Caution" and "Way Out" instead of "Exit". The clocks all use military time. And the local folk say "queue" a lot instead of "line" or "line up".

Batman ends (?)
07/25/12 5:25 PM PDT
Watched movie: "The Dark Knight Rises" (2012)
Cool overall; slow and corny on occasion. Sometimes had awesome lines like "Not everything. Not yet."; other times had painful lines like Gordon waxing poetic about plunging hands into the filth. :(

I guess Christopher Nolan finally answered whether Batman could ever just ride off into the sunset--or more importantly, whether Bruce Wayne could ever get over his beloved Rachel. :) I liked how the movie depicted Catwoman and Bane--definite improvements over their previous incarnations, IMHO. Other thoughts I had:

  • Bane's voice sounded much better, for the most part.
  • That motorbike with the spinning tires rocked. Also, nice touch to tie human shields to the motorcyclists. :)
  • Why did Batman still speak with that funny whisper to people who knew his secret identity?
  • Where did Catwoman's friend disappear to?
Rating: 8

The San Luis Obispo Downtown Centre Cinemas advertised screenings of "Dark Knight Rises" in their brand-new EXTREME 3 THEATRE. Caveat emptor. It turned out to be a normal, non-stadium seating room with a screen that spanned from the ceiling to the floor. The movie didn't even show in digital projection--I could see the cigarette burns which mark normal film reels.

That one scene where gunmen open fire on the stockbrokers gives me the creeps. It keeps reminding me of that massacre in Aurora where a spree shooter opened fire on a "Dark Knight Rises" audience.

Well, after months of planning, I finally fly to London this Saturday. I come back the following Saturday.

Toll taking
07/21/12 1:03 PM PDT

"Dark Knight Rises" today. I noticed that that shooting spree at one of the screenings still headlines the news. Hope it doesn't inspire any other gunmen out there who might be hungry for publicity.

I finally e-mailed a complaint to the County of Santa Clara County Department of Environmental Health. With all the trash that the squatters outside my parking lot fence managed to hoard, the hillside looks and smells like a veritable garbage dump now. It's totally ridiculous.

In other news, I received a brand-new traffic ticket for driving in a diamond bus lane. I had taken a wrong turn and was trying to avoid a toll booth. In hindsight, I should've just paid the toll. The cop said it wasn't a moving violation, but I dread the heftiness of the fine.

Watched movie: "Ted" (2012)
Adult comedy by the creator of "Family Guy" wherein a teddy bear (who sounds an awful lot like Peter Griffin) comes to life and becomes a bad influence on Mark Wahlberg. Although I found the movie vulgar and sappy, it had its moments. I particularly liked the 80's nostalgia and the hilarious homage to that campy "Flash Gordon" film. Ironically, Mila Kunis--the actress whom I always have trouble taking seriously--was way too serious for me this time around. P.S. I found it strange that despite all the profanity, off-color jokes, and drug use, this movie actually seemed less offensive to me than "Family Guy". Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Take This Waltz" (2011-2012)
A downcast, mind-numbing drama wherein Michelle Williams starts an emotional affair with her neighbor and feels guilty about it. Hmmm...that makes five movies now where I've seen Michelle Williams unhappy in a marriage. Art imitates life? Anyway, her character (and that pool and shower scene) completely turned me off. It's like, quit embarrassing yourself and talk normal. It's pronounced "love", not "wuv". Also couldn't believe that both Seth Rogen and Sarah Silverman could deliver such boring performances. I only liked two scenes in all (hint: both of them used "Video Killed the Radio Star"). Rating: 4
Watched movie: "Ice Age: Continental Drift" (2012) in 3D
Decently entertaining despite so many annoying new characters (Granny, Weiner, the teenage mammoths, the pirates). As usual, I found Manny the least funny of the main cast. Most funny: Sid and Scrat. P.S. Mighty impressive terrain fracturing animation. Rating: 6
Spare the rod...
07/16/12 5:14 PM PDT

Guess I'll bring my Discover card to London after all. Thanks to their timely promotion, I'll receive a 2% Cashback Bonus for every purchase in London (from June 2 and August 31) and zero foreign transaction fees. I'll still take my Visa card, as that was the only card the Olympics vendors accepted in Vancouver.

I'm starting to dislike today's kids more and more. Specifically, their lack of inhibitions and manners. During Spider-Man, I had to listen to a loud kid asking lame obvious questions like, "Is that a spider?", "Is that man Spider-Man?", and "Is that man dead?" Another time, I was eating at Hometown Buffet while my car was at the mechanic shop. Some girl looked my way and commented, I think it's sad when people eat alone. In response, I just sat there fuming. What could I say back? I think it's sad that some kids won't amount to anything?

Worst part was that neither of the kids' mothers corrected their rudeness. Which is bad for the kids' futures, if they grow up without learning to respect others.

Watched movie: "To Rome with Love" (2012)
Funny at first; tiresome after awhile. I like the shticks of both Woody Allen and Roberto Benigni, but in moderation. Also, the scenery of Rome seemed gratuitous. P.S. I wonder if Woody Allen is cynical toward pseudo celebrities. Rating: 5
Why stop now
07/08/12 4:59 PM PDT

Dude, when I flush my new toilet it's like an airlock opens and sucks the water out (along with the air around it) into outer space.

Congratulations to 30-year-olds Roger Federer and Serena Williams for Wimbledon triumphs amidst Grand Slam droughts that made tennis fans talk of their retirement. Maybe I'll get to see one of them play in Centre Court during the Olympics at the end of this month. Gotta feel bad for Andy Murray, losing on his home turf with celebrities like the Middleton sisters and David Beckham in attendance. Also felt bad for Radwanska when Serena won one of the games with four consecutive aces. I have never seen anything like that.

In a bit of sad news, gold medalist Nastia Liukin failed to qualify for the U.S. Olympic gymnastic team. With both her and Shawn Johnson now retired, I can feel my excitement diminishing for the Olympic gymnastics events that I have tickets for. :P

By the way, that daredevil who crossed Niagara Falls on a tightrope...he now wants to cross the Grand Canyon on a tightrope! What a nut.

Watched movie: "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter" (2012) in 3D
Unapologetically farfetched pulp wherein the historical event that made Honest Abe legendary, the Civil War, plays second fiddle to his "true calling" as a vampire hunter (Abe's weapon of choice: an axe with a gun inside of it). As always, I liked Timur Bekmambetov's wildly over-the-top action scenes, including one particularly ridiculous fight amidst a horse stampede. Rating: 5
Watched movie: "Brave" (2012) in 3D
Relatively likeable Pixar flick that at times, got too cartoonish for my taste. Props to the animation of Merida's hair. Stay after the credits. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "People Like Us" (2012)
Disconcerting drama wherein an heir finds out he has a half-sister, and inexplicably befriends her under false pretenses. Why couldn't they just have a movie where he befriended her like a normal brother? Maybe that'd be too boring. Rating: 5
Watched movie: "The Amazing Spider-Man" (2012) in 3D
Quite the spectacle but nowhere near as emotional as the original Spider-Man trilogy. A real shame, too, because those arcs with Uncle Ben, Captain Stacy, and Peter's revelations of his secret identity could've packed a huge wallop. Cast-wise, I just couldn't picture Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy (whom I always liked better than Mary Jane)--nor could I picture Denis Leary as Captain Stacy. I did like Andrew Garfield's comical portrayal of Peter Parker at least. Stay during the credits. Rating: 5
SteveN the Hood
06/29/12 1:52 PM PDT

Last night, the maintenance guy who fixed my slow toilet told me he'd give me a brand-new toilet around either morning or afternoon. To my chagrin, he entered my apartment while I was in the shower and repeatedly shouted "MAINTENANCE! YO, MAINTENANCE!" for the whole neighborhood to hear. When I realized that he wouldn't stop, I cracked my bathroom door open to tell him I'll be out soon. Geez man, you'd think he could've deduced that all on his own.

Where's Rudy Giuliani when you need him? :( That homeless encampment between my parking lot fence and the overpass hill is starting to look like a slum now. After hearing what sounded like someone getting assaulted there, I talked to security and they said that they have no jurisdiction beyond the fence. The guard added that they were trying to catch whoever has been setting fires in the dumpsters (which explains the charred dumpster near my apartment). I guess their uselessness shouldn't surprise me, given how they did jack squat about the raving mad tenant underneath me too. At least they're really good at towing illegally parked cars.

I actually flagged down one of the security cars the other night, to alert them to a suspicious person with a hoodie that I saw crouched near a license plate. I watched closely as the security car drove up to the guy (prompting him to stand up) and then drove away (prompting him to crouch back down). Guess that means he wasn't stealing a registration sticker like I suspected? What was he doing then? (Good thing I'm not a George Zimmerman.)

But back to the encampment--I could see the garbage piling up behind the fence and even spotted one tent getting burglarized. I finally complained to the rental office, and they said they already knew about it. Apparently that's why they had laid sharp rocks along the fence--to deter squatters--but clearly it didn't work.

I have a pretty long list of things that bother me in cities: squatters, litter, vandalism, crime, bad roads. People picking through garbage cans, panhandling, or urinating in plain sight. That's why I tend to disfavor policies that in my judgment, make the rich richer and the poor poorer. Ironically, those Occupy protesters who camp out in plain sight--I consider them a public nuisance.

Watched On Demand movie: "Le Hérisson" (2009) a.k.a. "The Hedgehog" (2011)
A slow-paced French drama that could have been charming had the first few minutes (and while I'm at it, the last few minutes) not turned me off. I guess I felt that with everything going on the world, the thought of an 11-year-old girl plotting her own suicide out of boredom really rubbed me the wrong way. Rating: 4
Watched movie: "Hodejegerne" (2011) a.k.a. "Headhunters" (2012)
Amusing Norwegian thriller about a disciplined art burglar who struggles to keep his wits about him during a really bad day--a day so ridiculously bad that I couldn't help but laugh. In particular, I found it funny when he ineptly dragged a body around, tried to punch in a passcode without misspelling it, and recklessly drove a tractor with that dog still impaled on it! Seemed unrealistic that he could get away with everything (especially given his splurging habits), but oh well. Rating: 7
Back in time
06/22/12 2:44 PM PDT

Thanks to the G4 channel, I got to watch a couple of my favorite "Quantum Leap" episodes again. Namely the ones where Alia, the Evil Leaper, defected with Sam. What a downer, thinking that Alia could have set something wrong each time that Sam set something right. :P Anyway, I loved everything from their simultaneous leap (leaving two people in the waiting room) to the part where she leapt as a bullet passed through her (leaving ?? people in the waiting room). It's the only time I remember seeing what happens once the Leaper departs.

Update 6/22/2012: Make that twice...just saw a scene where Sam swapped places with a Mafia don and the original guy came back with no memory of the waiting room. And now that I think about it, I vaguely remember an episode where Lee Harvey Oswald leaped back in.

Guess I'll have to wait awhile to see "Trilogy" again. That's the cool story arc where Sam had to save the same girl's life on three separate occasions: first as her father (the real father must've been mighty confused, taking Sam's place under a collapsing ceiling), second as her fiance, and third as her defense attorney. (Interestingly, the actress who played her went on to guest star as Trudy in "Monk" and Jan in "The Office".) Always bothered me that the show never resolved that HUGE loose end regarding Sam's biological daughter, whom he ultimately rescued from a "horrible" fate of writing computer manuals. :P

Also bugged me that the show never explained the origin of Lothos, the Evil Leaper supercomputer, and why it couldn't just send an Evil Leaper back in time to destroy Ziggy (the Quantum Leap supercomputer). Unless...what if Lothos was actually the future version of Ziggy? Sigh, so much material for a Quantum Leap spin-off or movie. :)

In other news, congratulations to LeBron James for finally winning that elusive NBA championship!

Watched movie: "Safety Not Guaranteed" (2012)
Funny but disappointing comedy inspired by that real-life classified ad for a time travel partner. I say "disappointing" because the movie primarily focused on the credibility of the ad rather than the actual details of the mission. Rating: 5
Watched movie: "Rock of Ages" (2012)
Broadway musical adaptation that to me, seemed more like a hollow mockery of 1980s rock rather than any kind of meaningful homage. I particularly hated how the characters acted like they wrote the songs themselves. I also found their attempts at comedy shallow and dumb (except for that hilarious boy band angle). Finally, it bothered me that the movie wasted Julianne Hough's dancing talents on a stripper pole. I guess she got to sing at least. Rating: 4
En route
06/15/12 5:11 PM PDT

Started noticing movie theater advertisements for a "Dark Knight" Marathon, featuring the first two Dark Knight films followed by a midnight screening of "The Dark Knight Rises". Probably won't last nearly as long as the Avengers Marathon ("Iron Man", "The Incredible Hulk", "Iron Man 2", "Thor", "Captain America", and "The Avengers"), but I'll probably still skip it. :)

I pencilled some new films to see this year based on the winners from the 2012 Cannes Film Festival:

Unlike the foreign language Oscar, which in my opinion favors safe films whose messages satisfy the "lowest common denominator", the Cannes films tend to strike me as atmospheric and edgy.

I managed to see an evening screening of "Madagascar 3" that had only one kid in the theater. I'll never forget that time I saw "Ice Age 3" and a loud kid behind me kept exclaiming obvious things, like "There's Diego!" and "Dinosaur babbbbbbies!!" Ever since then, I've tried to avoid matinees for family films. :)

In other news, my British currency finally arrived at the bank. At first glance, the bills have Queen Elizabeth on them. I dread how they'll look once Prince Charles becomes King. :P

Watched movie: "Prometheus" (2012) in 3D
Well, I liked creepy David and the special effects--everything else: boring. My apathy toward the Prometheus' mission certainly didn't help--and admittedly, I've never considered myself much of a Ridley Scott fan. I ended up giving this movie the same rating as "Alien". Side note #1: What kind of idiot would reach toward an alien snake that looks poised to strike?? Side note #2: Weird to name the Noomi Rapace character Elizabeth...and after major surgery like that, I doubt even the girl with the dragon tattoo could stay on her feet. :P Rating: 5
Watched movie: "Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted" (2012) in 3D
I didn't laugh one single time. Come to think of it, I don't remember laughing at anything in the first two films either. For this particular installment, I found the bear romance and the stereotypical Italian sea lion (in my opinion, the most irritating animal since Jar Jar Binks) brutally bad. The cartoonish villain annoyed me too. Had the circus act not dazzled me, I would've considered this movie a complete disaster. P.S. How did the animals get from Africa to Monte Carlo?? P.S.S. Good use of 3-D effects. Rating: 4
Watched movie: "Moonrise Kingdom" (2012)
Not just dry humor but bone dry humor. Wes Anderson, man. If the characters hadn't bared some dashes of emotion now and then (to my amusement), they probably could have passed for pod people. P.S. Bill Murray might be the greatest deadpan actor alive. Rating: 7
Credit where credit is due
06/09/12 12:36 PM PDT

Although I don't consider myself a huge sports fan, I've found the past few days of sports news unusually interesting:

On a lesser note, Video Games Live had a meet & greet for "Video Game Player of the Century" Billy Mitchell. I actually have to give the guy credit. After that "The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters" documentary brutally villainized him, he actually stepped it up and played in public to successfully retake the Donkey Kong record. (Of course, someone named Hank Chien broke it about three years later; then five months later Mitchell retook it; then two months later Steve Wiebe reclaimed it; then Hank Chien beat them all five months later...it never ends.)

Watched movie: "Piranha 3DD" (2012) in 3D
Every bit as stupid as the first "Piranha 3D", and then some. Now I have images of perversion and 3-D puke stuck in my head. If I was an actor and had appeared in a movie like this, I'd probably want to wear a bag over my head afterward. :( Even the bloopers sucked. David Hasselhoff, man. Rating: 3
Watched movie: "Polisse" (2011-2012)
Cannes Jury Prize winner about a Child Protection Unit in Paris (basically the French equivalent of the "Law & Order" Special Victims Unit, complete with dramatizations of real-life cases). Sort of overdramatic at times, and the bizarre ending made me lower my rating slightly. Also depressed me watching what the officers had to deal with, e.g., weighing whether to believe a child vs. their alleged molester and trying to log a name for a rape victim's stillborn before they bagged the thing in a ziploc (!). Rating: 5
Deeply discussing Dexter (spoiler alert)
06/03/12 11:38 PM PDT

SPOILER ALERT: Instead of hiding everything with a spoiler tag, I appended my current thoughts on the "Dexter" series after the graphic below. Warning! Do not scroll down until after you have watched SEASON SIX of "Dexter"!

Ever since I became a fan of "Dexter", I've role played in my head what would happen if Debra discovered Dexter's secret. I concluded that if Dexter ever wanted Debra to trust him again, he'd have to come clean and tell the whole truth. After much deliberation, I came up with the following recommendations:

And hopefully, Dexter won't need to remind her that he twice saved her life. :)

Interestingly, I used to dread what would happen once Debra discovered Dexter's secret. But thanks to that incestuous "jump-the-shark" scare, I ended up welcoming the sixth season cliffhanger. :P My prediction about how Debra will react: she'll think that he's not being himself (that maybe stress and/or Rita's death got to him) and tell him to drop the knife. She might puke too. But I don't think she'll draw her gun on him. She certainly won't turn him in--otherwise, no more show. :) I figure that for the duration of season seven at least, she'll go about trying to "fix" him. They might even reverse roles so that she'd now have to take care of him the way that he took care of her.

I'm really looking forward to the seventh season. With actors like Michael C. Hall and Jennifer Carpenter, the season has the potential to outshine them all.

Did I ever mention my favorite episode of "Dexter"? "Left Turn Ahead", the one where Dexter hit one of the lowest points of his life and actually reached out to Debra. In short, Dexter a) considered abandoning his code because of the shame that his Dad ultimately felt for it, and b) considered turning himself in. But in one of Debra's finest moments, she convinced him to decide who he wanted to be and to "ride it out". At that point, I basically credited Debra with saving Dexter's life--because let's face it, he would've gotten a lethal injection or life in prison for sure!

SEASON 7 SPOILER ALERT: Instead of hiding everything with a spoiler tag, I appended my thoughts on each season 7 episode after the photo below. Warning! Do not scroll past the titles of episodes that you haven't watched yet!

Update 7/17/2012: Watched Showtime's sneak peek of the first two minutes of season 7. My reaction: I felt bad for Debra. I felt that Dexter failed her. Not just because he poisoned her most treasured positive relationship, but because he continued to lie to her (against my advice). And badly, at that--he sounded so cold and rehearsed. If she ends up believing that BS, then that's straight-up denial.

On the other hand, she did draw her gun on him (which I didn't anticipate), so I guess I can't blame him for his "deer in the headlights" tap-dancing (even stooping to that awful lie about Rita). But he must know that she'll find out more sooner or later.

Update 10/1/2012 ("Are You...?" spoiler alert): Watched the season 7 premiere, and actually had trouble sleeping afterward. Haunting, man. Were Dexter and Debra really having those conversations? So surreal that my brain had trouble processing them.

Update 10/8/2012 ("Sunshine and Frosty Swirl" spoiler alert): Second episode of season 7 seemed lighter. Debra's best line ever: "You're a sick f***." Felt a tad annoyed about her flippancy toward the Dark Passenger, but I cut her a lot of slack. :) Also felt a bit disappointed that Dexter didn't fill Debra in on any of his high-profile killings (did he confirm to being the Bay Harbor Butcher off-camera?)--but as they say in sales: once you close a deal, stop talking. Side note: I noticed going back to season 5 that in addition to murderers, Dexter now seems ok with killing jerks too.

Update 10/15/2012 ("Buck the System" spoiler alert): Nice try Dexter, but I felt that Debra's point about the blood slide trophies scuttled your entire argument. Dang this season's good.

Update 10/22/2012 ("Run" spoiler alert): Did Debra accept Dexter's Dark Passenger already? I've really come to enjoy those confrontational "back alley" conversations between them. Are you even capable of love? Ouch. I like how Debra finally brought up Trinity (though I noticed Dexter didn't come completely clean about that as I seem to recall he misdirected the police and even foiled Trinity's suicide attempt). I'm surprised she hasn't asked about details on Doakes or the Ice Truck Killer. All in all, I concluded that Dexter shouldn't volunteer any more secrets unless absolutely necessary, like for instance, how their Dad committed suicide because of him.

Update 10/29/2012 ("Swim Deep" spoiler alert): Dang it, what a liability Dexter has become for poor Deb. I'm glad she rebuked him for misleading the police, because I always hated it whenever he did that. She STILL didn't ask him about Doakes, so maybe she never will.

Update 11/5/2012 ("Do the Wrong Thing" spoiler alert): Disappointed by the conversation (or lack of) about Lumen. Debra made it sound shady without knowing all the facts, Dexter failed to give her all the facts, and neither one even acknowledged the mind-blowing part where Debra let them both go. Also disappointed in Dexter himself: breaking his evidence tampering promise to Deb, disingenuously flirting with Hannah, and betraying his own vow to kill murderers the first chance he gets (though maybe I can give him a free pass on that last one).

Update 11/12/2012 ("Chemistry" spoiler alert): Dexter blackmailing Sal Price with Jamie within earshot? Isaak chatting with Dexter in front of a police tail? Debra setting up a hit? I would say this show is getting carried away...had I not thought that already. :) By the way, what a diss to Rita if Dexter is indeed falling in love for the first time.

Update 11/19/2012 ("Argentina" spoiler alert): I have to say this episode started off on the wrong foot when the "Previously on Dexter" segment teased the return of the incest angle. Hopefully they've cleared the air, and won't ever speak of it again. Hmm...that part near the beginning where Dexter turned down Debra pretty much mirrored what I was thinking.

Update 11/26/2012 ("Helter Skelter" spoiler alert): Quite the anticlimactic exit for Isaak. Wonder if that makes Hannah the season's villain?

Update 12/3/2012 ("The Dark...Whatever" spoiler alert): Craaazzy. Not the "twist" where Dexter broke code to kill a scumbag...that was business-as-usual. :) I mean the part where he turned over the Phantom Arsonist (a man who heard his voice) to the police (what!), Debra's spiral into prescription medication (which I don't blame her one bit for--personally, I feel like Dexter owes it to her to try to kill less), the development where LaGuerta and Matthews made Dexter their top suspect (flawed characters but definitely outside of Dexter's code), and Debra and Batista following up on a witness who could implicate Hannah and destroy Dexter's happiness! What will happen next?? I feel like Dexter's disciplined life spun out of control this season, and I like it.

Update 12/10/2012 ("Do You See What I See?" spoiler alert): This episode made me unhappy, as I felt that the ruination of Dexter's bright future could've easily been avoided had a) Dexter explicitly warned Hannah against poisoning Debra, or b) Debra just backed off. Then again, who are we kidding? We all know Dexter can't have a happy ending--that's the cruel irony of this show.

Update 12/17/2012 ("Surprise, Motherf**ker!" spoiler alert): Duuuude...great as this finale was, I think it might have scarred me for life. :P I felt like Debra died before my very eyes, condemned to Hell because of Dexter. Remember when I called Dexter a good brother? I take that back. I fear he's beyond redemption now. :( Update 2/11/2013: To clarify why I'm mad at Dexter, I believe he broke his code. Maybe not the letter of it, but definitely the spirit of it. Furthermore, I considered his "gotta protect Debra" rationalization a poor one--given that he was the one responsible for her situation!

SEASON 8 SPOILER ALERT: Instead of hiding everything with a spoiler tag, I appended my thoughts on season 8 after the photo below.

Update 4/25/2013: Watched Showtime's sneak peek of a cereal aisle scene in the eighth and final season of "Dexter". Man, was Dexter really that oblivious to why Debra hates him? I guess in my head, I role-played him saying apologetic things like "I failed you as a brother" and "I don't expect you to forgive me". Maybe coming from a sociopath, that would sound insincere. Update 5/1/2013: Awesome promo videos online for season 8. One shows a time lapse of Dexter, and another shows a time lapse of Debra. Basically, both characters start out beaming and then...deteriorate.

Update 7/12/2013: Man, that Dexter's becoming a real menace. And for Dr. Evelyn Vogel to extol him shows that she's too good to be true. :)

Update 7/22/2013 ("Scar Tissue" spoiler alert): Entertainment Weekly totally spoiled that scene for me where Debra pulled Dexter out of the car. I had no idea how the car would end up in the lake though, despite that glaring clue in the "Previously on Dexter" segment. Funny how disappointed I am in Debra even though Dexter probably deserved all that and worse. For some reason it's hard to stay mad at him. :P As for Jamie's new friend, I don't think she's Dexter's type. Unlike Debra's "date men who aren't Dexter" complex, Dexter simply seems to prefer blondes. :)

Update 7/29/2013 ("This Little Piggy" spoiler alert): That's unprecedented how (justifiably) mad Dexter got at Debra. I actually felt like he forgave her too quickly, even though I did think he should forgive both her and Vogel eventually. After all, where else is Dexter going to find people who can be trusted with his secret? Side note: Way to channel Jason Voorhees. :)

Update 8/6/2013 ("A Little Reflection" spoiler alert): I see Dexter remembered the steak dinner in which Debra inadvertently talked him out of turning himself in. That's when she made that comment about the steak being "worth living for". (I only remembered that because it came from one of my favorite all-time episodes.) In contrast, Dexter seems to have forgotten what happens when he spares peoples' lives...again. :(

Update 8/13/2013 ("Dress Code" spoiler alert): Still feels like season 8 is playing it safe. I don't see them building toward a big series finale yet. Plus now that we're up to five different characters who have accepted Dexter's secret, Dexter included, I feel like this series has grown tepid.

Update 8/19/2013 ("Are We There Yet?" spoiler alert): Good riddance to that protégé storyline...although Dr. Vogel seems like the top suspect, I find it implausible that she'd have the strength to bludgeon Cassie to death. Cassie's self-proclaimed boyfriend, on the other hand, sure makes me suspicious given that I don't recall Cassie ever acknowledging any kind of romance between them. As for Dexter and Hannah, I get sad thinking about their doomed love affair. But who knows--in a show known for its twisted irony, they might actually live happily ever after.

Update 8/27/2013 ("Make Your Own Kind of Music" spoiler alert): It now seems highly unlikely to me that Dr. Vogel will survive past the series finale. Not sure Hannah will survive either, unless the show goes with a black comedic ending. I feel sorry for Debra...after everything she's done for Dexter, he hardly confides in her at all (in stark contrast to Hannah).

Update 9/9/2013 ("Goodbye Miami" spoiler alert): Dang, the final season of "Breaking Bad" has been so phenomenal that it's made the final season of "Dexter" seem boring by comparison!

Update 9/16/2013 ("Monkey In A Box" spoiler alert): Argh! This Dexter's gotten soft, and I don't like it one bit. I also hate how he and Debra restored their old relationship as if LaGuerta never happened. P.S. Good to see Rita's friend again. I always wondered what happened to her after the wedding.

Update 9/23/2013 ("Remember the Monsters?" spoiler alert): Worst "Dexter" episode ever. It's a travesty what the writers did to Debra. Utterly senseless. And why was Dexter's monster taking the blame when it was his humanity that caused it! After that choice he made at the end, I felt like I had suffered through Dexter's season of "Kumbaya" for nothing.

Update 9/24/2013: Here's how I would have ended "Dexter": first and foremost, I would not let Debra get over LaGuerta. In my alternate ending, Debra would finally resolve to stop Dexter (like maybe he causes Batista's death too or something) and corner him at a cliff. But then Dexter, out of remorse, would jump to his own death instead...his body never to be found.

Everybody Dies...
05/29/12 4:05 PM PDT

...but not everyone (especially House) truly lives!

Did anyone catch House's inside joke to "Dead Poets Society"? It co-starred Robert Sean Leonard--the same actor who plays Wilson--and in the context of the "House, M.D." series finale, put an ironic twist on "Carpe diem!"

Interesting how intellectual the finale was after such an emotionally draining penultimate episode. If I ever had to eulogize House, it'd have to be a roast because coming up with even one redeeming quality would stump me. :(

Also if I were House, I'd be deathly afraid of oblivion. And I wouldn't find a life dedicated to solving puzzles very satisfying either. He should try living vicariously. :)

P.S. I still find it odd how pretty much every woman in House's life came back, including Stacy (Sela Ward), but not Cuddy.

As for the "Awake" series finale, I found that ending completely illogical...but can live with it. I initially thought that they must've just tacked the scene on--but apparently, according to the show's creator, they shot it long before cancellation.

I concluded a couple of things about the "Awake" series before I gave up trying to decipher it (minor spoiler alert):

Watched movie: "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel" (2012)
Despite the ensemble British cast, this movie still struck me as one of those cringeworthy comedies wherein old people embarrass themselves trying to act young again. I especially frowned at how they just uprooted themselves and blew their life savings on a fresh start in India. What about their families? Everything felt way too "Hollywood" for me, from the love story between those two Indian stereotypes to the racist old lady magically cured of her prejudices. Rating: 4
Watched movie: "Battleship" (2012) in Cinemark XD
Pretty bad...but I guess what else did I expect. Maybe if I liked Naval combat and HALO, I'd have appreciated the movie more. I only liked the part where the ships, in the spirit of the Battleship game, had to (inexplicably) fight each other blind.

To my discomfort, the plot never explained why the aliens came to Earth, and why they only seemed to target machinery. I'm not even convinced that the aliens meant harm, given that hostilities only flared whenever the Navy opened fire. For all we know, the aliens felt really indignant that Earth invited them with a beacon only to wage war upon them. Stay after the credits. Rating: 4

Watched movie: "Men in Black 3" (2012) in 3D
Entertaining sequel highlighted by the comedic stylings of Will Smith. I thought the time travel stuff was a total mess, but certainly not unusual for a MIB movie. Rating: 7
Watched movie: "Chernobyl Diaries" (2012)
I think a real-life documentary about Chernobyl and radiation would've scared me way more than this second-rate horror flick. When it comes to radiation, I don't even like getting dental x-rays. Rating: 4
Quarter Quell (inside joke to Hunger Games fans)
05/18/12 5:24 PM PDT

It gave me mixed feelings to hear that the 25th season of Survivor, "Survivor: Philippines", will seed each of three tribes with one past medical evacuee. Might as well just call it "Survivor: Do we have to suffer another season with Colton?" :) It'd be cool if Jonathan Penner returned at least.

A couple of my own suggestions for future Survivor seasons:

Survivor: Smarter Planet
A cast of nothing but intellectuals, like chess players, psychologists, ex-politicians, or intelligence officers.
Survivor: Babel
A truly diverse international cast where no one speaks the same language. If that's too crazy to film, then I'd settle for a truly diverse international cast that speaks English. :)

NBC cancelled "Awake". I wonder if that means that the upcoming season finale will leave the series open-ended. Here's how I think they should end it: make the "green" reality a dream (meaning Rex died in the car crash), and have Det. Britten live on in the "red" reality with his sweet wife (whom he can always have more kids with) and their future grandchild. :)

"House, M.D." ends next week too. I found the penultimate episode pretty heartwrenching. After House insisted that no afterlife exists, it dawned on me why he never resorted to suicide (dunno why it took me so long to make that connection). Personally, I never understood why House couldn't just get that leg amputated if the pain bothered him so much. But I guess curing House's misery would mean no more show.

I recently spotted a raccoon outside our cafeteria in broad daylight, raiding a trash can. Guess they're getting bolder.

Watched movie: "Dark Shadows" (2012)
Pretty standard Tim Burton film full of pale, eccentrically comical characters. I found Johnny Depp's behavioral similarities to Charles Montgomery Burns particularly amusing. The Victoria Winters storyline really confused me--but I guess I shouldn't dwell on it given that the movie's based on a soap opera (apparently, the original character even travelled through time). Side note: Cool gothic music. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Sound of My Voice" (2012)
Similar to Brit Marling's other 2011 Sundance film, "Another Earth", in that nothing too memorable happened until the end. This time she plays an unsettling cult leader who alleges--unconvincingly--that she travelled back in time from 2054. I say "unconvincingly" because even though she established that she wouldn't be born until 2030, her descriptions of our future sucked pretty badly. Granted, I'd have trouble proving to the people of 1956 that I travelled from 2012, but at least I could spill anything I could remember (even though they couldn't easily verify anything I said). Why would I even risk changing history though--I'd probably just lay low. Rating: 5
Mockingjay (spoiler alert)...such morbid irony
05/13/12 12:07 AM PDT

SPOILER ALERT: Instead of hiding everything with a spoiler tag, I appended my review after the graphic below. Warning! Do not scroll down unless you're ok with spoilers to the conclusion of the Hunger Games trilogy!

Read book: "Mockingjay" (2010) by Suzanne Collins

Remember the good old days when all Katniss had to worry about were Hunger Games? :P

"Mockingjay"...bar none the most depressing novel I've ever read. I still can't believe that this young adult book, slated to become a PG-13 movie, delved into such gore, murder, and despair. To my discomfort, Katniss spent most of the book either traumatized, sedated, hospitalized, scarred, bloodthirsty, or completely suicidal.

I particularly hated how she kept throwing herself on the front lines...so much so that it hurt my enjoyment of the book. Finnick seriously ticked me off too, when he inexplicably volunteered to play "Hurt Locker". I felt like that whole Willy Wonka mission wasted lives and wasted time (both theirs and mine).

In others words, I felt like Katniss had nothing left to prove and indirectly got a lot of good people killed. Other than that...good book. :) Rating: 7

Avengers SMASH
05/08/12 5:28 PM PDT

Crazy. "The Avengers" made over 200 million dollars in its opening weekend, and shattered the box office record set by "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2". The IMAX screenings, 3-D upcharge, and midnight showings no doubt helped. Unsuprisingly, Disney/Marvel has since green-lighted a sequel. I still feel bad for the Disney chairman who resigned over that "John Carter" flop. It's like, John who? Maybe the film could've done better had they stuck with the original title, "A Princess of Mars"?

Watched movie: "Marvel's The Avengers" (2012) in 3D
Although the semi-illogical plot and technogadgetry threatened to overload my brain, I felt that overall Joss Whedon wove everything together pretty well. If I had my way, Robert Downey Jr. would appear in all of Marvel's movies, though to my amusement the Hulk might have upstaged him this time around. :) P.S. Scarlett Johansson and that peashooter looked really out of place in that warzone. Stay after the credits. Rating: 8
Watched movie: "The Pirates! Band of Misfits" (2012) in 3D
Often times British humor escapes me, but I found this claymation decently funny (albeit historically inaccurate). Rating: 6
Catching Fire (spoiler alert)...breaking point
05/03/12 2:33 PM PDT

SPOILER ALERT: Instead of hiding everything with a spoiler tag, I appended my review after the graphic below. Warning! Do not scroll down unless you're ok with spoilers to the Hunger Games sequel!

Read book: "Catching Fire" (2009) by Suzanne Collins

Remember the good old days when all Katniss had to worry about was starvation? :P

I found the book title's metaphor apropos, as that heinous Capitol really made my blood boil (to the point where I even had trouble sleeping). They need to burn that Capitol to the ground--that's all there is to it.

Overall, I felt that the novel started slowly but then got awesomely good in the second half. Much as I hate those Hunger Games, I couldn't help but admire how fascinating that the 75th annual games were. Like one big puzzle from the pattern of the deathtraps to the Tributes' bewildering (and heartbreaking) acts of self-sacrifice. Hopefully, the movie will help clarify all that mayhem at the end.

Katniss and her once-cute tendency to assume the worst actually vexed me this time around. It's like, just report the facts and stop biasing them with your negative, teenage conclusions. :P Eventually, I found her thoughts so dark and fatalistic that I seriously began worrying about her mental stability. But given that I'd probably suffer a nervous breakdown one mile in her shoes, I tried not to judge her too harshly. :)

In conclusion, it seems pretty clear to me that Katniss should pick Peeta over Gale. Even though I often gagged at Peeta's lovesick comments, I found his speech about the locket downright moving. Rating: 9

Fire burning
04/27/12 6:28 PM PDT

I saw "The Hunger Games" yet again, this time in Cinemark XD. Ever since I read I book, I've found myself appreciating the movie more and more. In fact, I could even argue that Jennifer Lawrence's portrayal of Katniss gave me more insight into the character than Katniss' own words!

I still find all that suffering in Panem rather poignant, and think that it really speaks to the human condition. I also felt that the film did a lot of things well:

I'm currently reading "Catching Fire" bit by bit. It's not like the first novel where I couldn't put it down--however, thanks to my lack of willpower, I'll more than likely be done by the time London rolls around. :P

Best in the west
04/20/12 5:38 PM PDT

As part of Best Buy's closure of 50 stores in 2012, looks like one of my favorite stores will permanently close next month. It's going to get harder and harder to buy WWE DVDs. :P

In one bit of good news, a new Seattle's Best Coffee store opened near my apartment. I guess absence makes the heart grow fonder because man their classic mocha tasted good.

Now that Brock Lesnar returned to the WWE, I'll have a hard time suspending disbelief that anyone on the roster can beat him. Actually, I had trouble suspending disbelief even before he won the UFC Championship. The guy looks like a hulking freak of nature.

Watched movie: "Lockout" (2012)
In terms of plot holes, I think this movie had more holes than plot. For starters, I couldn't fathom the United States green-lighting a space prison when nowadays it won't even fund Space Shuttle missions. :( Rating: 5
Watched movie: "The Cabin in the Woods" (2012)
An amusing, unpredictable comedic horror mystery from the people who did "Buffy" and "Angel", which satirizes the horror genre much like "Buffy" and "Angel" did (and also features two of the cast members). Best to know nothing about the plot going in. Side note: Maybe I missed it, but do those scientists take any precautions to ensure that the "virgin" never dies before everyone else? Rating: 6
Watched movie: "The Three Stooges" (2012)
Vintage slapstick comedy that I found disturbing and abusive despite my efforts to switch my brain off. Dude, Moe ran a chainsaw against Curly and stuck a "Jersey Shore" character's head in a microwave--that's like, attempted murder. Props to Larry David--I thought his bitter nun character made a great foil. Rating: 6
The coming of attractions 2012
04/13/12 2:51 PM PDT

I compiled a new list of coming attractions that interest me in 2012:

"The Avengers" (May 4, 2012)
Hope it lives up to all that post-credit teasing.
"Safety Not Guaranteed" (June 8, 2012)
Two writers investigate a classified ad to travel back in time.
"Brave" (June 22, 2012)
The obligatory Pixar film.
"Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter" (June 22, 2012)
The latest from Timur Bekmambetov, director of "Night Watch" and "Wanted".
"Ice Age: Continental Drift" (July 13, 2012)
Looks funny so far.
"The Dark Knight Rises" (July 20, 2012)
The conclusion to Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy.
"Resident Evil: Retribution" (September 14, 2012)
I basically have it on my to-see list as a formality. At least Paul Anderson is directing it.
Update 4/15/2012: "Looper" (September 28, 2012)
From the director of "Brick": a hitman, hired to kill people whom the mob sends from the future, discovers that the latest target is his future self (who oddly enough, resembles Bruce Willis).
"Cloud Atlas" (October 2012)
A collaboration by the directors of "The Matrix" and "Run Lola Run". That's enough for me.
"The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" (December 14, 2012)
Awesome trailer.
"Zero Dark Thirty" (December 19, 2012)
In military time, 0030 hours. I think soldiers pronounce it Oh Dark Thirty. Anyhow, it's about the Navy Seal mission to kill Osama bin Laden, from the director who did "The Hurt Locker". I'm there dude.
Watched movie: "Wrath of the Titans" (2012) in IMAX 3D
"Clash of the Titans" sequel with such flimsy character development that to understand their motivations, I felt like I needed a rundown on their mythological backstories...and even those, the movie took liberties with. Also to my dismay, I found out afterward that Perseus' queen wasn't some new demigod character like I originally thought--she was that human princess whom he had rescued in the previous film. What! Did it not occur to Perseus that bringing her along would totally jeopardize her safety?! Side note: What's with that mechanical owl? Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Serbuan Maut" a.k.a. "The Raid: Redemption" (2012)
Wildly violent Indonesian martial arts flick wherein SWAT team survivors, trapped inside of a druglord's apartment building, fight to survive an onslaught of gangs. Like my favorite Bruce Lee movie "Game of Death", each gang seemed to specialize in a specific form of combat such as automatic weapons, machetes, or Pencak Silat. As for the protagonist--he seemed so lethal with a knife that I wondered why he didn't just fight with one for the remainder of the movie. Rating: 7
Watched movie: "Le gamin au vélo" (2011) a.k.a. "The Kid with a Bike" (2012)
Critically acclaimed co-winner of the Grand Prix about a 12-year-old boy who can't seem to reconcile his father's abandonment. I hardly felt any emotion at all, and spent most of the film frowning at the kid's insolence and wondering why the heck he never locked up his bike. Rating: 5
The Hunger Games (spoiler alert)...may the odds get even
04/07/12 7:20 PM PDT

SPOILER ALERT: Instead of hiding everything with a spoiler tag, I appended my review after the graphic below. Warning! Do not scroll down unless you're ok with Hunger Games spoilers!

Read book: "The Hunger Games" (2008) by Suzanne Collins

Now I understand why "Hunger Games" fans flocked to the midnight screenings. I found this novel so addictive that I read all 374 pages in less than two days!

The main character Katniss impressed me and struck me as a great teenage role model. Granted, she did seem sullen, hostile, and cynical--but I admired how deeply she inspired people without even trying to. I also respected how she and Gale provided for their starving families even if it meant jeopardizing themselves more and more at Reapings.

Thanks to the book's first person narrative, I finally got valuable insight into her fiercely guarded thoughts. Namely:

The movie followed the book pretty closely except for all those new cinematic scenes outside of the Hunger Games that Katniss might have imagined, but never could have witnessed. Also, my favorite parts differed. In the movie, I couldn't forget that heartbreaking scene where Katniss, looking very vulnerable, entered the elevator tube. In the book, it moved me how the crowd at Katniss' Reaping refused to applaud and instead raised three fingers (a gesture of deep respect that the movie neglected to explain).

Other details I found noteworthy:

In conclusion, I look forward to the next two novels in the trilogy and plan to read them during my London flights. Rating: 9

WrestleMania XXVIII: Miami heat
04/04/12 11:28 AM PDT

Great weather at the outdoor venue for WrestleMania XXVIII (28). No issues with sunburn, humidity, rain, or wind. Helluva show, too. I honestly could not predict whether The Rock or John Cena would win. Had the match occurred anywhere else but The Rock's hometown, I probably would have predicted Cena.

Even though I always favored The Undertaker to extend his winning streak to 20-0, the false finishes still kept me riveted. Awesomely emotional ending where they all left arm-in-arm. It took me a long while to come down from something so weighty. To all the critics out there who think Undertaker should retire, what'chu talkin' bout? These past few WrestleManias, he's been having the best matches of his career!

I found it curious how the WrestleMania crowd kept chanting Daniel Bryan's "Yes! Yes! Yes!" proclamation instead of Ric Flair's "Wooo!" I heard "Yes! Yes! Yes!" the entire time I was waiting in line; I heard "Yes! Yes! Yes!" the entire time I sat in Sun Life Stadium waiting for the show, and I heard "Yes! Yes! Yes!" throughout the show. Tragically, Daniel Bryan ended up jobbing in possibly the shortest World Heavyweight Championship Match in WrestleMania history.

The first and only outdoor Hell in a Cell
End of an Era
Ouch
Times when I can remember anyone kicking out of the DX finisher: zero
COBRA!
Rock vs. John Cena
A-Rod
Rock Bottom on that fruity pebble, John Cena
People's Elbow...when photographed, looks like Rock slipping on a banana peel
The People's Champ

In conclusion, that marks my last WrestleMania unless something astronomical happens like Stone Cold coming out of retirement. I think I'll mostly miss that payoff when I gingerly walk back to my hotel room and gorge on the food and drinks that I purchased beforehand.

Small talk minimalist me
03/31/12 11:13 PM PDT

Earlier this evening, I met WWE legend Mick Foley in person at a WrestleMania Axxess autograph signing. Dressed in a suit and tie, he sleepily autographed a photo of himself and our conversation went something like, "Nice to meet you." Then I broke a chair over him. Just kidding.

WrestleMania's almost here.

The grandest stage of them all
03/29/12 4:01 PM PDT

Time flies. The WrestleMania trip that I planned a year ago finally happens this weekend. My flight to Miami departs tomorrow. Here's a sneak peek of the stadium that will host WrestleMania on Sunday:

Watched movie: "The Hunger Games" (2012)
Despite the familiar premise, i.e., a protagonist who fights in a literal "Survivor" game show without ever having to kill anyone nice, I felt that the plot distinguished itself by establishing political undertones and making the protagonist's public image a top priority. Was it just me, or did that classist, image obsessed society seem like a clownish mimicry of our own? :)

I liked how Woody Harrelson primed us for the villains' Elmer Fudd-type behavior by calling them arrogant--but apparently he neglected to mention that they'd turn out as dumb as doorknobs too. Why did they trust Peeta? Why did they booby trap their own supplies and then act all shocked when their supplies blew up?!

All in all, I enjoyed the movie even though I was less interested in the Hunger Games' outcome than I was in the Hunger Games' downfall. Side note: I'm glad the camera eventually stopped shaking.

Update 4/7/2012: Raised my rating after watching the movie in IMAX and then in D-BOX. The D-BOX wasted my money though, as the only memorable motion effects came during the firestorm. Oddly, the chair reclined and slung forward anytime Katniss shot an arrow. Rating: 8

Ratones y hombres
03/23/12 3:10 PM PDT

Not sure why, but nowadays when I see movies (particularly ones in San Francisco), I like arriving really early. As a result, I sometimes end up sitting all alone in a quiet theater. Which is fine--except for those rare occasions when a mouse mistakes the theater as empty, and begins zipping up and down the floor. A couple of weeks ago, a mouse actually approached me inside the Opera Plaza Cinema (and I could've sworn it was looking at me). I don't really mind mice...but just like in that movie "Ratatouille", they do make a place feel unsanitary.

Watched movie: "21 Jump Street" (2012)
A pretty dumbed-down parody of the original 80's series, complete with an irreverent death scene for two of the original cops. Fortunately I never cared for the original 80's series. :) I would've rated it higher, but disliked how serious that some of the scenes got. Rating: 5
Watched movie: "Casa de mi Padre" (2012)
Not completely sure what this movie spoofed, as it had the soapiness of a telenovela but the production quality of a low-budget Mexploitation film (including mannequin stand-ins, cheap sets, and continuity holes). Either way, Will Ferrell's Spanish and screen presence actually impressed me. It got me to thinking that they should've just filmed a real Spanish melodrama instead of a blatantly fake one. Stay after the credits. Rating: 6
Better Angels
03/17/12 6:50 PM PDT

Ever since The Rock returned to WWE, I've found his promos phenomenal. I'd go so far as to call them the best I've ever heard. Did his time in Hollywood improve his charisma? Does he have a team of joke writers? Does he read crib notes? Whatever the secret formula, John Cena desperately needs to follow suit. He's getting demolished out there.

This WrestleMania could go down as one of the greatest of all time.

Wonder what those coincidences between the two realities mean in "Awake"? I'm still watching it, hoping that the series turns a corner like "Lost" and "Babylon 5" once did.

I feel like "The Walking Dead" really stepped up in quality this season. Suddenly every episode got really good. It still shocks me whenever a character dies. I suspect that's why I still have trouble remembering their names--because I don't want to get too attached to them. Sometimes those teasers catch me off guard too. Although most of them follow the series chronology, once in awhile they show a scene from the past or a scene in the future. I guess that's their way of setting the tone for each episode.

P.S. Rick's son is going to grow up so screwed up.

Watched movie: "Silent House" (2012)
In theory, a horror movie presented as one continuous take sounded compelling. In practice, it sucked. The camera movement and focus hurt my head, and I often got confused about what was happening onscreen. Furthermore, because my brain couldn't shake the image of a cameraman following Elizabeth Olsen around, I never considered her in any real danger. Rating: 3
Watched movie: "John Carter" (2012) in IMAX 3D
Like "Dune" but shallower--not just because of the formulaic plot developments, but because I felt that nothing got explained very well. For instance, why could John Carter suddenly understand the Martians' language? Why couldn't the god-like villains just smite him? Since when did Mars have a river, air, airships, and humanoids on it? Side note: Even though I enjoyed watching John Carter adopt to Martian gravity (which I personally experienced during my parabolic flight), I frowned that no one else could leap like him. Gravity does not discriminate. :( Rating: 5
Watched movie: "Kill List" (2011-2012)
A cringeworthy horror flick littered with grisly violence and stupid tantrums that sullied my brain. Also, I could nary understand any of their British dialects. Rating: 5
Well, well, well.
03/11/12 12:56 AM PST

Caught up on some of last year's movies. Been awhile since I saw a Shakespeare one. In all honesty, his words go right over my head. I once played Hamlet's father too, in high school. The interesting takeaway from that experience: that even though I recited my monologues word for word, I'm pretty certain that nobody in the audience understood any of it. They only seemed to remember the parts where my character's temperament flared and cooled.

Since then, I've forgotten all of my lines but one: "List, list, O, list!" It's the line that made the least amount of sense to me, and I had no clue how my character should deliver it. So...I just put my own spin on it.

Watched movie: "We Need to Talk About Kevin" (2011)
I have a counterproposal--that we talk about Kevin's boneheaded parents. Hellllo...your son is a sociopath! Granted, he just seemed obstinate at first...but when a boy doesn't react to his arm breaking in two, that's not just a sign--that's a flashing neon sign. I haven't seen a movie that disturbing in quite some time. The evil-eyed kid (and all that foreshadowing) chilled me to the core. Rating: 7
Watched movie: "Rampart" (2011)
Pretty hard to believe that a cop with that much scandal could remain on active duty. I found the movie ok, but got kind of bored with the Woody Harrelson character's personal life. Also disliked some of the directing, and felt shortchanged by the lack of closure. Rating: 5
Watched movie: "Coriolanus" (2011)
Testosterone-fueled Shakespeare adaptation wherein an inexplicably self-destructive war hero defects to his sworn enemy's army. Later he learns humility, hugs it out with everyone, and lives happily ever after. Ok, maybe that last part didn't happen. :) Rating: 6
Move over Zapatera tribe
03/08/12 10:28 AM PST

Manono tribe? Ma-"dodo" tribe. I could probably write some tirade about why I consider their forfeiture of tribal immunity the stupidest move in all of Survivor history, but it's like--why even dignify it?

Once in a lifetime
03/04/12 9:11 PM PST

Remember two years ago when I starred in a zero gravity ad inside the March 15, 2010 edition of Forbes magazine? Well, that exact same ad appeared again in the February 27, 2012 edition of Forbes magazine. Can you believe the irony? The worst nausea of my life, when photographed, translated into a look of such unadulterated joy that the company made me of the face of zero gravity (and probably made millions of dollars off my likeness).

In other news...despite some mighty slim pickings, I finally negotiated a front row WrestleMania ticket. Granted, it cost more than any WrestleMania I've ever attended, but the two dream matches make it worth my while.

Hopefully this marks the last time I have to comb for a WrestleMania ticket. Aside from the anxiety of coming up empty-handed each day, it tortures me having to trust strangers. Although I only got ripped off a handful of times (and recovered what I lost in almost every case), I always carry this fear in the pit of my stomach that I'll receive an empty envelope--or like in that one case--an I.O.U. (Thanks to that I.O.U. fiasco, I now bypass any and all sellers that do not have the ticket in hand.)

Additionally, in the back of my mind, I worry about counterfeit tickets. But this one looks legit. I authenticated it by comparing it to a similar one on youtube. Side note: To all you Internet users who felt the need to film your WrestleMania tickets, I thank you. :)

On a final note, I think the WWE is engineering something special to hold the Hell in a Cell. Hope it doesn't collapse on top of me. :P

Watched movie: "Gone" (2012)
Alright but nothing memorable, other than maybe that main character's talent for lying. Not much of a role for Jennifer Carpenter. Rating: 5
Watched TV episode: "Awake" pilot
Pretty much like "Jacob's Ladder" or for you "Lost" fans out there, the sixth season (including the same kid who played Jack's son) . It starts with a car crash and then follows a police detective as he uncontrollably alternates between two realities--one where only his wife survived the crash and one where only his son survived the crash. Interesting premise but unfortunately, I found both of his realities equally boring. Rating: +1/2
Watched movie: "Dr. Seuss' The Lorax" (2012) in Tree-D
Stylishly animated and fun to watch (except for that one majorly depressing sequence near the middle). Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Kari-gurashi no Arietti" (2010) a.k.a. "The Secret World of Arrietty" (2012)
Another cute, funny, and hearttugging anime by Studio Ghibli. I liked all the little details from the ants to the idling car. P.S. That crow and the Carol Burnett character, man...psycho. :) Rating: 7
Non-negotiable
02/27/12 12:02 AM PST

Sweet...I successfully predicted all six of the Oscar winners this time. That makes my record for the last three Oscar races (a.k.a. the races with nine or more Best Picture nominees) 17-1.

I felt particularly vindicated that I stood by Meryl Streep even when the odds began mounting against her. Ever since I had screened "The Iron Lady" at its midnight premiere, I could see a third Oscar in her grasp.

I also knew I had seen something special when I screened "The Artist". I would've been dismayed if another film (or George Clooney, for that matter) had won.

Finally, props to "A Separation". It marks the first and only time that I managed to screen a foreign language Oscar winner before it got nominated.

Watched movie: "Act of Valor" (2012) in D-BOX
A corny but satisfying action film that to my relief, didn't seem like an army recruitment video (though it did feel like a video game at times). Also, since the movie cast actual active duty U.S. Navy SEALs, I didn't really dwell on their acting ability or suspiciously pejorative vocabulary. :) P.S. Quite the ethnic rainbow of terrorists there. Rating: 7
Watched On Demand movie: "Perfect Sense" (2011-2012)
Extremely disquieting love story wherein all people on Earth gradually begin losing each of their five senses. Instead of chronicling the fall of civilization, however, this director focused more on how society endured and adopted to each new disability. Such a romantic. :) Dude, you can take away my smell, taste, hearing, and maybe even touch--but sight is a dealbreaker. Rating: 6
Male ego: one of the hardest substances on Earth
02/24/12 5:37 PM PST

So far I like how "Survivor: One World" has started off. One camp of women and one camp of men, feuding on the same beach. Funny how the women actually expected the men to go on with the immunity challenge. If the men had agreed to that, I would've likened them to that earlier foolhardy tribe that threw one of their challenges and lost everything.

Also, I felt that the women deserved no sympathy after they blatantly reneged on the chicken agreement. It was one thing to swipe an axe or to steal some fire back when there was no rule against it--but it was another to renege on an actual good faith agreement.

Amusingly, the one constructive deal that come out of the feud, wherein the women got fire without having to give up a chicken, was criticized as "shady".

Which reminds me...I'm really starting to notice a recurring pattern in Survivor gameplay that I don't much like. The castaways seem to rush into a five-person alliance near the beginning, and then shave it down after the merge. Borrring. I can't quite pinpoint where that trend started. (I can pinpoint where the "find the hidden idol early" trend started, though: Russell.)

In other news, I tabulated the music video rankings for 2H 2011. "Yonkers" fared badly.

The Devil's playground
02/21/12 1:01 PM PST

HELL...IN A CELLLLLL!

As they say in the wrestling community, a mark out moment! Well, not quite. I still need to get myself a WrestleMania ticket to actually see this match. But now I have every incentive to get one. Not everyday you see the two greatest Hell in a Cell specialists of all time settling who's better once and for all.

On a lesser note, we also have The Rock vs. John Cena on the card--or as I like to think of it, The Rock vs. poor man's Rock. :)

That match will undoubtedly headline the show.

I'll try wicked hard not to attend WrestleMania 29 at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, even though The Rock hinted that he'd appear. I dread what that city's weather would be like this time of year. The WWE sure pushes its luck with these outdoor venues (the last outdoor WrestleMania I attended almost got poured on).

Watched movie: "Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance" (2012) in Cinemark XD-RealD 3D
A cheesy mess sandwiched with classic Nicolas Cage ham. I liked it. :) P.S. He didn't want a bee to sting the kid in the face...man that guy's funny. Rating: 6
Irredeemable, M.D.
02/13/12 5:17 PM PST

"House, M.D." ending this season? Good riddance. I can't stand the guy anymore. Just when I think he can't sink to a new low, he sinks to a new low. The most recent example: his indifference toward Chase in that last episode. Interestingly, that episode marks the third time where to my recollection, House actually apologized. But for me, an apology means squat if the person makes no effort to do better. By House's own admission, he'll never change.

I will give Dr. House one compliment, however: he makes the perfect cautionary tale for cynics like me. :)

Watched movie: "The Innkeepers" (2012)
Billed as a horror flick, but I saw it as more of a comedy in the same ballpark as "Coraline" (with the spooky noises reminding me of "Kairo"). The main ghost hunter (Sara Paxton) amused me the most, as my mind kept likening her to a dejected anime character. Hehe, I could totally relate to her encounter with the talkative barista. :) Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Safe House" (2012)
Pretty good adrenaline ride reminiscent of "Bourne Ultimatum" and "3:10 to Yuma". Denzel Washington stole the show, of course. Gotta love his nonchalant gunfighting. Rating: 7
Watched movie: "Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace" (1999) in Cinemark XD-RealD 3D
Still one of my top favorite "Star Wars" films, and I say that unapologetically. :) Darth Maul rocks, and to me nothing else in the franchise compares to his lightsaber showdown with Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan. Heck, if George Lucas had trimmed the movie and removed Jar Jar Binks, I'd probably consider this installment my all-time favorite! Side note: Still can't shake the image of Natalie Portman as a cradlerobber. :) Rating: 8
Watched movie: "Bir Zamanlar Anadolu'da" (2011) a.k.a. "Once Upon a Time in Anatolia" (2012)
Akin to a road trip movie in that the authorities spent much of the time chitchatting as they caravaned through the countryside looking for a buried murder victim. The humor--well--I'd describe it as black, given that the characters' levity often struck me as both funny and inappropriate. A couple of things that left me puzzled: the lax security around the prisoners and why the doctor seemed preoccupied all the time. Rating: 6
Whitney Houston (1963-2012)
02/11/12 11:41 PM PST

Shocking--and yet, sadly, not shocking.

Currently listening to "One Moment In Time".

Armchair booking
02/06/12 5:27 PM PST

Looks like WWE wasted another potential WrestleMania match by airing it for free on TV: CM Punk vs. Daniel Bryan.

Other WrestleMania dream match opportunities that I felt the WWE wasted:

As for this upcoming WrestleMania, they need to book Undertaker vs. Triple H inside of Hell in a Cell. Make it happen WWE.

Side note: I loved Socko vs. Cobra at the Royal Rumble...that "dream match" hadn't occurred to me.

Watched movie: "The Woman in Black" (2012)
Nowhere near as entertaining as "Harry Potter". More like a duller, bluer version of "The Grudge". :P Rating: 5
Watched movie: "Chronicle" (2012)
Interesting "found footage" film that excelled at telekinetic special effects (most notably the high-altitude flying) and story build-up--but IMHO, fell short of its potential. Specifically, the movie went all "Akira" instead of finishing much stronger on the anti-bullying message. Also, the Steve and Casey characters went absolutely nowhere. As for the experimental way in which the "no holds barred" action jumped from camera to camera--that gave me mixed feelings. Rating: 7
Watched movie: "All About Eve" (1950)
Hehe, the quintessential film about female jealousy and mind games. Everything from false modesty to innuendos to wiles. And for some reason, I just couldn't stop smiling. Possibly because I've seen, experienced, and/or fled from this type of behavior all my life. I'm not just talking women either--it's everywhere. Rating: 7
Spoken like a true romantic
01/30/12 3:46 PM PST

"Better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all." Says who? :) That's what crossed my mind when I watched the open-ended series finale of "Chuck". Although I hardly followed the show, I personally felt that Chuck should never have let himself fall for that hedgehog of a spy. :)

Don't get me wrong--I think it's ok to love--I just don't think someone should addict themselves to it so passionately that they'll shrivel up and die without it. Like in my mind, careers fall in that category. I seriously think that Joe Paterno gave up living because he couldn't coach football anymore.

Over the weekend, the Directors Guild of America and Screen Actors Guild revealed their winners. So I'm now ready to disclose my own Oscar predictions for 2011:

Hope I fare better in my Oscar predictions than my Royal Rumble predictions. Yesterday I suffered my third consecutive loss.

Watched movie: "The Grey" (2012)
Not your everyday survival thriller in that faith versus atheism came into the forefront--for instance, the question of why them? when they survived a plane crash only to get hunted by wolves. Paradoxically, Liam Neeson played an atheist in search of meaning. Make sure to stay after the credits. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Man on a Ledge" (2012)
So contrived that I don't know where to begin. I couldn't even reconcile how Sam Worthington got convicted in the first place. Rating: 5
I guess we *don't* need to talk about Kevin
01/24/12 10:00 AM PST

Duh-nuh-nuh...duh...nuh-nuh-nuh. I scored myself a ticket to meet & greet Mick Foley the night before WrestleMania. Granted, I have no idea what to say to him--but it'll make for a great photo opportunity. Now I just need to secure a ticket to WrestleMania itself.

For this year's Royal Rumble Match, I predict Chris Jericho to win. He might even win without eliminating anyone, if the writers aibde by that shtick where he ostentatiously pumps up the crowd and then disappears.

Looks like I missed out on another Blindfold Match. From the year 2000 to now, I counted six Blindfold Matches in WWE. Five of them aired on TV unannounced. The one announced one actually took place less than an hour from my apartment...but tragically, it predated my decision to add Blindfold Match to my goals list. :(

In other news, I once again managed to screen every 2011 Best Picture nominee announced by the Academy. I'd rank them as follows:

  1. "The Artist" (My rating: 8)
  2. "Moneyball" (My rating: 8)
  3. "The Help" (My rating: 7)
  4. "War Horse" (My rating: 7)
  5. "The Descendants" (My rating: 7)
  6. "Hugo" (My rating: 7)
  7. "The Tree of Life" (My rating: 6)
  8. "Midnight in Paris" (My rating: 5)
  9. "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close" (My rating: 5)

Pretty surprising that "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close" made their cut.

Watched movie: "Beauty and the Beast" (1991) in 3D
Although I mainly just wanted to see the "Tangled Ever After" short (featuring the wedding of Flynn Rider and the criminally short-haired Rapunzel), I enjoyed screening this Disney classic again. I forgot how piercing Belle could be when she sang or steadied her gaze. Rating: 8
Watched movie: "Underworld: Awakening" (2012) in IMAX 3D
Good to see Kate Beckinsale back as Selene and great to see her new powers in action. (Michael Corvin, on the other hand, came back totally useless.) Overall, I found the plot kind of sloppy as it just glossed over the girl's origin and why Selene and the human detective suddenly began working together (also how he could possibly know of Alexander Corvinus, the father of both the vampire and Lycan races). Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Haywire" (2012)
A light Steven Soderbergh Bourne-type movie that from my perspective, mostly just showcased Gina Carano's mixed martial arts background. Rating: 6

Can someone explain to me why some people take pictures of themselves before a movie comes on? I simply don't get it. :(

Sweet dance grooves
01/16/12 5:03 PM PST

Just like "All My Children", the "One Life to Live" series finale ended with a cliffhanger. Soap operas. I didn't know the characters, so I had to look up what the ending meant.

Attended Cirque du Soleil show: "Michael Jackson THE IMMORTAL World Tour"
Just think...I bought this ticket way back in November 2010 for $200. Was it worth my time and money? I'd say...sure. They did the moonwalk, "Smooth Criminal", and a thorough medley of his work (including the lesser known "Can You Feel It"), so I left the HP Pavilion happy. I never saw Michael Jackson in concert, so this show will be as close as I'll ever get. (Interestingly, I noticed that they managed to integrate the video footage from his "This Is It" tour.)

Funny how the Cirque du Soleil interpretation of Michael almost seemed like a parody. They had a mime and clowns imitating him, and a performer in a monkey suit scampering around. I think the giant sparkle glove, which danced and gestured to "Beat It", amused me the most.

All in all, quite the production. A lot of those acrobats and dancers seemed to defy gravity with ease. Rating: 8
Watched movie: "Contraband" (2012) in Cinemark XD
As far as caper movies go, I'd put this one at the bottom of the barrel. That smuggling team didn't impress me at all. Other thoughts I had:
  • What on earth did the captain do to deserve a fate like that?
  • For the double-cross, Mark Wahlberg's friend got beat up--but for trying to bury the wife in cement, he got...the cold shoulder? That's showing him. :P
  • How would Mark Wahlberg be able to spend all that profit without getting caught?
Rating: 4
Watched TV episodes: "Napoleon Dynamite" premiere
They didn't get the humor right! It's gotta be more DEADPAN!! Those animators need more SKILLS!!! GOSH! Rating: +
366 days
01/10/12 4:08 PM PST

Kinda sucks when a fast food commercial comes on, and I can't even taste whatever they're advertising. But I take my New Year's resolutions pretty seriously. One time I swore off Mountain Dew, and lasted the entire year without a single sip. Then when New Year's came around again, I immediately downed a whole can.

The "Napoleon Dynamite" cartoon premieres this Sunday. Yessssss. Afterward, I'll probably end up talking like him for awhile. :)

Watched movie: "The Devil Inside" (2012)
Less like good "found footage" horror and more like bad reality TV. I probably got more scared watching an empty room in the "Paranormal Activity" series. P.S. That's gotta be the slowest end credit crawl ever. Rating: 4
Holiday movie marathon 2011
01/03/12 12:14 AM PST

Looks like Edwards Santa Maria 10 now shows all of its films in Sony Digital Cinema 4K. Sweet.

As my New Year's resolution for 2012, I resolved to avoid eating anything from a fast food restaurant. I hardly patronize fast food franchises anymore anyway, so I think I can accomplish the goal. But it'll mean giving up on some guilty pleasures of mine: the occasional strawberry shake, McDonald's breakfast sandwich, and McSkillet burrito. Two important exceptions: anything from Panda Express or the IBM cafeteria. I don't want to starve. :)

Watched movie: "Carnage" (2011)
John C. Reilly still rules...as for Jodie Foster, Kate Winslet, and Christoph Waltz--terribly annoying (I found the cell phone interruptions and carelessness with the barfing particularly offensive). Felt like I was trapped in the room with them, and kept wishing they would just part ways already (but alas, some new plot contrivance kept their conflict going and going). Got even worse when the alcohol came out. Rating: 5
Watched movie: "Albert Nobbs" (2011)
A disconcerting drama in that Albert Nobbs' motivations confused me to no end. Why disguise herself as a male servant instead of a female servant? Why jeopardize everything for a straight wife rather than a life of freedom from hiding? P.S. She should really stop thinking out loud (imagine if Dexter did that). :) Rating: 5
Watched movie: "Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows" (2011)
Another fun, commanding performance by the incomparable Robert Downey Jr. I'm glad that the film managed to make his diabolical archnemesis, Prof. Moriarty, equally formidable. Though curiously, he sure seemed oblivious to Holmes' cartoonish disguises! Rating: 7
Watched movie: "The Adventures of Tintin" (2011) in 3D
Contrived but decently entertaining motion capture feat. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "War Horse" (2011)
A bit cornier than Spielberg's previous war movies IMHO, but emotional nonetheless. I liked how the horse unbiasedly befriended various caretakers around WWI France regardless of their allegiances. Though for some of those stories, I wanted more closure (for example, did Albert ever find romance?). Side note: That British cavalry looked sharp. Rating: 7
Watched movie: "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" (2011)
Although this remake by Fincher changed some of the plot points from the original, e.g., the relationship between Lisbeth and Blomkvist, I unfortunately knew what would happen for the most part. The remake also jobbed much of what I liked about the original. On the positive side, I liked the remake's crisp white scenery, the Nine Inch Nails-like score, and strong casting (except I haven't yet made up my mind about Rooney Mara's more human portrayal of Lisbeth). Rating: 7
Watched movie: "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close" (2011)
Somber & uncomfortable to watch, but I guess what did I expect from a 9/11 movie. They didn't have to make the kid so overdramatic though. I thought at least Tom Hanks' mystery key would spark some kind of fun adventure, but the kid took everything so seriously that he ruined the whole experience for me. :( Rating: 5
Watched movie: "The Iron Lady" (2011)
All the makings of a third Oscar for Meryl Streep. I'm thinking she might've even played Margaret Thatcher better than Margaret Thatcher herself! As for the narrative, I didn't like all that screen time on her mental deterioration. I'd rather have seen more flashbacks where she told people off, hehe. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Jodaeiye Nader az Simin" a.k.a. "A Separation" (2011)
An absorbing Oscar entry from Iran wherein a nasty dispute escalates between two Muslim couples. At times, I got so engrossed in the movie that I forgot it was only a movie. Basically I sided with the main husband the entire time. No way I could keep cool like him if someone got me charged with murder for shoving an intruder (who totally deserved it) out of my home. If I were him, I'd fight back by any means necessary. Actually, I reasoned that everything probably could've been resolved cleanly if not for that other husband, a hotheaded failure of a man. Oh, and that estranged wife of the main husband: totally selfish and unsupportive IMHO. So I hope that at the end, the daughter picked her father as the worthier parent. :P Rating: 7
Watched movie: "The Darkest Hour" (2011) in 3D
Really similar to "Skyline" except that the aliens could incinerate human beings and cloak themselves from sight (though their presence lit up bulbs and electric devices). Decent action and judgement calls, but sometimes the dialogue got really bad. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Le Havre" (2011)
Peculiar Oscar entry from Finland wherein a stoic French shoeshiner harbors a stoic refugee boy with the help of some stoic friends. I'm thinking that if the characters hadn't acted like such robots, the film could've gotten really emotional. Rating: 6
Watched DVD: "John Carpenter's The Ward" (2011)
Dull enough to give me a sense as to why this movie practically went straight to DVD. Maybe I'm just not a John Carpenter fan. Rating: 4
Watched movie: "The Way" (2010-2011)
A long scenic film by Emilio Estevez that begins with his death and then follows the pilgrimage of his inexperienced father (Martin Sheen) from France to Spain. I personally didn't find much meaning in it, but did enjoy a lot of the comedic moments. Rating: 6
2011 Year in Review
12/22/11 8:28 PM PST
Best of 2011 Worst of 2011
Events that happened to Steve
  1. Enjoying an ice cream and "Fast Five" in D-BOX after hearing that the United States got Osama bin Laden.
  2. Finally seeing The Rock lay the smackdown at WrestleMania XXVII.
  3. Enjoying salmon, chowder, and mochas in Seattle (and cherry pie in North Bend).
  4. Rooting for the Bishop family at a live taping of the "Minute to Win It" level ten challenge.
  5. Watching Boston Rob win Survivor.
  1. Fighting motion sickness during my airplane's descent at ATL; then getting to smell the vomit of the kid in front of me.
  2. Losing Seattle's Best Coffee due to Borders closing.
  3. Lowering my opinion of Sundance Kabuki Cinemas after watching a rat scurry around the auditorium before "Martha Marcy May Marlene".
  4. Trying to snap pictures as morons stood up and down in front of me at WrestleMania XXVII.
  5. Receiving a traffic ticket for crossing a lane to make a right turn.
Movies
  1. "The Artist"
    "A charming and heart tugging silent film about, oddly enough, the decline of silent films."
  2. "Fast Five"
    "Ludicrous (no pun intended) but entertaining."
    "...I came back the very next day just to relive the experience."
  3. "Moneyball"
    "Hilariously dry...really fascinated me."
  4. "Evangelion: 2.0 You can (not) advance."
    "...full of familiar storylines...and pleasant surprises..."
  5. "Another Earth"
    "A so-so, occasionally insightful film that ended so brilliantly that I couldn't stop thinking about it."
  6. "50/50"
    "A funny and tearjerking movie that I don't think I could ever watch again."
  7. "The Ides of March"
    "A stirring and stressful political drama that even a cynic like me found gut-wrenching."
  8. "X-Men: First Class"
    "...a worthy prequel."
  9. "Kung Fu Panda 2"
    "Funnier, deeper, and more touching than the original movie IMHO."
  10. "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2"
    "...successfully outshined the book..."
  1. "Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives"
    "WTF, dude. WTF."
  2. "The Future"
    "Maybe performance art just doesn't appeal to me, because I found this whole film torturously lame."
  3. "The Art of Getting By"
    "Uninsightful Sundance film that basically made a mockery of my personal convictions."
  4. "Transformers: Dark of the Moon"
    "Analogous to Chinese water torture."
  5. "Quarantine 2: Terminal"
    "...could've easily passed for 'direct-to-video' were such a thing still to exist."
  6. "Paul"
    "Nowhere near as funny as..."
  7. "Dream House"
    "Poor excuse of a horror movie."
  8. "Larry Crowne"
    "A romantic comedy that I found neither romantic nor comical."
  9. "Terri"
    "...reminded me too much of my own cringeworthy adolescence."
  10. "The Devil's Double"
    "Sickening...started becoming too much."
Songs
  1. "A Real Hero" College f/ Electric Youth
  2. "Love You Like A Love Song" Selena Gomez & The Scene
  3. "Brighter Than The Sun" Colbie Caillat
  4. "Written In The Stars" Tinie Tempah f/ Eric Turner
  5. "Rolling in the Deep" Adele
  1. "Yonkers" Tyler, The Creator
  2. "Friday" Rebecca Black
  3. "Knock Knock" Mac Miller
  4. "Mrs. Right" Mindless Behavior
  5. "Boyfriend" Big Time Rush f/ Snoop Dogg
Honorable mention: "Thanks For Nothing" The Downtown Fiction
Music video "Party Rock Anthem" LMFAO f/ Lauren Bennett (tie) "The Lazy Song" Bruno Mars and "Yonkers" Tyler, The Creator
TV series (tie) "The Office" and "Survivor: Redemption Island" "WWE Superstars"
Commercial Jack Link's Beef Jerky commercial where snackers go messin' with Sasquatch using sprinklers. (tie) Cheerios commercial where blood pressure dieters sarcastically talk about the sacrifices of eating Cheerios, and Minute Maid commercial where airline employees pamper an orange juice drinker.
Movie trailer The Tree of Life

Honorable mentions: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, The Artist, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, and The Dark Knight Rises

 (tie) Conan the Barbarian and Spy Kids: All the Time in the World in 4D
Dessert Our Strawberry Blonde at Cold Stone Creamery Pancake Puppies at Denny's
Watched On Demand movie: "Autoreiji" (2010) a.k.a. "Outrage" (2011)
Like "Goodfellas" but with yakuza. Man, I had absolutely no one to root for. Rotten apples, all of them. :P Rating: 6
Mission: Upstaged
12/19/11 10:44 PM PST

Sucks when the theater shows a preview so good that it steals the thunder from the feature presentation. Specifically, my excitement for "Mission: Impossible" waned once I saw the trailer to "The Dark Knight Rises". :(

Update 12/21/2011: Caught "The Dark Knight Rises" prologue yesterday at AMC Loews Metreon. Unintelligible. :( I'm thinking Bane might need subtitles.

Watched movie: "The Muppets" (2011)
Decently comical but in my judgment, completely overrated on rottentomatoes.com. Those critics must be smoking dope. :) Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol" (2011) in IMAX
Decently thrilling M:I installment wherein the obligatory pre-self-destruct warning actually comes true--the whole IMF gets disavowed--and the agents resort to some crazy desperate escapades trying to stop a nuclear terrorist attack. Basically a page out of the "24" playbook. :) Side note: I think "MythBusters" would have a field day debunking that high-tech gadgetry. :) Rating: 6
Watched movie: "A Dangerous Method" (2011)
Not much horror for a Cronenberg movie, unless you count the horrific banality of Freud and Jung as they intellectualized everything. What a couple of bores. :) Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" (2011)
Possibly the slowest, most minimalist spy thriller I have ever seen...yet curiously, the actors made it intriguing to watch. I particular liked the scenes where that stoic Gary Oldman "owned" people. :) Interesting how we never got to see his wife or evil archnemesis. Rating: 7
Dearly devoted Debra
12/13/11 4:05 PM PST

Actually had trouble sleeping after last Sunday's episode of "Dexter". I think I'm worried that after five great seasons, one of my favorite shows is about to jump the shark.

My misgivings actually started in the very first scene of season six. I felt that Dexter did something unusually reckless. From there, I began growing more and more critical of Dexter's risks--risks that I found pretty careless for someone who dedicated his whole life to avoiding death by electric chair/lethal injection. As the saying goes, "loose lips sink ships".

Update 12/19/2011: Man, what a sadistic way to end this arguably throwaway season. I have to wait 9 months now?? :(

Watched movie: "Young Adult" (2011)
Another enjoyable dramedy from the minds behind "Juno", wherein Charlize Theron plays an amusingly shallow young adult ghostwriter. The film got in my head in that I couldn't stop reflecting upon what that flawed character ultimately learned (or more accurately, didn't learn). Rating: 7

If someone provoked me hard enough, I could see myself thinking much like the Charlize Theron character. :) I still remember a couple of occasions where someone called my job as a technical writer "boring". First of all, how rude do you have to be to call someone's livelihood "boring" right to their face. Second of all, I don't have to defend my career to some nobody (of course, I couldn't say any of that aloud because one of them was a little kid and the other one was closely related to an in-law). :)

So yeah, as a fellow writer I highly respected what the Charlize Theron character accomplished. Granted, her actual name on the cover might've given her ego more strokes, but I think people would've forgotten her either way. :)

Mute button
12/07/11 6:07 PM PST

Man, I hate it when movie patrons discuss spoilers as they're walking out of the theater. I find that making my eyes wander helps my brain to block the voices out. Telling myself not to listen doesn't seem to work for me. :P

Thinking back, it's a good thing I wasn't looking forward to "Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn". I think Part 1 set some kind of spoiler record for me. First, a co-worker gave away the central plot twist; then I went on to see it in a magazine, an Internet article, and the official trailer. :P If that wasn't bad enough, the reception I heard in the audience when Bella pitched a certain baby name totally clued me in to its gender!

Watched movie: "The Artist" (2011)
A charming and heart tugging silent film about, oddly enough, the decline of silent films. Specifically, the movie juxtaposed a rising young actress with her starcrossed love interest, a sinking silent actor. Thanks to some terrific acting, I hardly even missed the spoken dialogue (even the intertitles seemed unnecessary at times). Rating: 8
Watched movie: "Shame" (2011)
Talk about lascivious. :P My brain became desensitized and had trouble processing the film. I think the sex addict's dysfunctional relationship with his sister perplexed me the most. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "My Week with Marilyn" (2011)
Although I never really understood the appeal of Marilyn Monroe, it always intrigues me whenever a woman comes along whom no man can resist. And in the case of this movie, when someone dares to criticize her misbehavior, e.g., the renowned Laurence Olivier, people think him mean! :D Funny stuff. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Arthur Christmas" (2011) in 3D
Another family film that struck me as misguided. Kids, you should grow up to be like Steve--not like Arthur, Santa, or Grandsanta. :) Rating: 5
I bought nothing
11/30/11 3:49 PM PST

Despite huge gains in the U.S. stock market today and the eroding affect of inflation, I still haven't invested a large chunk of my life savings. Why, you ask? Well--ever since that last U.S. recession scare, I grew attached to the comforting notion that neither a market crash nor a bad investment could ever take that money away.

Watched movie: "Hugo" (2011) in 3D
A wondrous departure from the usual Scorsese grit that explored the marvels of invention and imagination. Though personally, when I compare the magician's silent movies to that amazing robot he engineered, I think he totally missed his calling! Rating: 7
Watched movie: "We Bought a Zoo" (2011)
A feel-good family (?) film that pushed the envelope with foul language, dark teenage behavior (including one seriously hair-raising argument), and IMHO a misguided message about living impulsively. If you ask me, Matt Damon set a bad example when he blew his family's life savings on a zoo. :( Rating: 6
Watched movie: "The Swell Season" (2011)
Slow-moving black-and-white documentary about the couple from that slow-moving movie "Once", Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová. It mostly covered their concert tour rather than the filming of "Once", that weird Oscar speech snafu, or their guest spot on "The Simpsons". My favorite part: the scenes where Glen Hansard's parents gushed with pride about his Oscar win. Man...if he seriously disliked his mother bragging about it, then I'd volunteer to take his place. I would liken his and Markéta's complaints about stardom to my own complaints about having too many vacation days. :) P.S. Although I wanted to see more of Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová after "Once", I didn't want to see THAT much of them. :( Rating: 6
Abandon all hope
11/24/11 12:36 AM PST

Hmm...we're almost midway through the second season of "The Walking Dead", and I still don't know what that scientist whispered to Rick Grimes (last Sunday's episode torpedoed my top theory). The show's ok, but often times I get the urge to smack a character because I feel they lack vigilance or talk too freaking much--particularly the ones that get all melodramatic.

Update 12/1/2011: It still shocks me how no one in that show seems safe. Hate to say it, but that Shane character seems like a necessary evil.

Amusingly, I correctly predicted the #1 worst airport in CNN's countdown: Chicago O'Hare International Airport. I can't even remember how many times I got delayed there--it actually got to the point where I stopped booking connections through there.

Generally, I've observed that the morning flights seem less likely to get delayed or cancelled. Too bad I hate waking up that early. :)

Watched movie: "Happy Feet Two" (2011) in IMAX 3D
Holistically speaking, an inspirational musical about rising to the occasion, breaking down walls, and finding your voice. Analytically speaking, a maundering hodgepodge of nebulous character development--particularly in regards to Sven and those insignificant little krill. Though admittedly, the krill-centric animation did leave me in awe. Rating: 7
Watched movie: "The Descendants" (2011)
Less zany than earlier Alexander Payne comedies like "Sideways" and "Election", but still drily entertaining. George Clooney always amuses me for some reason, even when he just stares at people blankly. Also found his daughter's simpleminded boyfriend hilarious. As for the daughters themselves, they and their potty mouths didn't amuse me at all. Moreover, everything related to the land sale and the scenic beauty of Hawaii didn't interest me that much either. :) P.S. Was that ending meant as a contrast to the beginning? P.S.S. I agreed with the George Clooney character rationing his wealth--best not to grow spoiled, IMHO. :) Rating: 7
Watched movie: "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1" (2011)
Well--I tried to go into this movie with an open mind--but once again, my apathy could not be quelled. In fact, I actually took pleasure in Bella's calamity...possibly because I've grown so weary of that whole quasi-polygamous relationship between her, Edward, and Jacob. :P On the plus side, I felt like this installment FINALLY moved the plot forward. Rating: 5
Mortal coil
11/17/11 5:23 PM PST

So far this religiously themed season of "Dexter" hasn't impressed me that much. Maybe because I consider it a foregone conclusion that Dexter would go straight to Hell. :P

Last Sunday's Simpsons episode about the food blog started making me curious about Ethiopian cuisine. Not sure that I'd dare subject my stomach to it though. Maybe I'll ask around.

I actually have gelato on my goals list, but resolved only to cross it off once I've tasted it in Italy. Historically, I applied that same rule to my philly cheese steak, deep dish pizza, white clam apizza, and gumbo goals.

Also, I thought about clearing my checkmark for the Flight 93 National Memorial now that a more formal memorial has replaced the temporary one.

Watched movie: "J. Edgar" (2011)
As boring as it sounds, but I did find one aspect interesting: J. Edgar Hoover's controversial legacy. On one hand, he founded the FBI and pioneered forensic science--on the other hand, he seemed pretty devious and self-serving (even trying to blackmail leaders like Martin Luther King, Jr., apparently (!)). Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Immortals" (2011) in Cinemark XD-RealD 3D
Went from distastefully violent trash to...poetry in motion, believe it or not. Rating: 5
Watched movie: "Melancholia" (2011)
A curiously spellbinding film that oddly enough, romanticized depression and obliteration. I've heard the plot synopsized as the strained relationship between two sisters as a rogue planet threatens to collide with Earth. I would synopsize the plot a little differently: the antithetical contrast between two sisters as an enchanting planet comes to waltz with the Earth. :) Hehe, Kiefer Sutherland is cool--though I still don't get why his beloved 18-hole golf course had a 19th hole on it. P.S. I don't care what anyone says--any bride that acts like that on her wedding night needs prescription antidepressants. :P Rating: 7
The people
11/10/11 3:22 PM PST

Caught the Dr. Conrad Murray verdict live on CNN. He sure looked stoic. The defense attorney, in contrast, looked like he was crying.

As I predicted, WrestleMania tickets sold like mad last weekend. Instead of just lining up for the best available seat like I should have, I got distracted browsing the Official Platinum Seats and found myself empty-handed. Can you believe it...$10,000 for one platinum front row seat! Ten thousand dollars. That's straight up insane.

So between now and April, I'll scout for a ticket much closer to my price range. The main event of Rock vs. Cena might just make this WrestleMania one of the hardest shows to get a good seat for. But I have time and patience on my side. :)

I love Ticketmaster's new Interactive Seat Map (when it works). It can actually pinpoint my exact seat location in proximity to the ring. My days of buying a "safety" ticket might be over. :)

Watched movie: "Puss in Boots" (2011) in 3D
Convoluted but mildly entertaining. Cat's got swag. Props to the Latin dancing. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Like Crazy" (2011)
I might start avoiding Sundance films. This long-distance relationship movie won the Dramatic Grand Jury Prize, and yet I felt almost no emotion watching it. Maybe because the stark realism of their romance bored me, as the two of them (and I) never seemed truly convinced that they belonged together. To the film's credit, I did feel that it distinguished itself from the cliched Hollywood fairy tale. Side note: Maybe it's just me, but spying on a significant other's text messages seems awfully possessive. Rating: 5
Roll credits
11/03/11 1:01 PM PDT

Although that movie "Drive" didn't overly impress me, I did enjoy the song that played during the end credits. The song inspired me to think up my top ten favorite end credit songs of all-time:

Watched movie: "On the Waterfront" (1954)
Cornier and more perplexing than I expected. Perplexing because Marlon Brando didn't strike me as much of a leading man. He seemed too witless and weak-willed--almost like a child who only does the right thing because his parents told him to. I guess he really connected with audiences though, given how he won the Oscar for this very role. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "La Piel que Habito" a.k.a. "The Skin I Live In" (2011)
Having frowned for most of this movie, I felt the need to wash my hands clean of it. :P I'll spare you the perverse details. Rating: 4
Watched movie: "Martha Marcy May Marlene" (2011)
An acclaimed psychological thriller from Sundance that in my judgment, had nary anything thrilling in it. Most of the character development delved into a cult escapee's paranoia and her deviance from social norms. The narrative reminded me of "Lost" but with no airplane noises to cue the flashbacks. Rating: 5
Watched movie: "In Time" (2011)
Interesting science fiction film about a dystopia (or utopia, depending on your political convictions) where no one ages past 25 years, but die when the countdown on their forearms hits zero. As a result, they use their remaining time as currency; leaving poor people to die in the streets while the rich get richer. Sounds pretty nightmarish, huh? :) I liked the movie but wanted them to go further with it. For instance, did anyone ever crusade for unions, planned parenthood, or universal health care? Rating: 7
Do or die
10/27/11 12:37 PM PDT

Operation: Trojan Horse on "Survivor: South Pacific"...I like it! :) Not because Ozzy volunteered himself to duel against Christine at Redemption Island (in my opinion, a harebrained gamble given Christine's hatred for her own tribe)--but because of that crafty little lie that Cochran played their hidden immunity idol to put him there. Regardless of who wins the duel at Redemption Island, Coach's 6-person alliance would want to flip someone on Ozzy's alliance, i.e., Cochran, to ensure numbers at the merge. Theoretically, Cochran could spy on them and feed them disinformation so they vote for an immune player. In effect, team Ozzy would be planting a mole on team Coach. I recall that a similar gambit didn't quite work against the Heroes tribe--but it might work against Coach's tribe. :)

By the way, that seemed awfully sacrilegious for Coach to lead a group prayer for finding a hidden immunity idol that Coach already had. Later on, he prayed to God to help them win an immunity challenge too (at the expense of the other tribe). It's things like this that make me despise Coach worse than the villain whom he and Brandon keep condemning, Russell. Say what you will about Russell--at least he never struck me as a hypocrite.

Watched movie: "Paranormal Activity 3" (2011)
Scarier than most horror movies I know--and at times, excruciatingly tense. Even the shots with nothing out of the ordinary had me on edge (amusingly, the audience's screams and whimpers helped me spot hauntings that I might have overlooked). I think those "Catfish" directors found their calling. That idea to rig a camcorder so that it continuously panned across the house...genius! Side note: Looks like they made the trailers out of deleted scenes. Rating: 7
Watched movie: "Real Steel" (2011)
Pretty derivative of boxing movies like "Rocky" and "The Fighter". Might be the cynic in me talking, but I just didn't feel that Hugh Jackman's robot boxing accomplishments redeemed him. It's kind of like when pro-wrestlers win championships but still abuse drugs and accumulate debts. I think Hugh Jackman needed to admit to his terrible gambling and spending problem, and seek help for it. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Margin Call" (2011)
Smart, star-studded drama about an investment bank on the verge of collapse. Though to a cynic like me, the film wasn't just about our recent financial crisis--it was about corporate America in general, e.g., the politics of it, the intimidating candor of executives, and the overpayment of business people. If you ever wondered why I tend to lack ambition for promotions and investments, see this movie. :) Interestingly, I had trouble staying mad at any of the characters--not just because they articulated themselves so well, but because I couldn't really blame them for becoming spoiled and wanting to defend their livelihoods. Kevin Spacey gave a great answer when Zachary Quinto asked if they were doing the right thing: "For who?" Side note: What did the sick dog have to do with anything--a metaphor for dog-eat-dog? :) Also, what was the point of the bridge story? Rating: 7
Worst movies I've never seen
10/19/11 4:35 PM PDT

Recently when I read the premise of an offensive new zombie project, "Army of the Dead", I began thinking to myself that maybe I need a new movie rating even lower than a 1 rating. Maybe I need a 0 rating, aimed specifically at movies so offensive that I have vowed never to see them. Examples:

Watched movie: "Take Shelter" (2011)
Like a cross between "A Beautiful Mind" and an early Peter Weir film, "The Last Wave". I guess for me, nothing excuses unprovoked jerk behavior. I don't care if it's stress, illness, a mental defect, or...realistic visions of a cataclysmic storm. :) IMHO, this guy sucked. Rating: 5
Watched movie: "Citizen Kane" (1941)
Although I wouldn't call this film the "greatest of all time", I enjoyed it and still found it relevant to today's American Dream. Funny how everyone seems to fixate on this guy's last word, "Rosebud", as if it defined everything worth knowing about him. If you ask me, the movie didn't show enough of his life. I gathered that he cared about his legacy, but gleaned pretty much nothing about his views on politics, religion, and parenthood. My biggest unanswered question: how did his son's death affect him? Hehe, one question that the film answered pretty well: why his marriages failed. :) Rating: 7
Watched movie: "The Third Man" (1949)
An intriguing and unpredictable film noir wherein a pulp novelist interviews the eyewitnesses of a suspicious car accident in Vienna. Although the zither and multilingual tongues kept distracting me, I managed to follow the plot ok. Loved the ending. Rating: 7
Watched movie: "The Thing" (2011)
A pretty faithful (albeit unnecessary) prequel to "John Carpenter's The Thing" in that it clarified every mystery that Kurt Russell encountered at the original Norwegian site (including why the wall had a fire axe stuck in it). By some cruel irony, all of the main characters spoke English except for the one guy who needed it the most. One highlight of the movie: the American girl's clever new test for ruling out imposters. Though it confused me why people didn't seem to follow her other great strategy: to never be alone with anyone. :( Rating: 6
Watched movie: "The Guard" (2011)
Hmm...the reviews made this film sound like some kind of laugh riot. I barely even laughed once. Maybe I just don't get Irish comedy. Rating: 5
Tightrope
10/13/11 3:46 PM PDT

Last night's tribal council reminded me of another trap that Survivor players seem to fall into: exposing their alliances. Survivor does not allow anyone to abstain, so two of last night's "swing" players had to pick between two sides. Thinking themselves clever (?), they both hedged and threw their votes away toward a player that wasn't in jeopardy. The problem with that tactic--now the whole tribe knows about the secret alliance between the two of them! As a result, both sides will likely trust them less now. Like the saying in Survivor goes, "If you're not with me, you're against me."

Similarly, it always bewilders me whenever the players try to win the challenge that requires them to target fellow tribemates. If it were me, I'd try to veil my ranking of my tribemates by either a) subtly throwing the challenge or b) targeting my tribemates indiscriminately.

Watched movie: "50/50" (2011)
A funny and tearjerking movie that I don't think I could ever watch again. Cool friend, that Seth Rogen. Rating: 8
Attended concert: "Evanescence" appearing with Rival Sons, The Pretty Reckless
This concert date happened to coincide with the release of Evanescence's new album on October 11. Initially, I welcomed that announcement from Amy Lee until she added that they would now play music from it. :P The song I most wanted to hear from them, "The Only One", probably got edged out as a result. Interestingly, I distinctly remember them playing "The Only One" at their last concert I attended--but alas, I didn't fully appreciate it. Since then, it has become one of my favorite songs of all-time.

Another "longshot" that the band didn't play: "Hello" (which I lamented about the last time as well). Whenever a classic piano raised up to the stage, it got my hopes up. :) They did play all my other favorites, at least, i.e., "Bring Me To Life", "Going Under", "Lithium" and "My Immortal" (in the very last encore). I also liked their new one, "What You Want".

P.S. I nodded off during Rival Sons. :( Rating: 8

IMAX Big Movie Week - 1 person likes this
10/08/11 5:32 PM PDT

I'm curious why I still see lots of people and traffic whenever I take off work on a weekday. Don't they have work or school? :(

Thanks to IMAX Big Movie Week at AMC Theatres, I got to watch "Inception" once again. I have now seen this movie a record-shattering 11 times in a theater (once this year and 10 times last year).

Next, I experienced "Star Trek" in IMAX for the first time. Having gotten past my initial shock over the destruction of Vulcan and all the "Star Trek" canon that this movie cut a swath through, I was able to appreciate the movie much more. :)

On the final day of the Big Movie Week, I caught "Fast Five" in IMAX. I thought the D-BOX might have spoiled me, but I still enjoyed the movie.

Hopefully, despite the dismal lack of attendance at all three screenings, we'll see more Big Movie Weeks to come.

Lately, I've started avoiding screenings where "mature adults" tend to congregate. In terms of making noise, I'm actually thinking they might be worse than teenagers! I still remember three separate occasions where the repetitive sound of an old person's loud, obnoxious yawning soured my enjoyment of a movie. :(

Hehe, my cable box had a free episode of the Dexter season 6 premiere--a free censored episode, that is. Debra had so many expletives edited out that she sounded like a phone call breaking up.

Watched movie: "Dream House" (2011)
Poor excuse of a horror movie. I can see why newlyweds Daniel Craig and Rachel Weisz tried to distance themselves it. :( And that stupid trailer spoiled the central plot twist! Rating: 4
Watched movie: "The Ides of March" (2011)
A stirring and stressful political drama that even a cynic like me found gut-wrenching. Those characters, man--straight up cold-blooded. :) Rating: 8
Watched movie: "The Dead" (2011)
Scenic zombie flick that follows a military engineer's trek across Africa. Other than his penchant for travelling light (his favorite accessories: a tiny canteen and a peashooter) and getting careless with zombies, I found his competence somewhat refreshing. :) Rating: 6
R.I.P. Steve Jobs
10/05/11 6:08 PM PDT

A revolutionary for the home computer (I still have an Apple IIe at my apartment), the Macintosh, and the iPod et al. The guy was a visionary, pure and simple.

Interdependently independent
09/30/11 4:41 PM PDT

As much as I hate the Internet, I came to the conclusion that it's the only thing I need in my final years on this Earth. You can take away my car; you can take away all of my possessions; you can stick me in a rest home...but as long as my room has Internet, I'll be fine. :)

On another subject, I finally answered a long-time question of mine: what is the opposite of a cynic? The answer my brain came up with: a romantic. And the opposite of a hardened cynic: a hopeless romantic. But when I say "romantic", I mean someone who romanticizes life. One might argue that an optimist or an idealist would be the opposite of a cynic. But personally, I think that a pessimist and a realist make better antonyms for those two terms.

Watched movie: "connected" (2011)
Thought-provoking, occasionally insightful documentary about the digital age. It amused me how much this filmmaker romanticized the Internet, as if it would herald some kind of global renaissance. Personally, I view the Internet as more of a breeding ground for stupidity. :)

Some interesting thoughts that I gleaned from the film:

  • Literacy and science led to patriarchal societies of left-brained men, whereas the Internet might restore power to right-brained women?
  • We humans are the only species that know we're going to die.
  • We humans are the most compassionate and the most cruel of all the species.
  • Siblings are the longest relationships in our lives.
  • The pursuit of efficiency led us to outsourcing, the disappearance of honey bees, and the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.
  • Growing for growth sake, with no goal in mind, is what cancer does.
  • Apparently, emotional connection drives everything that we humans do.

In addition, I found the filmmaker's high-risk pregnancy and dying father interesting even though I couldn't see the "connection" to the theme of the movie. As for the filmmaker's addictions to her smartphone and social networking: I've never understood that craze--I keep my monochrome cell phone off for most of the month, and have yet to get an account on Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube. Rating: 6

Watched movie: "Dolphin Tale" (2011) in 3D
Wanted more science and less syrup. Also found the movie hard to watch without thinking back to those "smiling" marine park dolphins in "The Cove". :( Rating: 5
Watched movie: "Abduction" (2011)
Pretty dull. Like a watered-down, WB version of "The Bourne Identity". My brain felt more intrigued trying to remember where I had seen that villain before. Rating: 4
Open chapter
09/24/11 5:22 PM PDT

Was that "All My Children" finale some kind of practical joke? After a week of some awesome episodes, the final scene ended in a cliffhanger! We didn't get to see who JR shot at the party; Stuart (my all-time favorite character, back from the dead) never showed up; and David never revealed the identity of the final patient he resurrected! I liked how they concluded Erica's storyline at least--self-centered to the very end. :)

On that same day, our viewing parties of "Lost" wrapped up. I wrote one last "Lost" synopsis prior to the final episode. SPOILER ALERT if you haven't watched the sixth season yet.

This Friday, "Lost" concludes with a cataclysmic 2-part series finale!

Ever since Oceanic Flight 815 landed safely at LAX, nary any of the passengers seemed to recollect their time on a remote island. Jack reconnected with his son and got to know his half-sister, Claire. Sawyer, now a police officer, apprehended fugitives Kate and Sayid. Locke finally consented to spinal surgery for his paraplegia. Hurley enjoyed his millionaire lifestyle, oblivious to any bad luck that had cursed him in another life...that is, until Desmond deliberately steered him into a moment that brought all of his memories flooding back. What does Desmond know that the others don't?

Meanwhile on the island where Oceanic Flight 815 crashed, Jacob has chosen to bestow his omniscient powers onto Jack in an effort to stop Locke from escaping and infecting the world with evil. Locke, in the meantime, has learned of a "weapon" immune to the island's electromagnetic energy: Desmond. And now, Locke doesn't just want to escape the island...he wants to destroy it!

Will Jack, Kate, Sawyer, and Hurley be able to thwart Locke? Will more Oceanic Flight 815 passengers regain their memories? What is Desmond up to? Will all of the series' questions be answered? (No.) And how will it all end? Tune in this Friday for the climactic 2-part series finale!

Watched movie: "Moneyball" (2011)
Hilariously dry dramatization of a real-life venture in Major League Baseball to recruit players based on statistical analysis rather than conventional scouting wisdom. To a cynic like me, that's like expecting all employees to perform based on how good their qualifications look on paper. But I must admit, the "outside-the-box" thoughts in this movie really fascinated me. And IMHO, Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill made an entertaining on-screen duo. Rating: 8
Afoot
09/17/11 11:37 PM PDT

Hehe, I heard that IBM's Watson is being used to diagnose illnesses now, like a computer version of House, M.D. Hope it doesn't become a jerk and self-destruct. :)

I finally finished booking my vacation to London next year. My itinerary:

Looks like I'll be seeing the Olympic cauldron, Big Ben, and Buckingham Palace too.

Watched movie: "Contagion" (2011)
A welcome throwback to one of Soderbergh's earlier gems, "Traffic". Despite all the bureaucracy, selfishness, and panic that made this epidemic more terrifying, I actually had a much more dire outlook. So to me, this film was "optimistic". :) P.S. Good music. Rating: 7
Watched movie: "Drive" (2011)
Engaging crime drama that went from poetic to gruesome and anticlimactic. The car chases dwindled too, to my disappointment (maybe it just got too difficult filming them in Los Angeles). P.S. Good music. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "An Affair to Remember" (1957)
One of those trying romance movies that drags on because the man and woman can't seem to communicate their true feelings--or in this particular case--dragged on because the man didn't bother to investigate why the woman stood him up, while the woman used some kind of insane troll logic to withhold the truth from him despite the likelihood of losing him forever. Seriously, how could either of them rest without clearing any of that up? Anyway, here's hoping that nowadays cell phones and e-mail would resolve these types of issues. :) P.S. Was it just me, or did their visit to the grandmother pack more emotion than anything else in the whole movie? Rating: 6
Patriot Day
09/11/11 8:55 PM PDT

Recently, I toyed with the idea of visiting New York on the tenth anniversary of 9/11 despite the terrorist alert. It mostly depended on whether two of the greatest players of all time, Federer and Nadal, advanced to the finals of the U.S. Open (the one Grand Slam finals missing from their famous rivalry). It would've been a rare opportunity to see them both play in the United States. To both my disappointment and relief, Federer lost the Saturday semi-finals (barely) and shot down any consideration I had about a last-minute, security-heightened trip.

In the meantime, I added another goal to my list: the National September 11 Memorial & Museum, which consists of two pools where the Twin Towers once stood (open to the public tomorrow) and a museum (scheduled to open a year from now). I'd like to see the new Flight 93 National Memorial as well.

I had to record the dedication ceremonies since they followed the same timeline as the events of 9/11. As I mentioned previously, I was still asleep when the Twin Towers collapsed. When I first heard the news as I drove to work, I mistook it for fiction and turned off the radio. But when I saw folks crowded around the TV in the cafeteria, that's when I knew. I spent the rest of that day in a somber mood, monitoring the news, and listening to that Enya song "Only Time" a lot.

A recent 9/11 interview of George Bush finally answered a long-time question of mine: what went through his mind when the aide whispered the news of the second plane in his ear. Initially, Bush said that he felt angry--but because of all those kids and TV cameras fixated on him, reasoned that he better act calm. He also regarded the Pentagon attack as a declaration of war, and explained his reason for flying back to the White House despite the objections (he didn't want to give the terrorists the satisfaction of seeing him address the American people from a hidden bunker rather than the Oval Office).

After I screened the dedication ceremonies, I caught the women's final of the U.S. Open. The rules of professional tennis seem arbitrary to me, and never cease to confuse me. By some technicality, the chair umpire deducted a set point from Serena Williams for loudly celebrating a winning shot just a tad too early. It clearly looked accidental on Serena's part, and the shot looked like a clear winner, but the umpire penalized her as if she had committed intentional hindrance. I have to side with Serena on this one, but will also concede that she might have overreacted a bit. :)

A couple of the mixed doubles rules confused me as well. Apparently, they play a tiebreaker to 10 points in place of a third set. Also, they play the deuce point similar to "sudden death" without any advantage in or out points. Admittedly, I think I might have followed that latter rule during my doubles matches in high school. My memory's foggy. By the way, congratulations to Melanie Oudin and Jack Sock for winning the title in a really suspenseful match. Maybe I'm not a jinx after all. :)

Watched On Demand movie: "Red State" (2011)
Tiresome Kevin Smith film full of annoying buttheads, inflammatory fundamentalist drivel, and dawdling ATF agents. Rating: 4
Bad dream
09/09/11 4:17 PM PDT

Here's a strange nightmare for you...I dreamt that I was driving on the freeway and falling asleep at the wheel. No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't keep my eyes open. But it wasn't like "Inception", where it led to a dream within a dream. :)

I noticed that my nightmares tend to horrify me psychologically rather than physically. Some of my most recurring ones:

Watched movie: "Shark Night 3D" (2011)
An unmistakeably PG-13 horror film that disappointed even my low expectations by lacking gore, campy humor, and anything else remotely fun. Interesting 3-D shark acrobatics at least. Not that I cared, but the movie never explained why the sharks seemed almost bionic (same with some of those humans and the dog for that matter). Stay after the credits for a bizarre music video. Rating: 4
Watched movie: "Apollo 18" (2011)
Like "Blair Witch Project" but on the moon. Although certain scenes had me on edge, the idea of killer rocks didn't exactly terrify me. :P Rating: 5
Watched movie: "À Bout Portant" (2010) a.k.a. "Point Blank" (2011)
Maybe not the most logical plot, but decently thrilling in a "24" sort of way. A couple of those "hard-boiled" looking actors had great screen presence, IMHO. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Eraserhead" (1977)
Quite possibly the most absurd David Lynch film I've ever seen--so absurd that it delayed my reaction times. Like I would see something--pause--and then start laughing. Usually I can analyze these David Lynch films and at least distinguish good from evil, but in this case I really didn't know what to think. P.S. That mutant baby, man...WTF?? :) Rating: 5
Ladies and gentlemen
09/02/11 2:08 PM PDT

Caught a Hitchcock double feature at the Stanford Theatre last weekend. Pretty cool to pay only two dollars for a popcorn and soda. Also at the end of the screening, an organist rose up to stage level and played some tunes.

I'm starting to like old movies more and more. They seem classier than the films nowadays--no profanity, sex, or graphic violence. Even the villains seem civil.

Watched movie: "The 39 Steps" (1935)
One of Hitchcock's zanier films, IMHO, in that it almost felt like he made the plot up as he went along (especially that farfetched part where the guy ended up handcuffed to the exact same girl who had turned him in back at the train). Fortunately, I felt that Hitchcock delivered on two of his strong suits: humor and the ending. Side note: Nice police chopper. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "The Lady Vanishes" (1938)
Took long enough for the lady to vanish, but once she did I thought the movie got pretty good. For me, it had more substance than all those imitations that came after it. The samaritans in the film not only had to fight a formidable conspiracy, they had to recruit allies against it on a train full of apathetic passengers who didn't want to get involved. And to my admiration, the female samaritan never gave up on the old lady even though she hardly even knew her. Rating: 7
Watched movie: "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark" (2011)
Not so much scary as it was laughable and exasperating...primarily because I couldn't reconcile how such resourceful creatures could blow so many chances against such feckless human residents. Rating: 5
Watched movie: "The Debt" (2011)
Exasperating but not the slightest bit funny. The agents on this crucial mission showed such consistently poor judgement that I felt thankful that they were only fictional. Side note: Is it just me, or did those old people look nothing like their younger counterparts? Rating: 6
Housewrecker
08/28/11 12:25 AM PDT

I once read a term in Wikipedia, "jumping the couch", that symbolized a turning point for when a person's reputation plummeted. The term spawned from that Tom Cruise incident on the Oprah Winfrey Show, and I find it apropos for celebrities like Chris Brown, Mel Gibson, and Donald Trump.

After the most recent season finale of "House", I thought way back to the exact turning point for when I had lost all respect for that character. I narrowed it down to two incidents:

Similarly, I tried to nail down the incident that made me lose the most respect for Monk:

Basically, I began to think of Monk as an immature baby rather than a grown-up adult. :(

Watched movie: "The Future" (2011)
Maybe performance art just doesn't appeal to me, because I found this whole film torturously lame. Specifically, it agitated me how the two lead characters kept maundering on and on illogically. Like in one particularly vexing scene, they rambled on about some imaginary conversion with the President of the United States. I think around that point, the one other person in my theater walked out. Rating: 3
Watched movie: "Attack the Block" (2011)
A very dry, very British alien invasion movie that (surprise surprise) addressed class distinctions. Unfortunately, I had trouble rooting for a bunch of teenage hoodlums who had no qualms about mugging a defenseless woman. I also couldn't help but to admire such cool-looking aliens (jet black fur with glow-in-the-dark fangs). P.S. That lead teenager sure looked like 50 Cent. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Our Idiot Brother" (2011)
A lighthearted comedy that hit home for me because of my own pre-cynic similarities to that trusting Paul Rudd character. When people (including his own family members and those jerk law enforcement officers) felt that they could just walk all over him, I thought to myself: "too true". That's why his climactic meltdown near the end had a deep impact on me. P.S. Remind me never to confide a secret in that guy. :) Rating: 7
Worst movies ever made
08/23/11 3:32 PM PDT

I finally decided to change my least favorite movie of all-time to "Jackass: The Movie", given that it's the only film that I ever wanted to erase from my memory. Previously, I had regarded "In the Army Now" as the worst movie I'd ever seen.

Other movies that I rated a 1:

Pretty short list given how many awful movies I've seen in my lifetime. Goes to show how much that these films offended me.

Watched movie: "One Day" (2011)
A curious little film that revisits the lives of two star-crossed lovers (Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess) on every consecutive July 15 since the day they met. Although part of me enjoyed the mystery of listening to their conversations out of context, the other part of me questioned the worth of such an abridged narrative. What can you meaningfully learn about someone from just one day of the year? If someone had filmed every consecutive July 15 of my own lifetime, it'd probably turn out like "Groundhog Day" and not even capture anything of consequence. :) In any case, I actually regarded the movie favorably until one particular scene ruined it for me. Unacceptable. :( Rating: 5
Watched movie: "The Room" (2003)
Not the worst movie I ever saw, but ahh-somely bad nonetheless. How on earth did this disaster become such a cult sensation? At the late night showing I attended, fans screamed obscenities at the screen, shouted out plot holes, and ridiculed the characters and their incongruous dialogue. They also...
  • ...chucked plastic spoons at the screen every time a framed picture of a spoon inexplicably showed up.
  • ...recited some bizarre lines from Tommy Wiseau, who to me sounded like a nasally Arnold Schwarzenegger.
  • ...yelled "Who the f*** are you?!" whenever a new character materialized out of nowhere. This happened a lot, unfortunately. A lot of characters and sub-plots appeared and disappeared without explanation.
  • ...made "Ohm, ohm, ohm" noises during the kissing scenes. And by the way, I found all those sex scenes disgustingly pornographic.
  • ...chanted "Go, go, go!" whenever the camera panned across the Golden Gate bridge.
  • ...hummed the "Mission: Impossible" theme whenever Johnny set up a tape recorder.
  • ...exclaimed "Cancer!" every time Lisa's mother touched her nose. Side note: The characters' lack of reaction to the breast cancer bombshell confused me.
  • ...put words in the mouth of the characters that had one-track motives. Examples:
    Character Crowd exclamation
    Mark "But Johnny's my best friend!"
    Lisa "Because I'm a slut!"
    Lisa's mother "Because you're a woman!"
In conclusion, I think this film killed a few of my brain cells. Rating: 2
Watched On Demand movie: "Troll 2" (1990)
Indeed bad, but actually quite funny in a cheesy sort of way. The goblins in the movie were strict vegetarians, hehe, and kept trying to trick the main characters into consuming food that would mutate them into plants. As part of these goblins' devious ruse, they posed as fishy-looking humans in a town called NILBOG, hehe. The film had no trolls in it, by the way. Rating: 3
Rented Amazon.com movie: "Best Worst Movie" (2010)
A lighthearted documentary that explores the cult fanbase for "Troll 2", and catches up with all the cast and crew. I felt relieved that most of the actors and actresses seemed to have a sense of humor about it (with the exception of that eerily reclusive lady who played the mother). But I got really uncomfortable when the director defended the production (even explaining the deeper meaning behind the film)—he seriously seemed to believe that he had done a great job. :) If I were them, I'd stop inviting him to the screenings and panel discussions. My only major critique of the documentary: that the filmmaker include more of himself in it, given that he starred as the kid in "Troll 2". Rating: 6
The birds and the bears
08/19/11 2:58 PM PDT

I have to stop monitoring the stock market. After tracking its ups and downs for a couple of weeks, I concluded that it pretty much came full circle. My financial advice: look at the absolute monetary number over time, not the exact points/percentage that the index rose or fell each day.

I also started monitoring bird poop splatter on my car. Even when I avoided parking underneath tree branches, birds pooped on my car anyway. To my confusion, most of that splatter appeared on the side windows--not the top--as if they dive bombed from an angle. In any case, parking my car a long distance from the IBM lab appears to have solved the problem.

Watched movie: "30 Minutes or Less" (2011)
Aziz Ansari and Danny McBride at their finest. Funny guys, those two. Michael Peña amused me as well. Stay after the credits for a kooky plot hole. Rating: 7
Watched movie: "The Devil's Double" (2011)
Sickening Sundance drama wherein an Iraqi look-a-like is coerced into posing as Saddam Hussein's eldest son. In a veritable nightmare come to life, the look-a-like (and I) had to sit there helplessly while the son raped or killed whomever he wanted. It started becoming too much. Rating: 4
Watched movie: "The Help" (2011)
Touching drama centered on a writer's friendship with two black maids in 1960s Mississippi. Even though segregation ended a long time ago, I still found the dichotomy between working stiffs and spoiled rich folk relevant. Comedy-wise, I enjoyed the Minny character and lit up whenever she appeared onscreen. Rating: 7
It's Saturday, Saturday
08/13/11 4:43 PM PDT

I finally watched that music video "Friday" by Rebecca Black. Not the worst song I ever heard, but in the same ballpark. :P

Finished tabulating the music video results for 1H 2011. Funny how much of a chasm separated "Black and Yellow" (#30) from the other 29 songs.

Watched movie: "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" (2011)
Not in the same league as "District 9", but decently entertaining. Film production has sure come a long way since the Charlton Heston days of actors in monkey suits. Those digital apes looked virtually seamless. Pretty surreal, watching them rampage through San Francisco. Plot-wise, the movie gave me mixed messages--although I wanted the villains to get theirs, I had trouble rooting for an ape who deserved to be locked up and a scientist who doomed the entire human race. :( Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Cowboys & Aliens" (2011)
Pretty much what I expected, except for one added bonus: the movie had Indians too. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Final Destination 5" (2011) in IMAX 3D
Mighty impressive visual effects (especially the bridge scene)--I actually felt I got my money's worth on the IMAX 3D. I also have to applaud some of those messed up "accidents"--it was as if the filmmakers read my mind and preyed upon my own personal fears. :) For example, I would never consent to acupuncture in a million years.

One note to all you LASIK candidates out there: rest assured that the movie depicted the procedure all wrong. At a minimum, one assistant has to attentively moisten your eye so that it doesn't dry out. Also, I've seen a gymnist fall off the uneven bars before--and she did not shatter like porcelain. :) Rating: 7

Don't forgive but forget
08/08/11 4:17 PM PDT

I finally looked up planking on the Internet. Das funny. Mind-numbingly stupid...but funny.

Last Friday I happened to catch an episode of that soap opera that's ending soon, "All My Children". I actually used to follow "All My Children" before WWE took over my life. If you think about it, soap operas and pro-wrestling have a lot in common:

Based on my own observations, I brainstormed a list of soap opera rules:

Interestingly, I stopped watching "All My Children" because the show systematically destroyed every single positive relationship that I ever cared about--the last being that great fraternal bond between Dimitri and Edmund. When I learned that Maria cheated on Edmund with Dimitri, it became the straw that broke the camel's back.

Similarly, it annoys me in general when characters seem incapable of building platonic relationships with the opposite sex. It's almost as if Hollywood can't grasp the concept. I think that's why I like watching the scenes between Dexter & Debra, and Harry & Hermione.

Fork in the road
07/30/11 11:15 PM PDT

Guess it finally happened: Embarcadero Center Cinema vs. Sundance Kabuki Cinemas. I had to pick one or the other to screen "Another Earth" in. Embarcadero Center Cinema won out. :) I really like parking in their underground lot for free, and sipping a mocha in one of their roomy theaters.

Update 8/3/2011: I watched "Another Earth" again, and raised my rating of it. The film seemed a lot less pretentious the second time around. :) I gave up trying to wrap my head around the physics though--in particular, how long it would take to complete a trajectory from our Earth to the other Earth. This time around, I booked an 'Over 21' Show at Kabuki Cinemas. Other than the welcome absence of teenagers and kids, I didn't see much benefit. Alcoholic drinks (and Peet's coffee) don't appeal to me. Plus I misjudged the seat I reserved, and afterward had to pay $3.75 for parking. :)

Watched movie: "Winnie the Pooh" (2011)
Mildly amusing even though the characters' ignorance (and inability to spell the simplest words) stood my hair on end. :P To my dismay, Christopher Robin misspelled "tail" as "tael" and Pooh asked the narrator if a "paragraph" had honey in it. :( That's why I liked Rabbit--unlike the other animals, he actually seemed dumbfounded by their tomfoolery. :) Surprisingly, Eeyore grew on me too...I guess I found him funny in a droll sort of way. Some questions I had:
  • Does Pooh survive on honey alone?
  • Is Piglet a boy or a girl?
  • Why does Tigger talk funny?
  • Did Rabbit die during the credits?
Strange how oblivious the animals seemed toward each other's feelings. For example, they all seemed to ignore Eeyore's concerning remarks; no one seemed to notice Pooh's hunger; and Owl never seemed to realize that his memoirs bored everyone. Stay after the credits for a bizarre Huell Howser cameo. Rating: 7
Watched movie: "Another Earth" (2011)
A so-so, occasionally insightful film that ended so brilliantly that I couldn't stop thinking about it. Rather than spoil the epiphany that blindsided me, let me just hint that the harder I thought about what everyone said and did during the course of the movie, the more I appreciated the gravity of it all. Rating: 8
Digital dark age?
07/25/11 6:17 PM PDT

A new neighbor moved into the apartment next to mine. Polite as can be. Doesn't play loud music. Doesn't scream to himself. Doesn't even laugh hard. He does, however, like to sit outside. I can feel him looking at me as I come up and down the stairs. I shouldn't let that bother me, right? Right?

While watching CNN, I saw a headline about "Borders closing" and must've waited at least half-an-hour for the news anchor to cover it. Nothing. It made me remember why I prefer reading news on the Web.

Hmmm...if the Internet replaces paper and microfiche, what will that mean for historical news archives? Just recently I tried to read an old 2009 Internet article about short track speedskaters...and the article was gone.

Watched movie: "Captain America: The First Avenger" (2011) in 3D
Due to my lack of interest in Captain America vs. the Red Skull, I'm glad that this film devoted a fair amount of time to Steve Rogers' early days as a scrawny underdog. P.S. After that whirlwind post-credits preview, I'm really looking forward to "The Avengers". Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Small Town Murder Songs" (2011)
A thin, small town murder mystery that would probably disappoint "Twin Peaks" or "Law & Order" fans. I didn't much care for the movie's detective or that repentant policeman. And personally, I would have cast Jill Hennessy as an investigator rather than as an alibi witness. P.S. I don't know Canadian law, but couldn't the police have gotten a search warrant? Rating: 5
Watched movie: "Terri" (2011)
John C. Reilly rules, and IMHO he saved this film from total disaster. It pained me watching those kids embarrass themselves--reminded me too much of my own cringeworthy adolescence. Rating: 4
It all ended
07/18/11 2:47 PM PDT

Man, what happened. I thought USA had that 2011 Women's World Cup won--but it slipped away twice! Am I a soccer jinx? Last year something similar happened--I tuned into a USA World Cup game for the very first time, and Haiti eliminated them.

Watched On Demand movie: "Catching Hell" (2011)
Haunting documentary about Steve Bartman, the Chicago Cubs fan who supposedly cost his team a World Series opportunity by deflecting a foul ball in the eighth inning. I say "haunting" because even a cynic like me found the fans' conduct appalling--possibly because I really take scapegoating personally. Sheesh, what it is about sports that turns fans into such animals? Side note: I never heard of that Bill Buckner incident before this documentary. Man, shame on the media. Rating: 7
Watched On Demand movie: "Quarantine 2: Terminal" (2011)
Unremarkable sequel to "Quarantine" that could've easily passed for "direct-to-video" were such a thing still to exist. The film didn't even follow the original first-person formula. Rating: 4
Watched movie: "Beginners" (2011)
Eerily satirical of my own life, right down to the polar opposite social lives of father and son to the depressingly terminal lung cancer. It felt as if Ewan McGregor's happiness had a glass ceiling over it. If he and I had swapped places, I probably would have reacted to those same situations in much the same way (including his penchant for "cold feet"). I did note a couple of big exceptions though: a) I don't talk to dogs, and b) if I didn't think that a relationship would work, then I wouldn't go rushing into it. :( Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2" (2011) in 3D
Due to the wealth of wizardry and warfare in this final Harry Potter installment, I concluded that the movie successfully outshined the book--particularly when it came to Harry's showdown with Voldemort. I did kinda hope for some more emotion here and there, but eh. Rating: 8

Looks like the movie left out some notable parts of the book:

  • The identity of the third and final Deathly Hallow, Harry's Invisibility Cloak (meaning that Harry actually had his hands on all three Deathly Hallows).
  • The reason why Voldemort made that golden cup into a Horcrux.
  • The reason why Harry subtly stopped saying Voldemort's name.
  • The real reason why the Resurrection Stone cursed Dumbledore.
  • The unimaginative names of Harry's children.
Now that I think about it, nice touch in the film making Harry sensitive to the lives and deaths of each Horcrux.

Now that "Harry Potter" concluded, I decided to rank all of the films from my favorite to least favorite:

  1. "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" (2009) My rating: 8, blog
  2. "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" (2007) My rating: 8
  3. "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" (2004) My rating: 8
  4. "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2" (2011) My rating: 8
  5. "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1" (2010) My rating: 7
  6. "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" (2002) My rating: 7
  7. "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" (2001) My rating: 7
  8. "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" (2005) My rating: 6
Another Steven
07/11/11 1:12 PM PDT

Interesting. That famous music producer whom people occasionally mistake me for, DJ Steve Aoki, will hold a dance party in San Luis Obispo on December 1. Hehe, wouldn't it be funny if I grew my hair out and showed my driver's license at the VIP entrance? Naah. But seriously, some people actually mistook me for him.

Ever hear of that movie "Another Earth"? It hasn't come out yet, but the Web site asks what you would do if you met a quantum double of yourself. I think I know what I would do: I'd live vicariously through him. :)

Watched movie: "Midnight in Paris" (2011)
Woody Allen comedy (?) full of colorful characters but in my opinion, nary any insights. Admittedly, I consider myself something of a philistine when it comes to art, poetry, and literary masterpieces. Also, the clips of Paris bored me. :) Side note: The Salvador Dalí in this film...much too comprehensible. :) Rating: 5
Consciousness of guilt
07/05/11 7:51 PM PDT

Surprising verdict in that Casey Anthony murder trial. I could never reconcile why anyone would wait 31 days to report their daughter missing, and why someone would lie to the police over an "accidental" death. But I guess without the actual cause of death, the jury couldn't conclude with certainty that Caylee Anthony had actually been murdered.

Unlike the courtroom dramas I watch on TV, those closing arguments for the live trial took forever. Even though I found them intellectually stimulating, I couldn't help but change the channel. I also found the reading of the verdict anticlimactic. If I ever read a verdict aloud, I'd probably pause dramatically before the "not guilty". :)

A milestone for my 2004 Toyota Corolla: I passed 200,000 miles today.

Watched movie: "Larry Crowne" (2011)
A romantic comedy that I found neither romantic nor comical. For starters, the movie's attempt to lighten up Tom Hanks' firing appalled me. Julia Roberts' speech class reminded me of my time in comedy traffic school. And the only joke in the entire film that made me laugh: when Tom Hanks assured the class that he would give his "french toast" speech in English (that by itself should give you a sense of how bad the humor was). :P Rating: 4
Fish out of water
07/04/11 5:21 PM PDT

While watching "Cars 2", I felt a pang of anxiety when the world race took them to England. So much left to plan still, like hotel, flight, transportation, schedule, and the rest of my Olympics tickets. I narrowed down my goals as follows:

Watched movie: "Green Lantern" (2011) in 3D at Cinerama Theater Seattle
Tepid superhero flick highlighted by some impressive visual effects and a cool villain, i.e., Hector Hammond. I felt that both he and Sinestro had great screen presence. Make sure to catch an important scene during the credits. Side note: What kind of name is Sinestro, anyway? :) Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Cars 2" (2011) in Disney Digital 3-D
Some of Pixar's best animation yet, but so exhausting and chaotic that I needed some quiet time afterward. Every one of those cars (especially Mater) needed some new mufflers...on their mouths. :) Also, I won't bother asking why Michael Caine needed an oxygen mask, why the female cars had mascara on, or how exactly a car can "die". Rating: 5
Watched movie: "Transformers: Dark of the Moon" (2011) in 3D
Analogous to Chinese water torture. Can't believe that Buzz Aldrin and Leonard Nimoy attached their names to it. One highlight for me: seeing what happens when a car transforms with a human being still inside. Also found the diagonal glass building interesting. Rating: 3
Watched movie: "She's Out of My League" (2010)
Sophomoric comedy about the attractiveness ladder, a rating scale that I rarely ever hear in everyday conversation because it can turn people defensive and make you sound shallow even though I'm fairly certain that everyone employs their own private version of it. :) For instance, my system deducts for casual swearing, tattooed skin, vices, insecurities, and overreactions. Objectively speaking, I would deduct myself for being introverted and cynical. I would deduct Jay Baruchel for his nasally voice, and I would award points to Alice Eve for seeming learned, independently wealthy, and low maintenance. So I still can't reconcile her relationship with that guy, and don't get me started on "Transformers". :) Rating: 5
Welcome to Twin Peaks
06/22/11 3:48 PM PDT

Pretty cloudy here in Seattle. Today I drove down to a couple of old "Twin Peaks" filming locations at North Bend and Snoqualmie:

Twede's Cafe
Filming location for the Double R Diner (though a lot smaller than how it looks on TV), famous for its cherry pie and "Dam fine cup o' coffee!" I'm no fan of cherry pie or black coffee, but this cherry pie tasted dam good. I diluted my coffee with cream but still couldn't finish it.

Side note: My flash photography caused a minor stir.

Snoqualmie Falls
Filming location for the exterior of the Great Northern Hotel. The waterfall looked a lot more majestic than how it looked on TV. My camera and I kept getting sprayed. Afterward, I wandered through the Salish Lodge & Spa and confirmed that it looked nothing like the Great Northern Hotel.

North Bend appeared more modernized than I imagined, e.g., it had businesses like Chevrolet and Shell.

By the way, parking sure sucks in Seattle. Almost reminds me of San Francisco.

Update: Finally finished that grilled salmon sandwich I bought yesterday from the Market Grill (inside Pike Place Market). It'll be hard going back to farm-raised salmon. :)

The Emerald City
06/21/11 10:32 PM PDT

Pretty sunny here in Seattle. I'm staying at the Executive Hotel Pacific, which didn't seem too expensive until I found out what they charge for overnight parking. :( At least they have a Seattle's Best Coffee by the lobby.

Pike Place Market
Stoically watched the fish market guys chuck fish and then enjoyed a clam chowder at Pike Place Chowder. Also enjoyed a tall mocha, believe it or not, at the birthplace of Starbucks. Still not sure how that mocha differed from all the other Starbucks mochas that I've disliked in the past.

Prior to finding the original Starbucks, I mistakenly patronized their sister store in the same area. After getting directions from the cashier, I went around the corner and quietly tossed their mocha in the trash without even sipping it. :(

Wrong Starbucks (sister store)

Historic Starbucks (first store)

Bruce Lee's grave
Parked in Lakeview Cemetery and joined a crowd in front of the headstones for Bruce Lee and Brandon Lee. Curiously, the graves had loose change on them. I snapped my photo and got out of there. With the exception of Arlington, I'm not too big on sightseeing at cemeteries.
Ivar's Salmon House
Enjoyed a cup of Ivar's Puget Sound White Clam Chowder and the Alaskan Salmon Sampler. The clam chowders in Seattle seem more filling than what I'm used to. The Sampler reminded me of Neapolitan ice cream in that I ate up the tastiest fillet first, the Coho, and then finished the Sockeye and Alaskan King. I could really taste the wood fire flavor in the Coho.

Update 6/24/2011: Ate here again before my flight back to San Jose, and enjoyed Ivar's Wild Alaskan Smoked Salmon Chowder and a Fresh Copper River Red King Salmon fillet.

PLAY! A Video Game Symphony at Benaroya Hall
Worst video concert yet with nary any music that I liked. I just never seem to learn my lesson! :P Rating: 2

Setlist for the concert:

  1. Opening fanfare
  2. Super Mario Bros. medley (new arrangement but it sounded the same to me)
  3. Sonic the Hedgehog medley
  4. Chrono Trigger & Chrono Cross
  5. Castlevania (new arrangement that I didn't recognize at all--sadly, the stage had a pipe organ but nobody played it)
  6. Legend of Zelda (new arrangement that I could barely make out the theme in)
  7. Kingdom Hearts II
  8. Metroid (a world premiere with music that didn't seem too distinctive)
  9. Dragon Age II (world premiere with vocals by Aubrey Ashburn)
  10. Guild Wars suite
  11. HALO: Reach (world premiere)
  12. "Stormwind" from World of Warcraft?
  13. Encore: Final Fantasy VI: Terra's Theme (I had to ask the crew member in the back because the conductor didn't bother to announce it)
Watched movie: "The Art of Getting By" (2011)
Uninsightful Sundance film that basically made a mockery of my personal convictions. Apparently if you're a high school senior who hasn't turned in a single homework assignment, then a girl like Emma Roberts will like you, the adults in your life won't give up on you, and everything will turn out ok for you in the end. Shudder...if I ever had a kid like that, I'd disown them so fast. Rating: 3
IBM100
06/16/11 2:17 PM PDT

Happy 100th birthday to IBM! Why did cnn.com call us "stodgy" though? Grr...

Watched movie: "X-Men: First Class" (2011)
The first "X-Men" movie without a sharply-dressed Patrick Stewart...and I miss him already. :( In my mind, the guy exuded Charles Xavier like no one else--whereas the Xavier in this film struck me as uncharacteristically shallow. Ditto for Dr. Hank McCoy (played by the incomparable Kelsey Grammer in "X-Men: The Last Stand"). As for Magneto...I actually felt that Michael Fassbender played him better than Ian McKellen. The dude's intense, and I felt that his friendship with James McAvoy beautifully underlined the sentiments that made the first "X-Men" movies so meaningful. All in all, I considered "X-Men: First Class" a worthy prequel. P.S. The villains' plot made no sense to me. Rating: 8
Watched movie: "Super 8" (2011)
Pretty good but also pretty derivative of past Spielberg films, i.e., "Close Encounters" and "E.T." (except the kids in "E.T." never had such potty mouths). The best part for me: seeing the kids' finished movie. :D Rating: 7
Insane troll logic
06/10/11 5:07 PM PDT

The penalty for my traffic ticket...$244. The convenience of online traffic school...priceless. I learned something too--never to underestimate the stupidity of teenagers. From the course material:

TRUNKING
A new trend amongst teenagers, called "trunking", is a growing problem in California. "Trunking" is simply riding as a passenger in a moving vehicle while locked in the trunk. The obvious reason teenagers engage in this act is to get around the restrictions previously discussed regarding the prohibition of transporting any passengers under the age of 20 while holding a provisional license. A first offense violation for riding in the trunk of a moving vehicle carries a fine of $100 dollars for both the driver and the passenger.

I have a number of events coming up:

Watched movie: "Jûsan-nin no shikaku" (2010) a.k.a. "13 Assassins" (2011)
Not in the same league as "Seven Samurai", but decently entertaining nonetheless. I found the part with the dismembered girl totally unnecessary, but I guess that's Takashi Miike for you. :P Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Incendies" (2011)
Foreboding foreign Oscar nominee wherein a twin brother and sister visit the Middle East to uncover why their mother's will asked them to deliver two sealed letters: one to their long-lost father and one to their long-lost brother. Just like "Kite Runner", I saw a lot of stuff unfold but didn't leave the theater trying to make sense of it all. Like someone once said, "Forget it, Jake. It's Chinatown." Rating: 6
Watched On Demand movie: "Trolljegeren" (2010) a.k.a. "Trollhunter" (2011)
Slow but amusing Norwegian mockumentary (possibly inspired by "Cloverfield" or "District 9") about a lone hunter who casually tracks some mighty big (and mighty ugly) renegade trolls. In addition to a high-powered UV light that could petrify or explode them, he used all manners of bait: livestock, charcoal, rubber tires, hymns, and...the blood of a Christian. Yeah, the film never really explained that...why trolls can smell Christians. :) Rating: 7
Life is fleeting
06/04/11 5:54 PM PDT

I'm starting to like that San Francisco theater, Landmark Embarcadero Center Cinemas, more than I like the Sundance Kabuki Cinemas. In addition to early screenings of limited release movies, I like the Embarcadero theater's concession stand mocha and convenient underground parking (free with validation). To the best of my recollection, I've screened "Lust, Caution", two Danny Boyle films, "Meek's Cutoff" (which never came to San Jose), and most recently "The Tree of Life" (winner of the Palme d'Or) there.

Guess I lucked out last night--when I went to see "The Tree of Life", I literally bought the last ticket before it sold out.

Watched movie: "The Hangover Part II" (2011)
Practically identical to the first movie. Rating: 5
Watched movie: "La Doppia Ora" (2009) a.k.a. "The Double Hour" (2011)
Eerily suspenseful but by the end of it, I felt that it had "double" wasted my time. :) Rating: 5
Watched movie: "The Tree of Life" (2011)
Like a cross between "2001" and...a perfume commercial. Nary any plot but plenty of vivid imagery and melancholy whispering. Although the film tested my patience, I did feel that it explored parenthood and the human condition pretty thoughtfully (particularly when young Sean Penn (?) flirted with delinquency). I imagine that Brad Pitt's belief in "dog eat dog" and "spare the rod, spoil the child" polarized the audience. Personally, I felt that his discipline built character. :) Rating: 6 | Rating of the trailer: 10 :)
Cynic with a blog
05/31/11 5:59 PM PDT

Continuing my tradition of watching series finales, I caught the last episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show. I respect Oprah for teaching positive messages despite a childhood that sounded alarmingly close to that movie "Precious". In her final episode, she shared some of the following "life lessons" with the audience:

I can attest to the "energy" life lesson. One time in college, I had a wake-up call where a girl I liked snapped at me for complaining too much. It was so awkward that we never spoke again. As a result, I paid closer attention to the negativity I emitted, and reminded myself never to lash out at friends no matter how dejected I felt.

Speaking of inspirations, the lottery results came back for next year's Summer Olympics. I won one swimming ticket to two of Michael Phelps' best events. London 2012, baby...first time in my life that I fly overseas.

Watched movie: "Bridesmaids" (2011)
One of those cringeworthy comedies where the women behave shamefully, and dramatize issues that most men would either shrug off or completely overlook (like the competition for a BFF's attention). Seriously man, what was that maid of honor's problem? I'd be lapping that luxury up. P.S. I found the tennis game farfetched. Rating: 5
Watched movie: "Priest" (2011) in 3D
Paul Bettany's inexcitability must've been infectious because I had no reaction to this movie at all. Not that I liked it or disliked it...I just didn't care about it. :) Rating: 5
Watched movie: "Hobo with a Shotgun" (2011)
Tasteless exploitation flick (filmed in Technicolor) full of bad dialogue and ridiculously cruel villains. If you ask me, those sadists deserved much worse than quick deaths from Rutger Hauer's shotgun. :( Rating: 4
Watched On Demand movie: "Rubber" (2010-2011)
Deadpan satire about Hollywood (?) wherein a rubber tire inexplicably comes to life and psychokinetically blows up peoples' heads. Yeah. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" (2011) in Disney Digital 3-D
About the same as the other movies. Stay after the credits for an interesting epilogue. Rating: 5
Watched movie: "Kung Fu Panda 2" (2011) in 3D
Funnier, deeper, and more touching than the original movie IMHO. I kept cracking up at the panda's shenanigans. Additionally, he managed to earn my respect this time around. Rating: 8
Technicality
05/23/11 3:32 PM PDT

Received a pretty lame traffic ticket near the Stoneridge Mall in Pleasanton. The officer cited me for 22100(A) - unsafe right turn because I had cut across two lanes to make a belated right turn. It didn't matter to him that I had pre-checked that both lanes were clear. He said that what if a car had its headlights off and I didn't see it (as if safer driving could protect me from a car with no headlights). Next time plan ahead when making a right turn, he patronized. He also "did me a favor" by only warning me about a dead light on my license plate. I practically had to bite my lip to keep a sarcastic remark from coming out. :)

Guess I can look forward to another eight hours of traffic school. Interestingly, I've never gotten a ticket for the same infraction twice. I've gotten one for speeding, one for running a red light, and now one for an unsafe right turn.

Well, May 21 came and went without any Rapture. Actually, I don't know what scares me more: Judgment Day or the possibility that everything happens for no reason.

Speaking of purposes in life, I read that Apolo Ohno decided to train for a marathon. A penny for this guy's bucket list. It probably has goals like "win Olympic gold medals" and "win the mirror ball trophy". I wonder if he ever gets tired of chasing greatness.

R.I.P. "Macho Man" Randy Savage. He was another one of those pro-wresters that in all likelihood, I could bring up in a conversation without the other person responding, "Who?"

Fourth time's the charm
05/16/11 11:20 AM PDT

Congratulations to Boston Rob for finally winning Survivor! Well-deserved and long overdue.

While supplies last
05/11/11 5:44 PM PDT

The last time I visited Santa Maria, I purchased a Seattle's Best mocha everyday at the Borders in San Luis Obispo...and savored each cup. (Both of the Borders cafes that I patronized in the Silicon Valley closed down.)

Also began stocking up on Kodak 800 film from Walgreens. Once that runs out, I'll be forced into buying a digital camera.

Sometimes when I get really bad hay fever, I resort to an antihistamine-decongestant tablet from my limited stock of discontinued blue 4-hour Chlor-Trimeton. Even though the pills expired years ago, they still work better than anything else I ever tried. :P

In movie news, that "Final Destination 5" is starting to look pretty evil. If LASIK surgery and acupuncture unnerve you, then better steer clear of that trailer. :)

I actually still have nightmares that I need glasses again. In fact, I think that's my #1 most recurring nightmare. I'm not sure why.

Watched movie: "Der Räuber" (2010) a.k.a. "The Robber" (2011)
Fast-paced true story (?) about a paroled marathon runner who compulsively robs banks. I probably would've rated it higher had the guy not senselessly murdered someone. After seeing that, I didn't care what happened to him anymore. Props to the taiko-like background music. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Meek's Cutoff" (2011)
Snail-paced Western (?) about a group of covered-wagon travellers who keep second-guessing their guide. Their trek reminded me of a computer game I used to enjoy, "Oregon Trail". Sadly, this film paled by comparison. The plot felt so thin that it often caught me off guard whenever something eventful happened. It also caught me off guard when the credits started rolling. "What?" I laughed. Now I'll never know whether the Indian got his revenge. :( Rating: 5
Watched movie: "Thor" (2011) in 3D
Not as corny as I feared thanks to the tongue-in-cheek tone, but still somewhat corny. Almost overnight, Thor went from brash hothead to sensitive chick flick hunk. Stay after the credits for a big teaser of "The Avengers" movie. Rating: 6
Riding high
05/05/11 4:13 PM PDT

I planned a vacation day last Monday so I could redeem one of my VIP tickets at the Camera 7 (they gave me two of them as a refund for my D-BOX chair not working). After hearing about bin Laden's death, I turned that Monday into a day of celebration.

First I bought my favorite ice cream from Cold Stone Creamery, a "signature creation" called the Strawberry Blonde. Strawberry ice cream, strawberries, graham cracker pie crust, caramel, and whipped topping. Man it's good.

Then I walked next door and redeemed my free coupon for a movie perfectly suited to D-BOX, "Fast Five". If you're debating whether to pay the extra $8 to see "Fast Five" in D-BOX, take it from me: it's totally worth it. The motion effects made my seat come alive as the drivers floored the gas and whipped their cars around. The off-road vehicle, in particular, had me bouncing in my chair.

Watched movie: "Fast Five" (2011) in D-BOX
Ludicrous (no pun intended) but entertaining. Best not to think about all the plot holes lest your head implode. :) Special props to the "Mad Max" vault action (and the wild motion seat effects that accompanied it). Keep watching the credits for a major plot development. Rating: 8

I finished another "Lost" synopsis for my co-workers' viewing party. SPOILER ALERT if you haven't watched the fifth season of "Lost" yet.

This Friday, "Lost" concludes its fifth season with a cataclysmic 2-part finale!

In 1977, a catastrophic incident occurred on the island. To "save the world" from an electromagnetic disaster, the Dharma Initiative built a dome-shaped station called "The Swan". Inside, a shipwrecked survivor named Desmond Hume had to press a button every 108 minutes to release the build-up of electromagnetic energy. But on one fateful day, Desmond forgot to press the button...and Oceanic Flight 815 crash-landed on the island as a result.

But what if the catastrophic incident never occurred? What if the Dharma Initiative never had to build The Swan? What if Desmond never had to press the button? And what if Oceanic 815 never crashed? Crash survivor Jack Shephard intends to find out. Trapped in 1977, Jack and Sayid have resolved to detonate a hydrogen bomb at the birthplace of The Swan. If their bold plan succeeds in annihilating the electromagnetic energy there, then history could change and the original Oceanic Flight 815 could land safely at LAX.

Meanwhile in 2007, Ben Linus has resigned to join John Locke instead of trying to murder him all the time. Locke's first order of business: visit the revered leader of Richard and the Others, Jacob. But to Ben's astonishment, Locke doesn't just want to visit Jacob...he wants to assassinate him.

Just who is this Jacob? Why does Locke want to kill him? Will Jack's plan succeed? Why did Richard tell Sun that all of her friends died in 1977? What is the agenda of those armed, cult-like airline passengers who kidnapped Lapidus? And why does this show have so many coincidences? Tune in this Friday for the climactic 2-part season finale!

Osama bin Laden dead
05/01/11 11:18 PM PDT
Finally, some news to celebrate! Almost makes up for that racist birther nonsense that the media kept dignifying.
Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge, Countess of Strathearn and Baroness Carrickfergus
04/30/11 5:16 PM PDT

Finished screening my DVR footage of the royal wedding. I recorded 6 hours from CNN and 6 hours from ABC, and then decided to erase the entire CNN recording. In my opinion, Piers Morgan and Anderson Cooper covered the thing like a news story--whereas Barbara Walters and Diane Sawyer treated the event more like a fairy tale.

Paradoxically, I do enjoy weddings (well, traditional American weddings at least). I like how the opening notes of "Here Comes the Bride" cue the congregation to stand up. I like how the groom watches the bride walk up the aisle. And I like the ending where the minister introduces the new husband and wife.

England's royal formalities fascinate me for some reason. I like following the line of succession and watching the curtseys. Apparently, even the Queen's relatives have to curtsey to Catherine now (except for Camilla when Prince Charles is present).

Watched movie: "Hanna" (2011)
A muddy, rudderless thriller (?) full of strange behavior and illogical action scenes. To my confusion, Saoirse Ronan seemed to run a lot without making any headway. Great Chemical Brothers music, at least. Rating: 5
Watched movie: "Super" (2011)
Cringeworthy Rainn Wilson "superhero" comedy that bordered on poor taste and often got too serious for me. I kind of felt like Jim from "The Office". :P Rating: 5
The greatest good for the greatest of the great
04/26/11 5:09 PM PDT
Watched movie: "Atlas Shrugged - Part I" (2011)
Now that's what I call thought-provoking. Who is John Galt? Or more importantly, what was the point of this novel/movie? I suspected a message along the lines of "greed is good", but had to look up Ayn Rand in Wikipedia for clues. Methinks I came close. :) Rating: 7

Looks like Ayn Rand and I have something in common: we're both ethical egoists (the belief in individual achievement over team achievement). Case in point: back when I led a workgroup that started up a wiki site, I credited and rewarded each author based on how much they individually contributed. If I had taken the "ethical altruistic" approach, I would have tried to motivate each author to contribute for the good of the business. Alas, the cynic in me would never trust employees to produce their best work thanklessly. :)

My main problem with Ayn Rand's philosophy: how does it prevent corruption? How do you avoid the Bernie Madoffs and the companies that pollute and destroy our world?

Cynicism and taxes
04/21/11 2:55 PM PDT

Our Federal and state governments may take forever to draft a budget, but they're certainly speedy on one thing: collecting my taxes. Their promptness in this area never ceases to amaze me. This year I mailed my taxes on Monday morning, and the money disappeared from my checking account a mere two days later on Wednesday. Then two days after that on Friday, California deposited my check.

Am I growing more and more cynical? Case in point: while waiting for a movie to start at the Sundance Kabuki Cinemas, I could hear someone inhaling and exhaling behind me. I don't know if the guy had obesity issues or what, but hearing his heavy breathing annoyed the heck out of me. I couldn't say anything either, because what could I say? "Excuse me sir, must you breathe so hard?"

I also found that I get irritated whenever total strangers whistle, sing aloud, or laugh hysterically in public. Possibly because deep down inside, I envy their happiness and feel like they're flaunting their joy to the whole world.

Watched movie: "Hævnen" (2010) a.k.a. "In a Better World" (2011)
Promising Danish drama that grabbed my attention with a really poignant subject, i.e., bullying and anger management, but then got a little too contrived and "black and white" for my taste. Maybe that's for the best though--if the film had gotten too thought-provoking, it might not have won the foreign language Oscar. :) Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Scream 4" (2011)
Pretty unimaginative for a satire on unimaginative horror movies. To my disappointment, the three returning characters seemed more dense than ever before. Take Sidney and Gale, for instance. You would think that by now, these two "veterans" would know better than to venture into dangerous places alone and unarmed! Rating: 5
Watched movie: "Rio" (2011) in 3D
Lively and colorful Blue Sky-animated film highlighted by Carnivale, energetic samba numbers, and the amusing vocal stylings of will.i.am and Tracy Morgan. I would've rated it higher but Jesse Eisenberg and that bird scientist kept getting on my nerves. Rating: 6
Leading edge
04/15/11 4:40 PM PDT

Hehe...time to tap my temple and call myself smart. Even though WrestleMania 28 doesn't take place until April 2012, I already booked a room at the only (?) hotel next to the Sun Life Stadium. You might be wondering: what if the WWE cancels Rock vs. Cena? I can live with that, so long as I get to see The Undertaker reach the 20-0 milestone in his WrestleMania streak. And this time, I won't even bother calling this WrestleMania my last. Every time I say that, the WWE finds a way to pull me back in.

Edge retired from WWE? Das not cool. I guess by attending WrestleMania 27, I got more than I bargained for...I got to see Edge's final match.

If I had to pick my all-time favorite WWE matches, Edge would dominate my list. Come to think of it, the Edge matches that I enjoyed the most took place at WWE pay-per-views that I personally attended:

Hardcore Match at WrestleMania 22: Edge w/ Lita vs. Mick Foley
Mixed Extreme Tag Team Match at One Night Stand 2006: Edge & Mick Foley & Lita vs. Tommy Dreamer & Terry Funk & Beulah McGillicutty
TLC Match at Unforgiven 2006: John Cena vs. Edge for the WWE Championship
Main event at WrestleMania XXIV: Undertaker vs. Edge for the World Heavyweight Championship
TLC Match at One Night Stand 2008: Edge vs. Undertaker for the World Heavyweight Championship
Watched movie: "Win Win" (2011)
A lot like "The Blind Side" but with amateur wrestling instead of football. Overall, I felt that all of the characters lacked wit and seemed really "ordinary". Heck, my own life seemed more interesting by comparison. Rating: 6
Survivor: Persecution Island
04/08/11 4:26 PM PDT

Matt Elrod. Survivor player. Nicest guy. Squeaky clean. Worships God. Gets voted out of Boston Rob's tribe after showing good sportmanship. Lives in exile on Redemption Island. Somehow manages to win six straight duels to stay alive. Finally comes back in the game. Decides to forgive Boston Rob for his betrayal...and then, at the very next tribal council, gets voted out AGAIN by Boston Rob's tribe (back to Redemption Island)! Wow. I'm not even sure why. Either they completely distrusted him, or they didn't want to risk voting for an immune Zapatera player, or both. In any case, you gotta feel bad for the guy. My question now is...can Matt extend his streak to 12-0??

Watched movie: "Source Code" (2011)
Intriguing "Groundhog Day" meets "Quantum Leap" type flick wherein Jake Gyllenhaal investigates a train bombing by continuously reliving the last eight minutes of one passenger's life...sort of (I noticed that whenever Jake followed someone off the train, his eight minute time limit didn't expire automatically). Personally, I wished that the film had focused more on suspense and creativity rather than sentiment and dilly-dallying. I also found the "science" nothing short of unintelligible (though if I had to guess based on what I observed, I would pose that he entered an alternate reality). At least they kept the film open-ended rather than ruining everything with some kind of hokey explanation. P.S. Jeffrey Wright is nothing short of cool. Rating: 7
WrestleMania XXVII: Finally...
04/06/11 5:09 PM PDT

...The Rock has come back to WrestleMania! I waited about seven years to watch him lay the smackdown, and cross that goal off my list. Though now I'm thinking I need to attend WrestleMania next year to see him compete in an actual match. In fact, the WWE already announced that he will face John Cena at WrestleMania 28!

Other than Hulk Hogan, I can't think of any pro-wresters as famous as The Rock. For instance, I'm not sure how many non-wrestling fans would know who I meant if I talked about Stone Cold Steve Austin or The Undertaker.

Speaking of the Undertaker, what a brilliantly suspenseful match (that should have closed out the show). It seriously looked like Triple H would end that WrestleMania streak. In my judgment, that streak has grown into the greatest dramatic storyline in pro-wrestling today. I can't think of any higher stakes than the defense of a perfect WrestleMania record. Championships, in contrast, just come and go (sometimes on a monthly basis).

I almost wished I had watched the match on TV. Some rude morons in the front row kept standing up and down in front of me (and security didn't care). Made it really hard for me to take pictures. I mean, I could bear fans standing up long enough for me to stand up behind them--but it's rude to ceaselessly stand up and down like a jack-in-the-box. I finally just crept up next to them in the aisle when The Rock came out.

Stone Cold Stunner
18-1?
Snooki of Jersey Shore fame (the crowd booed when she got tagged in)
The host of WrestleMania XXVII (27), The Rock
Rock Bottom on that fruity pebble, John Cena
Special punch where The Rock spits in his hand
Idiot next to me almost ruined my photo by mimicking The Rock's arm swinging
People's Elbow to that candy @$$ jabroni, The Miz
Do you smell what The Rock is cookin'?

I came up with a new best practice for attending WrestleMania: leave food and drinks in your hotel room for when you come back hungry, thirsty, and exhausted. Restaurants and room service tend to close shop by the time WrestleMania ends, and insufferable pro-wrestling fans like to fill up those late night joints.

Watched movie: "Insidious" (2011)
Occasionally scary but like most American horror films, loud and overdone. Everything about it reminded me of "Poltergeist". P.S. I think Rose Byrne needs more challenging roles. P.S.S. Why would anyone draw Jigsaw on a classroom chalkboard? Stay after the credits. Rating: 6
Welcome to Atlanta
04/02/11 11:59 PM PDT

My flight to Atlanta sucked. The rocky descent made me airsick, and the kid in front of me puked and the vomit stunk up the cabin. I kept it together though. I haven't thrown up in 24 years, and just like the Undertaker I intend to keep my streak alive. :)

I decided to attend WrestleMania Axxess this year, primarily to snap pictures of our department bee. Our department started a tradition where we pass around a stuffed bee (wearing a black I "Bee" M shirt) and make jokes about where we took it, e.g., a yoga session or a Lakers game. I happened to get the bee right before WrestleMania.

Anyway, I had to show the bee to WWE security when a guard noticed a big bump in my jacket pocket. They laughed at me.

Update 4/3/2011: WrestleMania soon. I booked a great hotel room within walking distance from the Georgia Dome. I don't get why the bedroom has a full-length window to the shower though. Good thing I'm here alone. :P

Bring it
04/01/11 4:23 PM PDT

My lukewarm attitude toward this Sunday's WrestleMania grew into eager anticipation after that last episode of WWE Raw. I felt that Shawn Michaels really jump-started that lackluster Undertaker vs. Triple H feud. It glued me to the TV when Triple H called upon the Undertaker to retire, and when the Undertaker bragged about ending Shawn Michaels' career. The possibility of DX vs. the Undertaker's streak intrigues me. Nowadays in my opinion, the suspense over that WrestleMania streak overshadows any championship match-up they got. (Side note: After Triple H contrasted himself from Shawn Michaels by claiming, "I have to win," I looked up Triple H's WrestleMania record: 7 wins, 7 losses. The Undertaker's WrestleMania record: 18 wins, 0 losses.)

Great mic work from The Rock, John Cena, and The Miz. I feel that when Cena gets serious and cuts out all the jibba jabba, then he can really deliver a good promo. Now I can look forward to The Rock laying the smackethdown on him at WrestleMania. (Just hope The Rock doesn't trip again.)

P.S. When I saw Kane mimicking Santino's trumpet celebration, I thought back to an old WWE video game that used to confuse me with its illogical plot twists. For instance, one time Kane mugged my video game character backstage and stole the WWE title belt off his shoulder. Afterward, the roster listed Kane as the new WWE champion! In another ridiculous vignette, Kane danced in the ring alongside Too Cool. (The real Kane never would have done that.)

Speaking of streaks, that devout Christian Matt has now gone 5-0 in duels on Redemption Island! That guy would've made a great candidate for the "Heroes vs. Villains" season. He basically got voted out for showing good sportsmanship to the other tribe, and doesn't even seem that bitter about it. If he gets quickly eliminated from the game after everything he went through, then I'm going to conclude that this Redemption Island concept completely wasted my time.

Now that the Zapatera tribe has lost their third straight immunity challenge, I'd like to nominate them as the dumbest tribe in Survivor history. Just as I had foretold, throwing that challenge to get rid of Russell early proved to be a huge, stupid mistake. Now Rob's tribe has them outnumbered. Man what a bunch of maroons.

P.S. Ever notice that during Phillip's interviews, the caption for his occupation has a question mark after it , i.e., "Former Federal Agent?"

Watched movie: "The Lincoln Lawyer" (2011)
Although I never read the original Michael Connelly novel, I'm already convinced that this movie didn't do it justice. Everything felt oversimplified. Instead of the brilliant endgame that I waited on the edge of my seat for, Matthew McConaughey basically just knocked the board over and declared victory. And why make the town car into an office? The film didn't even bother to explain! Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Sucker Punch" (2011)
Visually mesmerizing albeit campy Zack Snyder fantasy about caged supermodels who band together against evil misogynistic men. If the movie had some kind of message, that message eluded me. Rating: 7
Watched movie: "Jane Eyre" (2011)
Clearly I didn't do enough homework on "Jane Eyre", as it never occurred to me that I'd be one of the only guys in a predominantly female audience. The trailer tricked me with its "Suspiria" music and ghostly sights. :( Fortunately, I liked the film anyway. Even though Jane Eyre's home and school seemed abusive, I felt that she matured into a better woman because of it. (Personally, I think our own contemporary society needs more learned, unassuming, and well-mannered people.) I also felt that the brooding leading man had great screen presence. It amused me that such a commanding guy could develop an obsession over someone so plain. Then again, maybe I'm just not partial to how women of 1800's England looked. Rating: 6
Realm of possibility
03/23/11 5:43 PM PDT

About one and a half weeks until I fly to Atlanta. I saw that the WWE booked Snooki from "Jersey Shore" in a WrestleMania match. Ehhhh...ok. Next to those other wrestlers, she looks like a hobbit to me.

Also put my name in the hat for a bunch of Summer Olympics tickets. In addition to swimming, I requested tennis and women's gymnastics. Basically I shot for the moon since last time I only won one ticket (albeit a good one).

Finally found a YouTube clip of that scary ghost scene from "Kairo". Whereas American horror movies tend to bore me, Japanese horror scenes like this one paralyze me with fear. Maybe it's genetics. :)

Watched movie: "Paul" (2011)
Nowhere near as funny as "Shaun of the Dead" or "Hot Fuzz" (mostly likely because they got the director of "Superbad" instead of Edgar Wright). Yet to my chagrin, some fangirl in the front of me seemed to laugh hysterically at every single swear word, violent act, or wink to sci-fi pop culture. Rating: 4
Watched movie: "Limitless" (2011)
Decently thought-provoking even though the "smart pill" had more limitations than I could count. The pill only seemed to improve memory, concentration, and confidence. It didn't seem to endow better judgment, a greater imagination, or a more profound sense of responsibility. For instance, the main character in this film basically just exploited the pill for money and power. He didn't try to cure global warming, solve cold fusion, or seek the meaning of life. If he had, that would've been cool. P.S. I could watch those "warp speed" sequences all day. :) Rating: 6
House of blues
03/15/11 7:20 PM PDT

Looks like in that last "House" episode, House unlocked the secret to fighting apathy: live vicariously.

A few episodes ago, the show had a patient who could remember every single bad event in her life (an exaggerated version of me, basically). She followed a rule wherein she would only forgive someone if their good deeds outnumbered their bad deeds. Pretty flawed formula, if you ask me. I think that realistically, you also need to factor in a "statute of limitations", how much a person changed over time, and whether they ever felt remorse. For me, cynicism helps. By accepting that people will let me down at one time or another, I think it's easier not to take things personally.

Dude...explosions, fires, radiation leaks, and the threat of a nuclear meltdown...I hope those employees at that Fukushima Daiichi plant get medals or something.

Update 3/16/2011: Funny how the absence of looting in Japan fascinates the media. From my experience, Japanese culture really frowns upon discourtesy, so it makes logical sense to me that they would frown upon looting.

Rented Amazon.com movie: "Kynodontas" (2009) a.k.a. "Dogtooth" (2010)
Pretty screwy foreign Oscar nominee; almost as if this director had channeled Stanley Kubrick. At first, the subtitles vexed me...but eventually, I caught on that the parents had miseducated their kids with total nonsense! So exhausting, all that nonsense. It felt like I had been watching a cult for 90 minutes. I also wanted more closure. Did the eldest or the other two kids ever get to see the outside world? Did they really have a brother who left the house? Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Rango" (2011)
Unsightly computer-animated Western highlighted by Johnny Depp's Jack Sparrow-like tomfoolery. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Battle Los Angeles" (2011)
Action-packed but painfully corny. Kind of like an army recruitment video with dialogue. Aaron Eckhart played a nauseating "Marines never quit" leader who wished he could trade places with everyone who died under his command...and even skipped breakfast to jump straight into another tour of duty. Admittedly, I enjoyed parodying him while driving back from the theater. Rating: 5
Not only of sight and sound but of mind
03/10/11 5:09 PM PST

In addition to screening Academy Award winners for Best Foreign Language Film, I thought about starting a hobby where I screen the Palme d'Or winners from the Cannes Film Festival too. From the past three years, I noticed that I enjoyed all three of the winning films:

But then I saw "Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives". :(

Watched movie: "Cedar Rapids" (2011)
One of those "Sideways" type comedies wherein a hilariously offensive John C. Reilly teaches Ed Helms (an equally hilarious foil) to loosen up. I could've done without the Sigourney Weaver part though. :P Rating: 6
Watched movie: "The Adjustment Bureau" (2011)
Matt Damon versus a conspiracy of bureaucrats who can transport through doors a la "Monsters, Inc.", trigger coincidences a la "The Truman Show", and track quantum timelines a la the Time Variance Authority. My kind of movie. :) The author of the original short story, Philip K. Dick, sure had an imagination. In addition to "Adjustment Team", he also penned the stories behind "Blade Runner", "Total Recall", and "Minority Report". Rating: 7
Watched movie: "Loong Boonmee raleuk chat" (2010) a.k.a. "Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives" (2011)
How did a film like this win the Palme d'Or?? I was bored out of my mind...and disconcerted too. Am I to understand that the monkey boy and the princess had sex with animals?! WTF, dude. WTF. Rating: 2
Good night to the bad guy
03/03/11 10:21 AM PST

I guess now when it comes to contenders for "best Survivor player ever", I have to concede defeat on Russell. Doesn't get much worse when a player inspires such hatred in his peers, that they basically commit tribal suicide to get rid of him. (Two "commandments" in Survivor: never job the tarp and never, ever throw a team immunity challenge.)

Although technically Russell still has a chance to return from Redemption Island, he'd have to pull off some kind of "Michael Phelps" to stay in the game.

On the bright side, now I can root for Boston Rob without any mixed feelings.

Update 3/10/2011: I guess Russell has feelings after all...how the mighty have fallen. :( He'll be back though. If I know anything about pride, he'll be back. :)

Written in the stars
03/01/11 5:39 PM PST

Finally hit the jackpot on a WrestleMania ticket...at a bargain price, too. No sitting behind the Spanish announce table or five rows back this year. Want to know my secret? I keep looking for a better ticket even after I already bought one. So this year, my "plan A" and "plan B" tickets look like this:

I wish I could get more excited about the card though. In my opinion, that Undertaker vs. Triple H match needs a stipulation--namely, Hell in a Cell (see my blog about dream matches). When it comes down to it, I'm just attending WrestleMania so I can write in my goals list that I saw The Rock lay the smackdown and deliver the People's Elbow.

In other news, I finished tabulating the music video rankings for 2H 2010. No surprises except for the "143" video ending up at #30! Messed up.

Coincidentally, the video rankings all averaged out without a single overlap this time. I actually think this might be the first time ever that I've never had to apply any of the tiebreakers.

Watched movie: "Unknown" (2011)
Tepid thriller wherein Liam Neeson gets amnesia and tries to figure out why people are trying to kill him. Otherwise known as "The Bourne Identity". :) P.S. Man, could those villains get any more inept? Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Drive Angry" (2011) in 3D
About as entertaining as a bug zapper. Loved the shotgun, at least. Rating: 5
Without Borders
02/22/11 8:23 PM PST

Sometimes it depresses that nothing ever lasts. Santa Maria used to have the best steak sandwich joint, Marquees (sp), and a Mexican restaurant where my Mom and I dined all the time, Quito's. Now Borders bookstore & café, my favorite spot for Seattle's Best Coffee, is closing down. I guess no one buys books anymore.

DVDs seem to be dwindling too. I see less and less of them at Best Buy. I think nowadays, people would rather just download their movies and video games rather than buy or rent the disc.

Even WWE interests me less and less, and not just because of my favorite wrestlers retiring. The "extreme" matches that I used to enjoy all became tamer after this PG rating (now the WWE lamely pauses matches when someone starts bleeding). Though admittedly, I do like how children and families have begun taking up the seats that annoying, insufferable wrestling fans used to occupy.

I also miss the WWE surprises that now get spoiled by the Internet and advertising. For instance, I loved it when a mystery surprise guest arrived in a tinted limo (like what The Rock did recently) and I spent the whole episode anticipating who it could be. But nowadays, I can just go on the Internet and read the entire WrestleMania card before the WWE even announces it.

Watched movie: "I Am Number Four" (2011)
I am...not impressed. "Twilight" and "Smallville" fans might like it though. I just couldn't get past that unforgivably cornball line about how the Lorians fall in love for life. When Timothy Olyphant said it, the audience in my theater started to crack up. Rating: 5
The AI that dominated Double Jeopardy! last night
02/16/11 10:59 AM PST

What is Watson? Hehehe.

Looks like it blew the Final Jeopardy! question though.

P.S. I think I spotted my CEO in the audience.

Update 2/17/2011: Close call on Jeopardy! game #2 last night. I've seen Jeopardy! episodes before, but never one so thrilling. It actually took awhile for Watson to catch up to Ken Jennings after he went for broke on the Daily Double. Everything came down to the Final Jeopardy! question (which Watson had blown the night before). Side note: Watson sure fared badly on the women's dresses category.

Update 2/17/2011: Two great articles:

Layeth the smacketh down
02/15/11 6:54 PM PST

Last night, I watched some monumental television.

First on Jeopardy!, the IBM supercomputer Watson competed against Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter. (I nervously rooted for Watson.) At first, Watson schooled those guys so badly that I felt sorry for them. But then to my dismay, Watson struggled on the higher questions and ended up tying with Brad. Man, I wish the programmers would fix that embarrassing bug where Watson repeats another contestant's wrong answer.

Later that night, I anxiously watched Monday Night Raw to find out who would guest host this year's WrestleMania. To my disappointment (and excitement), out came The Rock. Now I have to troll the Web for a pricey WrestleMania ticket, which stresses me because I'm always so paranoid that a scalper will swindle me.

By the way, did I ever mention that I identify with the demographic that doesn't care for John Cena? Although I don't really mind his wrestling or his "superman" gimmick, I can't stand his promos. In contrast, I hung onto every word of The Rock's promo.

Watched movie: "Biutiful" (2010)
Man, could this movie get any more depressing? Dunno why the director had to throw in that disturbing plot twist. I did see one bright spot: as impoverished as that Spain neighborhood looked, at least Javier Bardem didn't have to worry about health care. Rating: 5
Watched movie: "The Rite" (2011)
Yet another labored exorcism movie. In my judgment, not even Anthony Hopkins could save it. Side note: Haven't seen Rutger Hauer in awhile. Rating: 4
Creature of habit
02/09/11 8:06 PM PST

The "wildlife" at my apartment complex seem more comfortable around people now. In addition to those nimble black squirrels, the black cat that kept staring at me, and the squirrel that repeatedly left its half-eaten nuts on my stairway, I came alarmingly close to a raccoon by the dumpster. Thankfully this one didn't snarl at me, but I still prefer to steer clear of them.

I heard that the NFL offered a choice to the 400 fans who lost their seats at the Super Bowl: A) $2400 plus a free ticket to next year's Super Bowl (which they can resell), or B) a non-sellable ticket to any Super Bowl plus free airfare and hotel. Personally, I would choose A since I don't care about football. But let's assume that the WWE gave me that same choice for WrestleMania...in this hypothetical scenario, I would still choose A (unless B guaranteed me a top seat). For me, that stress of trusting the WWE to keep their word down-the-line wouldn't be worth it.

Hmm...I guess a free ticket to next year's WrestleMania would land me in an outdoor Florida stadium again. Blech.

By the way, who cares that Christina Aguilera biffed the Star-Spangled Banner? That anthem is freaking complicated. It takes all my concentration to remember the lyrics without tripping up.

Recently, I compiled another list of coming attractions that caught my interest for 2011:

"Battle: Los Angeles" (March 11, 2011)
Hopefully better than that other recent film about aliens attacking L.A., "Skyline".
"Sucker Punch" (March 25, 2011)
The latest from Zack Snyder, director of "300" and "Watchmen".
"Source Code" (April 1, 2011)
Action thriller where Jake Gyllenhaal tries to solve a bombing by repeatedly reliving the last eight minutes of one of the victim's life.
"Scream 4" (April 15, 2011)
Looking forward to more satires and insights on contemporary horror movie clichés.
"Caesar: Rise of the Apes" (June 24, 2011)
A prequel for "Planet of the Apes"?
"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2" (July 15, 2011)
The last two films snubbed my favorite book moments. At least for this final installment, I can't remember any additional ones.
"Cowboys & Aliens" (July 29, 2011)
Some kind of Sci-Fi/Western by the "Iron Man" director starring Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford.
"Final Destination 5" (August 26, 2011)
I'm a big fan of this horror series.
"Paranormal Activity 3" (October 21, 2011)
I'm a big fan of this horror series too.
"The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" (December 21, 2011)
David Fincher's remake of "Män Som Hatar Kvinnor". The cast looks pretty good.
"The Dark Knight Rises" (July 20, 2012)
Quite a streak for Christopher Nolan. I've never seen a film of his that I didn't like.
"The Hobbit: Part 1" (December 19, 2012)
One of the few times that I wouldn't mind sharing a theater with Fanboys, just so I can hear the audience mark out for Gollum. I still don't remember Gollum appearing in the book (I read it before "Lord of the Rings"). I distinctly remember a character named Bard though.
Minute to Win It: Level 10
02/03/11 2:59 PM PST

Last night's "Minute to Win It" episode unfolded pretty much how I remembered it. Of course, a lot of stuff didn't appear on camera or got edited out. For instance, I came in during this really long intermission between the level 10 blueprint and the start of Supercoin. Each of us had to shout out our cities (turned out that the contestants and I all live in San Jose) and take off our caps. Then that Pa-Panamericano song blared over the speakers and people in the studio started dancing.

I'm impressed with those kids, particularly that "clutch" player Drew. They all seemed fearless.

Update 2/9/2011: Gotta love the music they play during the level 10 blueprint and challenge. Epic.

Sole survivor
01/31/11 5:28 PM PST

I had mixed feelings watching that new 40-Man Royal Rumble Match from home this year. For starters, the match lasted so long that the crowd seemed dead by the end of it (when John Cena faced Randy Orton, I could almost hear crickets chirp). The winner disappointed me too. So far I'm glad that I didn't buy a ticket to WrestleMania.

On the plus side, I felt that this Rumble Match charted some new territory. Specifically:

Having reviewed the results of the Screen Actors Guild and Producers Guild Awards, I can now announce my Oscar predictions for 2010:

P.S. Tune into "Minute to Win It" this Wednesday (the second hour) to see me in the studio audience.

Watched movie: "The Green Hornet" (2011) in 3D
More like a Seth Rogen film than a Michel Gondry one, but funny nonetheless (given that I didn't take it seriously). Cool split-screen by Michel Gondry. Rating: 6
Nolan got robbed
01/25/11 10:34 AM PST

Woke up around 5:30am today just to watch the Oscar nominations for 2010. Looks like this time, I managed to screen all ten 2010 Best Picture nominees before the Academy announced them. I'd rank them as follows:

  1. "Inception" (My rating: 10)
  2. "Toy Story 3" (My rating: 9)
  3. "Winter's Bone" (My rating: 7)
  4. "The King's Speech" (My rating: 7)
  5. "127 Hours" (My rating: 7)
  6. "The Social Network" (My rating: 7)
  7. "Black Swan" (My rating: 6)
  8. "True Grit" (My rating: 6)
  9. "The Fighter" (My rating: 6)
  10. "The Kids Are All Right" (My rating: 4)

Additionally, I've seen all of the nominated performances except for Javier Bardem in "Biutiful". Guess I'll wait until the SAG awards to blog my predictions. I pretty much decided them all except for best supporting actress.

You must (not) check engine.
01/24/11 5:00 PM PST

No false alarm from my "check engine" light this time. According to the mechanic, my catalytic converter burned out. I had to leave the car overnight to replace it. I guess a check engine light doesn't always signify a loose gas cap. :)

Heh...felt weird to drive past amber alerts for a silver Toyota Corolla. Gave me an "all eyes on me" feeling.

Read a couple of excellent articles on cnn.com:

Bar none the worst hotel I ever stayed in: St. Lawrence Residences and Suites in downtown Toronto. Looks all spacious on the Web site, but I've seen dorm rooms bigger than the room where I slept. All the guests had to share the same showers and bathrooms, and I could hear hookers and drug dealers outside at all hours of the night. Runner-up: a motel (Super 8 I think?) that had no non-smoking rooms left. After that, I never stayed in a smoking room again.

Watched movie: "Somewhere" (2010)
Ironic...a film called "Somewhere" that goes nowhere. Admittedly, I identified with the main character (depressing as that may sound). Except I drive a Corolla instead of a Ferrari, have no daughter, and care not for that shallow Hollywood lifestyle. Rating: 5
Watched movie: "Evangerion shin gekijôban: Jo" (2007) a.k.a. "Evangelion: 1.0 You are (not) alone." (2009)
Theatrical makeover of the first six episodes of "Neon Genesis Evangelion", my all-time favorite anime series. Reminded me of that unnecessary special re-release of "Star Wars". I'll take strong character development over fancy special effects anyday. P.S. I forgot how much that Shinji hated himself. Can't his workplace afford a child psychiatrist? :) Rating: 7
Watched movie: "Evangerion shin gekijôban: Ha" (2009) a.k.a. "Evangelion: 2.0 You can (not) advance." (2011)
Theatrical remake of the rest of "Neon Genesis Evangelion"...full of familiar storylines (the episodes involving Sahaquiel, Bardiel, and Zeruel) and pleasant surprises, e.g., uncharted character development of the three Evangelion pilots. Specifically, it blew my mind to see all three pilots actually coming out of their shell! Maybe Hideaki Anno finally decided to cut them a break. Stay after the credits for a major plot point. P.S. Talk about information overload. I might need to see the dubbed version of this film. P.S.S. What's with the new pilot? I still don't get why she's there. Rating: 8

I think the restrooms at VIZ Cinema (where I screened both Evangelion movies) use Japanese toilets. I saw a button to squirt water on your rear-end. I'll have to try that out someday. :)

Million to one
01/15/11 6:31 PM PST

Pretty crazy. Today's morning taping of the "Minute to Win It" game show bled into mine because the contestants made it all the way to level 10 (history in the making). So once I walked in and sat down, I got to witness the final million dollar challenge!

In summary, the contestants had one minute to bounce a quarter into a 5-gallon water jug 15' away. Freaking impossible, if you ask me.

If you happen to catch the episode, look for me in a neon orange shirt in the leftmost section, third row from the top (unfortunately they didn't allow any caps). Although I likely only sat there an hour at the most, I'll probably appear in the audience for an entire episode (judging by the promo that they cut at the tail-end).

Once that episode airs, I'll post screencaps. Meanwhile, I can cross "game show taping" off my goals list.

Side note: I'm convinced that the show holds casting calls for that center section. Outside, I saw two lines of well-dressed people waiting to get in--one for men and one for women. (During the Jay Leno taping, I had a similar suspicion.)

Be the change that you want in the world
01/13/11 6:30 PM PST

Hehehe...today CBS announced that two of my all-time favorite Survivor players, Russell Hantz and Boston Rob, will return for "Survivor: Redemption Island". For me, Russell changed the face of the game in that now his name pops in my head whenever castaways unapologetically sabotage their own tribemates. He also forever changed how the Survivor production team hides hidden immunity idols.

If I had to name the most notable game changers in Survivor, I would pick the following:

Alliances
Ever since the an alliance formed in the first season, "Survivor: Borneo" (season #1), I've seen them in every show thereafter.
Purple rock
The infamous tiebreaker wherein a purple rock randomly eliminated one of the players occurred only once in Survivor history, in "Survivor: Marquesas" (season #4). Since then, I have never seen a tribe resort to that tiebreaker ever again.
The lie about the grandmother
Thanks to Jonny Fairplay's disgraceful lie that his grandmother died during "Survivor: Pearl Islands" (season #7), the players seem more wary of each other now (for example, I remember one tribe second-guessing whether someone's sister really had a miscarriage).
Plan Voodoo
The "Plan Voodoo" tactic, first conceived by Cao Boi in "Survivor: Cook Islands" (season #13), theoretically flushes out a hidden immunity idol by splitting the votes against two candidates. Interestlingly, I have never seen this plan succeed despite all of the times that alliances have tried it.
Fake immunity idols
To my recollection, Yau-Man crafted the first fake hidden immunity idol in "Survivor: Fiji" (season #14) (come to think of it, it might still be buried out there). It heralded that Survivor tradition where Jeff Probst tosses people's fake idols into the fire. Thus far, I only remember one occasion where a fake idol actually made a difference: when Rupert cleverly hid a rock in his pants during "Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains" (season #20).

This weekend, I fly to Hollywood to fulfill another goal.

By the numbers
01/11/11 11:11 AM PST

That movie "Another Year" inspired me...to come up with a list of the most boring movies ever made:

  1. "2001: A Space Odyssey" (1968)
  2. "Darkness" (2004)
  3. "Thorn in the Heart" (2010)
  4. "In a Dark Place" (2006)
  5. "A Single Man" (2009)
  6. "Another Year" (2010)

Last night, WWE announced the first inductee for the 2011 WWE Hall of Fame, Shawn Michaels. Well-deserved. I actually figured it out earlier in the night, when Jerry Lawler hinted that the mystery inductee was possibly the greatest of all time.

Looks like IBM followed up their Deep Blue chess computer with a new Jeopardy! one named Watson. On February 14, 15 and 16, it will compete against legendary Jeopardy! contestants Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter. Doesn't seem fair though--I imagine that Watson will always be able to buzz in first.

In other news, I read that four of the six winning numbers for that recent Mega Millions lottery matched Hurley's cursed numbers in "Lost". Hehe, the lottery: "a tax on people who suck at math". One of my college professors once explained why he never played the lottery. If I remember correctly, a friend had asked him what numbers to play, so he recommended 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6. "That'll never win!" the friend responded.

I don't buy lottery tickets either. Contrary to the popular belief, I think it would suck to have millions of dollars handed to you instead of earning it on your own. How would you garner any respect that way? How would you cope with all the greed and jealousy that came with it? If you think that the relationships with your friends and family wouldn't change as a result...think again.

Also read an interesting article about how that movie "The Notebook" could hurt relationships. Apparently, some guy's fiance broke up with him because he wouldn't build her a house. I really doubt that that was the real reason. I think that one of my colleagues stated it best: that most arguments aren't really about the thing that you're actually arguing about.

Watched movie: "Samâ wôzu" (2009) a.k.a. "Summer Wars" (2010)
Impressive Japanese animation about a viral attack on an online virtual world (akin to Second Life) that runs all of Japan's infrastructure. Yikes...I sure hope that that kind of security nightmare only happens in the movies. Overall, the film reminded me of "The Matrix" in that I wanted to see more of the cool virtual world and less of the boring real world. Rating: 7
Another year
01/04/11 7:14 PM PST

"Cynicism is sanity." Jack Nicholson said this in "How Do You Know", and I concur. The way I see it, the people you meet in life will let you down at one time or another...whether it be bruising your ego, second-guessing you, talking down to you, talking behind your back, distancing themselves from you, or hurting your feelings. To me, "cynicism is sanity" means not to take any of that personally--because that's just how people are. :)

"Never drink to feel better; only drink to feel even better." I don't drink, but I like caffeine--and my rule for avoiding drug addiction is this: do not take two doses to get the same reaction as one dose.

Holiday movie marathon 2010
01/04/11 5:14 PM PST

As part of my "holiday movie marathon" tradition, I've been driving down to Los Angeles every December to screen limited releases. Two years ago, I watched "The Wrestler". Last year, I watched "The White Ribbon" and "The Lovely Bones". This year, I watched "Another Year", "Blue Valentine", "The Way Back", and "The Illusionist".

I like that ArcLight Hollywood theater. They treat movie screenings like operas in that patrons can't enter the theater late (allegedly).

Watched movie: "rabbit hole" (2010)
Sobering and hair-raising, but also amusing now and then. Some of the "truths" in the film that I related to:
  • Nicole Kidman using her loss as an excuse to behave poorly.
  • Aaron Eckhart seeming mild-mannered until one straw too many made him meltdown (the two highlights of the movie, IMHO).
  • Dianne Wiest constantly comparing Nicole Kidman's loss to her own.
  • Nicole Kidman's friend avoiding her thinking that's for the best.

One part of the film that I didn't relate to at all: Nicole Kidman befriending the driver who killed her son, and finding comfort in his comic book about parallel universes. Say what? Rating: 7

Watched movie: "True Grit" (2010)
Decent Western by the Coen brothers. I might've rated it higher had the movie shown subtitles whenever Jeff Bridges talked. :) Rating: 6
Watched movie: "TRON: Legacy" (2010) in Disney Digital 3-D
Visually captivating (with the exception of Jeff Bridges' horrendous CGI botox) and to Daft Punk's credit, scored in such a way that made me nostalgic about the 80's. I still don't think much of the psuedo-science though (particularly when Quorra magically appeared in the real world), but oh well. Side note: Does the world of TRON run on UNIX?? Rating: 6
Watched movie: "The Fighter" (2010)
A lot like watching Jerry Springer...entertaining but not really something I would call "inspirational". P.S. Good performance by Christian Bale. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "How Do You Know" (2010)
Awkward and boring except for some occasional pearls of wisdom, such as "cynicism is sanity" and "never drink to feel better; only drink to feel even better". Rating: 4
Watched movie: "Another Year" (2010)
Another year, another annoying snoozefest by Mike Leigh. Does the guy just not believe in plots? :( By comparison, my own life seemed way more interesting! Rating: 3
Watched movie: "Blue Valentine" (2010)
Hard-to-watch love-hate story that successfully embodied my cynicism about marriage. I think someone once told me a rule of thumb that for every mean remark, it takes five good deeds to make up for it. Good advice IMHO. Lingering question: Why did the filmmakers find it so necessary to defend those borderline NC-17 sex scenes? Rating: 5
Watched movie: "The Way Back" (2010)
After much anticipation, I found Peter Weir's latest film to be...anticlimactic. Too much walking for me I guess. Nice scenery though. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "L'illusionniste" a.k.a. "The Illusionist" (2010)
Highly enjoyable albeit depressing animated film about a magician's waning profession. To my amusement, none of the characters spoke enough dialogue to mandate any subtitles (they mostly just communicated through mumbles and body language). Grumble...I grew so attached to the main characters that when the movie ended the way it did, I felt shortchanged. Stay after the credits. Rating: 7
Watched movie: "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader" (2010) in Digital 3-D
Something of a second-rate adventure in that the two younger siblings got stuck fighting "mist" instead of any opposing armies. Always cool to see The White Witch and Aslan again, at least. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Gulliver's Travels" (2010) in Digital 3-D
Mighty stupid. In my judgment, Jack Black has now ruined "Gulliver's Travels" the same way that Will Ferrell ruined "Land of the Lost". Rating: 3
Watched movie: "Yogi Bear" (2010) in 3D
Corny but marginally funnier than the average movie, thanks primarily to Dan Aykroyd (Yogi), Justin Timberlake (Boo Boo), and the folks who animated the talking bears. Props to some of the 3-D scenes too. Rating: 5
2010 Year in Review
12/22/10 12:00 AM PST
Best of 2010 Worst of 2010
Events that happened to Steve
  1. (tie) Attending "LOST LIVE: The Final Celebration" at the UCLA Royce Hall, and unexpectedly landing the perfect seat for the Buried Alive Match.
  2. Unexpectedly headlining my very own magazine ad.
  3. Finally hearing what I wanted to hear during the "Video Games Live: Bonus Round" concert at the Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE.
  4. Marvelling at the "Inception" movie.
  5. (tie) Landing front row at the Olympic ladies' figure skating competition; and attending Royal Rumble 2010, WrestleMania XXVI, and TLC 2010.
Honorable mention: Finally identifying that Spanish song on the radio.
  1. Turning red from embarrassment at a gathering where everyone drank alcohol but me.
  2. Enduring a foul stench after I botched an attempt to clean the spilled milk in my car; then throwing out a card table because the milk smell would not come out of it.
  3. (tie) Struggling to get a leaky tire fixed with mechanics trying my patience, and struggling to change a flat tire in 90+ degree heat.
  4. (tie) Suffering through Canadian propaganda, and watching Ohno get outraced.
  5. Driving to and from Arizona.
Honorable mention: Watching curling live.
Movies
  1. "Inception"
    "I bow to Christopher Nolan's mad genius."
    "...the magnum opus of Christopher Nolan."
  2. "Toy Story 3"
    "Quite possibly the funniest, most touching 'Toy Story' of them all."
  3. "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World"
    "An unrelenting onslaught of Fanboy escapism..."
  4. "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo"
    "A suspenseful Swedish film with an absorbing 40-year-old mystery..."
  5. "Winter's Bone"
    "Engaging portrayal of backwoods Missouri..."
  6. "How to Train Your Dragon"
    "Heartwarming 3-D spectacle..."
  7. "The King's Speech"
    "Excellent premise."
  8. "Shrek Forever After"
    "Funniest 'Shrek' of them all, IMHO."
  9. "Paranormal Activity 2"
    "...alarming, edge-of-your-seat..."
  10. "The Next Three Days"
    "An engrossing 'Fugitive' type thriller ..."
  1. "Dinner for Schmucks"
    "...it just never felt right to laugh."
  2. "Gulliver's Travels"
    "Mighty stupid."
  3. "Legion"
    "Spare me from these sappy..."
  4. "Thorn in the Heart"
    "What happened, did Michel Gondry's creativity run out?"
  5. "Another Year"
    "Another year, another annoying snoozefest by Mike Leigh."
  6. "Legend Of The Guardians: The Owls Of Ga'Hoole"
    "I think the baby owl said it best when she kept dry heaving."
  7. "The Book of Eli"
    "Painfully lame post-apocalyptic flick..."
  8. "After.Life"
    "I seen.better."
  9. "Survival of the Dead"
    "Groannn."
  10. "The Kids Are All Right"
    "I frowned at this movie from start to finish, and did not find it 'all right'."
Songs
  1. "Stereo Love (Spanish Version)" Edward Maya & Vika Jigulina
  2. "Naturally" Selena Gomez & The Scene
  3. "Gettin' Over You" David Guetta & Chris Willis featuring Fergie & LMFAO
  4. "Secrets" OneRepublic
  5. "Imma Be" The Black Eyed Peas
Honorable mentions: "Airplanes (Part II)" B.o.B featuring Eminem & Hayley Williams and "Black Sheep" Metric
  1. "Ridin' Solo" Jason Derulo
  2. "Pretty Boy Swag" Soulja Boy Tell'em
  3. "Cooler Than Me" Mike Posner
  4. "Opposite Of Adults" Chiddy Bang
  5. "Whip My Hair" Willow
Music video "This Too Shall Pass" OK GO
TV series (tie) "Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains" and "Dexter" "WWE NXT"
Commercial MTV Movie Awards commercial where Les Grossman tells off Taylor Lautner. GEICO commercial where the spokesman asks whether the Little Piggy cried "wee wee wee" all the way home.
Movie trailer (tie) "Inception" and "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" "Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore"
Beverage A&W orange freeze Wolfgang Puck vending machine hot chocolate
Tables, ladders and chairs...and chairs??
12/19/10 11:00 PM PST

Flying to a WWE event the week before Christmas...remind me to think twice about it next time. Crowds and stress galore. I do not envy the people who have to go through it every holiday season.

Interesting WWE TLC pay-per-view. Saw a lot of things that to my knowledge, never happened before in the WWE:

Requiem for a pro-wrestling dream
12/15/10 4:27 PM PST

Booked my flight to the WWE TLC pay-per-view this weekend. Sheesh, talk about TLC overload: two Tables Matches, two Ladder Matches, two Chairs Matches, and one Tables, Ladders & Chairs Match! (Hehe, sweet...if what I read on the Internet is true, then I'll finally get one of those dream matches I wanted...sort of.)

Now that I've resolved not to attend the next Royal Rumble (particularly because I can't think of any wrestler left in the WWE to root for), here's a look down memory lane.

Royal Rumble 2004

Royal Rumble 2005

Royal Rumble 2006

Royal Rumble 2007

Royal Rumble 2008

Royal Rumble 2009

Royal Rumble 2010

Who knows. Come January I might make it eight Royal Rumbles. Pro-wrestling has a saying: "Never say never." It means that no matter how burnt the bridges seem between a wrestler and the business, i.e., Bret "The Hitman" Hart, the wrestler just can't seem to stay away. I think the saying applies to pro-wrestling fans, too. Because no matter how boring the program gets, I can't seem to stop myself from tuning in every week, reading the dirt sheets (a.k.a. wrestling tabloids), and speculating on the next WrestleMania card.

Watched movie: "Black Swan" (2010)
Carnal, tightly-wound, and cringeworthy--like an amalgamation of "Carrie", "Jacob's Ladder", and David Cronenberg. I sense an Oscar for Natalie Portman. Interestingly, I identified with her character's inability to let go of her inhibitions (I've had that problem all my life, most notably in the tap dancing workshop). Side note: For some reason beyond me, Aronofsky keeps casting this same guy Stanley Herman to play a pervert (this time he appeared on the subway). Rating: 6
Watched movie: "The King's Speech" (2010)
A stammering king who has to rally Britain against Hitler? Excellent premise. If you ask me, much more interesting than the usual (and overdone) dramatizations that I often see about English monarchs. Props to Colin Firth's portrayal of King George VI. I think I can safely predict him to win the Oscar for 2010. Rating: 7
"Winners"
12/06/10 5:35 PM PST

I received a couple of inquires about the Apolo Ohno book signing--in particular, why I ended up saying only one word to one of my biggest idols of all time. Well...in a nutshell...I had everything to lose and nothing to gain. The line had to move fast, and I figured that I'd only have time for one question. As I stood there role-playing each question in my head, I began second-guessing each one. I concluded that nothing meaningful could come out of any of them. In fact, something might go awry like that time I met Robert Picardo from "Voyager" and decided that he was a jerk. (Side note: I photographed Ohno with my disposable camera, but am waiting to use up the roll.)

Interestingly, I did take away one life lesson from that day. While standing in line reading his book, I came across a surprising incident from 2009 where he had grown so frustrated with his speedskating that he punched a hole through his locker room wall (similar to the time I broke my tennis racket on the ground). So I guess he and I have more in common that I thought....the big difference being, of course, that he apologized to all of the teammates who saw him and then went on to become the most decorated U.S. Winter Olympian of all time.

Entertaining spoof of "Twin Peaks" on "Psych" last week. Julee Cruise sang the opening, and a lot of the old actors and actresses guest starred (including Sheryl Lee, who ironically had to examine a body wrapped in plastic). One of these days, I'll have to tour that place where "Twin Peaks" was filmed and try the pie.

I wrote another "Lost" synopsis for my co-workers' viewing party. SPOILER ALERT if you haven't watched the fourth season of "Lost" yet.

This Friday, "Lost" concludes its fourth season with a huge 2-part finale!

Mysteries continue to shroud the six Oceanic 815 survivors who managed to escape the island. Hurley, now residing in a mental institution, converses with the ghosts of dead islanders. Sun now lives in Korea where she occasionally visits the grave of her husband, Jin, as she raises their daughter Ji Yeon by herself. Sayid now assassinates the enemies of Ben Linus in order to avenge the murder of Sayid's beloved wife Nadia. Kate now raises Aaron as her own son, still unsure of what happened to his biological mother Claire. And Jack--having developed a drug problem and grown a beard--now hops on commercial flights in a desperate effort to crash back onto the island.

How did these "Oceanic Six" manage to escape the island in the first place? What secret are they all lying to cover up? What happened to the rest of the survivors? What happened to the assault team that Charles Whitmore sent to the island? And whose obituary did Jack read last season, upsetting him enough to almost jump off a bridge? Tune in this Friday for the climactic 2-part season finale!

Watched movie: "Love & Other Drugs" (2010)
About as romantic as an episode of "House". Basically, Jake Gyllenhaal and Anne Hathaway intellectualized their relationship so much that I felt disenchanted with it by the end of the movie. Oh, and get this:
  • Anne Hathaway's character suffered from Parkinson's disease.
  • Jake Gyllenhaal's character eventually wanted more than just a physical relationship.
  • Both characters came across to me as emotionally unavailable.
  • The characters seemed playfully cynical toward the health care industry.
Sound familiar to any "House" fans out there? P.S. Funny how IMHO, music can make or break a love story. Rating: 5
Watched movie: "Faster" (2010)
Another lackluster movie starring the Rock. Dude needs to return to pro-wrestling. :) Rating: 4
"Quitters"
12/02/10 6:45 PM PST

What a pretentious episode of "Survivor: Nicaragua" last night. Two things jumped out at me:

Speaking of quitters, I've come up with a "conspiracy theory" about the "Harry Potter" films: I think that they're designed to make Ron look better. For instance, look back at all of the brand-new scenes from "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1":

Watched movie: "Tangled" (2010) in Disney Digital 3-D
Gorgeously animated Disney musical that could've won me over had it not gone so overboard with the tomfoolery. My advice: redo everything except for the horse, the brooding king (man he looked bummed), and the awe-inspiring spectacle of floating 3-D lanterns. Oh, and save the girl's hair. :) P.S. I also hate it when Disney couples wait until the most anticlimactic part of the movie to kiss each other. Rating: 6
Intimidated
11/29/10 8:11 PM PST

So after brainstorming all of the different things that I could ask Apolo Anton Ohno at his book signing (like his attendance of WrestleMania, his trip to Korea where they practiced illegal team-skating on him, the time he punched a hole in the wall, or whether he'll race in the next Winter Olympics), I ended up having the following conversation with him:

Ohno: "How are you doing?"
Me: "Good."
Watched movie: "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1" (2010)
(Minor spoiler alert) Scenic and funny but in my view, lacking in the themes that made the book stand out. Namely:
  • The difficult struggle to "keep hope alive". I don't know about all of you, but to me it looked like Harry and Hermione were doing just fine. :)
  • The erosion of Harry's confidence in Dumbledore. When Ron asked Harry why Dumbledore never shared how to destroy a Horcrux, Harry seemed apathetic when he should've been like "Yeah! What gives!"
  • The inner conflict over whether Harry should continue Dumbledore's search for Horcruxes, or let second-guessing get the better of him and go after the Deathly Hallows instead. The movie changed up the scenes so that Harry nary had any opportunity to think about it (which on the bright side, made for a good cliffhanger).
The movie also trivialized some HUGE events, like the death of Harry's beloved pet Hedwig and Hermione accidentally breaking Harry's all-important wand! Other thoughts:
  • Bravo to the hilarious grown-up actors whom Harry, Ron, and Hermione masqueraded as.
  • We got to see one missing Weasley. Will we ever get to see the other?
  • The film never revealed how the Death Eaters found Harry, Ron, and Hermione in the diner. Odd. The film didn't explain the mirror either.
  • The film ended precisely where I had predicted (sort of).
In conclusion, I like this director but felt that he "went through the motions" this time around. Rating: 7
Watched movie: "Skyline" (2010)
A lot like "War of the Worlds" but with a dumber ending. Rating: 6

Steve's role models
11/20/10 9:38 PM PST

What luck. While watching a ST:NG rerun (the messed up one where Geordie bumped an intangible Romulan into outer space), I happened to channel surf to a PBS interview with my idol Apolo Anton Ohno. He announced a West Coast signing tour for his new book, Zero Regrets: Be Greater Than Yesterday, starting the day after Thanksgiving. I'm there, dude.

I'm also entertaining the idea of flying to London in 2012 to watch another of my idols, Michael Phelps, swim for an Olympic gold medal. It would mark the first time that I've even flown overseas.

Hehe, maybe I should just try to meet all of my idols:

I imagine some folks are cringing right about now. :)

Watched movie: "Unstoppable" (2010)
Like "Speed", but on rails...and this time...it's personal. Admittedly, this director Tony Scott seems to have a talent for overdramatic thrillers. I liked "Top Gun", "Crimson Tide", "Enemy of the State", and "Deja Vu". Rating: 6
Watched movie: "The Next Three Days" (2010)
An engrossing "Fugitive" type thriller (complete with seemingly psychic police) wherein one of my favorite actors to root for, Russell Crowe, ponders how far he's willing to go to break his wife out of prison. It actually reminded me of a fun computer game that I used to play, "Beyond Castle Wolfenstein"--whenever my cover got blown in that game, I had to tear into each room with guns blazing (a strategy that never ended well for me). Side note: Maybe I'll try to catch the original French film, "Pour Elle". Rating: 7
When people stop being polite
11/14/10 12:59 AM PST

Remind me never to attend any more social gatherings that serve alcohol. In addition to my tongue's distaste for it, I hate how it empowers people to just say things that normally their inhibitions would hold back.

Watched movie: "Megamind" (2010) in 3D
A cornier DreamWorks version of "Despicable Me", with lots more overacting. Is it just me, or does the "villains gone good" formula feel clichéd now? I did like Will Ferrell's mispronunciations and the Marlon Brando impersonation. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Due Date" (2010)
What better foil for Zach Galifianakis than Robert Downey Jr.? Could've done without the mean streak though. It spoiled a lot of potentially funny scenes for me. Rating: 5
Watched movie: "127 Hours" (2010)
Slow-burning movie by Danny Boyle (full of daydreams, hallucinations, and split-screens) that in its climax, gave my emotions a visceral jolt. Although I liked the film for the most part, I actually found Aron Ralston's firsthand accounts of the self-amputation much more interesting (for instance, he recounted a numbness in his arm until his knife reached the nerve). To my dismay, the couple in front of me brought their kids to the screening...fortunately, the kids hardly made any noise (maybe the "Saw" movies desensitized them). Rating: 7
Fantasy booking
11/04/10 6:25 PM PDT

After I fly to WWE TLC this December, I probably won't patronize as many live events as I used to. For instance, tickets to the Royal Rumble 2011 and WrestleMania XXVII go on sale soon, and I'm not planning to attend either event even though I've attended every Royal Rumble for the past seven years and every WrestleMania for the past five years.

Admittedly, I can think of some "dream matches" that would change my mind:

Hell in a Cell Match: The Undertaker vs. Triple H
If you look at the history of the Hell in a Cell Match, 18 of the 21 were contested by either the Undertaker or Triple H...yet somehow they've never faced each other one-on-one.
TLC Match: Edge vs. Christian
A Tables, Ladders and Chairs Match between the two most successful veterans of that match. Actually, Edge vs. Rey Mysterio in a TLC Match would excite me too.
Casket Match: The Undertaker vs. Kane
Now that these two have contested my other dream match, the Buried Alive Match, that just leaves the Casket Match (and a Last Ride Match but I don't care about that one).
Hulk Hogan vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin
Will probably never happen due to Hulk Hogan's back problems--and the match itself would probably suck--but no way I'd ever miss a showdown between arguably the two biggest icons in WWE history.
D-Generation X vs. nWo
This one would never happen either. I would also settle for DX vs. the Brothers of Destruction (Undertaker and Kane).
Streak vs. Superman WrestleMania Match: The Undertaker vs. John Cena
Although I probably wouldn't buy a WrestleMania ticket just to see this, I'd definitely order the pay-per-view.

And of course, the rarely seen Blindfold Match. I wouldn't mind attending another Three Stages of Hell Match too...the last one disappointed me. Also, I've never seen The Rock perform his "People's Elbow".

Watched TV episode: "The Walking Dead" pilot
Akin to a vanilla zombie flick, if you ask me. Pleasantly surprised by the uncensored gore and expletives though. Rating: ++
The torture's over
11/02/10 5:27 PM PDT

Congratulations to the San Francisco Giants...their first World Series title since moving from New York. I guess they're the closest I have to a hometown baseball team. So, uh...what's up with the beard on that closer? :)

Watched movie: "Saw 3D" (2010)
A surprisingly anticlimactic 3-D gorefest that bothered me more than the previous "Saw" films--possibly because this time around, I found many of the "punishments" way more cruel than the "crimes". At least this installment finally answered what happened to Cary Elwes from the first movie. Initially, the number of Jigsaw survivors confused me--but then I verified on Wikipedia that I had overlooked some of the ones who had survived at the expense of someone else. Side note: Keep an eye out for a trap featuring the lead singer of Linkin Park. Rating: 5
Watched movie: "Luftslottet Som Sprängdes" (2009) a.k.a. "The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest" (2010)
Long, drawn-out conclusion to the Millennium Trilogy wherein Blomkvist and his sister work to unravel the conspiracy against that amusingly stoic (and understandably cynical) girl with the dragon tattoo. I think she had maybe two facial expressions in the entire film. :) Hopefully, the American remake will liven things up. Side note: Nice mohawk. Rating: 6

I guess now that "Saw 3D" concluded (?) the series, I'll go ahead and rank all seven of the "Saw" movies now:

  1. "Saw V" (2008) My rating: 7
  2. "Saw VI" (2009) My rating: 7
  3. "Saw II" (2005) My rating: 7
  4. "Saw" (2004) My rating: 7
  5. "Saw IV" (2007) My rating: 6
  6. "Saw 3D" (2010) My rating: 5
  7. "Saw III" (2006) My rating: 5
Buried alive (in Minnesota)
10/26/10 5:41 PM PDT

Downtown Minneapolis looked run-down. Did I ever mention my discomfort with these urban dichotomies wherein luxurious hotels pamper the tourists while poor people roam the streets? My hotel actually featured skyways to the upscale malls and restaurants, to protect me from the streets. Admittedly, I'll probably appreciate these sheltered layouts more once I grow old and scared of the world. :)

I'm still vexed with how much I had to pay for my tiny little 8 oz. filet mignon. Highway robbery. :(

Couldn't believe my good fortune at the WWE Bragging Rights event--I ended up in the best seat imaginable: right next to the entrance where the wrestlers walk out (I had seat 3 but thanks to a diagonal corner in the barricade, seats 1 and 2 did not exist), and right in front of the grave for the Buried Alive Match.

Unsurprisingly, Kane and Paul Bearer prevailed and buried the Undertaker alive (with lots of interference). Ever notice that the Undertaker's track record for this match--a so-called "specialty" of his--really sucks? He's now been buried alive four out of five times!

The Undertaker's insignia projected onto the tombstone after lightning struck the grave--well, on TV anyway; in person, I saw no lightning.

Someone asked me if kids watched this match. Yup. Under WWE's current PG rating, the wrestlers might not be able to swear or bleed like they used to, but gosh darn it they can still bury someone alive. :)

Now having crossed Buried Alive Match off my checklist, I only have one WWE goal remaining: a Blindfold Match.

Watched movie: "Hereafter" (2010)
Cathartic (albeit draining) Clint Eastwood film that to my amusement, featured a lot of things that I dread in real-life: death, tsunamis, flirtations that go bad, San Francisco, and cooking class. Although two of those parallel storylines failed to interest me as much as the Matt Damon one, I felt that the movie rewarded my patience. Side note: Was that sporting event on TV a wink to "Invictus"? Rating: 7
Possessed
10/22/10 4:35 PM PDT

Finally identified a Spanish song that had eluded me for so long: "Stereo Love (Spanish Version)" Edward Maya & Vika Jigulina. I exhausted all kinds of tactics looking for it:

My final tactic took a few hours but eventually succeeded: I set my boom box to 105.7 and simultaneously monitored the "now playing" widget on the station's official Web site.

In conclusion...I like the song. I listened to the English one too, but the Spanish one seems to rhyme better.

Watched movie: "You Again" (2010)
A comedy about bullying...to me, that's like trying to make animal cruelty or child abuse funny. I'll never understand the lack of stigma for bullies (or the lame rationalization that "it happened a long time ago"). Fortunately, I felt that this movie hit the nail on the head. The bullied girl felt entitled to an apology, and I 100% agreed. In fact, if a school nemesis ever married into my own family, I'd probably just cut ties right off the bat. Granted, I doubt I'd serve up revenge like the bullied girl did--but I still approved of her actions and considered them justified. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Paranormal Activity 2" (2010)
An alarming, edge-of-your-seat companion piece to the first film that in my judgment, lived up to the scariness of its predecessor. I haven't jumped like that since "The Forgotten". I'll also never get used to that unnerving sound of footsteps coming up the stairs. Rating: 7
One foot in the grave
10/17/10 8:45 PM PDT

It took nearly seven years, but it's finally on!

Come Sunday, I finally get to cross off one of the last remaining goals on my WWE checklist: the Buried Alive Match. To win this type of match, the wrestler must throw his opponent into a six-foot-deep grave and bury him with dirt. Heh. :)

Typically, the actual grave is located atop a man-made hill of dirt near the stage. So the closer I sit near the grave, the farther I end up from the ring. And judging by the tickets I reserved, I might not even make it on camera. But this match comes around so rarely that I'm willing to risk it.

One other rarity: I finally get to see the Undertaker's and Kane's old school manager, Paul Bearer. Get it? Paul Bearer?

Watched movie: "Buried" (2010)
The mother of all claustrophobic films wherein Ryan Reynolds spends the entire movie trapped inside a wooden coffin with a cell phone and a lighter. Between him and that lighter (and all those tantrums he threw), I couldn't reconcile how his oxygen lasted for so long. Also, due to the complete lack of twists, I considered it a stretch to call this film "Hitchockian". Stay after the credits for a superfluous scene. Rating: 5
Watched movie: "My Soul to Take" (2010) in 3D
Total mess of a film. Between the schizophrenic slasher and his schizophrenic (?) descendant, I began to wonder whether Wes Craven suffered from schizophrenia as well. Moreover, I couldn't help but wonder whether Wes Craven had ever read "Harry Potter". :) Side note: Where did the trailer scene with the hand go? I wanted to see that in 3-D. Rating: 4
Watched movie: "Secretariat" (2010)
Corny Disney dramatization of a legendary racehorse that made a lot of people rich. As you can probably glean from my cynicism, I never did understand the popularity of horseracing. Rating: 6
Favorite and least favorite movie theaters
10/10/10 1:20 AM PDT

I once blogged that "Inception" broke my personal record for number of times I saw the same movie at a theater (I ended up seeing this film a total of ten times). However, I never got around to mentioning which two theaters that I liked the most, i.e., the Fremont and Winchester 21. Granted, neither theater projected the movie in IMAX, Extreme Digital Cinema, or Sony Digital Cinema 4K...but then again, neither theater tried to blow out my eardrums either. And to tell you the truth, I didn't really notice a difference in the picture quality. Only animated films seem to stand out for me.

I compiled a list of some of my favorite theaters:

Camera 7 Pruneyard
The only theater that I buy discount cards for. It showcases really sharp Sony Digital Cinema 4K and limited D-BOX Motion Effects Seating. More importantly, the audiences seem more mature and quieter than the average crowd.
Fremont Theater
A historic theater in San Luis Obispo that features one of the biggest auditoriums I've ever seen. I love screening movies there because the patrons tend to spread out and stay relatively quiet.
Winchester 21
A gigantic San Jose theater near the Winchester Mystery House that only shows one movie at a time. In the multiplexes, sometimes droves of people sneak in and distract me.
Sundance Kabuki Cinemas
An upscale San Francisco theater with reserved seating that sells out fast. Once in awhile, I drive there to see early screenings of limited release films like "Pan's Labyrinth" and "Juno". I'd probably patronize that place more often if the parking didn't suck so badly.
AMC Eastridge 15 & AMC Mercado 20
I only watch IMAX movies at these theaters, and I tend to visit Eastridge when my car is in the shop.

Some of my least favorite theaters:

Winchester 23
I vowed never to return after the shadow puppet incident.
Camera 12 Downtown & Camera 3 Downtown
Terrible parking choices: either a parking structure where the spaces are too narrow or a metered space in the unsafe looking downtown area.
Century 20 Oakridge and XD
A hot spot for teenagers.
AMC Loews Metreon 16
No place to park!
Edwards Santa Maria 10
Really loud and the patrons like to talk during the movie. I started wearing earplugs when I watch films there.

Admittedly, I still treasure that Edwards gift card I bought from Regal Entertainment...the one with my favorite Harry Potter poster on it. "Once again I must ask too much of you, Harry."

Speaking of, the latest trailer for "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" rocks! I can't wait.

Watched movie: "The Social Network" (2010)
Despite my irritation with the movie's unrelenting dialogue (courtesy of Aaron Sorkin), I liked the issues brought up in the film, e.g., Internet ethics, cyberbullying, and the underbelly of Facebook. I tell you, this fictional (?) Mark Zuckerberg deserved a punch in the face (and if the real-life Mark Zuckerberg ever behaved like that, then him too). What a jerk. :) Rating: 7
Watched movie: "Never Let Me Go" (2010)
Heart wrenching "coming of age" movie wherein the three main characters get to die once they come of age (to my disbelief, they only exist so that their society can farm their organs). But unlike "Logan's Run" or "The Island", these characters seemed to care more about their love triangle than their right to live! Messed up. Rating: 7
Rented Amazon.com movie: "Monsters" (2010)
A scenic, mildly engaging monster movie that follows two Americans as they trek through a region of Mexico occupied by military forces and gigantic octopus-like aliens. (Don't they have airports in Mexico?) Lots of seamless special effects and realistic touches. P.S. How could the woman trust her passport with that idiot? P.S.S. After the ending, rewind back to the beginning and pause the frames (if you dare). Rating: 5
2001 Year in Review
10/10/10 12:00 AM PDT
Best of 2001 Worst of 2001
Movies
  1. "Memento"
  2. "Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust"
  3. "Monsters, Inc."
    "Strong sentimental themes, great premise, and hilarious comical elements."
    "As inventive and hearttugging as I remembered...Thought-provoking too..."
  4. "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring"
  5. "Donnie Darko"
  6. "A Beautiful Mind"
  7. "Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amélie Poulain" a.k.a. "Amélie"
  8. "Monster's Ball"
  9. "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone"
    "...very creative. Seamless special effects and impressive visuals."
  10. "The One"
    "Interesting premise, excellent matrix-style kung fu."
  1. "Rat Race"
  2. "Tomie: Re-birth"
    "I found it distasteful and depraved."
  3. "15 Minutes"
  4. "Session 9"
  5. "Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles"
  6. "Jeepers Creepers"
  7. "Der Krieger und die Kaiserin" a.k.a. "The Princess and the Warrior"
  8. "Series 7: The Contenders"
  9. "Jurassic Park III"
  10. "Hannibal"
Songs
  1. "Edge of the Ocean" Ivy
  2. "Irresistible" Jessica Simpson
  3. "Free" Mya
  4. "I'm a Slave 4 U" Britney Spears
  5. "Chop Suey!" System of a Down
  1. "Survivor" Destiny's Child
  2. "Rock the Boat" Aaliyah
  3. "My Way" Limp Bizkit
  4. "Gone" 'N Sync
  5. "Wish You Were Here" Incubus
Music video "Weapon of Choice" Fatboy Slim
TV series "Angel" "Enterprise"
2000 Year in Review
10/10/10 12:00 AM PDT
Best of 2000 Worst of 2000
Movies
  1. "Frequency"
  2. "What Lies Beneath"
  3. "Requiem for a Dream"
  4. "X-Men"
  5. "Traffic"
  6. "Final Destination"
  7. "Cast Away"
  8. "Unbreakable"
  9. "Pitch Black"
  10. "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon"
  1. "Scary Movie"
  2. "Romeo Must Die"
  3. "The Perfect Storm"
  4. "Gone in 60 Seconds"
  5. "How the Grinch Stole Christmas"
  6. "Red Planet"
  7. "Timecode"
  8. "Gladiator"
  9. "The Patriot"
  10. "Mission: Impossible II"
Songs
  1. "Silence" Delerium featuring Sarah MacLachlan (remix by DJ Tiësto)
  2. "Only Time" Enya
  3. "Oops...I Did it Again" Britney Spears
  4. "Graduation (Friends Forever)" Vitamin C
  5. "Tonight and the Rest of My Life" Nina Gordon
  1. "bent" matchbox twenty
  2. "Deep Inside of You" Third Eye Blind
  3. "Say My Name" Destiny's Child
  4. "Kryptonite" 3 Doors Down
  5. "Absolutely (Story of a Girl)" 9 Days
Music video "Mope" Bloodhound Gang "Rock DJ" Robbie Williams
TV series "Survivor"
Decidedly digging Dexter
10/04/10 7:21 PM PDT

Recently, I got hooked on a black-humored, haunting Showtime series called "Dexter". I first read about it in Entertainment Weekly; then after watching a couple of free episodes on my cable box, I began renting a few episodes online. Now I've purchased Showtime just to see what will happen next.

The show follows a forensic genius in Miami Homicide who hides a pretty macabre hobby from his friends and family: he secretly tracks down killers and slays them. As part of his code, he forbids himself from killing an innocent person (though I have seen him frame innocent people on occasion). He also tries to be a good brother to his adoptive sister (even helping her achieve her dream of becoming a homicide detective, and in one episode saving her life) and a good family man.

All in all, I've grown to admire Dexter's positive relationships so strongly that it just pains me thinking how one secret could destroy everything. I can't help dreading that sooner or later, the sister will find out. And sadly, I actually felt relieved that his wife Rita died without ever learning the truth.

Side note: Michael C. Hall and Jennifer Carpenter married in real-life. Weird, huh?

Watched On Demand movie: "Frozen" (2010)
Just like "Open Water" except that instead of shark-infested waters, the geniuses in this movie managed to strand themselves on a ski lift--without cell phones--on a night before the resort closes for the rest of the week. Interestingly, one of the guys knew something completely trivial, i.e., that ski lift cables are really sharp, but not something rudimentary, i.e., that in a stunt fall you should go limp and land on your back. Oh well. :) This might sound cold, but I felt that the film needed more gore and less chitter-chatter. Rating: 6
Watched TV episode: "Law & Order: Los Angeles" pilot
Hmmm...the suspects in the episode sure resembled Lindsay Lohan and her mother. If every episode rips off a celebrity scandal, I'm not going to like this series at all. I used to hate it when the original "Law & Order" did that. Rating: +
Watched movie: "Let Me In" (2010)
Less poetic than the original, IMHO. I unfortunately spent most of the movie frowning about what the American director changed. For instance, I didn't like how the film simplified the boy's relationship with the girl by making him jealous of her "father". The original left a lot of plot elements open to analysis, e.g., the true identity of the "father", whereas the remake seemed to dumb everything down, e.g., distilling the film's themes into 80's slogans such as the "Now and Later" candy's. Also to my disappointment, Michael Giacchino's music never seemed to fit. All in all, I stand by my original proclamation that "Let the Right One In" should never have been remade. Rating: 5
Watched movie: "Case 39" (2010)
Like "The Omen" but fraught with cheap made-you-jump scares. Rating: 4
Eternal September
09/26/10 8:16 PM PDT

Saw a poll about food snobs on CNN. Interesting subject, even though I found the example in the article pretty extreme. That takes a lot of gall to openly diss someone's cooking. :)

Here's some of my own opinions on food etiquette. Do not....

Sometimes I also wait until everyone at the table has gotten their food before I dig in, but only on really formal occasions.

Watched TV episode: "The Event" pilot
Reminded me of that movie "Vantage Point" in that right after each cliffhanger, the show jumped back in time to another character. I guess I'll give the series a chance (for lack of something better to watch), but I can already tell that every episode will test my patience. In my view, nothing can ever replace "Lost". Rating: ++
Watched movie: "The Town" (2010)
Reminded me of that movie "Heat", but with Boston accent overload. At times, I couldn't even make out what they were saying (just like that other film Ben Affleck directed, "Gone Baby Gone"). I did like how intense that the armed robberies got. Didn't think much of the central love story though. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Legend Of The Guardians: The Owls Of Ga'Hoole" (2010) in IMAX 3D
Computer-animated fantasy about a starry-eyed owlet who escapes an evil warlord named "Metalbeak", and encounters all types of annoying characters in a quest to recruit his childhood heroes. At one point, an Obi-Wan-type mentor actually teaches him to..."use his gizzard". Seriously? Seriously? Urrrgggh. Although I like owls and I like director Zack Snyder, I found this whole film horrendously lame. I think the baby owl said it best when she kept dry heaving. Admittedly, the 3-D flight and fight scenes impressed me. Otherwise, I would've rated the movie much lower. P.S. "To The Sky" performed by Owl City?...frown. P.S.S. Props to the 3-D short "Fur of Flying" starring Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner. Rating: 4
Watched movie: "Catfish" (2010)
A curiously suspenseful documentary (?) wherein the filmmakers investigate a suspicious family on Facebook (including a virtual lady friend whom one of them likes). The movie began piquing my interest when the filmmakers smartly deduced that the lady friend plagiarized her songs (one of which I instantly recognized from "The Truman Show"). Rather than spoil the surprise behind the curtain, I'll just hint that this film illustrated one of the many reasons why I steer clear of social networking sites. Rating: 7
"Make it so."
09/20/10 7:30 PM PDT

Lately on WGN, I've been watching reruns of "Star Trek: The Next Generation"--episodes that I haven't seen since I was a kid. Now that I'm much older, I find that I really like that Captain Picard. In particular, I enjoy the inspirational rhetoric that he spouts, the interest that he shows in his senior officers' counsel (even Worf's), and the way that he stands up for them in times of need (like when Riker faced murder charges and when Starfleet tried to take custody of Data's daughter). I mean seriously, how many bosses do you know who would risk losing face to vouch for you instead of just throwing you under the bus? :)

I still think that Captain Kirk makes a better leader in terms of war and national security though. I remember one episode where Kirk actually stole a cloaking device from the Romulans, to give Starfleet an important tactical advantage. In contrast, Picard once obtained a weapon that could make a starship cloak and pass through solid rock...and what did he do??? De-cloaked in front of the Romulans and publicly denounced the technology!!

Watched movie: "Devil" (2010)
Decent horror whodunit wherein the Devil himself masquerades as one of five strangers in a stalled elevator, and kills one of them each time the lights go out. Although the building had a police detective on hand, he unfortunately wasted most of the movie seeking a human killer rather than a supernatural one. Admittedly, my own sleuthing didn't fare much better--I successfully managed to narrow my top suspects down to the wrong two people (the woman and the salesman). Side note: I read that M. Night Shyamalan plans to produce two more films like this one. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Resident Evil: Afterlife 3D" (2010)
Too much slow motion, if you ask me. It's a lot like when I first bought the "Resident Evil: Code Veronica" video game, and frowned at how over-the-top that the action scenes had become. At least this film sort of made up for the "Extinction" debacle, IMHO (starting with returning director Paul Anderson writing out all of those Alice clones). I felt nostalgic seeing some of the classic RE video game characters appear onscreen, i.e., Chris Redfield (my favorite character to control), Claire Redfield, Albert Wesker, and Jill Valentine (now we just need Leon Kennedy). Also liked the Tyrant-like guy with the 3-D axe, the buckshot o' quarters, the white Umbrella digs, and the dogs. Rating: 6
Each according to his gifts
09/14/10 5:03 PM PDT

Congrats to Rafael Nadal for finally achieving a career grand slam. I always did find it strange that he could never seem to win that U.S. Open.

My car got yet another flat tire during my drive to Los Gatos to get an 8mm camcorder tape transferred to DVD. What is it with me and flat tires? I'm starting to seriously consider AAA because changing a flat in 90+ degree heat really really sucked. On the bright side, my road hazard insurance finally paid off as Firestone took care of the flat for free (I'm assuming that they actually repaired it and didn't just reinflate it). Afterward, I told the mechanic that I had looked all over that flat tire and couldn't find a single nail or puncture. "That's because you're not a tire guy," he dissed. Then to my amusement, he asked me to call in and fill out a customer survey.

Strangely, the DVD came out really snowy in some spots and really jumpy in others--almost as if the original tape had demagnetized. Good thing I keep VHS backups.

The History Channel premiered an interesting new documentary last week titled "9/11: State of Emergency". Some of the highlights:

Watched On Demand movie: "La Horde" (2009) a.k.a. "The Horde" (2010)
Exasperating French zombie flick (dubbed in English) wherein cops and gangsters must work together against the zombies inside of a social housing high-rise. To my chagrin, the survivors never seemed to grasp two simple concepts: a) that they should aim for the head, and b) that they should conserve ammunition and energy. I think the movie had some kind of message about human nature, but I didn't bother dissecting what that was. Rating: 4
Watched movie: "Restrepo" (2010)
A gloomy war documentary that filmed some U.S. soldiers as they defended an outpost in Afghanistan. Some of their duties:
  • Regularly exchanging fire with Taliban forces. Sometimes the camerawork got really shaky, but I guess I shouldn't complain.
  • Patrolling, searching homes, and interrogating suspects.
  • Trying to sway the "hearts and minds" of the villagers in Korangal valley--not too easy when their friends and family keep getting killed. At one point a grieving villager asked the U.S. soldiers to show him which of the dead bystanders there, i.e., women and children, were Taliban. Their response: silence.
Sadly, it never made sense to me what the soldiers in this film fought for. (Possibly because the war itself makes no sense.) In any case, I felt worn-out just watching these guys for 90 minutes--can't imagine suffering a whole year with them. Even light scenes like the "cow incident" didn't seem that funny to me. Rating: 6
Jump punch
09/08/10 6:04 PM PDT

While reviewing VMA nominations on mtv.com, I happened to catch a fight from that reality show "Jersey Shore". I reviewed the clip, and concluded that JWoww started it by pushing the other girl Sammi. I don't think either of them got kicked off the show though, so "Jersey Shore" must have a more tolerant policy than "Real World".

Recently, a really interesting fight broke out in the stands at the U.S. Open during a match between Djokovic and Petzschner. A lady confronted a 27-year-old loudmouth about his noisy swearing. After she slapped him, her 75-year-old father charged the guy and they fell down the stands. I reviewed this video at different angles, and concluded that the 75-year-old shouldn't have attacked him. However, I actually faulted the 27-year-old the most. What a jerk to yell profanities at a tennis match.

In my own lifetime, I've never gotten in a fight. One time I shoved somebody, but that situation didn't escalate. :)

Watched movie: "The American" (2010)
Gotta love George Clooney's dry demeanor, professional cool, and cat-like survival instincts. I wish that he hadn't gone and shot his girlfriend in the back though. This lousy (and unexplained) introduction to his character gave me a bad impression that just never went away. I also wasn't feeling the romance with the prostitute. P.S. Neat tunnel intro. P.S.S. Italy's still on my goals list. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "The Expendables" (2010)
All the makings of a good action flick: star power (including a cameo by Ah-nold), shameless violence (love that shotgun revolver), creative deaths (never seen a neck break like that before), WrestleMania match-ups (Jet Li vs. Dolph Lundgren, Steve Austin vs. Randy Couture), and funny tongue-in-cheek humor. Who cares about stuff like plot and character development? :) Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World" (2010)
An unrelenting onslaught of Fanboy escapism, complete with video game combat come-to-life, comic book narratives, whirlwind editing, and Edgar Wright humor. Admittedly, the film grew on me. Afterward I wanted to download that "Black Sheep" song from iTunes, but it looks like I have to buy the whole album to get it. Side note: What did all those girls see in Scott Pilgrim? In addition to his geekiness and insecurities, he seemed like the worst listener. Rating: 8
Watched movie: "Machete" (2010)
Doesn't get much cheesier than this. Although the movie stayed pretty faithful to that original trailer from "Planet Terror", I disliked all of the new political undertones that Robert Rodriguez introduced--almost as if he tried to make the film more relevant. :( Specifically, I noticed that most of the new characters (Jessica Alba, Michelle Rodriguez, Don Johnson, and Robert De Niro) blatantly crusaded either for or against illegal immigration.

Lingering questions:

  • Aren't confessionals inadmissible in court?
  • Why did Machete keep sparing those guards at the mansion?
  • What was the purpose of Lindsay Lohan's character?
  • What happened to the Tom Savini character?

My favorite line of the whole movie: "Machete don't text." Rating: 5

Second opinion
09/02/10 5:49 PM PDT

I have one more definition to append to my previous blog entry; an idiom: "tempest in a teapot". It means: "a small event that has been exaggerated out of proportion". I can't even tell you how many times that this sentiment popped into my head over my lifetime. :)

Also in my previous blog entry, you might have noticed that I excluded medical doctors when I listed the professionals whom I considered "pretentious". That's because I don't really think that "pretentious" describes them the best. Generally when it comes to doctors, I simply feel that they don't know what they're doing...at least not to the extent that we think they do.

I used to find "House, M.D." hard to believe because of how the doctors kept misdiagnosing their patients. But that was before I personally came across three major real-life cases where the doctors totally biffed the diagnosis. "House, M.D." was right!

Interestingly, I have a higher opinion of chiropractors. One time I injured my back, and a chiropractor successfully fixed it so I could bend down again. But buyer beware: the belief that chiropractors make you come back again and again...totally true. Specifically, I hate that scare tactic that my back will start hurting again if I don't schedule repeat appointments. I lost a lot of $$$ on chiropractors. So nowadays anytime my back hurts, I just wait for the pain to go away by itself. :P

In other news, I took a crack at writing my first "Lost" synopsis for my co-workers' viewing party. SPOILER ALERT if you haven't watched the third season of "Lost" yet.

This Friday, "Lost" concludes its third season with a huge 2-part finale!

The survivors of Oceanic 815 finally have a real chance at rescue. In a harrowing parachute jump, pilot Naomi Dorrit managed to land on the island before her helicopter crashed into the sea. "Penny Whitmore sent me," she announced, before revealing a working satellite phone that could contact her freighter somewhere off the coast.

Unfortunately for them, Ben and the Others have made sure to jam all outgoing radio transmissions--including the French woman's 16-year-old SOS--by using an underwater Dharma station called the "Looking Glass". And in a plan to seize Naomi's phone and to kidnap all of the island's pregnant women, Ben has ordered an assault team to raid the survivors' camp with extreme prejudice.

Jack, on the other hand, has a plan of his own: when the assault team comes knocking, Sayid, Jin, and Bernard blow the camp to smithereens; then while Jack and the Oceanic 815 survivors hike to the French woman's radio tower, Charlie swims down to the "Looking Glass" to switch off the jamming device.

As for John Locke--the man who blew up the island's only submarine because he considered it everyone's "destiny" to stay--his coup to assume leadership of the Others fell short thanks to Ben's villainous act of treachery.

Will Locke survive the gunshot wound that Ben gave him? Will the French woman ever reunite with her daughter Alex, a girl whom Ben kidnapped and raised as his own? Will Sun tell Jin about Juliet's grim prognosis for pregnant women on the island? Will Desmond ever see his true love Penny again? Will Charlie have to sacrifice his own life so that Desmond's psychic vision of rescue can come true? Will Jack's bold plan succeed? And will Kate ever make up her mind between Jack and Sawyer? Tune in this Friday for the 2-part season finale!

Watched movie: "The Last Exorcism" (2010)
Another labored exorcism movie. Despite its promising "Blair Witch" documentary style, the film failed to scare me thanks to a) spoilers in the promotional material, b) the PG-13 rating, and c) the loud, distracting whimpers from juvenile girls in the audience. At times like these, I wish that San Jose offered 'Over 21' Shows. P.S. Contrary to the general consensus, I liked that ending. Rating: 5
Watched movie: "Lebanon" (2009-2010)
A most tiresome Israeli war flick about the occupants of a tank who get on each others' nerves (and mine). I think the gunner's carelessness irritated me the most. Instead of scanning for enemies, he spent much of his time fussing, urinating, and gazing at war victims through his crosshairs. Show some professionalism, man. Also, that long anecdote about the deceased father: stupid! Rating: 5
Cynical me
08/26/10 12:00 AM PDT

A couple of people once told me that I tend to use really big words. Do I? It got me to wondering whether people think my blog entries use really big words too. So going forward, I decided to look up definitions for some of my favorite vocabulary words, starting with the word that characterizes me to a tee: "cynical".

I feel that dictionary.reference.com defines "cynical" the best because it clearly explains how a cynic differs from a pessimist (people often mistake me for the latter):

cynical /sin-i-kuhl/ -adjective 1. like or characteristic of a cynic; distrusting or disparaging the motives of others. 2. showing contempt for accepted standards of honesty or morality by one's actions, esp. by actions that exploit the scruples of others. 3. bitterly or sneeringly distrustful, contemptuous, or pessimistic. --Synonyms 1, 3. Cynical, pessimistic, sarcastic, satirical imply holding a low opinion of humanity. Cynical suggests a disbelief in the sincerity of human motives: cynical about honesty. Pessimistic implies a more or less habitual disposition to look on the dark side of things, and to believe that the worst will happen: pessimistic as to the future. Sarcastic refers to sneering or making cutting jibes: sarcastic about a profession of faith. Satirical suggests expressing scorn or ridicule by saying the opposite of what one means: a satirical attack on his political promises.

Given that I try to "hope for the best but prepare for the worst", I don't really consider myself a pessimist.

The other word that I use a whole lot: "pretentious".

pretentious /pri-ten-shuhs/ -adjective 1. full of pretense or pretension. 2. characterized by assumption of dignity or importance. 3. making an exaggerated outward show; ostentatious.

Generally, I consider people from all walks of life pretentious, from journalists to lawyers to politicians to business people.

I also think that people overreact and overdramatize too much, which is probably why I've been called the following word from time to time:

stoic /stoh-ik/ -adjective 1. of or pertaining to the school of philosophy founded by Zeno, who taught that people should be free from passion, unmoved by joy or grief, and submit without complaint to unavoidable necessity.
Watched movie: "Piranha 3D" (2010)
Every bit as stupid as I had anticipated, so I have no one to blame but myself. No surprise to see Eli Roth in the cast, but I wonder if Richard Dreyfuss, Elisabeth Shue, and Christopher Lloyd knew that the movie would go that over-the-top on the T&A. P.S. That's not me at the end of the credits, by the way--it's the other "Steve Aoki" giving me a bad name. :) Rating: 4
Watched movie: "Animal Kingdom" (2010)
An engaging, tightly-wound crime drama about a mild-mannered teenager who finds himself in the middle of a feud between the police and his bad-natured family. Kind of like an Australian "Godfather". Initially, I had trouble making sense of the feud until I read about the real-life police shootings that inspired the movie. Rating: 7
My negativity against negativity
08/18/10 5:07 PM PDT

Here's a step in the right direction if I ever saw one: 'Over 21' Shows at the Sundance Kabuki Cinemas. Basically, the theater serves alcohol for some of the evening screenings so that even for kids movies like "Tales from Earthsea", only adults can attend. I'm not crazy about the alcohol part, but this notion of an "upscale theater" appeals to me. :) Actually, I've never had any problem with audiences in the Kabuki Cinemas anyway. I remember screening "Pan's Labyrinth", "Juno", and "A Single Man" there without any irritations. I do remember that parking sucked and seats sold out quickly though (best to purchase online if you can).

Too bad that theaters can't screen out everything that I hate, such as the things that taint my enjoyment of good movies. Examples:

In other news, I wanted to give my two cents on that fed-up flight attendant who exited the plane via the emergency chute. My view: I think that he overreacted and should be fired. However, I also think that JetBlue should stick that rude passenger on the "no-fly list". I agree with the sentiment that plane passengers seem more and more spoiled these days. Personally, I could never work in customer service.

In conclusion, I think that Alan Partridge summed it up the best: "I just hate the general public." :)

Watched On Demand movie: "The Disappearance of Alice Creed" (2010)
Displeasing British crime drama reminiscent of "Before the Devil Knows You're Dead" wherein an irredeemable nitwit hatches a harebrained plot to a) kidnap his own girlfriend without her consent, and b) double-cross his sharp-minded accomplice (a guy with the foresight to dispose of clothes and mask alcoholic breath, but not to pick a better partner in crime). Although I trusted none of the three cast members in the film, I did side with Gemma Arterton on general principle even though her character sure reminded me of that disingenuous princess she played in the "Prince of Persia" movie. Rating: 5
Watched On Demand movie: "l'épine dans le coeur" a.k.a. "Thorn in the Heart" (2010)
What happened, did Michel Gondry's creativity run out? He went from filming some of the most imaginative spectacles that I've ever seen to filming one of the most boring documentaries that I've ever seen. For the most part, the documentary just followed his aunt (a retired schoolteacher) around France, and occasionally pried into some really personal business such as her son's nervous breakdown and her disappointment with him. I kept wishing that Gondry had instead made the documentary about himself. (Also kept wishing for black outlines around the letters in the subtitles.) Rating: 3
Inception obsession
08/11/10 6:26 PM PDT

I can't seem to stop watching this "Inception" movie. I've seen it in the historic Fremont, in IMAX, in Cinemark XD a.k.a. Extreme Digital Cinema, in the Winchester theater, in Sony Digital Cinema 4K, with D-BOX Motion Effects Seating, and now...with Closed Captions (CC). Rear Window Captioning at the AMC Mercado 20 theater, to be exact. Pretty clever system. All I had to do was pick up a reflector from guest services (a pane of dark plastic attached to a bendable arm), plant it in my cupholder, and adjust it so that I could see a reverse-mirrored image of the LED display in the back of the theater. Although I could probably position the pane in front of the screen, I sheepishly kept mine low so that no one would see me, a hearing person, reading subtitles. Then again, how would anyone even know or care? :)

As a result, I pretty much spent the whole movie staring at the captions rather than the screen. Time well spent, though, because now I know exactly what these characters said despite all those ambiguous enunciations of the dialogue. Top examples (minor spoiler alert):

Character What they said (according to the captions) What I heard
Mal to Cobb "Looks like Arthur's taste." Couldn't make it out.
Mal to Saito "He was close. Very close." Couldn't make it out.
Saito "Right now...I'm lying on polyester." "Right now...vinyl polyester."
Saito "My main competitor is a man in poor health." "My men computerized on a man in poor health."
Cobb to Eames "Your spelling hasn't improved. How's your handwriting?" I heard right. Still not sure what he meant.
Eames to Cobb "Don't remember. Let's see if he starts shooting." Couldn't make out the first part.
Yusuf to Cobb "Oh, I rarely go into the field, Mr. Cobb." "Do I really go into the field, Mr. Cobb."
Saito "I bought the airline. It seemed neater." "I bought the airline. It seemed little."
Mal to Ariadne "I'll tell you a riddle. You're waiting for a train..." "I'll tell you're real. You're waiting for a train..." That's a riddle?
Yusuf "Ha-ha-bloody-ha." I heard right.
Fischer "We're worth more to you alive." "What more do you want?"
Eames "...whilst exposing his godfather's true nature." "...while exposing his godfather's treaty."
Eames "Excellent, but you learned a lot, right?" "Excellent, but you learned from it, right?"
Saito to Eames "Turbulence on the plane?" Couldn't make it out.
Saito "I m-mistook you for a friend." I heard right.
Cobb to Eames "Eames, this is your dream." I heard right.
Yusuf "Sod it!" Didn't even hear it.
Eames "I noticed it [the music] about 20 minutes ago, I thought it was the wind." "I noticed it a few minutes ago, I thought it was the wind." I guess 20 minutes = 1 minute = 3 seconds.
Saito to Eames "No room for tourists on these jobs." I heard right.
Mal "That death was the only escape." "The day we escaped."
Mal to Cobb "Because you'll be together!" "Because we'll be together!" A mistake in the captions or bad grammar?
Mal to Cobb "Does this feel real?" Couldn't make it out.
Ariadne to Cobb "Find Saito and bring him back!" "Find something to bring you back!"
Miles to Cobb "Welcome. This way." "You're welcome. This way." A mistake in the captions?
James to Cobb "Look what I've been building! We're building a house on a cliff!" Something about a house on a cliff.

I feel badly for deaf folks that actually require the closed captioning. The previews had no captions, and the LED could only express music with backwards-looking notes ("b b") or parenthetical descriptions. Examples:

One last miscellaneous observation: having experienced weightlessness myself, I found it peculiar when Arthur blew up the elevator cable that he was holding. In real-life zero gravity, that would've stranded his stationary self in mid-air. So good thing he only dreamt about doing that. :)

Inception + proprioception
08/09/10 12:58 AM PDT

Finally broke a personal record of mine. Last Wednesday, I caved in and sat through Camera 7's D-BOX version of "Inception", a "motion code" screening where the first two middle rows in the theater vibrate and tilt during the movie. It marked the seventh time that I had seen "Inception" in a theater ("Sunshine" held the previous record with six viewings).

Overall, the D-BOX seats felt the best during the action scenes (particularly when the characters drove or skiied). When it came to the talking scenes, however, the seats settled down...and I got more bored and restless than usual. So I would mostly recommend the D-BOX seats for non-stop action flicks that don't require much concentration.

One tip from me to feel the full effects of the seat: lift your feet off the floor.

Some general observations (minor spoiler alert):

A couple of criticisms: a) the seat didn't vibrate consistently for the dream activations, and b) the seat should have titled much sharper during the gravity shifts (it's almost like the seat got confused about what to do).

At one point, I found it interesting that the seat vibrated relatively early when the freight train approached Cobb and Mal...meaning that if filmmakers really wanted to, they could use D-BOX motion codes to clue the audience in on things offscreen.

Man, the moving seats didn't seem to deter a guy in front of me from chomping his popcorn all noisily. I secretly hoped that a nice sharp bump would make him start choking.

In conclusion, I found the D-BOX seat really distracting but might consider trying one again for some type of "Fast and the Furious" movie.

Funny how the debate over "Inception" never seems to end. I still find this evidence more compelling than this evidence, though I will concede the strangeness that both Mal and Saito wanted Cobb to take a "leap of faith".

Other things I caught during my repeated viewings:

On a final note, when I rank Christopher Nolan's films from most favorite to least favorite, I actually have his greatest box office achievement at the bottom. :)

  1. "Inception" (2010) My rating: 10
  2. "Memento" (2001) My rating: 9
  3. "Insomnia" (2002) My rating: 9
  4. "Batman Begins" (2005) My rating: 8
  5. "The Prestige" (2006) My rating: 8
  6. "Following" (1998) My rating: 7
  7. "The Dark Knight" (2008) My rating: 6
Watched movie: "The Other Guys" (2010)
Fairly unusual comedy in that Mark Wahlberg actually managed to make "rageaholism" funny for me. Too bad that Will Ferrell couldn't quite follow suit. His treatment of Eva Mendes, in particular, struck me as abusive rather than anything remotely comical. Stay after the credits. Rating: 6
Gang-gonged
08/01/10 8:24 PM PDT

Finished tabulating the music video results for 1H 2010. The videos chart actually had a five-way tie at one point. First time I ever remember seeing that. As a result, I had to apply the first tiebreaker five times and the second tiebreaker four times. We rarely ever need the third tiebreaker.

It surprised me how vehemently that the reviewers hated "On To The Next One" by Jay-Z & Swizz Beatz and "Walkin' On The Moon" by The-Dream featuring Kanye West. What's so bad about "Walkin' On The Moon"? I posted the video below.

Watched movie: "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" (2010)
Funny guy, that Nicolas Cage. As for the rest of the movie, including that nasally hybrid of Shia LaBeouf and French Stewart...dumb. Stay after the credits. Rating: 5
Watched movie: "Dinner for Schmucks" (2010)
Awkward and wholly unamusing. Between the mean-spirited premise and Steve Carell's repugnant hobby, it just never felt right to laugh. Stay after the credits. Rating: 3
Post-Inception depression
07/26/10 7:35 PM PDT

Caught up on some other movies even though I'd rather have just watched "Inception" again. In fact, as I squirmed through "The Kids Are All Right" in the Camera 7, I could hear "Inception" playing next door and felt tempted to sneak over.

Ever notice that the plane in "Inception" flew from Sydney to Los Angeles? A wink to "Lost", perhaps?

Also, ever notice that at the beginning of "Inception", Cobb worked for a company called COBOL Engineering? Interestingly, I once designed an Ada program in college that had to solve mazes. (If I remember correctly, the professor asked us to make our logic recursive...meaning that the program nested itself within itself, and had to loop forever and forever until it completed its mission.) I named the initial algorithm "Theseus" (the Greek legend who had to find his way in and out of the Labyrinth). This algorithm didn't work so well as it stumbled through the mazes too blindly. Hence, I preceded that algorithm with a smarter one named "Ariadne" (the princess who helped Theseus escape the Labyrinth with a ball of string; also the name of Ellen Page's character). The two algorithms actually made a pretty good team. Unfortunately, the final maze stumped them and I never figured out why. :P

Watched movie: "The Kids Are All Right" (2010)
I frowned at this movie from start to finish, and did not find it "all right". Way too much personal business that I didn't need to know about. Rating: 4
Watched movie: "Salt" (2010)
Akin to one of those Hong Kong "mole" movies where the agent burrows so deep undercover that their loyalties become almost moot (as neither side can trust them anymore). In particular, why did Salt even proceed with that second mission? That made no sense to me. Rating: 6

A trailer for "You Again" played before "The Kids Are All Right". Interesting premise: a successful businesswoman discovers that her older brother will soon marry her arch nemesis from high school. Wow. Sounds more like psychological horror than a comedy. I can tell you right now that if something like that ever happened to me, we'd have a big problem. :)

Ignition
07/18/10 2:30 PM PDT

Had to abort my smog check in Santa Maria this weekend. Turns out that San Jose enhanced their smog laws so that no mechanic in Santa Barbara county can certify my car.

I think my battery's dying too. Guess my car's getting old.

Watched movie: "Predators" (2010)
Decent addition to the "Predator" series wherein three formidable (yet surprisingly careless) predators hunt a cast of movie clichés on an alien game preserve. In addition to the hard-boiled know-it-all who spouts trailer soundbites, the bleeding heart leading lady, the token minorities, the jerk, and the resourceful loony guy, we even get Topher Grace as the nerdy comic relief character. Side note: Funny how in movies, the protagonists always risk their necks playing the hero. In real-life if they died as a result, I'd estimate roughly 15 minutes of fame for them at the most. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Inception" (2010)
An enthralling, mindbending masterpiece unlike anything I've ever seen. Talk about attention to detail. Totems, kicks (a.k.a. myoclonic jerks?), dreams within dreams, Escher paradoxes, mazes to impede the subconscious, an invasive personification of guilt, and a "Mission: Impossible" caper premised on the feasibility of "inception"?! I bow to Christopher Nolan's mad genius. Basically, he fleshed out "shared dreaming" so convincingly that I could've sworn that such a science existed in real life. Rating: 10

Update 7/20/2010: Watched "Inception: The IMAX Experience" last night...and am now leaning toward the notion that Leonardo DiCaprio returned to reality at the end of the movie, for the following reasons:

Also confirmed that Yusuf dreamt the first level, Arthur dreamt the second level (unless he lied to Ariadne), and Fischer dreamt the third level...making this diagram I saw on the Internet wrong.

Update 7/20/2010: My alternate theory about the ending: maybe Leonardo DiCaprio woke up into a state-of-mind where his dreams still felt real, like that time I jumped out of my bed and stood outside my room because I thought a giant spider had descended from the ceiling.

Update 7/21/2010: Watched "Inception" for a third time...this time in Cinemark XD. Still haven't seen a D-BOX screening, and probably never will. Hehe...wonder what the chairs do during the gravity shifting scenes...drop the audience on their heads?

Update 7/24/2010: I came across another big theory that the entire movie is really just a metaphor on how Nolan films movies. Based on what I read in an Entertainment Weekly article, I simply think that Nolan's life experiences prejudiced the script.

All about Steve, Part III
07/15/10 5:01 PM PDT

Originally intended this thread to last for only two blog entries, but what the heck...might as well make it a trilogy. In today's blog, I will finally explain...

...my cynicism toward marriage and why I prefer to live alone.

Ever heard the saying, "Everything's better in moderation"? That's my take on people. Or to put it another way, in the words of Benjamin Franklin: "Guests, like fish, begin to smell after three days."

I live and die by respect. I want to give it and I want to get it. Conversely, if someone chooses not to give it (for example, by talking condescendingly or by snubbing the people who helped them along the way), then they shouldn't feel entitled to get it.

In general, I've observed that the longer that people live together or the closer that they get, the less respect that they bother to show each other (like the "Real World" where people stop being polite). For instance, they start nagging about what someone should or shouldn't do, impose chores, or pry into personal business. I actually have a pet peeve about people who ask me where I'm going when I'm trying to leave to run errands.

This brings me to marriage...an institution where nagging about what someone should or shouldn't do, imposing chores, prying into personal business, and asking where someone is leaving to...is normal. :)

It's not that I'm completely opposed to marriage...it's more that I never want to end up in one where I fall out of love. I'd analogize my fear to Benjamin Franklin's fish: if you're with the same person every day of your life, how can you not grow tired of each other? :)

Watched movie: "Despicable Me" (2010) in 3D
Hilariously zany computer-animated comedy full of unapologetically mischievous behavior. I particularly enjoyed the minions' bizarre shenanigans (way to look inconspicuous during that shopping trip, hahaha). Side note: Apparently a mobile app called Best Buy Movie Mode can translate what the minions babbled about during the end credits. Rating: 7
Watched movie: "Män Som Hatar Kvinnor" (2009) a.k.a. "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" (2010)
A suspenseful Swedish film with an absorbing 40-year-old mystery, thanks mostly to the director's intriguing Hitchcockian style. Once the investigative reporter tacked photos and family portraits on his wall (connected by strings), I loved how the camera often closed in on one of them to foreshadow his next lead. (At one point, the reporter's grainy photos of the missing person's gaze made a rather haunting moving picture.) Also found all of the faulty conclusions (I counted at least three big ones) true to life because in my own personal experience, you should never ever rule out human error from an investigation (even if it makes people indignant). Just look at "House, M.D"....one bad premise can poison everything. :)

As for the stone cold girl with the dragon tattoo...I liked the character development around her cynicism of men (and found it justified given her really bad misfortune of encountering so many sickos in her lifetime), but really didn't need to see all that graphic sexual perversion. P.S. Not sure what a car driver would fear from a motorcycle. P.S.S. Is it just me, or did the serial killer get off way too easy? I'd actually rather he stand trial and die in jail. Rating: 8

Watched movie: "Flickan Som Lekte Med Elden" (2009) a.k.a. "The Girl Who Played with Fire" (2010)
Mostly just character development for the nicer (?), emotionally unavailable girl with the dragon tattoo (along with more needless sex scenes). Pretty boring, if you ask me. The audience gasped a couple of times though. I wish this sequel had kept the same director as the first movie. P.S. How on earth did she survive getting buried alive? Rating: 5
All about Steve, Part II
07/08/10 5:05 PM PDT

Recently, I discovered a perk to maintaining a blog: in theory, I never have to blind date ever again. Now girls can just google me, and probably learn much more about me from my blog than anything that dating could ever accomplish. :) Heck, people who read my blog might even know more about me than my closest friends and family. After all, in a blog I can discuss all of my interests...because if any of my topics were to bore somebody, then they can always just browse elsewhere. In a conversation, I constantly have to screen everything that I bring up. For example, I wouldn't go into details about "Survivor" or pro-wrestling if I knew that the other person didn't fancy these types of shows (I certainly wouldn't confess to liking pro-wrestling on a first date).

I guess this all stems from my cynicism toward dating. Personally, I don't see what you can meaningfully learn from someone who is constantly acting on their best behavior. I mean, a person can be a jerk on the inside but date really well...just as a bad employee could interview well. In fact, some of the worst employees I've known could interview better than some of the best employees I've known.

Watched movie: "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse" (2010)
More of the same soap opera. I'm starting to tire of this nauseating relationship between Bella and Edward, her premature decision to turn vampire, their premature decision to marry, that werewolf guy who rarely ever wears a shirt, and all the sighing from the women in the audience. Also got bored with the flashbacks and the general lack of conflict (even Jacob and Edward started to get along). At least the Victoria arc finally picked up. I also liked how Alice's and Edward's psychic powers sped the narrative along. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "The Last Airbender" (2010) in 3D
Not great but better than I anticipated (the reviews really lowered my expectations). I liked the one-take "elemental" kung fu the most. Not too happy with the 3-D upcharge though--other than the captions, I can't remember a single thing in 3-D. Plus my head really ached afterward. Rating: 6

Somehow I get the feeling that despite the cliffhanger, "The Last Airbender" will end up without any sequel like "Eragon" and "The Golden Compass".

Watched movie: "Winter's Bone" (2010)
Engaging portrayal of backwoods Missouri centered around a teenage girl's dangerous investigation of her fugitive father's disappearance. Much like "Gone Baby Gone", I constantly worried about the lead character's carelessness for her own safety and kept wondering where social services was when you needed them. Also sensed a whole lot of subtext in the film, ranging from the characters' signs of guilt to the prevalence of army recruitment. Side note: Look for a cameo from the actress who played Laura Palmer. Rating: 7

My legs felt like jelly after I tried out the new D-BOX preview at the Camera 7 Theater. The chair tilts and vibrates according to what projects onscreen. Great. Now instead of boyfriends poking their girlfriends during scary movies, you got the chairs doing it.

All about Steve, Part I
07/01/10 5:27 PM PDT

Recently, I attended a retirement party where all kinds of friends and colleagues came out to celebrate and roast the retiree...sorta like one of my favorite films, "It's a Wonderful Life".

During and after the party, my mind raced--years from now, what can I do to retire quietly without any party? Purposely outlast everyone whom I work with, perhaps? It's not that I dislike mushy goodbyes, it's that I don't like any goodbyes...period. That's why nine times out of ten I just say "See you," even if I know full well that I won't ever see the person again.

Guess I'm not too sentimental in this regard. Instead of giving a retirement speech about how I love everybody, I'd probably just stand up there and say, "Well, bye." My deathbed speech would probably follow suit: "Well, bye," assuming that I hadn't crawled under the porch first. :)

For my funeral arrangements, I'm thinking cremation in case my consciousness remains trapped in the body. Alternatively, dump lye on my corpse and toss me in a ditch. :) I'm not that big on burials...unless, of course, I get to rest in peace at a really cool cemetery like Arlington.

Watched movie: "The A-Team" (2010)
Mind-numbing nonsense...everything from a flying tank to B.A. Baracus spouting jibba jabba. I pity the fool who took Mr. T's place. Stay after the credits for cameos from the guys who played the original "Face" and the original (and best) "Murdock". Rating: 4

New "Harry Potter" trailer out, and it looks epic.

There can be only one
06/24/10 12:43 PM PDT

Finally found out why that TV in our cafeteria kept emitting a weird droning noise whenever a World Cup game airs. It comes from countless soccer fans simultaneously blowing through plastic trumpets called vuvuzelas. Guess they're popular (and fairly controversial) in South Africa. Personally, I find the noise maddening.

Looks like the USA soccer team managed to advance past the first round, and to the easiest bracket. I'm happy for them, but am not a big fan of this "luck of the draw" tradition in tournaments. Someone always seems to get screwed. Most recent examples that come to mind (all in tennis):

Dude! I just read that John Isner and Nicolas Mahut shattered the record for the longest tennis match in history. Look at their final Wimbledon score: 6-4, 3-6, 6-7 (7), 7-6 (3), 70-68! (In Wimbledon you have to win the last set by two games.) 70 to 68!

Play time
06/21/10 5:03 PM PDT

Last Thursday, my friends and I attended the Video Games Live concert...and across the street on the same night, the Lakers played the Celtics in Game 7 of the NBA Finals. So yeah, I'd say we encountered some pretty crazy pedestrian traffic. Later when my Dad told me that Lakers won, I stoically replied, "I know."

The Video Games Live concert blew me away. After three years of complaining, I finally got to hear "Silent Hill 2" live (the composer himself actually played along with an electric guitar)! I also got to hear the "Metal Gear Solid" composer play saxophone for "Snake Eater", a number of audience requested arrangements for the show's really gifted piano player, and the host Tommy Tallarico rocking out to "Mega Man" and "Castlevania" on electric guitar. Dude, an electric guitar should just accompany every arrangement in the concert--that's all there is to it. :) Rating: 8

Setlist for the show:

  1. Classic Arcade Medley
  2. Shadow of the Colossus
  3. God of War (conducted by the composer)
  4. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (conducted by the composer)
  5. Afrika (conducted by the "Resident Evil" composer...ehhh, what? Why bring out the "Resident Evil" composer to conduct one of his least known works instead of "Resident Evil"?)
  6. Martin Leung piano arrangement: Warcraft II
  7. Assassin's Creed II (composer onstage)
  8. Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (accompanied by the composer on saxophone)
  9. Laura "Flute Link" Intravia flute duet: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
  10. The Legend of Zelda
  11. Silent Hill 2 (accompanied by the composer on electric guitar)
  12. World of Warcraft background music
  13. Super Mario Bros.
  14. Martin Leung piano arrangements: Super Mario Bros. (blindfolded, including the sped up versions when time starts running out in the level), Super Mario Bros. 3, Sonic the Hedgehog, Final Fantasy (One-Winged Angel), Tetris (on NES)
  15. Guitar Hero duet of Van Halen's "Jump" with Tommy Tallarico on a real electric guitar, where the "Guitar Hero" competition winner played for 250,000 points on Expert mode
  16. Mega Man (accompanied by Tommy on an electric guitar)
  17. HALO (accompanied by Tommy on an awesome Steam Punk (?) electric guitar)
  18. Final Fantasy VII: One-Winged Angel (accompanied by Tommy and the "Silent Hill" composer on electric guitars)
  19. Encore: Castlevania (accompanied by Tommy on electric guitar)
  20. Encore: Chrono Trigger and Chrono Cross (accompanied by Tommy, the "Silent Hill" composer, and another composer on electric guitars, the "Metal Gear Solid" composer on saxophone, and Laura Intravia on flute)
Watched movie: "Toy Story 3" (2010) in Disney Digital 3-D
Quite possibly the funniest, most touching "Toy Story" of them all. I really laughed a lot, particularly when it came to the day care massacre and the "makeshift" Mr. Potato Head. Also enjoyed little gags like Woody improvising a toilet seat cover, the janitor almost spotting him, and the bookworm shrugging off the imposter Ken's high heels. This movie finally answered my foreboding question about what would become of the toys once Andy outgrew them. Such a horrible existence, man...doomed to attics or landfills after their human owners abandon them (dude, the landfill in this film seriously reminded me of Hell). Made me feel guilty about all those toys I abandoned as a kid. :) I guess in a way, though, the toys speak to our own human condition--we too weigh the risks of emotional connections, and try to define meaning in our lives. And just like the toys, some of us stay hopeful and some of us turn cynical. :) P.S. Does a stuffed Totoro act the same as the animated Totoro? P.S.S. The "Day & Night" animated short film: deep, man. Rating: 9

Interesting controversy about the "Toy Story 3" reviews on rottentomatoes.com: http://www.popeater.com/2010/06/20/armond-white-toy-story-3-reviews/.

Update: After reading an Entertainment Weekly article that ranked all of the Pixar movies, I decided to make my own list (though I haven't decided where to place "Toy Story 3" yet):

  1. "Ratatouille" (2007) My rating: 9, blog
  2. "Toy Story 2" (1999) My rating: 9
  3. "Monsters, Inc." (2001) My rating: 8
  4. "The Incredibles" (2004) My rating: 8
  5. "Toy Story" (1995) My rating: 8
  6. "Finding Nemo" (2003) My rating: 8
  7. "Up" (2009) My rating: 7
  8. "WALL-E" (2008) My rating: 7
  9. "A Bug's Life" (1998) My rating: 7
  10. "Cars" (2006) My rating: 7
The die is cast
06/15/10 4:10 PM PDT

Finally saw the famous "South Park" episode, "Scott Tenorman Must Die", in its entirety. Pretty funny. I laughed the most when Cartman tried to buy a movie ticket. Man that Cartman cracks me up. I wish I had seen this episode before I had seen "Oldboy"...after "Oldboy", nothing could shock me. :)

Also enjoyed the most recent "Crippled Summer" episode too (not counting the parts with Towelie). I think that out of all the "South Park" characters, I like Jimmy the most.

Watched movie: "Splice" (2010)
Perverse, indecent, and totally whack from beginning to end. Good for talk around the water cooler though. Someone mentioned that Adrien Brody's sex scene bothered them the most. My perspective: as soon as those two scientists created that horrible abomination (and those blobs of goo, WTF!), they couldn't sink much lower for me. Admittedly though, I did want to hear what Adrien Brody had to say for himself...because duuude, that was some straight up bestiality goin' on there. Rating: 6
Watched On Demand movie: "[·REC]²" (2009-2010)
Direct continuation of "[Rec]" that follows an assault team's mission to obtain a blood sample from patient zero. This installment felt less like a scary movie and more like a first person video game (especially during the helmet cam scenes). The format reminded me of the "Resident Evil 2" video game, actually, in that the story paused midway and then restarted from a different character's perspective.

I liked how the filmmakers managed to innovate some brand-new horror movie mistakes this time, i.e., both blood samples catching fire and the girl shooting the wrong person. D'oh! Also found the new "demonic possession" angle kind of interesting, e.g., the kid crawling on the ceiling, rabid people changing their voices, and scenes altering in the night vision. P.S. Not sure if we'll ever see a "Quarantine 2", but looks like we can expect a "[Rec] 3". Rating: 6

Survival of the un-fittest
06/07/10 6:30 PM PDT

Now that I crowned the BEST Survivor player of all time, maybe two seasons from now I can crown the WORST Survivor player of all time. I heard a rumor that the 22nd season Survivor will be themed "Second Chances"--possibly to recast players who got screwed or really sucked the first time around. Offhand, I think the following ten Survivors deserve a second chance the most:

Wanda Shirk and Jonathan Libby from "Survivor: Palau"
To this day, it still bothers me how badly that these two players got screwed. They got eliminated by a schoolyard pick, and never even made it to the first tribal council!
Paschal English from "Survivor: Marquesas"
Randomly eliminated by purple rock; never actually voted out.
Jenny Guzon-Bae from "Survivor: Cook Islands"
Blindsided by a surprise second vote without any opportunity to save herself.
Silas Gaither from "Survivor: Africa"
Quickly eliminated thanks to the first-ever tribal shuffle.
Kelly Sharbaugh from "Survivor: Samoa"
Blindsided by Russell's hidden immunity idol.
Alexis Jones from "Survivor: Micronesia"
Blindsided by Amanda's hidden immunity idol.
Michael Skupin from "Survivor: The Australian Outback"
Evacuated after passing out into a campfire.
Kel Gleason from "Survivor: The Australian Outback"
Quickly eliminated thanks to Jerri Manthey's unproven allegation that he secretly ate beef jerky.
Russell Hantz from "Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains"
Had to play two consecutive games without seeing how he did in "Survivor: Samoa". :)

Note that I excluded the players who already got second/third chances, the players who got evacuated because of bad health rather than because of a fluke injury, and the players who got eliminated by a hidden immunity idol that they already knew about beforehand.

Car care reform?
05/31/10 2:04 AM PDT

Last Friday, my left rear tire began leaking slowly thanks to a nail in the tread. Fortunately, I managed to drive to a Sears Auto Center before the tire deflated all the way. Unfortunately, they estimated a two-hour wait time because the three cars ahead of me "needed all four of their tires replaced". Just great! By the time that their mechanics finished all that non-urgent maintenance, my car would need a spare tire just to drive it into the garage! Fortunately, I had enough air to make it to a Firestone just around the corner, and I think I even had tire insurance with them that would make my repair free. Unfortunately, the guy refused to schedule me in because I had come in at 5:45pm, and their store closed in 15 minutes! Wow, having to work past 6pm on a weekday to fix something that could jeopardize a driver's safety on the road...can't have that now!! $%&*@ mechanics.

Fortunately, I managed to get the tire repaired at a gas station. It cost $25 and took less than 20 minutes.

In other news, Christina Aguilera cancelled her summer tour after I just bought a ticket to her California concert. Highly disappointing--particularly because I had really looked forward to the opening act, Leona Lewis (maybe even more so than Aguilera herself).

Watched movie: "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time" (2010)
(Minor spoiler alert) Cheesy and often reminiscent of a cartoon I really hated as a kid, "The Legend of Zelda". In each episode whenever Zelda acted obstinate toward Link, he responded with, "Well excuuuuuuse me, Princess!" I half-expected Jake Gyllenhaal to follow suit. :)

What I liked best about the movie:

  • All the "difficult...not impossible" parkour.
  • The battle against the whip assassin.
  • The awesome duel between the two knife throwers.

What I liked the least about the movie:

  • All the self-righteousness, particularly when the King lectured his sons as if they should've known better all along.
  • The alarming ways in which this Disney film objectified women.
  • The Alfred Molina character a.k.a. the movie's comic relief (?). If you ask me, all of his scenes should've ended up on the cutting room floor.
  • "Hassansins"...one of the corniest puns I ever heard.

Final thought: how come the world didn't end when the dagger penetrated the sandglass? Rating: 6

Watched movie: "Shrek Forever After" (2010) in 3D
Funniest "Shrek" of them all, IMHO. I laughed hardest during the montages, like when Shrek suffered a "mid-life crisis" and when he decided to terrorize again. Even enjoyed the comedic stylings of Donkey and Puss in Boots this time. Rating: 7
Up in the air
05/20/10 6:25 PM PDT

Guess I don't have to worry about crowded Monday night TV anymore. In addition to cancelling "Heroes", NBC actually cancelled "Law & Order" too. Das messed up that "Law & Order" won't even get a proper sendoff after finally tying the "Gunsmoke" record of 20 seasons.

Once "Lost" and "24" end next week, that will just leave about four shows for me to watch (not including WWE). Maybe I'll try watching "Law & Order: Los Angeles".

By the way, I decided to make "Lost" my top favorite TV show of all time...better than "Buffy: The Vampire Slayer" even. I'm really looking forward to the series finale. I have one last prediction to make: having drunk the water, Jack will realize that nothing happened because the electromagnetic experiment already made Desmond the new Jacob.

Update 5/24/2010: Saw the commercial-riddled series finale and hated the "Titanic"/"Lovely Bones" ending. A "jump the shark" moment, if you ask me. I actually would have preferred that the series ended openly without any explanation.

Update 5/26/2010: Something I hadn't noticed before...Dr. Juliet's dialogue with Det. Sawyer about how "It worked," and going dutch on coffee matched her final words in the season premiere.

In other news, my "endorsements" of zero gravity continue...in addition to reappearing in Forbes magazine, my ad now appears on the back cover of Hemispheres. Pretty strange, huh? It means that when I flew United last Friday, my face most likely appeared on everyone's inflight magazine.

And my pick for the best Survivor player of all-time is...
05/17/10 11:06 AM PDT

...Sandra Diaz-Twine. Simply because in my book, winning "Survivor" twice trumps everything. It trumps Parvati's unparalleled longevity in the game, and it trumps Russell's unparalleled resume of big moves.

Sandra actually fits my profile for the perfect Survivor player. She plays a dirty game (lying, spying, and sabotaging things at camp), but jurors still applaud her. She talks smack, and people love it. She stands up to scary players like Russell, and lives to tell about it. She also seems non-threatening.

I guess that's a wrap for "Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains". Probably goes without saying that I officially hailed this season as the greatest of all-time.

P.S. Interesting coincidence: my top three favorite seasons all have Parvati in them.

Update: This interview of Russell cracked me up. When asked whether he got a favorable edit, he replied, "Favorable edit? I looked like a freaking Tasmanian devil out there. I'm not gettin' a good edit, honey. I looked terrible." He does resemble the Tasmanian devil, now that I think about it. :D

LOST LIVE: The Final Celebration
05/15/10 1:41 AM PDT

Last Thursday I enjoyed an awesome, once-in-a-lifetime event at UCLA called "Lost Live: THE FINAL CELEBRATION". I almost felt guilty that more "Lost" fans could not attend. Although cameramen recorded the event for season 6 of the "Lost" DVD set, nothing beats the experience of a hot crowd and a live symphony orchestra.

Amusingly, my ticket to the show looked like an Oceanic boarding pass. Also, the engraving over the entrance steps read "LOST UNIVERSITY" instead of Royce Hall.

The festivities started with a letter from George Lucas. Then the "Lost" creators Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse talked about the series, and introduced a whole slew of the actors. I wrote their names down as they came out: Young Ben, Cassidy, Abaddon, Ethan, Arzt, Dr. Pierre Chang, Charlotte, Daniel Faraday, Boone, the Man in Black, Wallllllt, Michael, Richard, Penny, Desmond, Jin, Ben, Hurley, and Sawyer. To my amazement, it sounded like Ben received the loudest ovation.

The symphonic concert conducted by Michael Giacchino (or as Damon Lindelof called him, a "Giacch-enius") came up next. The orchestra played every single one of my favorite scores--and between each score, a "Lost" actor read a "sock" message from that bottle in season one (according to the creators' slang, a "sock" refers to an overlooked Oceanic survivor who accomplished nothing special on the island).

Setlist of the arrangements:

  1. LOST Main Theme (in the background: a slideshow of "Lost" stills)

    Message in a bottle read by Jin

  2. Hollywood and Vines (in the background: a slideshow of scenes where characters explore the island)

    Message in a bottle read by Hurley

  3. Oceanic 6 (in the background: a slideshow monopolized by "There's No Place Like Home" scenes)

    Message in a bottle read by Ben (dude, he got huge cheers just by standing at the podium staring into space)

  4. The Temple of Boom (in the background: a slideshow of upbeat action scenes)

    Message in a bottle read by Penny

  5. Life and Death (in the background: a slideshow monopolized by characters' tragic deaths)

    Message in a bottle read by Richard

  6. The Tangled Web (in the background: a slideshow monopolized by Jacob)

    Message in a bottle read by Richard

  7. Parting Words (in the background: the scene where the raft sails off in season one)

    Words of appreciation from Michael Giacchino

  8. Encore: the Oscar-winning score from "Up"!

After Lindelof and Cuse introduced some producers, writers, and the guy who directed the season finales (Jack Bender), a screening of the entire Penultimate Episode of "Lost" (titled "What They Died For") closed out the night. It doesn't air until Tuesday on ABC, so I won't spoil it here...but let me just say that I enjoyed watching it with a live audience and can't wait for the series finale now. Heh heh...in addition to cheering at each commercial break, the crowd went CRAZY during the scenes with Desmond and Ben in them. The crowd also popped for a couple of returning guest stars. Rating: 10

Nothing ventured, nothing gained
05/12/10 4:55 PM PDT

Funny how last night's "Lost" episode finally revealed the origin of the island monster--a mystery that has teased "Lost" fans since the very first episode of the series--and yet all I wanted to see was what the main characters were up to. Hopefully, tomorrow's "Lost" concert will preview the entire next episode so that I won't have to wait until Tuesday. That would suck if they only showed a few minutes' worth. :)

Recently, I heard a really great quote that made me feel better about receiving criticism:

"If you don't want to be criticized...do nothing, say nothing, be nothing."

Later however, someone pointed out to me that a "do nothing, say nothing, be nothing" attitude could also trigger criticism (like when I was a quiet teenager who hated doing chores). Hehe, I still remember a radio broadcast where one of the hosts purported that women generally didn't like it when their husbands "do nothing" on the weekends. That led to an argument with his female co-host.

Watched movie: "Iron Man 2" (2010)
A decently entertaining movie (thanks mostly to the comedic stylings of Robert Downey Jr. and director Jon Favreau) that in my opinion, could've turned out much better had it taken any of its subject matter more seriously. I mean, come on man. First we had Tony Stark's grave medical condition--which could have led to something really emotional--but instead went nowhere thanks to a deus ex machina miracle cure. Then we had the U.S. government's legitimate ongoing concerns about Tony Stark's threat to national security, which somehow got shrugged off by the end of the film. Finally we had these contrived "science-fiction" moments like Mickey Rourke hacking into a login screen without any software, and Tony Stark coming across a tesseract in his father's journal. What? P.S. Stay after the credits for a sneak peek of the next Marvel movie. Rating: 6
What goes around, comes around?
05/07/10 4:29 PM PDT

Thanks to Russell's "mafia hit" last night, I'm starting to see "Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains" as a Greek tragedy. Assuming that all of Russell's allies don't desert him before the game ends, I can't picture the guy receiving one single jury vote.

Admittedly, he might have actually made the right move for himself. If he hadn't broken up that "clique" now, then just like Micronesia he could have easily ended up at their mercy later in the game. Alternatively, if they all voted for Sandra, then her immunity idol could eliminate him.

Now as a result of what Russell did last night, the Villains (including Sandra) absolutely must vote for Rupert and Colby in the next two tribal councils. Otherwise, Rupert or Colby could dominate in jury votes. Of course, Russell's plan could completely backfire in a couple of ways: a) Rupert or Colby could win the last two immunity challenges, or b) everyone could finally tire of Russell's troublemaking and unanimously vote him out.

By the way, that sight of Russell turning his head while Danielle broke down in tears a la Nancy Kerrigan...das cold, man.

On a funny note: last night I actually dreamt that I was a player on "Survivor". In the dream, Russell walked up to me and wanted to form an alliance. I got ALL scared and agreed to whatever he told me.

Watched movie: "El Secreto de Sus Ojos" (2009) a.k.a. "The Secret in Their Eyes" (2010)
Having now screened three of the last four Oscar winners for best foreign language film, I still can't reconcile why the Academy keeps favoring movies like this one over breakthrough ones like "Pan's Labyrinth", "Waltz with Bashir", and "The White Ribbon". Differing tastes I guess. Although I did find "The Secret in Their Eyes" absorbing to watch, I probably would've liked the movie a lot more had I not seen "Unforgiven" and "Oldboy" first. "Unforgiven" explored this type of "man vs. desensitivity" premise the best IMHO, and "Oldboy" forever changed how I regard revenge movies. :) Rating: 7
The On-Demand Digital...Present?
05/05/10 5:35 PM PDT

Slowly but surely, I see my vision of an On-Demand Digital Future (a future where anyone can download just about anything at anytime) coming true. Cases in point:

Movie theaters might suffer next. Although I still patronize them, I've grown really picky about where I go now. For example, I avoid...

I also don't plan to re-visit that new Extreme Digital Cinema theater inside of Century 20 Oakridge. My clothes still smelt like "new car" long after I had left the theater. :)

Watched On Demand movie: "George A. Romero's Survival of the Dead" (2010)
Zombie installment #6 from George Romero about two feuding clans on a rustic island off the coast of Delaware. The reason for this stupid and mind-numbing feud: clan #1 found it immoral that clan #2 killed their undead. Groannn. Once upon a time, I used to root for George Romero to make a new zombie flick...now I just want him to stop. Rating: 4
Watched movie: "Hot Tub Time Machine" (2010)
A pretty lewd comedy that appeared to spoof two of my favorite films from 1985, "Better Off Dead" and "Back to the Future". Cast two of the same actors too, John Cusack and Crispin Glover, who hardly looked like they aged at all. Although I didn't laugh that much, I did enjoy the hot tub guys' explanation of causality. Rating: 5
Watched movie: "A Nightmare on Elm Street" (2010) in Cinemark XD
Louder than the original 1984 movie, but certainly not scarier. Just goes to show how special effects can ruin a horror flick. For instance, those two scenes where Nancy's friend levitated in the bedroom and called for her from a body bag spooked me way more in the original.

On the plus side, I did like a couple of things better about the remake: #1) that the boyfriend made himself more useful, and #2) that the teenagers made good use of the Internet. I found #2 HUGE as the original Nancy had no Internet to corroborate her sanity, and wasted much of the movie seeking vindication from her parents (which by the way, led to a great storyline for the third installment). So here's hoping that the new Nancy got around to blogging everything she learned about Freddy. :) Rating: 5

You know, someone could write a thesis about the impact of the Internet on horror movie formulas. Top examples that come to mind:

Don't hate the player, hate the game
04/30/10 5:16 PM PDT

Last night's episode of "Survivor" reminded me of why I root for castaways like Russell. The guy plays strongly and I respect that. He sensed that Sandra would flip, smartly lured in another ally, and intimidated both of them with an idol (dude, he finds those things like some kind of bloodhound). Granted, he wasted the idol at tribal council--but the alliances he built earlier in the episode saved his cohort Parvati.

Other castaways like Colby just take up space. While Danielle and Amanda played tug-of-war with a game-changing clue to the next hidden immunity idol, Colby just sat there like a bump on the log. He could have easily suggested that they read the clue together, but instead he arbitrated in the enemy's favor and pretty much blew the Heroes' only chance at a comeback. With the idol back in the Villains' possession, Candice felt too scared to back Sandra's attempted coup, and one of my favorite players Amanda ended up getting voted out for the first time in Survivor history.

Speaking of Amanda, I often feel that Survivor fans underestimate her. I actually considered her one of the most formidable players out there...mostly because I'm convinced that that doe-eyed expression of hers is just an act. I mean, come on--if she didn't excel at social politics, then I find it hard to fathom that she could have lasted over 100 cumulative days in the game. Last night, Russell finally corroborated my sentiment by calling her a female version of Boston Rob.

There's no place like home
04/29/10 6:00 PM PDT

Spent last weekend dusting, vacuuming, and uncluttering my apartment due to a notice of another preventative maintenance inspection. The last time that I had a preventative maintenance inspection, a "cure or quit" notice appeared on my door the next morning (I still fume just thinking about it).

As a result, I finally discarded that bust of Beethoven that I've had since college. I simply left it near the dumpster, and it vanished by morning. I also left a table out there (the kind that professional and backyard wrestlers crash through). To my amazement, that thing disappeared within a couple of minutes.

Speaking of musical geniuses, I really enjoy the work of Oscar winner Michael Giacchino--particularly his compositions for "Lost", "Cloverfield", and the latest "Star Trek" movie. When I found out that he would conduct a "Lost" concert at UCLA next month, I marked my calendar, waited for the tickets to go on sale at Ticketmaster, and scored one just seconds before the concert sold out. The advertised attractions include:

Also reserved June tickets for a "Video Games Live" concert in Los Angeles after reading that "Silent Hill" composer Akira Yamaoka would attend. If you read my blog a lot, you might recall that thanks to continuous false advertising I have never ever heard a live orchestral performance of "Silent Hill". To recap:

So maybe I'll have better luck with a "Video Games Live" concert that is actually advertising Akira Yamaoka as a special guest. I feel...cautiously optimistic.

Rented Amazon.com movie: "The Descent: Part 2" (2009-2010)
Claustrophobic and visceral like the first "Descent" movie...though to my disappointment, the big "WrestleMania" showdown that I waited so long for deflated once Sarah and Juno let bygones be bygones. Seriously, after all that?! Also felt that some of those characters deserved better--particularly the ones who had gone through such great lengths to survive. At least the filmmakers contrived a decent reason for why Shauna Macdonald would return--amnesia--though when she finally remembered everything, she sure took it stoically. If I had found myself back in the same death trap that I had just got done escaping from, I'd be ALL flipping out.

Personally, dark caves scare me more than blind underground monsters. I wouldn't be caught dead spelunking in an uncharted, pitch black maze like that. Rating: 5

Survivor woman
04/23/10 6:30 PM PDT

Wow, what a tribal merge on "Heroes vs. Villains". I'd easily nominate that episode as the greatest one I've ever seen in the history of "Survivor". In addition, I'm already convinced that "Heroes vs. Villains" will top my list as the best season of all-time.

Why did last night's episode rock? Let me count the ways:

And just like that...J.T. went home, the Villains triumphed over the Heroes, and Russell sat there wondering what the heck just happened.

By the way, props to the "Survivor" host for the funniest line I've heard in a long time:

Parvati: "I feel like a leper on this tribe, I do."
Jeff Probst: "But is that just because you're used to getting attention all the time in life?"
And knowing is half the battle
04/22/10 6:22 PM PDT

Seems like nowadays whenever I watch a "Lost" episode, I never want it to end. My new prediction about how "Lost" will conclude: the sideways timeline will replace the original timeline, and the main characters will remember both (which begs the question: would children like Ji Yeon and Charlie get born again?). Also, maybe Desmond will succeed Jacob instead of Jack. Desmond's acting way too weird and triggering way too many coincidences.

The Double Down sandwich from KFC....two strips of bacon and two cheeses sandwiched between two deep-fried chicken breasts. That is nasty.

Sometimes on my On Demand cable channel, I like browsing Common Sense Media and watching their family-friendly reviews of adult movies. For example, I found their review of "Jennifer's Body" particularly amusing because in their judgment, the film contained no positive role models in it. Ya think? :D So far, Rob Zombie's "Halloween II" received the worst review of all the ones I browsed--they denounced the film as having no redeeming qualities.

Just as I figured, the Common Sense reviewers had a field day with "Kick-Ass". :) Not that it would matter to the irresponsible parents who sat behind me with their little kid. You know what we need--theaters that only allow adults (no kids or teenagers). :)

Watched movie: "After.Life" (2010)
I seen.better. Pretty macabre to make a movie about people who remain conscious in their bodies after they die. A strong case for cremation, if you ask me. Strange how Christina Ricci could still grab stuff, unlock doors, and see herself in the mirror though. What was she, some kind of zombie? As for the moral of the story, I think the director tried to convey that we take our lives for granted. However, I couldn't quite tell because the movie never showed whether a fulfilled person led a better afterlife. P.S. When it comes to marriage proposals, Justin Long just can't seem to catch a break. P.S.S. I think Liam Neeson missed his calling...he would make an awesome funeral director in real-life (minus the cynicism, of course). Rating: 4
Watched movie: "Kick-Ass" (2010)
A well-written, occasionally offensive comic book adaptation that gave me mixed feelings--mostly because I could never quite decide whether to applaud the costumed vigilantes or condemn them. First off, I found the Kick-Ass character unconscionably reckless and extremely lucky to be alive--yet despite all the tragic consequences from his irresponsible conduct, the film still seemed to glorify it. Secondly, it disturbed me how the Nicolas Cage character turned his little girl into that potty-mouthed killing machine. Basically, the inappropriateness of her age kept me from fully enjoying those "Kill Bill" sprees (fun as they were). Side note: This movie managed to bogart two of my all-time favorite musical scores! Both by John Murphy: "In the House - In a Heartbeat" and "What Do You See?" Rating: 6
Countdown to the series finales
04/14/10 6:03 PM PDT

Two silent clocks in a row on "24"...messed up, man. Will that Jack Bauer ever catch a break? I guess on the bright side, maybe now Audrey Raines can come back. :) I always felt that she and Jack made the best couple.

I look forward to when the clock finally stops this season. I've grown so tired of the show. They repeat the same formula so often that it feels like I'm watching "Groundhog Day". At least the cast managed to stay fresh thanks to the abundance of deaths among recurring characters. :P

Funny fact: I believe that the number of new U.S. Presidents in "24" (9) now exceeds the number of seasons (8). Also, ever notice that only the white male Presidents seemed to hinder Jack Bauer?

Last night on "Lost", I noticed a possible plot hole: Dr. Pierre Chang, inexplicably alive and well, extolling Hurley in the sideways timeline. I can't prove that it's a plot hole, however, because perhaps the good doctor managed to escape before the bomb detonated? Ever since I began watching old episodes of "Lost", I caught possible plot holes here and there...but could never quite prove any of them. Prominent examples:

I used to find it contrived that the characters never had a single dynamite accident since season 1...but after last night, I changed my mind. :)

Watched movie: "Madeo" (2009) a.k.a. "Mother" (2010)
Korean murder mystery with a dark sense of humor (particularly when it came to the mentally disabled character). All I can say is: I'm glad that my own Mom never had to go through anything like this. What a nightmare. P.S. The dancing perplexed me until I thought back to an American movie that ended similarly, "The Conversation". Rating: 6

Trailer for "Resident Evil 4" on September 10: I'm really sick of these "Resident Evil" movies, but at least Paul Anderson is back directing this one.

"Let's get it on!"
04/09/10 5:19 PM PDT

While re-watching the No Holds Barred Match between Bret Hart and Vince McMahon, I noticed that the guest referee messed up. He started counting Vince out. Ehhh, no. A No Holds Barred Match means no disqualification--anything goes. Admittedly, I feel that WWE referees have tougher jobs than we think. For instance:

A super kick so powerful that even the referee felt it...?
Watched movie: "Clash of the Titans" (2010) in 3D
This remake of the 1981 flick made me nostalgic over the 80's fantasy films that I used to enjoy as a kid, e.g., "The NeverEnding Story" and "Krull". I don't really see movies like this anymore--unless you count carbon copies like "Percy Jackson", which I do not. :P

Although I watched "Clash of the Titans" with the fancy 3-D glasses, nothing stood out for me (pun intended). I think I read that they originally filmed everything as a 2-D movie, and only decided upon 3-D later. P.S. When I see Liam Neeson and Ralph Fiennes together, they sure look like brothers. P.S.S. Can someone explain the mechanical owl to me? Rating: 7

Hehe...that Medusa battle in "Clash of the Titans" reminded me my greatest triumph in "Final Fantasy" for the 8-bit NES, when I still defeated the final boss after that freaking Kraken kicked all of my characters' @$$es. After the final battle, my last surviving character had only one hit point left. One!

Watched movie: "The Secret of Kells" (2009-2010)
Mighty strange animation--like an Irish folklore version of "Persepolis", with more metaphors (?). Prior to the movie, someone asked me what "The Secret of Kells" was about. I didn't know. Now that I've seen the film in its entirety...I'm still not sure. What is the secret of Kells, anyway? The plot? It's like when my friends and I tried to make sense of "Ponyo". We didn't get anywhere. P.S. Does the cat in "The Secret of Kells" not age? Rating: 6
The anti-hero
04/02/10 10:52 AM PDT

The casting folks at "Survivor" need to invite Russell Hantz back to the show every season. That's all there is to it. Say what you will about him..."hobbit on crack"..."bandy-legged little troll"...evil incarnate...the guy makes great TV. I've never seen such a diabolical player. He makes grown adults look like Keystone Kops. :)

Last season, he conquered an 8-player alliance. Last week, he tricked one of the safest players in the game into eliminating himself. Last night, he dethroned his greatest adversary to date, Boston Rob, by corrupting one of Rob's most loyal followers! Crazy!

Oh, and the part where Rob asked Russell who they should vote out...and Russell casually pointed to the two people sitting with them?! MAN that was funny.

WrestleMania XXVI: Raising Arizona
03/31/10 9:28 PM PDT

Finally back from Arizona. Man what a long drive.

Nary any hitches at WrestleMania XXVI (26) this year, thanks to some "best practices" that I executed:

Joseph and Jerry

Oddly, the University of Phoenix stadium kept a special zone for ticket re-sellers a.k.a. scalpers. The scalpers looked gated in like cattle as they repeated "Got tickets?" and "Selling tickets," over and over.

To some of the indoor crowd's chagrin, the stadium kept part of the roof open so that the hot sun shined on them--prompting a chant of "Close the roof!"

Sometimes a tube of monitors descended upon the ring from the ceiling. Dangerous...Randy Orton almost got clipped!

The No Holds Barred Match between Bret "The Hitman" Hart and Vince McMahon made no sense to me at all. To summarize, Vince bribed the whole Hart family to surround the ring as lumberjacks, and boasted that he screwed Bret once again. Then to Vince's dismay, all of the Harts turned on him. Duh!! What did he think would happen?!?

Chris Jericho sure took long walking to the ring. :(

Smart move for WWE to end WrestleMania (deservingly) with the Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels rematch. I knew full well that those two would bring the house down again. Amusingly, the suspense made Freddie Prinze Jr. and Seth Green look really tense (they were sitting right next to us).

Unusually boring Money in the Bank Ladder Match
Vince swaggering around the ring, acting like he sure outsmarted that Bret
Vince still acting cocky before the big shock that his illogical plan backfired
Basically Vince just got beat up for the rest of the time in what amounted to a 12-on-1 handicap match
The sight of Vince in a sharshooter after 12+ years...surreal
Seth Green and Freddie Prinze Jr., watching the main event ALL intently
Streak vs. Career Match
What is up with that referee?
Watched movie: "How to Train Your Dragon" (2010) in IMAX 3D
Heartwarming 3-D spectacle that unlike "Eragon", excelled at developing the friendship between the human and dragon. Specifically, I liked how the human had to earn the dragon's trust...and I especially liked that the dragon didn't talk. The human's other relationships, i.e., his father and the girl viking, struck me as formulaic and less interesting. I particularly hated the villainization of the dragon queen who in my opinion, justifiably defended her nest. It made no sense to me that the worker dragons would betray her and fight for the extinction of their own race. Finally, I hope that little kids don't get the wrong idea and try to pet dangerously wild animals like the vikings in this movie did. :) Rating: 7
Ether
03/25/10 8:06 PM PDT

"Lost" went over longer than usual the other night, so my DVR cut off the very end. That's one drawback to watching a DVR program while it's still recording: no recourse if the ending gets cut off. Sometimes as a safety measure, I set my cable box DVR to record the same program. The cable box can record any program no matter how long it is, regardless of what time that it actually airs. Meaning, the cable box DVR won't miss a recording because of extended episodes, daylight savings time, or last-minute schedule changes (unless the program ran over because it aired live). The cable box also automatically records the channel that I'm currently watching--meaning, I can replay something that I failed to press the [Rec] button for, e.g., an Olympics commercial.

Fortunately, I caught the rest of the "Lost" episode online at abc.com. I have a new theory about that smoke monster. What if Jacob found a way to expel all of the evil inside of him, i.e., the black smoke? It would explain their weird relationship, and why Jacob acts so smug and likes to play God. Another theory I have: that the show is grooming Jack to replace Jacob so that the series can end with one final Jack/Locke confrontation. I could easily be wrong though. After all, I once touted a theory that the smoke monster masqueraded as the dog. :P On the other hand, I did predict the format for this season's "flashbacks" correctly...

Looks like the world's first commercial spacecraft finally took its maiden voyage. I first heard about the project from another passenger while waiting for our zero gravity flight to take off. Basically for $200,000, you can enjoy over two hours of uninterrupted weightlessness...or in my case, over two hours of uninterrupted queasiness.

Man, I made a clerical mistake on my 1040 that would have cost me around $1000 in additional taxes (I accidentally classified my long-term capital gains as short-term capital gains). The IRS enforces beaucoup taxes for holding a stock for less than a year. Good thing I caught that in time.

I noticed that "Precious" came out on DVD. Uhhh...what kind of person would willingly buy this movie much less watch it more than once? :P

This weekend: WrestleMania XXVI!

The greatest good for the greatest number of people
03/18/10 7:13 PM PDT

I'm seeing less and less FYE and Suncoast stores. All of the branches that I used to frequent between San Francisco and Sacramento disappeared. Admittedly, I barely collect any DVDs now. Soon Blu-ray will make my normal DVDs obsolete. I might as well just wait for the thing that replaces Blu-ray.

These new Chase ATM machines rock. I can just swipe my card now without worrying about losing it. In addition, the machine can scan check amounts without any deposit envelope or manual input.

I'm growing tired of the Camera Theater. They wouldn't let me see "Shutter Island" because they had rented out that theater for the evening. Something similar happened before, where a movie ran late because a group had rented out the room for too long (then to make matters worse, the projector broke and I had to watch the movie somewhere else). If that wasn't enough, one time I got turned away because the employees had shut the whole place down for a Christmas party! If they decide to cancel film showings, fine--but at a minimum, they really need to update the movie times and their Web site accordingly!

Watched movie: "Shutter Island" (2010)
Still don't know why Martin Scorsese directed a horror movie, but I thought he did alright. A number of parts reminded me of "Silent Hill" and creeped me out.

Just like during "The Informant!", I spent most of the film questioning the main character's sanity. Seriously, who in their right mind would voluntarily snoop around an island full of homicidal maniacs? If I had to explore a ward of escaped killers or climb down that dangerous of a cliff face, I would've been like, forget this. As you can imagine, the ending didn't surprise me at all. In fact, I had already suspected the twist before the movie had even started. :) Rating: 5

Watched movie: "Green Zone" (2010)
I never saw a Paul Greengrass film I didn't like...until now. Talk about a disappointment. Matt Damon racing to find Weapons of Mass Destruction in Iraq?? Did Greengrass seriously think that this premise would make a good thriller? If you ask me, the movie felt more like a political satire. In any case, I couldn't care less about Matt Damon's agenda. All that camera-shaking and jump-cutting felt pretentious to me, and nauseatingly overdone. Rating: 4
What the...??
03/12/10 4:33 PM PST

Today a co-worker pointed me out in Forbes magazine. I appear on page 25 of the March 15, 2010 issue. Apparently, the Zero G corporation began using my likeness to advertise zero gravity flights! Hey, where's my royalties? :)

And the "winners" are...
03/08/10 6:28 PM PST

All six of my Oscar predictions came true! Unprecedented.

Watched movie: "Alice in Wonderland" (2010) in Disney Digital 3-D
A visually captivating movie that made more sense when I didn't try to make sense of it. For instance, I didn't bother trying to understand the Johnny Depp character, or why Alice accepted her fate in Wonderland but not in the real world. I simply resolved not to take the film seriously (the same approach I used for "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy"). Rating: 6
Twelve years in the making
03/06/10 2:19 PM PST

It's on!

Although Bret Hart can't wrestle too much due to a career-ending concussion and a stroke that he suffered awhile back, I really look forward to the match between him and Vince McMahon at WrestleMania. For me, the melodrama and entertainment of pro-wrestling has always appealed to me more than the technical side. That's why I consider Hulk Hogan my favorite pro-wrestler, even though fans generally consider him one of the least technical wrestlers in the business.

I also look forward to the rematch between The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels from last year. At first, I suspected that Shawn Michaels might actually end Undertaker's undefeated WrestleMania streak this time. But then Shawn Michaels put his career on the line. Given the Internet news that he would take another long vacation after WrestleMania, I concluded that he'd probably "retire" and come back. The Internet sure spoils the suspense in wrestling.

Then again, I also heard that The Undertaker would also take time off after WrestleMania. He might want to retire against the best of the best. So I guess we'll see. (My money's on Undertaker though.)

I posted pictures from my Olympics trip in my past blog entries.

Watched movie: "The Crazies" (2010)
Overdone and overloaded with cheap "made-you-jump" shocks rather than anything scary. Admittedly, some parts did engage me. P.S. I'm sick of that horror movie mistake where the characters split up and venture into unsafe places alone. Rating: 6
Olympic Winter Games XXI: South of the border
03/02/10 10:48 AM PST

Finally flew back from Vancouver on Saturday, after I got lost driving to the airport and then missed my flight due to the line at customs. Apparently, the Vancouver airport mandates a customs screening before boarding the plane. Fortunately, I caught another flight rather easily despite how crowded it was. Although the airline had put me on standby, I knew full well that at least one other person would underestimate that security line.

Sheesh. When I paused after the customs agent inquired whether I checked in any baggage, he actually asked me why I had to think about my answer!

All in all, I'm happy to be back in America, where the stores accept Discover card and people use miles, gallons, and Fahrenheit instead of kilometers, litters, and Celsius. :) Admittedly, I loved how Canadian parking meters and vending machines accepted $1 and $2 coins. Also liked how the Canadian restaurants always gave three checks for those going Dutch: two separate and one combined.

People in Canada seem to live and die by hockey. They talk about it constantly; their phones apprise them of the score; the news keeps covering it; and between short track races, live feeds of the hockey games kept appearing on the screen. Judging by all of the loud hockey fanatics that I passed every day on the street, downtown Vancouver must've burst into sheer pandemonium the day after I left.

Now that the 2010 Winter Olympics concluded, I can rank the highlights of the games for me:

  1. Lindsey Vonn's catharsis. Out of all the gold medalists in the 2010 Olympics, I felt that Lindsey Vonn gave the most memorable reaction. Watching her tired me out. :)
  2. Evan Lysacek's showdown with Plushenko. Man, those men's figure skaters really threw it down. It felt like a WrestleMania main event, complete with heel promos by Plushenko. I'm glad that Lysacek prevailed after all that tireless preparation.
  3. Katherine Reutter's silver medal triumph in the 1000m. Too bad that only the live audience could see the full extent of Reutter's joyous celebration, where she skated in circles screaming at the sky. Later I read that her fourth place finish in the 1500m, which I had already forgotten about, devastated her to the point of almost quitting. Goes to show how important that these sports psychologists are (I once saw Reutter confiding in hers on a pre-Olympics segment).
  4. Bode Miller's redemption. Really cool that Bode Miller finally won that elusive gold medal after the U.S. media totally gave up on him. I guess maybe I identify with his stoicism. :)
  5. Seth Wescott's gold medal repeat. This time in the men's snowboard cross final, Seth Wescott slowly advanced from dead last to a thrilling first place photofinish.

Honorable mentions: Shaun White and Apolo Ohno. Apolo would've made my list if he had pulled off another gold medal. :)

Thanks to the shameless fervor in which Canadian TV sensationalized Joannie Rochette, she did not make my list. Although I felt bad for her, I resented proclamations like "this is the bravest girl that you're ever going to see". I once saw a U.S. short track skater sobbing on the start line because her grandfather had died of a heart attack the day before her race--she barely even got a sympathetic nod from the late night commentators.

Olympic Winter Games XXI: Home ice advantage
02/28/10 12:41 AM PST

Congratulations to Charles Hamelin for winning gold in both the 500m and 5000m relay. Even though I had to dejectedly suffer through "O Canada" and "I believe" for the umpteenth time, the guy totally deserved those victories. Side note: What's up with that jumping bean girlfriend of his? :(

As for Apolo Anton Ohno...a disqualification and another bronze medal? Come on, man--you can't end your career like that. :) Granted, Ohno has nothing left to prove--but what will become of U.S. short track at Sochi 2014? You gotta reconsider, man. :)

Pretty impressive that Ohno managed to advance into all four finals this time around, even in his worst race the 500m (to this day, I still can't believe that he won that race in the 2006 Olympics). Funny how Ohno admitted to nudging Tremblay, but claimed that Tremblay fell all by himself. Uh, good luck with that one. :) Ohno's allegation of biased refereeing might have some truth to it though--I've never seen a referee disqualify a winning racer on their own home ice. Ohno probably shouldn't talk, however, given all of the dubious calls that favored him in the past. :)

Overall as a short track fan, Friday night sucked for me. However, I did see one silver lining: Katherine Reutter. Her success in the 1000m final managed to attract more prime-time coverage for women's short track (she'll probably become a new face of the sport now). Sadly, neither NBC nor that biased CTV channel showed her medal ceremony--nor did they fully capture the emotion of her reaction. In addition to what you saw on TV, she also skated in circles screaming for joy, pumping her arms triumphantly. I've never seen anyone look so thrilled over a silver medal.

Apolo Ohno before his 500m final
Crazy aftermath of the men's 500m final--the Korean skater looked unconscious
Katherine Reutter after her 1000m final
Men's 5000m relay final
Bronze medal celebration
Canadians win again
Untelevised medals ceremony for the Ladies' 1000m
Dunno who she tossed those flowers to
Medals ceremony for the Mens' 5000m relay
Olympic Winter Games XXI: Ladies' free skate
02/26/10 1:41 PM PST

Mighty impressive figure skating last night...not a single fall from any of the top six women, and Kim Yu-Na shattered the ladies' world record! I felt sorry for the skaters who had to follow her (particularly Mirai Nagasu). I wonder why the current #1 doesn't just go on last, as the skiers do.

Still can't believe that my figure skating ticket landed me right in the front row! (I wore neon and sat next to a bored little kid who couldn't sit still.) Strangely, I saw lots of empty seats around me.

Despite my perfect vantage point, I restricted my photography to warm-ups and poses. Didn't want to accidentally blind any of the skaters during their jumps. :P

Warmups for the final six figure skaters
Kim Yu-Na
Rachael Flatt
Kiss and cry area
Mirai Nagasu's score
Medals ceremony
Victory lap

Overall, about two dozen skaters performed their long programs. Many of them fell, of course. Sometimes I could predict who would struggle based on their warm-ups.

One ticket left before my Vancouver trip concludes: Ohno's final (?) two races.

Olympic Winter Games XXI: First medal in 16 years
02/25/10 12:49 PM PST

Congratulations to the American women's short track team for their bronze medal victory in the 3000m relay! A good result considering how far that they trailed from the other three countries in the final (from my vantage point, the Americans almost got lapped). The race also marked the first time that I've even seen ladies short track make NBC's prime-time show. :)

Gotta feel sorry for the Korean skaters. They looked so happy before the disqualification took their gold medals away. I also read that the referee who disqualified them happened to be the same referee who disqualified Kim Dong-Sung for cutting off Ohno in the 2002 Olympics. Yikes.

U.S. men warming up
Katherine Reutter after her 1000m heat Apolo Ohno after his 500m heat
Ladies' 3000m relay final
Bronze medal celebration
Flower ceremony for the Ladies' 3000m relay

Today I attend the ladies figure skating long program. I think I'll finally sit in the lower deck this time. :)

Olympic Winter Games XXI: Maple syrup
02/24/10 2:50 PM PST

As expected, the Canadians popped loud for Ashleigh McIvor at last night's Vancouver Victory Ceremony. Also as expected, Canadian TV proudly replayed her victory ad nauseum. I find the highlight reels especially corny. They often play in slow-motion to the tune of "I believe", like some kind of propoganda film. :)

I would watch NBC instead, but everything's like yesterday's news by the time their prime-time show airs. In fact, I think all of last night's athletes received their medals before NBC even televised the first event.

On the bright side, NBC abridges the alpine skiing competitions rather nicely. Today's live Canadian coverage of women's giant slalom showed over 60 skiiers, so I could have easily missed that controversy with Lindsey Vonn and Julia Mancuso (which NBC will likely air tonight).

Someone once asked Julia Mancuso which feat would be harder to accomplish at one Olympics: winning 8 gold medals in swimming, or winning 5 gold medals in skiing. In light of all of the different mishaps at Whistler, I'd have to go with skiing. The sport just seems so unpredictable.

All in all, I think that Sven Kramer should headline the Olympic news. What a story--he won the 10,000m speed skating event, but got disqualified because his coach misdirected him into the wrong lane. Dude, how can someone go on after a brutal mistake like that? :P

Olympic Winter Games XXI: Worst sport ever?
02/23/10 4:35 PM PST

Last night, I attended a round robin for men's curling. I left after about half-an-hour.

The event started with a bagpipe band parading the teams in (turns out that curling originated in Scotland). The crowd went wild! Then three different games kicked off at the same time. Stone sliding, brushing, and roars from the crowd ensued. For reasons beyond me, points appeared on the scoreboards. I couldn't even tell which delivery made the crowd cheer, much less why the crowd cheered.

Side note: USA already trailed China big-time when I left, and probably wound up in last place by the end of the night.

The Olympic coverage here continues to crack me up. After that "disgraceful" loss to the American hockey team, Team Canada replaced their goalie. Also, the Olympics broadcast live here on about three different channels. So by the time Bob Costas' program had aired the ice dancing, I must've seen Virtue and Moir win that gold medal about there different times.

Well, tonight I brave the rain to attend another round of medals ceremonies. The Canadians will probably blow the roof off of BC Place for their new ski cross gold medalist.

Olympic Winter Games XXI: Woe Canada
02/22/10 2:57 PM PST

After all that controversy about the fenced-in torch, I finally got to see the 2010 Winter Games Caudron for myself. Meh.

Last night at the Vancouver Victory Ceremony, I got to hear the American anthem after all...on TV. Since the BC Place's ceremonies took turns with the Whistler Medals Plaza's ceremonies, half of the medals presentations broadcasted live via satellite (?). Interestingly, every gold medal of the night went to a different country--so I ended up hearing eight different national anthems.

The final gold medal, to my astonishment, went to American skiier Bode Miller. How cool is that, to finally win gold after all those disappointments. It always bugged me how the American media renounced Bode. In my opinion, they misinterpreted his stoicism as a lack of effort.

By the way, what's up with those wrinkled Olympic medals. The neurotic side of me just wants to flatten those things.

After the medals ceremonies, a couple of rock bands (Trooper and Loverboy) played their hits for the audience. I left early.

Man, people here sure obsessed over that "USA vs. Canada" hockey game. I passed all kinds of rowdy fans on my way to BC Place, and saw loads of news coverage on it. Today's headlines gave me the impression that Canadians expected better from their overall medal counts too. I guess that "Own the Podium" program didn't bear much fruit.

I'm starting to realize how manipulative that TV can be. After watching Canada's Olympic coverage for awhile, I began to feel this urge to root for Canadian athletes. :)

This evening, I attend curling qualification rounds. Afterward, I have four events left for the rest of the week. I'm really looking forward to short track and figure skating. To ensure that I never lose my tickets, I've been carrying them around with me wherever I go. :)

Olympic Winter Games XXI: Sidetracked
02/21/10 11:52 AM PST

Nice weather here in Vancouver. Too bad that downtown traffic and parking suck so badly. Rude drivers too. I'm glad that the city stepped up with its public transportation system, i.e. the SkyTrain and loads of free buses to Olympic venues.

I'm starting to tire of Canadian flags. I see them all over the place here--on buildings, on cars, and on people. Also, the Olympic news coverage largely focuses on Canadian athletes (most of whom I never heard of). I guess this shouldn't surprise me though--what else would they do, root for Americans? :)

I did find one channel that here airs NBC's coverage of the Olympic Games (the one hosted by Bob Costas). NBC really edits the short track racing. In the live event that I attended last night, the women skated first and then alternated with the men's races. The women's 1500m finals actually took place just before the men's 1000m finals. However, NBC televised all of the women's races in late night as if each one took place consecutively. Also, NBC pruned both of the closing flower ceremonies.

Both the men's and women's qualification races excited me. I beamed when both Apolo Ohno and Katherine Reutter made it to the finals. Unfortunately, my high hopes turned into bitter disappointment when both competitors slipped to the back of their respective packs. It's a wonder that Ohno still managed a bronze medal after a mishap like that.

Ideally, I wanted Ohno to win gold in the only individual Olympic race that he never won gold in--but I'll just have to settle for the consolation that he broke the record for most medals won by an American in the Olympic Winter Games.

Side note #1: The crowd sure popped for Ohno (and each Canadian skater).

Side note #2: I don't know if Ohno felt restless or what. During the skaters' semi-final and final introductions, he kept wondering off around the racetrack. At one point, he even kicked an entire line of blocks out of way.

Given all of yesterday's disappointing finishes, I'll probably be dejected at the medals ceremonies today. I really wanted to hear at least one American anthem. :)

Pacific Coliseum
Kristi Yamaguchi
Katherine Reutter in the Women's 1500m final
Ohno in the Men's 1000m final
Results of the Men's 1000m final
Flower ceremony for the Men's 1000m
Olympic Winter Games XXI: Tragedies and triumphs
02/18/10 12:27 PM PST

Sheesh...good thing I missed Apolo Ohno's twitter where he spoiled the results of the men's snowboard cross. That final race had me on the edge of my seat. Seth Wescott rules. Can't say the same for Lindsey Jacobellis, unfortunately. I waited four years for her to redeem herself after that notorious silver medal finish (as you might recall, she showboated before the finish line and crashed). I guess she'll have to try again in 2014.

Grrr, remind me to avoid all news sites and broadcasts for the duration of the Olympics. To my chagrin, CNN spoiled the result of the women's downhill event for me. I surfed to their Web site and gaped at a huge "Lindsey Vonn wins downhill gold" headline. It didn't occur to me that alpine skiing took place sooner than all the other events. Oh well. Lindsey Vonn sure looked happy, didn't she? Watching her on-air catharsis exhausted me.

As for Shani Davis, I'm glad that he seemed to appreciate his gold medal victory this time around. The first time that he won a gold medal, man--I couldn't believe how dejected he looked.

Bad news for my friend in Vancouver...the Olympic organizing committee cancelled his ticket to the snowboard halfpipe competition. "Heavy warm rains on Saturday and Sunday have made the general admission standing room area at the Cypress snowboard stadium unsafe for spectators. The rains washed away almost a foot of snow in the area where the standing room area was to be located."

Fortunately, all that bizarre Vancouver weather doesn't affect my events since they all take place indoors. This Saturday, I head to Vancouver (with my neon cap) for the women's figure skating, curling, and the final (?) short track races of Ohno's career. Based on my Internet research, he sounds like the underdog going in. However, I've learned never to underestimate him. :)

Olympic Winter Games XXI: "That's short track"
02/14/10 3:59 PM PST

Crazy 1500m short track final last night. Apolo Ohno had to race against not one, not two, but three Korean skaters at the same time. I'd liken that predicament to racing against three hostile motorists on a single two-lane highway. Normally, anything less than a gold medal for Ohno would disappoint me, but under those circumstances I felt thankful that he won any medal at all. The silver medal now ties him with Bonnie Blair for most Winter Olympic medals, and for those of you who like symmetry, tidily evens out his medal count to two gold, two silver, and two bronze.

That U.S. Olympic rookie, J. R. Celski, managed to win a medal too. Pretty good considering America's record in Olympic short track events.

Once again, NBC didn't air the women's short track qualification races live. So I had to sit through moguls and luge between Ohno's races...then wait past 12:30am to catch the pre-recorded women's races. Naturally, I rooted for Katherine Reutter, the promising young skater whom I met at the 2008 World Cup. Her false start in the 500m gave me quite the scare. I also found the women's relay semifinals really suspenseful--because if the Americans had failed to qualify, then I'd have had no one to root for from the stands next week. :) Side note: I verified that Allison Baver will skate in the relay final.

After listening closely to the announcer in that stadium, I now believe that I can take a camera into the events so long as I don't use flash. After all, I doubt that the announcer would warn against flash photography if security had confiscated everyone's cameras. :) I don't see myself taking too many pictures though...probably just of the starting line and the medal ceremonies (which NBC appears to snub unless an American wins gold).

Haha, love this quote from Ohno: "We skate with 17-, 18-inch samurai swords on our feet."

Watched movie: "Edge of Darkness" (2010)
Plot holes and confusing surprises galore...I guess that's bound to happen when you condense an entire British mini-series into one feature length American movie. For starters, why did the conspirators gun down Mel Gibson's daughter after they had already poisoned her? How did Mel Gibson get poisoned? Who was that British consultant who spent the whole film talking incoherently? And finally, just like in "The Constant Gardener", I had trouble following what the big bad company originally did wrong. Rating: 5
Watched movie: "Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief" (2010)
Film adaptation of a popular book series that in my view, cheaply ripped off characters from Greek mythology. I found "Percy Jackson" inferior to "Harry Potter" in every way. First, I found it lame that Percy's school taught medieval combat instead of skills for the real world (or at least how to hone their unique powers). Second, I detested the whole "capture the flag" part for three different reasons:
  • I found it irresponsible of the school to risk Percy's life like that.
  • I couldn't get past the cruelty in which the Annabeth character sliced up Percy in front of everbody. I'm supposed to view this girl as some kind of protagonist after that??
  • Just like in "Kung Fu Panda", I hate films where the inexperienced jobber defeats the expert despite their lifetime of training. I think it sends a bad message to little kids.
Lastly, I kept wondering why this movie had "Lightning Thief" in its title because the teenagers spent most of the film looking for pearls, not the lightning bolt or who stole it. More like "Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Senseless Road Trip", if you ask me. P.S. Did Percy murder his stepfather after the main credits? Rating: 5
Fiddle dee dee
02/09/10 5:45 PM PST

This year, I signed up for a workplace program that would give me a rebate if I improved my "personal vitality" over the new 2-3 weeks. Sounds simple, right? Well as one of the exercises, I'm supposed to assign myself 10 paper clips a week. Every time I think of something negative, I'm supposed to give up one paper clip (kind of like that Simpsons episode where Homer kept a swear jar). I can tell you right now, those paper clips are already gone. :)

Too bad I can't amend the exercise to retake one paper clip every time I think of something positive. I felt pretty euphoric yesterday when the dentist adjusted my bite to solve a toothache (I went in there dreading some kind of filling replacement or root canal).

Watched movie: "The Blind Side" (2009)
Wholesome feel-good movie with nary any conflicts in it, other than a couple of melodramatic scenes that nearly ruined the film for me. Specifically, I found it disappointing that the character whom I most related to, Michael Oher, would dare to second-guess his benefactors and almost throw his whole life away. Are you kidding me? If the real-life guy seriously reacted like that, then man what an ingrate. :P Rating: 6

Having seen "The Blind Side" a.k.a. the one Oscar nominee left that I missed watching last year, I can now rank all ten of the Best Picture nominees from 2009:

  1. "District 9" (My rating: 9)
  2. "Up in the Air" (My rating: 8)
  3. "The Hurt Locker" (My rating: 8)
  4. "Up" (My rating: 7)
  5. "Avatar" (My rating: 7)
  6. "The Blind Side" (My rating: 6)
  7. "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire" (My rating: 5)
  8. "Inglourious Basterds" (My rating: 4)
  9. "An Education" (My rating: 4)
  10. "A Serious Man" (My rating: 4)

I also already decided on my Oscar predictions for 2009:

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
02/08/10 7:18 PM PST

Read book: "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" (2003) by J.K. Rowling (spoiler alert)

A couple of Harry Potter fans once told me that they never cared for Order of the Phoenix--they liked Goblet of Fire the most. I couldn't disagree more. I'd actually consider Order of the Phoenix one of the best Harry Potter installments of the series, thanks to a lady whom I'd rank as one of the best villains of all-time: Dolores Umbridge. Man I hate that character. I hate her worse than Voldemort. She made me fume during the movie, and made me fume even worse when I read the book. I particularly liked that part (exclusive to the book) when she tried to trample on Harry Potter's career aspirations. (BTW, much respect to McGonagall for standing up to her.)

As a result of Order of the Phoenix, I decided to stop reading the Harry Potter books retroactively. This book took me about two years to struggle through, I believe, for a couple of reasons: a) I already knew what would happen from watching the movie, and b) I dreaded this particular chapter in Harry's character development...particularly the doomed bond with his really cool godfather and that tiresome longing for Cho, the girl who made his stomach turn somersaults. :)

Did I ever mention why I dislike Cho? For starters, her fixation on that dead ex-boyfriend of hers--I hated how she kept bringing it up and crying about it during conversations with Harry. Enough already. :) Secondly, her jealousy of Hermione--I hated how she accused Harry of liking her. Actually, maybe Cho should feel jealous because in my view, Harry and Hermione would make a much better couple. :) Thirdly, her defense of that snitch friend of hers. I found that betrayal inexcusable.

All in all, I liked the movie better than the book because the film trimmed stuff I didn't care about such as "Weasley is our King", Hermione's clothes for the house elves, the new centaur teacher, and Hagrid's mysterious injuries. However, I did feel that the book had its own unique merits. Examples:

I also enjoyed the colorful ways in which characters expressed themselves, e.g. Harry repressing a snort with difficulty, Fudge "ammending" someone's line, Umbridge speaking in a "testy" voice, Hermione speaking in an "injured" voice, Luna as usual looking as though she had "drifted in accidentally", and a confrontation where Voldemort "spat" his line.

A couple of my favorite quotes from book:

"He [Ron] had just made Harry feel rather better by telling him how he told the examiner in detail about the ugly man with a wart on his nose in his crystal ball, only to look up and realize he had been describing his examiner's reflection."

"It was a mark of the seriousness of the situation that Hermione made no objection to the smashing of the Transfiguration department."

Interestingly, my foreknowledge of the next two books led me to catch some tiny details in Order of the Phoenix that I never would've caught otherwise:

Rating: 7

Royal Rumble 2010 in Coldlanta
01/31/10 9:33 PM PST

My flight to Atlanta had so few passengers on it that we each got a row to ourselves. I also breezed through security since the checkpoint had no line.

Everything would've been perfect had a screaming infant not sat behind me. :)

Awesome Royal Rumble Match this year. Nary any overcrowding this time (unlike that "clustercuss" from last year). And at long last, I got to personally witness that "iron man" scenario wherein one wrestler goes on a streak and eliminates consecutive entrants one by one.

Good thing that I didn't bet on the winner this year. I would've lost...again...similar to how I almost lost the bet on that Royal Rumble Match two years ago. :)

Props to the Royal Rumble stage this year. The screen on the right displayed the countdown to the next entrant; the screen on the left displayed the wrestler's entry number (so no need to calculate entry #30 this time).

Wasn't a fan of that incessant blue light on the audience though.

Spilled milk: a good reason to cry
01/28/10 5:28 PM PST

I wonder where that saying, "Don't cry over spilled milk," came from. Earlier this week, I spilled milk in my car (or more accurately, failed to notice the leak in a jug of milk I bought until too late)...and I consider it a really big deal. After a futile attempt to clean it myself, I had to pay beaucoup bucks for a professional to take care of it.

In women's figure skating news, it looks like two teenage newcomers will represent USA at the 2010 Winter Olympics: Rachael Flatt and Mirai Nagasu. Sasha Cohen fell during the U.S. Figure Skating Championships and failed to qualify. Actually, I think Cohen is known for that though: biffing the long program after nailing the short program.

Finished tabulating the music video results for 2H 2009. "You're A Jerk" by New Boyz inexplicably came in last place. :)

Can't believe that "Avatar" broke the worldwide box office record set by "Titanic". At this rate, "Avatar" will break the U.S. box office record set by "Titanic" as well: $600.8 million. So even though James Cameron's films cost a whole lot, they sure make a whole lot.

This weekend: the Royal Rumble in Atlanta.

Watched movie: "Legion" (2010)
Another case where the movie trailer turned out better than the actual movie. (Minor spoiler alert.) For starters, I initially liked the premise of God giving up on humanity despite the pending birth of what I inferred as another Christ. However, during the film it occurred to me that if God wanted someone dead, He could just smite them with a bolt of lightning or drown them in a flood. Why send a grandma, a jobber ice cream man, a bunch of incompetent zombies, or an angel who suffers from the "talking villain" cliché? (By the way, those zombies should've overtaken the diner easily). Second, spare me from these sappy clichés where each character opens up about their life a la "The Breakfast Club". "When I was a kid..." and so on. I can tell you right now that if the world were ending, I wouldn't be sitting around sharing life stories. Rating: 3
Spannungsbogen
01/22/10 5:16 PM PST

What the heck. Thanks to the cancellation of "The Jay Leno Show", the "Law & Order" show that I watch every week will move to Mondays at 10pm. Now my Monday TV schedule will look like this:

Side note: I liked Hiro's reaction when his defense lawyer called him to the stand: "What? Have you seen 'Law & Order'? That always backfires."

The final Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien airs tonight. I still think that he got totally screwed. Back when he inherited the show from Jay Leno, I assumed that Leno would just retire if "The Jay Leno Show" ever got cancelled. I assumed wrong.

Fortunately, I got to attend Conan O'Brien's live taping at least once. Haha, someone once suggested to me that instead of seeing Conan live in New York, that I should wait until he takes over the Tonight Show in Los Angeles. It's like that discipline from the "Dune" novel: "the self-imposed delay between desire for a thing and the act of reaching out to grasp that thing." My two cents: sometimes if you desire a "thing", then you should reach out and grasp that "thing" ASAP before there's no more "thing" left to grasp.

Watched movie: "The Maltese Falcon" (1941)
All the makings of a quintessential private eye movie. First, it began with that familiar scene where the vixen walks into Humphrey Bogart's office. Then, she lured him into a web of deceit and shady, well-mannered villains (including that creepy Peter Lorre guy who gets spoofed a lot). The film kind of reminded me of "Raiders of the Lost Ark", actually. But unlike Indiana Jones, Humphrey Bogart's motivation really puzzled me. I spent less time wondering about the mystery of the Maltese Falcon, and more time wondering why Humphrey Bogart would act so coldly toward his partner's murder, constantly stick his nose where it didn't belong, and kiss a woman whom he clearly didn't trust. Interestingly, the ending answered all of my questions. Rating: 7
Watched movie: "The Book of Eli" (2010)
Painfully lame post-apocalyptic flick about a Christian missionary who basically kills any man who dares to provoke him. Man, here I thought that Mila Kunis would be the hardest thing to take seriously. I couldn't believe all of the contrived absurdities:
  • Denzel Washington "walking the earth" with no car and nary any water.
  • Denzel Washington massacring flocks of enemies one-sidedly (even the snipers).
  • Gary Oldman's crew whipping out a rocket launcher and gatling gun.
  • Denzel Washington rowing a boat with a hole in his chest while Mila Kunis just stared at him.
  • Denzel Washington reciting the entire Holy Bible word for word with a hole in his chest while the camera zoomed in on his eyes suggesting that he was blind the whole time?!
  • Mila Kunis turning badass and venturing back onto the road (presumably to her death unless she somehow learned how to defend herself).
Seemed like all of that senseless bloodshed could've been avoided if Denzel Washington had just used some diplomacy. Why did he withhold the most important piece of information about that book?? Rating: 4
A new day
01/14/10 7:00 PM PST
I find it cool when things unexpectedly work themselves out. During my Christmas vacation, I had three problems waiting for me back at work...and whenever my mind wandered to them, I felt a pang of anxiety.

Made me think of the advice that Locke once gave somebody on "Lost": to find something that you misplaced, stop looking for it.

With the Winter Olympic games coming up, I began skimming Apolo Ohno's twitter updates. Pretty funny how most of the tweets talk about training or feeling high on life. He even wrote the line, "Smiling as soon as I awoke!" I can't remember a single day in my life wherein I woke up smiling. I can, however, recall a lot of days when I woke up stoic.

Anyway, here's a recap of the Olympic events that I plan to attend during my Vancouver trip. Recently, a charge of $1724.51 alarmed me on my credit card statement. Turns out that my hotel in Vancouver charged me ahead of time for my stay. :)

Man, that Peter Petrelli character in "Heroes" is really starting to annoy me. Now that he can only absorb one power at a time, one would think that he'd absorb each power more judiciously. For example, he lost his power to heal people (useful for his job as a paramedic) by absorbing the power to fly. Stupid! Now he can't get the healing power back because the originator died. Then to my dismay, he gave up Claire's power to self-heal (useful for facing dangerous villains) in order to absorb the power to fly again. What!

Watched movie: "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus" (2009)
Illogical and surreal like something that Salvador Dalí would dream up. Strangely, the Devil kept reappearing in the movie to make wagers with the title character...I have no idea why, and I couldn't always make out their mumblings.

Out of all the actors who portrayed Heath Ledger's character in the Imaginarium, I liked Johnny Depp the best. Seems wrong that this guy never won an Oscar. Side note: some kind of cell phone rings after the credits. Rating: 5

Watched movie: "Daybreakers" (2010)
An interesting, occasionally pretentious movie about what our society would be like if vampires completely outnumbered human beings. I actually can't think of a vampire film that ever explored this premise before. Personally, a hypothetical scenario like this made a lot of sense to me given the seductive perks that vampires get: eternal youth and accelerated healing. The movie never explained whether vampires could propagate though--that'd probably be a dealbreaker for most folks (well, that and the "feeding on humans" part).

Just like in "Surrogates", I liked all of the little details about how business and technology would change to suit the new clientele. For example, cars that could block sunlight and self-repair flat tires, underground walkways, and uh...blood farming. Side note: what was with the bat. Rating: 7

Faces vs. heels
01/08/10 7:05 PM PST

Just when I thought that I wouldn't attend any more WrestleManias, WWE pulled a rabbit out of their hat. :)

Last Monday, I raced back to San Jose in order to catch a watershed episode of WWE. Bret "The Hitman" Hart finally returned to the WWE ring, after 12 years of estrangement from the company, to make peace over the Montreal Screwjob.

For you non-pro-wrestling fans, the Montreal Screwjob refers to a real-life 1997 incident so controversial that it divided the pro-wrestling world forevermore. Basically, Bret Hart refused to lose the WWF title to a real-life archnemesis of his, Shawn Michaels, in Montreal--and so Vince McMahon orchestrated a conspiracy to falsify the finish of their championship match (in retaliation, Bret spat on Vince and later punched him out in the locker room). The Montreal Screwjob gained such notoriety that it inspired multiple pro-wrestling storylines for years and years (including, I believe, the evil "Mr. McMahon" character that Vince plays on TV).

I had pretty much dismissed any notion that Bret Hart would ever appear in a WWE storyline again. It goes to show that you can never say never. :)

In other exciting TV news, the final season of "Lost" premieres on February 2.

Additionally, CBS finally announced the cast for to "Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains". I'm really looking forward it. In my view, the season will help me conclude whom I consider the greatest Survivor player of all time. I actually don't think that the "greatest Survivor player of all time" would have to win the game either. If the same player can consistently make it to the final two or three, e.g., Amanda, then I'd give that achievement more weight than someone who won the game earlier but went out quickly once they returned.

Currently, I narrowed down the best players to the following returning cast members:

Tom Westman
A New York firefighter whom I currently view as the best "Survivor" player of all time. In the Palau season, he inspired his tribe and even convinced another player to forfeit an immunity challenge for him. I also remember him killing a shark. Strengths: Formidable at immunity challenges and so charismatic that to my recollection, no one ever seriously considered voting for him. Weaknesses: He already won the million dollars.
Amanda Kimmel
A member of the dangerous "black widow" alliance, and the only castaway to make it to the jury vote both times that she played. If she makes it to the jury vote for a third time, I'll probably call her the best player ever instead of Tom. Strengths: Experienced at making it to the final two or three. Weaknesses: Unpopular with juries (plural).
Cirie Fields
A member of the dangerous "black widow" alliance, and almost made it to the jury vote both times that she played. Strengths: One of the best Survivor strategists that I've ever seen. Weaknesses: Bad at immunity challenges, so she might get voted out early.
Parvati Shallow
A member of the dangerous "black widow" alliance, and winner of the "Fans vs. Favorites" season. Strengths: Very good at recruiting allies with her flirting. Weaknesses: She already won the million dollars.
James "J.T." Thomas Jr.
A charming country boy whom other players seem to trust. Strengths: So likeable that lots of players want him in their alliance. Weaknesses: He already won the million dollars.
Rob Mariano
A Boston Red Sox fan who basically ruled over all of the other returning players in the All-Stars season. Strengths: Very good at recruiting and betraying allies. Weaknesses: His constant betrayals made jurors hate his guts.
Russell Hantz
A wild card who successfully led his minority alliance against a staggering 8-to-4 deficit in Samoa. Strengths: His ability to find hidden immunity idols deter other players from voting him out. Weaknesses: His ability to find hidden immunity idols might scare other players into voting him out. Also has a big temper and a big mouth. :)
Rupert Boneham
A really popular player among tribes and audiences. He has a beard and a memorable victory scream. Strengths: Handy around camp, and proficient at catching fish for his tribe. Weaknesses: Not much of a strategist, from what I've seen of him. He also won a million dollars already through an audience vote.
Stephenie LaGrossa
A popular player whom once received the moniker, "America's sweetheart". She once became the sole survivor of her tribe before the merge even happened. Strengths: Very good at befriending allies (and then discarding them). Weaknesses: Surprisingly terrible at immunity challenges.

As for the rest of the heroes and villains cast, I don't see them as any threat. :)

Offhand, if I were the players, I'd break up that "black widow" alliance and get rid of Russell early. :) The heroes should also keep Tom if they want to win tribal immunity (in Palau, he led his tribe to a perfect record).

Holiday movie marathon 2009
01/03/10 3:44 PM PST
Watched movie: "Sherlock Holmes" (2009)
Less like "Sherlock Holmes" and more like "House, M.D." and "James Bond". I did feel that Robert Downey Jr. successfully captured Sherlock Holmes' penchant for talking too much though. :) Rating: 6
Watched movie: "The Princess and the Frog" (2009)
Rewarding nawlins-based film that built up to a couple of big payoffs: a) I got to see a hard-working poor person live the American Dream, and b) I got to see an African American woman break though that "glass ceiling" to become Disney's first ever black princess. (I also got to see a crocodile's hilarious aspiration to play jazz with humans, and a firefly's unintelligible reincarnation as a star.) Rating: 7
Watched movie: "Das Weisse Band - Eine Deutsche Kindergeschichte" a.k.a. "The White Ribbon" (2009)
More tightly-wound psychological drama from a master of the craft, Michael Haneke. His latest film peeked into the private lives of devout Protestant villagers in 1913-1914 Germany. I say "peeked" because just like in "Caché", my brain had to fill in the puzzle pieces that Haneke intentionally left out. For instance, I couldn't quite deduce which villagers committed those heinous acts throughout the film, but had a good idea based on the clues. Well, a strong circumstantial case anyway. :) (I'm looking at you, bird-killing girl with the white ribbon.) By the way, props to all that suspenseful foreshadowing. I also loved the crisp, black-and-white cinematography. It made me think of an Ansel Adams photograph: rustic, sharp, and really high in contrast. I would've rated the movie higher except that for me, the ending left much to be desired, i.e., closure. Rating: 7

Update 1/28/2010: When I watched the movie again last night, I shifted suspicion to the boy who threw the baron's son into the water...he seemed mean enough, lived near the burning barn (whereas the pastor's children appeared to have alibis that night), and had a sister who somehow knew about the baby's window and the midwife's son. When I think about it though, I find it more and more likely that different perpetrators committed the crimes...and not necessarily in cahoots. Other tidbits that I noticed:

  • The director, Michael Haneke, sitting in the congregation?
  • A revelation by the schoolteacher that he married Eva (I didn't catch that the first time)?
  • The baroness and her son in the final scene (implying that she opted not to leave)?

On a final note, I really like the formality in how the children respect their parents. :)

Watched movie: "The Lovely Bones" (2009)
I found this movie depressing despite all of the joy and beauty in that murdered girl's afterlife. I also found the ending extremely anticlimactic. I wanted to see revenge...not this "moving on", "accentuate the positive" stuff. :( Most unsatisfying. Props to the trippy special effects though. Rating: 4
Watched movie: "The Bad Lieutenant - Port of Call: New Orleans" (2009)
Funny guy, that Nicolas Cage. His shameless antics cracked me up (even the part where he bullied the frail old lady). At first, his character seemed really serious--but after awhile, the cheesy overactor that we all know and love finally came out. :) One complaint of mine though: Nicolas Cage's bad posture. He seemed to slouch in "Wicker Man" too, so I'm starting to wonder whether Nicolas Cage's back is ok. Side note: What did all that weird alligator/iguana footage mean?? Rating: 6
Watched DVD: "Carriers" (2009)
A contagion movie called "Carriers" with no actual carriers in it. Lots of dumbasses though. I couldn't reconcile how these careless idiots managed to stay alive for so long. Fortunately, the film got much more interesting once the main characters sobered up. Talk about cold-blooded. :) Rating: 6
2000-2009 Decade in Review
12/31/09 5:13 PM PST

Biggest events of the decade, in my opinion:

9/11
When my car radio first reported the news about the World Trade Center, I dismissed the broadcast as fictional. Later I caught on when I saw IBM employees crowded around a TV. The rest of the workday felt pretty somber. Still can't believe that I slept through the whole thing.
Iraq War
I'm pretty much used to the war at this point--but when I first heard about it, I remember the news lowering my spirits. Also made my work at IBM feel trivial by comparison. I guess on the bright side, America got more than enough payback for 9/11.
Barack Obama
Due to my cynicism, I never thought that the United States would elect an African American President within my lifetime. I'm really glad that I lived to see the day. Amusingly, I had once forecasted the 2008 Presidential race as Hillary Clinton vs. Rudy Giuliani. :) (To this day, no one seems to understand why I like Giuliani so much.)
Best of 2000-2009 Worst of 2000-2009
Year 2006 2008
Events that happened to Steve
  1. Watching America elect is first black President.
  2. (tie) Watching Apolo Ohno win that gold medal at the 2006 Winter Olympics, and watching Michael Phelps win the eight gold medals at the 2008 Summer Olympics. Yes folks, I live vicariously.
  3. Seeing clearly after LASIK surgery.
  4. Accompanying my Mom and sister on a trip to Hollywood that included fine dining and Riverdance. I ended up treasuring this trip a lot more after my Mom's health deteriorated.
  5. Getting my first big accolades at IBM.
  6. Dining with our original family members after my cousin's funeral.
  7. (tie) Attending an exciting ECW event, and watching Hulk Hogan perform after he almost didn't make it.
  8. Successfully re-caulking the grout in my parents' bathtub.
  9. Eating tasty steak and shrimp scampi during that road trip from Chicago to Los Angeles.
  10. Sleeping through the night without any obscene screams from my noisy schizophrenic neighbor.
  1. Watching my Mom succumb to lung cancer.
  2. My landlord humiliating me with a "cure or quit" notice shortly after the news about my Mom's cancer, which to this day I still hold a grudge over.
  3. Seething from a couple of insensitive comments after my Mom's death, which also to this day I still hold a grudge over.
  4. Asking out someone's daughter who to my embarrassment, avoided me ever since. This awkward incident became my greatest deterrent against dating.
  5. (tie) Deciding that I hate office politics after nearly seven years of tolerating it, and getting snubbed at work.
  6. Driver lying that she had whiplash, causing me high insurance premiums for the next 3 years, and making me understand why drivers hit-and-run.
  7. Losing all of my HDD/DVD recordings in a hard drive crash; then discovering that companies stopped making HDD/DVD recorders.
  8. Missing WrestleMania 21, and then stewing for the next 40 days about my missing refund (which fortunately I did get later on).
  9. Suffering from the worst air sickness of my life during the zero gravity flight.
  10. Regularly losing sleep at night from the obscene screams of my noisy schizophrenic neighbor.
Movies
  1. "United 93" (2006)
    "Cathartic."
    "...the most profound and thrilling disaster movie of all time."
    "...best 9/11 portrayal ever..."
  2. "Sunshine" (2007)
    "...intriguingly tough choices..."
    "...[saw it] six times."
    "...insights about space travel and modern physics fascinating."
  3. "Memento" (2001)
  4. "The Bourne Supremacy" (2004)
    "What a difference that a director makes."
    "A white knuckle thrill ride through Moscow..."
  5. "The Bourne Ultimatum" (2007)
    "Thrilling from beginning to end..."
    "...best action sequence since 'The Matrix Reloaded'."
  6. "Ju-on: The Grudge" (2003)
    "One of the scariest movies that I've ever seen!"
    "...made me somewhat paranoid afterward."
  7. "Shaolin Soccer" (2003)
    "Hilarious beyond belief."
    "I can't remember the last time that I laughed so hard during a movie."
  8. "Spirited Away" (2002)
    "Epitomizes Japanese animation."
    "...when it comes to fine detail, Miyazaki breaks from the pack."
    "Still my all-time favorite animated motion picture..."
  9. "The Matrix Reloaded" (2003)
    "...incredible sensory experience..."
    "The coolest action movie of all time until I see something better."
    "What an awesome ~15 minutes of action..."
  10. "Wicker Park" (2004)
    "Masterful suspense/romance/drama..."
    "When I think of heartache, I think 'Wicker Park'."
  1. "Jackass: The Movie" (2002)
    "...perhaps the most disgusting cinema that I have ever seen."
    "...completely tasteless and devoid of any redeeming value."
  2. "Ido" (2007)
    "Revolting and perverted."
    "...utter disgust..."
  3. "The House of the Dead" (2003)
    "A complete disgrace to the zombie film genre."
    "...the movie seemed more like an infomercial for the video game..."
  4. "Irreversible" (2003)
    "...sickening beyond belief."
    "Possibly the most nauseating movie ever..."
  5. "Alone in the Dark" (2005)
    "...high-budget B-movie."
    "...an unintelligible disgrace to H.P. Lovecraft..."
  6. "Stay Alive" (2006)
    "...decided to write down the stupidities..."
  7. "House of 1000 Corpses" (2003)
    "...obscene, mind-numbing..."
    "Not sure why anyone would like this irritating, brain-cell killing movie."
  8. "The Number 23" (2007)
    "...couldn't quite decide whether to rate it a 2 or a 3."
  9. "Rat Race" (2001)
  10. "Happy-Go-Lucky" (2008)
    "An annoying comedy about an annoying optimist who socializes with annoying people."
Acting performances
  1. Daniel Day-Lewis in "There Will Be Blood" (2007)
  2. Russell Crowe in "A Beautiful Mind" (2001)
  3. Mickey Rourke in "The Wrestler" (2008)
  4. Anne Hathaway in "Rachel Getting Married" (2008)
  5. Rose Byrne in "Wicker Park" (2004)
  1. Paul Walker in "Running Scared" (2006)
  2. Tara Reid in "Alone in the Dark" (2005)
  3. Liv Tyler in "The Incredible Hulk" (2008)
  4. Scarlett Johansson in "The Black Dahlia" (2006)
  5. Pierce Brosnan in "Mamma Mia!" (2008)
Songs
  1. "Room of Angel" Akira Yamaoka (2007)
  2. "The Only One" Evanescence (2006)
  3. "Stop and Stare" OneRepublic (2008)
  4. "Running" No Doubt (2003)
  5. "Better In Time" Leona Lewis (2008)
  6. "Say It Right" Nelly Furtado (2006)
  7. "Untouched" The Veronicas (2008)
  8. "Unwritten" Natasha Bedingfield (2005)
  9. "My Life Would Suck Without You" Kelly Clarkson (2009)
  10. "Stuttering" Ben's Brother (2007)
  1. "Falling Down" Scarlett Johansson (2008)
  2. "Birthday Sex" Jeremih (2009)
  3. "Turn My Swag On" Soulja Boy Tell'em (2008)
  4. "Good Times (I Get High)" Styles P (2002)
  5. "Oh Boy" Cam'ron featuring Juelz Santana (2002)
  6. "Oops (Oh My)" Tweety (2002)
  7. "1 Thing" Amerie (2005)
  8. "Let Me Hold You" Bow Wow featuring Omarian (2005)
  9. "1, 2, 3, 4" Plain White T's (2009)
  10. "Say I" Christinia Milian f/ Young Jeezy (2006)
Music video "Jesus Walks" Kanye West "Right Now" Korn
Album "Fallen" Evanescence "Anywhere I Lay My Head" Scarlett Johansson
TV series
  1. "Buffy: The Vampire Slayer"
  2. "Lost"
  3. "House, M.D."
  4. "The Simpsons"
  5. "Survivor"
  1. "Cheaters"
  2. "The Bachelor" (and all shows like it)
  3. "Blind Date"
  4. "TMZ"
  5. "Total Nonstop Action"
Commercial "Ratchet & Clank" commercials where teenagers try out weapons "not meant for this world". Boost Mobile commercial where a female cyclist with armpit hair says, "You think this is wrong?"
Movie trailer "Memento" (2001) "Year One" (2009)
Director Paul Greengrass Uwe Boll
Video games
  1. "WWF SmackDown! 2: Know Your Role" (PSX)
  2. "Resident Evil 4" (GC)
  3. "Silent Hill 4: The Room" (PSX2)
  4. "Silent Hill 2" (PSX2)
  5. "Resident Evil" (GC)
  1. "WWF Royal Rumble" (DC)
  2. "Legends of Wrestling" (PSX2)
  3. "WWE WrestleMania X8" (GC)
  4. "Resident Evil Zero" (GC)
  5. "Silent Hill: Origins" (PSX2)
Beverage Sprite Tropical Remix Salted lassi
2009 Year in Review
12/27/09 2:52 PM PST
Best of 2009 Worst of 2009
Events that happened to Steve
  1. Sleeping soundly through the night without any obscene screams from my noisy schizophrenic neighbor.
  2. Gliding through New Orleans swamps and bayous on an airboat, and watching the alligators eat jumbo marshmellows.
  3. (tie) Successfully securing Winter Olympic tickets, and unexpectedly scoring WWE Bash and Tori Amos tickets when all hope seemed lost.
  4. Finally recording that "Break The Ice" music video by Britney Spears after I had lost it in the HDD crash.
  5. Enjoying Pueblo Pork Roast at the IBM cafeteria.
  1. Regularly losing sleep at night from the obscene screams of my noisy schizophrenic neighbor.
  2. Getting ripped off on craigslist.
  3. Suffering all night from what felt like food poisoning.
  4. (tie) Sweltering in New Orleans and getting indigestion from the cuisine; and completely losing my sense of taste during a bad head cold.
  5. Realizing that I had locked my keys and cell phone in the car around 10pm at night in a very small town.
Movies
  1. "District 9"
    "A smart and stirring Sci-Fi movie...frighteningly plausible..."
  2. "Invictus"
    "Moving and deeply inspirational..."
  3. "Coraline"
    "Marvelous stop-motion animation..."
  4. "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince"
    "...I did laugh a whole lot."
    "...intrigued me enough to re-watch it [four times]..."
  5. "Up in the Air"
    "...this movie really spoke to me."
  6. "Star Trek"
    "...I found this movie both thrilling and demeaning."
  7. "The Hurt Locker"
    "Thrilling movie about a job that I'd easily nominate as the worst one on Earth..."
  8. "Gomorrah"
    "An entertaining, modern-day Italian mafia movie..."
  9. "Watchmen"
    "Interesting Cold War era movie if you can get past the constant reminder that these superheroes have no shame."
  10. "The White Ribbon"
    "More tightly-wound psychological drama from a master of the craft..."
  1. "Surveillance"
    "Perverse and insulting to the intellect..."
  2. "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen"
    "Two and a half hours of nonstop stupidity."
  3. "Sin Nombre"
    "...a wholly unpleasant movie that failed to reward my toleration of it."
  4. "Land of the Lost"
    "I felt sorry for fans of the original TV series, because this movie sure debased it."
  5. "A Single Man"
    "I'm starting to think that I should just avoid films whose titles begin with 'A' and end with 'Man'."
  6. "Underworld: Rise of the Lycans"
    "Skip it."
  7. "The Grudge 3"
    "I guess you can only relive the same curse so many times before it grows stale."
  8. "Adam"
    "I hated this movie for the same reason that I hated '50 First Dates'."
  9. "A Serious Man"
    "...should have called this film 'A Boring and Pathetic Man'."
  10. "X-Men Origins: Wolverine"
    "A 'shiny', yet lackluster backstory for one of my favorite X-Men characters."
Songs
  1. "Undisclosed Desires" Muse
  2. "My Life Would Suck Without You" Kelly Clarkson
  3. "Poker Face" Lady Gaga
  4. "Already Gone" Kelly Clarkson
  5. "All I Ever Wanted" Kelly Clarkson
  6. "Jai Ho! (You Are My Destiny)" AR Rahman & The Pussycat Dolls f/ Nicole Scherzinger
  1. "Birthday Sex" Jeremih
  2. "Baby by Me" 50 Cent featuring Ne-Yo
  3. "Kiss Me Through The Phone" Soulja Boy Tell'em featuring Sammie
  4. "1, 2, 3, 4" Plain White T's
  5. "Best I Ever Had" Drake
Music video "Bad Romance" Lady Gaga (tie) "Lessons Learned" Matt and Kim and "Best I Ever Had" Drake
TV series "Lost" "WWE Superstars"
Commercial (tie) "Major League Baseball 2K9" commercial where Tim Lincecum coaches his easily distracted video game counterpart, and Sony commercial where "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs" characters join the Sony panel of "experts". (tie) Boost Mobile commercial where a female cyclist with armpit hair says, "You think this is wrong?" and Burger King commercial where women coo over the new BK burger shots.
Movie trailer "Star Trek" "Year One"
Beverage Café au lait Diet Pepsi Max
Watched movie: "Nine" (2009)
Finally a Broadway musical adaptation that made sense to me. Instead of breaking into song in the middle of a conversation, each character performed their song and dance on some faraway stage. For the most part, I found the movie ok even though I don't care for showgirls or burlesque. I lowered my rating, though, after I found out that it remade (and rounded up) a classic Fellini film titled "8 1/2". Rating: 5
Watched movie: "Avatar" (2009) in 3D
A visual splendor of 3-D animation courtesy of James Cameron (and hordes of CGI folk). Although I felt that "Dances With Wolves" told this kind of story the best, I certainly found "Avatar" more gorgeous. Rating: 7
Return, Revenge, Redemption
12/24/09 5:19 PM PST

Ok, here it is: my own personal list of the best "heroes" and "villains" in the entire 19-season history of "Survivor".

As I examined the list, I noticed that nary any "villains" ever won the game. I think that reinforces my belief that the best Survivor players strategize on the inside while staying likeable on the outside. Politicians, if you will.

Heroes Villains
Tom Westman (the charismatic firefighter who won "Survivor: Palau") Dre "Dreamz" Herd (the hypocrite who reneged on his deal with Yau-Man)
Rupert Boneham (the bearded fisherman guy with the loud victory scream, who won a million dollars as the show's favorite All-Stars contestant) Jonny Fairplay (the idiot who lied that his grandmother died)
Yau-Man Chan (the popular Chinese guy) Benjamin "Coach" Wade (the haughty, self-proclaimed "Dragonslayer" warrior)
James "J.T." Thomas, Jr. (the likeable country guy who won "Survivor: Tocantins") Jerri Manthey (the infamous villainess from "Survivor: The Australian Outback")
Michael Skupin (the guy who passed out into the fire) Russell Hantz (the saboteur with a big mouth who should have won "Survivor: Samoa")
Yul Kwon (the likeable people manager who won "Survivor: Cook Islands") Rob Mariano (the Boston "Godfather" who betrayed too many players to win "Survivor: All-Stars")
Jessica "Sugar" Kiper (the pin-up model who felt that "the good guys should win in the end") Sue Hawk (the truck driver from "Survivor: Borneo" who delivered the infamous speech about the "snakes" and "rats")
Bob Crowley (the resourceful Physics teacher who won "Survivor: Gabon") Richard Hatch (the winner of "Survivor: Borneo" who gained notoriety by evading his taxes)
Ozzy Lusth (the acrobatic competitor whom all the women seem to like) Natalie Bolton (the "black widow" who dissuaded men from using their immunity idol)
Colby Donaldson (the cowboy whom all the women seem to like) Ken Hoang (the video gamer who lied a lot)
Paschal English (the upstanding judge who drew "purple rock") Jonathan Penner (the intellectual player who "mutinied" and then betrayed the tribe that took him in...to tell you the truth, he's actually one of my favorite players)

I almost included Stephenie LaGrossa as a hero, but the Guatemala season sorta knocked some shine off that halo. I also excluded Elisabeth Filarski from the heroes list after she stirred up controversy as a co-host on "The View". :)

Ever notice that the lyrics to that stupid LMFAO song, "I'm in Miami Trick", change based on the location of the radio station that plays it? For a long time I thought that the chorus line went, "I'm in the Bay trick", until I drove to southern California and the chorus changed to, "I'm in LA trick". At one point on the road, I could've sworn that I heard those idiots sing, "I'm in the desert trick".

Watched movie: "Chi Bi" (2008) a.k.a. "Red Cliff" (2009)
A rather artful war movie, courtesy of John Woo. The warriors scrambled around according to "animal" formations, and often clanged their shields together a la "300". Sometimes each General charged into the fray like some kind of "Royal Rumble", and cleaned house. Interestingly, the Prime Minister, Emperor, Lords, and Generals all seemed small compared to the two most serene guys in the film: the war strategist and the Viceroy. When those two guys first sat down and conversed by string music instead of words, I pretty much deduced that they'd run the show. :) Rating: 7
Attended performance: "Riverdance"
I decided to catch one of the farewell performances (from the third row this time). I noticed a bit more, such as certain dances that looked improvised rather than choreographed.

If you ever wanted to see "Riverdance", then you better act fast. Rating: 8

Survivor man
12/20/09 6:22 PM PST

"Survivor: Samoa", one of the best seasons that I've ever seen, finally concludes tonight. I hope that guy Brett doesn't win the rest of the immunity challenges. Talk about a bump on the log.

I think Survivor fans around the world can agree that "evil" Russell played the best game this season...which struck me as ironic because I kept pegging Russell as the least likely player to make it to the end. Look at how he played the game:

Historically, just one of these reasons alone could get a player voted out. Russell embodied all three!

Interestingly, I don't hate Russell all that much despite everything that he did in the first episode (committing sabotage and calling people "dumb"). Once he found that hidden immunity idol without any clues (the first player ever to do so), I actually began to respect him.

The Survivor players that I hate the most are the hypocrites--the ones that self-righteously claim that they have morals and integrity, when in fact they're just as bad (or worse) than everybody else. I think that one player, Dreamz, epitomized my sentiment. I still remember how he accepted someone's car in exchange for his immunity idol, and swore to God and swore on his son that he would honor his word. In the episodes that followed, he insisted that he would show a good example to his son and even acted indignant at the notion that anyone would doubt him. When it came time to hold up his end of the deal--even though he had no chance of winning the game--he reneged...and also kept the car!

Update 12/21/2009: Too bad about this season's winner. That's happened before, where a jury voted for the "coattails" player out of hatred for the "mastermind" player. It did seem like poetic justice though, that Russell would lose to a woman whom he inappropriately called "dumb". Hubris...

Update 12/21/2009: Hey, maybe Dreamz will wind up on "Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains". I should make a list of the players who struck me as the biggest heroes and villains.

Watched movie: "Los Abrazos Rotos" a.k.a. "Broken Embraces" (2009)
Suspenseful and comedic like a Hitchcock film, except that the storyline built up to...well, nothing. Penélope Cruz played the object of the men's obsession. Side note: Was it my imagination, or did that blind guy look through a peephole? Rating: 5

Can't wait to see the new, critically acclaimed film by Michael Haneke titled "The White Ribbon". The trailer came on before "Broken Embraces", and looked really good.

Fire burning
12/17/09 6:53 PM PST

My Olympic ticket for women's figure skating arrived today. Ex-cel-lent. Hopefully, I'll have someone to root for. Last I read, injuries sidelined all of the top Americans.

I liked seeing Benjamin Bratt on that last episode of "Law & Order". His appearance reminded me of that golden age in the series when he used to investigate homicides with Jerry Orbach. I always enjoyed the chemistry between those two. Season seven, in particular, won an Emmy and featured all of my favorite episodes.

That weekly storyline regarding Lt. Van Buren's cancer is starting to depress me. I noticed that after my Mom, I began feeling more of a connection to other families in the same situation. My opinion about chemotherapy also changed, as I used to see a dignity in refusing it. Not anymore. If I ever contract cancer, then sign me up.

Watched movie: "The Messenger" (2009)
A dark but absorbing drama that humanizes those soldiers who walk up to peoples' doors to notify them that their loved one died in war. The movie made me frown a lot--particularly during the following parts:
  • Any scene where the soldiers had to stay composed while someone bawled at, verbally abused, spat upon, or hit them.
  • Any scene where Ben Foster fraternized with one of the widows, which I found inappropriate.
  • Any scene where Ben Foster and/or Woody Harrelson disgraced the U.S. Army with their off-duty antics.
I guess just like in "Law & Order", the two guys' job intrigued me more than their personal lives. So I found the first half of the film much more interesting than the second half. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "A Single Man" (2009)
Reminded me of that Stanley Kubrick film, "Eyes Wide Shut", in that nothing much happened except for various characters coming onto the main guy (in this case, the guy preferred men). For some reason beyond me, the director employed a lot of slow motion, flashbacks, and close-ups on people's mouths and eyelashes. The director also seemed to saturate and de-saturate the colors depending on the main guy's mood. In summary, I didn't care for the movie at all. Although everything took place in one day more or less, the day never seemed to end. I'm starting to think that I should just avoid films whose titles begin with "A" and end with "Man". Rating: 3
Watched movie: "Invictus" (2009)
Moving and deeply inspirational...though admittedly, I might have some bias given that I consider Nelson Mandela one of the coolest people on Earth. :) In fact, just watching Morgan Freeman talk like him made me starstruck. For the most part, I suspended disbelief even though the film kinda made it look like the Springboks had to win the World Cup in order for South Africa to reunite. :) Realistically, I think that Mandela simply wanted both blacks and whites to root for the same rugby team...which in itself, I considered a worthy challenge. After all, Mandela risked alienation by backing a team that once symbolized apartheid. P.S. I'm glad that Clint Eastwood finally chose to direct something uplifting. :) Rating: 8
Social network
12/10/09 5:20 PM PST

I didn't like how "Monk" ended. (If you didn't see the series finale, read no further.)

Specifically, let me explain the unfortunate irony of that plot twist. The actress who plays Monk's wife Trudy, Melora Hardin, also played Michael Scott's ex-girlfriend Jan on "The Office". In one episode, Michael reunited with Jan just to father a baby that she conceived through artificial insemination. When Michael grew depressed, his co-workers helped him realize that he felt no bond with the baby because he had no paternity to it.

Ironically, I shared that same sentiment about Monk's obsession with Molly: a grown-up woman whom Monk had no paternity to. Weirded me out.

Ate at restaurant: Old Mandarin Islamic Restaurant
A really small and smelly Chinese restaurant located within my least favorite city on Earth. The food tasted aiight though (I had the sesame chicken and won ton soup).
Watched movie: "Up in the Air" (2009)
Another witty comedy-drama from the director of "Juno". This one explored human relationships: their pros, cons, and how modern technology evolved (or devolved) them. For instance, the starring character (George Clooney) resisted a hotshot rookie's proposal to fire employees over the Internet...which struck me as ironic given his credo against all personal attachments, e.g., marriage, friendship, and family ties. Actually, I couldn't believe how closely that his philosophy about life matched mine. Even though I generally believe in personal attachments, I certainly see how they could turn into nuisances--particularly the ones with lots of expectations, maintenance, or "entitlements". Plus just like the George Clooney character, I don't get lonely or worry about dying alone (meaning that I never have to settle). I guess all in all, this movie really spoke to me. :) Rating: 8
Watched movie: "Everybody's Fine" (2009)
A slow drama that only kept my interest because of how closely that Robert De Niro's family resembled mine (two sons, two daughters, and their Mom recently died). At times, I pictured my own Dad whenever Robert De Niro struck up conversations with strangers, and traveled without making use of a cell phone. That's why it distressed me whenever he roamed through unsafe places (using public transportation rather than a car) without telling his kids where he went (which he did on purpose to surprise them). Man...when he inexplicably covered up that incident where the mugger crushed some really important medication, it made me realize why his kids turned into such liars. :) Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Brothers" (2009)
Awkward moments galore. Not sure what point that this movie tried to convey. The only message I got from it was: don't plop a soldier back into family life if he looks totally psycho. In summary, the trailer pretty much covered everything in the plot except for the pivotal incident that traumatized Tobey Maguire. Rating: 5

I ended up seeing "Brothers" in place of the original film that I wanted to see. The film projector broke, so the theater gave me two free VIP passes.

Elephant in the room
12/04/09 5:24 PM PST

While waiting for a concert to start, I noticed something curious: the girl next to me began signing to a lady two rows down from her. A really lengthy conversation, too--not just "hello" and "thank you". It made me wonder whether sign language could communicate specific names and places. Also made me wonder whether a deaf person would ever attended a concert.

Attended concert: "Kelly Clarkson with Eric Hutchinson and Parachute (All I Ever Wanted Tour)"
Given that my top two favorite Kelly Clarkson singles of all time actually came from her latest album, "All I Ever Wanted", I figured that I might as well attend the one concert least likely to snub them. Interestingly, she kept me in suspense by saving both of these songs for the encores (I'm more used to musicians saving their greatest hits for the end). To my amusement, one of her encores appeared to confuse the audience: a rendition of "Seven Nation Army" by the White Stripes. She also performed "Rock With You" (Michael Jackson) and "Use Somebody" (Kings of Leon). Personally, I don't like it when a concert digresses into other artists' music...but in this case, I didn't mind since the rest of her set list managed to cover everything that I wanted to hear.

I concluded that Kelly Clarkson does not lip synch. After introducing one of her songs as "happy" in order to show that she doesn't just perform "sad and depressing" songs, she forgot the lyrics. She also sounded tired by the time that she got to "Since U Been Gone"...I suspect that I know the reason, but would rather not say aloud. Rating: 8

Watched movie: "Ninja Assassin" (2009)
Cheesy but decently entertaining martial arts flick. My two main criticisms: a) that the film should have slowly escalated the violence, instead of using up all of the best gore at the beginning; and b) that the film sure jobbed those ninjas--they went from all-powerful to so incompetent that even normal gaijin could beat them. Also heard a criticism about the ninjas' farfetched ability to heal themselves. Actually, I didn't mind that contrivance--it helped explain how the hero could survive so much punishment without bleeding to death. Rating: 6

Man, these pro-wrestlers keep dying. This latest one to die, Umaga the Samoan Bulldozer, competed in a couple of my favorite WWE matches: the Hair vs. Hair Match between Donald Trump and Vince McMahon at WrestleMania 23, and the Last Man Standing Match with John Cena.

Loved and lost
11/29/09 4:27 PM PST

I guess last Friday's penultimate episode of "Monk" sorta revealed the mastermind behind Trudy's murder (I say "mastermind" because Monk already found the car bomber and the six-fingered accomplice). Interestingly, I cared less about the revelation and more about the flashback where Trudy actually died. Despite all of the onscreen evidence of her demise, i.e., Monk finding the lady whom Trudy donated her corneas to, I always wondered in the back of my mind whether the car bombing could have been staged.

I also felt somewhat indifferent about the revelation because when I think back to all eight seasons of "Monk", none of my favorite episodes had much to do with Trudy. I guess I always found Monk's dream to rejoin the police force much more interesting.

Now that Stottlemeyer, Randy, Sharona, and Natalie all found love, I think that wraps up every character arc for Monk's co-stars. I'm still wondering whether Monk would ever find love again. If I remember correctly, he met three different love interests over the course of the series. Pretty good considering his neurotic behavior and that wedding ring that he never takes off.

Speaking of "Monk", this recent increase in my California state tax really bugs me--not so much because I miss the money, but because I loved how my paycheck used to come out to an even number.

Watched movie: "Twilight Saga: New Moon" (2009)
I left "New Moon" with a headache--possibly because I found that Bella character so insufferable that she hurt my head. :) It frustrated me how she kept feeling sorry for herself and brooding over guys instead of trying to make something out of her life. Also frowned at how the women in the audience kept sighing and catcalling (particularly when the werewolf guy had his shirt off, which was pretty much the entire movie). Finally, I couldn't believe how easily that Bella forgave the creepy pale vampire who broke her heart. In summary, the movie exemplified why I feel so cynical toward romantic relationships. Trivial side note: anyone notice that the head werewolf in "Underworld" played the head vampire in "New Moon"? Rating: 5
Watched movie: "Bright Star" (2009)
Dragged on an on for me like a movie day in English class, but without any clock to glace at nor any desk to lay my head upon. For a film based on such a short-lived poet, it sure took long enough for him to die. I guess poetry just doesn't appeal to me. Also, if I had to pick the worst-dressed people in the history of the world, I'd easily nominate the men and women of 1800's England. :) Rating: 4
Watched movie: "The Road" (2009)
Man, could this movie get any more depressing? By the end of it, I still couldn't think of any reason for the man and his son to keep on living. Maybe the book explains their motives better. Personally, I thought that the boy talked too much. :) I frowned every time that he insisted that they play good samaritans (an easy way to get themselves killed), and cringed whenever he made noises that could alarm one of the bad guys. P.S. Anyone know what made the world end in the first place? Volcanoes? Rating: 5
Watched movie: "Fantastic Mr. Fox" (2009)
Amusing stop-motion animation about a charming fox (George Clooney) whose return to mischief triggers a feud with three relentless farmers. Lots of funny running, eating, digging, dancing, and parkour. Lots of hilariously dry humor as well. Rating: 7
Top five favorite meals of all-time
11/19/09 7:28 PM PST

Today at lunch, the IBM cafeteria served a new entree called Pueblo Pork Roast: slices of pork coated with quite possibly the best sauce that I've ever tasted. The sauce looked brownish and smelled really good. Now I have to reevaluate my list of top five favorite meals of all-time:

Fried trout at the IBM cafeteria
Oddly, I ate my favorite meal of all time at the IBM cafeteria. I remember sitting alone in a vacant dining room, eating a fried trout with rice, pepper pasta, and clam chowder. Best meal ever. :) Strangely, the cafeteria served fried trout multiple times since then--but none of them ever tasted as good as the first. I guess the chef only got it right by accident.
Steak & shrimp scampi at the "Iron Skillet" in Laramie, Wyoming
During a road trip, my friends and I dined at a trucker restaurant along the I-80. My steak and shrimp scampi came hot on a metal skillet, and tasted like the cook hadn't drained any of the grease out. In my opinion, that meal highlighted the entire trip.
Chinese food in San Francisco
Best Chinese food that I ever tasted. Wish I had gotten the name of the restaurant. My college classmates and I had gotten lost in San Francisco, and we wandered into this restaurant by chance. I just remember that the restaurant served all of its food in metal bowls.
Barbeque chicken at "This Old House" in San Luis Obispo
Unfortunately, "This Old House" closed down. In my opinion, they had the best barbeque chicken of all time. After my college graduation ceremony, I took my whole family there.
Changsha chicken at "Mandarin Gourmet" in San Jose
I've actually eaten the changsha chicken multiple times at "Mandarin Gourmet", but I still remember the first time that I ever tried it. My product team used to cater food to the lab to make up for everyone working weekends and late hours. One of those nights featured food from "Mandarin Gourmet". The changsha chicken came wrapped in foil with cilantro. After picking out the cilantro, I sampled the chicken and got hooked on it ever since.

On a related note, I found that I really like that sweet fire chicken at "Panda Express". One time I ate the exact same meal twice in one day. For lunch, I ate the sweet fire chicken with string bean chicken and fried rice. For dinner, I drove to a different "Panda Express" and ordered the exact same entree. :)

Watched movie: "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire" (2009)
Duuuuude. This film mortified me. Never seen such outlandish child abuse. I hated that Mo'Nique character so much that for me, the movie could only end happily if she dropped dead. Remind me never to read the book. :) Rating: 5
Watched movie: "Disney's A Christmas Carol" (2009) in IMAX 3D
First time I ever watched a "Christmas Carol" film where the grumpy Scrooge amused me much more than the happy Scrooge. Man that grumpy Scrooge cracked me up. The happy Scrooge acted too much like Jim Carrey for my taste. Also liked the visual effects even though a couple of those sequences felt tacked on to me (like the one portrayed in the movie poster). Pretty scary ghosts for a PG movie. Rating: 7
Watched movie: "2012" (2009)
Roland Emmerich finally made a disaster flick too corny even for me. Although I loved each action cliché where they narrowly escaped an oncoming disaster (duuude, California got teh-minated), I hated all the levity and self-righteousness. I actually wished that the characters acted more like Oliver Platt and took the conceivable extinction of the entire human race more seriously. Side note #1: What did the destruction of those religious icons mean, that God foresook us? Side note #2: I know someone who lives in Pasadena, heh heh. Rating: 6
Outlook
11/14/09 3:36 PM PST

I had to order a new debit card because an ATM machine ate my old one. The card didn't get pulled all the way in either--I could see it still jammed in the slot.

A letter from my stock broker scared me. The letter stated that they had "disappointing news": that one of my stock investments (FairPoint Communications) had declared bankruptcy, and that I could only recoup $1 from it now. After nervously searching my recycle bin for my last statement, I finally discovered how many shares of this stock that I actually owned: seven. Man! I wish that they had worded the news less alarmingly.

Recently, I compiled a list of coming attractions that caught my interest:

"Shutter Island" (February 19, 2010)
A horror movie by...Martin Scorsese.
"The Crazies" (February 26, 2010)
Reminds me of a "Star Trek" episode.
"Green Zone" (March 12, 2010)
The trailer finally came out for this new Paul Greengrass thriller.
"Iron Man 2" (May 7, 2010)
Will likely see movie this despite my disappointment with the cast.
"Toy Story 3" (June 18, 2010)
The obligatory annual Pixar movie.
"The Last Airbender" (July 2, 2010)
Actually, I dunno what keeps drawing me to these M. Night Shyamalan films.
"Inception" (July 16, 2010)
A non-Batman-related Christopher Nolan thriller with Leonardo DiCaprio.
"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I" (November 19, 2010)
Hopefully, this movie won't snub my favorite moment of the book like the previous film did. :(
"Tron Legacy" (December 17, 2010)
I assume it'll be a "TRON" with better special effects (and 3-D imagery).
"The Descent: Part 2" (2010)
Still don't know when this movie will come out in the United States.
Watched movie: "The Box" (2009)
A pretty confusing movie if you're not used to Richard Kelly films, e.g., "Donnie Darko" and "Southland Tales", which dive headfirst into lots of curious phenomena without much explanation. If you thought that this movie would clarify exactly where the button and these "pod people" came from, think again. :) Someone asked me if I would ever push a million-dollar button that would cause some unknown stranger to die. Heck no! At best, I'd have the taking of a life on my conscience; at worst, I'd get screwed in some kind of "monkey's paw" twist. For example, what if the button killed my firstborn, killed me as soon as another stranger pushed it, or gave the devil dibs to my soul?? I actually didn't find the film that bad, but could've done without the corny sob scenes. Rating: 5
Pop icons
11/06/09 7:43 PM PST

Yesterday evening, I waited about two hours to meet Hulk Hogan at his book signing in Los Angeles. After shaking his hand (and realizing how old that he looked up close), all I could think of to ask him was: "How are you?" His response: "Good brother, knowing all of you came out to see me." He signed my book with "To Steven, Hulk Hogan", and then directed me to Jimmy Hart. To my disappointment, both Jimmy Hart and a nearby security guard refused to take my picture with Hogan. I really hate these autograph signings that ban photography with the celebrity (especially in lieu of the extra cash I had to shill out just to acquire the book that had the wristband for admission in it--now I'm stuck with two books). So I left Barnes & Noble sort of bummed. I did manage to photograph Hogan from the autograph line, at least.

As for Hogan's autobiographical book, I stopped reading it because it began to tarnish my view of him, i.e., his personal demons, secret drug addictions, a sexual lawsuit against him, and admissions of dishonesty. Also in my view, some of his thoughts sure sounded like rationalizations.

Watched movie: "Michael Jackson's This Is It" (2009)
Although this footage covered just about all of my favorite Michael Jackson hits (including my all-time favorite Jackson 5 song, "I'll Be There"), it really disappointed me when the movie ended without a single moonwalk. If I had attended this concert live and Michael had left out the moonwalk, I would've gone home unhappy. :( Also, I still question whether he really looked this healthy during each rehearsal. In any case, R.I.P. Michael. Side note: Stay after the credits. Rating: 6
Master of time and space
11/03/09 5:17 PM PST

Found it interesting that last night's "Heroes" episode caused a butterfly effect in the Heroes wiki. Now that Hiro finally saved his true love (the same one whom he failed to save when he went back in time in season 1), I noticed that a) her wiki page drastically changed since I last read it, and b) the ability that Sylar killed her for now has a footnote on it. Also found it funny how during the episode, Sylar thought that the cheerleader's regenerative power would make him invincible. Over the course of the third season, I've seen "invincible" Sylar get knocked out, drugged, and brainwashed. Additionally in that same season, I've seen two other characters with the same regenerative power get killed. :)

Access Hollywood recently reported that Apolo Ohno tweets now. Great...another Twitter page that I won't read. :)

Watched movie: "The Stepfather" (2009)
A lot like "Disturbia" except that instead of living next door, the charming killer lived under the same roof. Seemed inevitable that he'd blow his cover though, given that he couldn't use a driver's license, credit card, or social security number. So I guess all the suspense came from when the guy would snap...but since I didn't care about any of the characters (including the murder victims whom the movie made no big deal about despite the seriousness of their deaths), I felt no suspense. :) Rating: 4
All-American
11/01/09 5:35 PM PST

I don't understand baseball. I once found it cool that the Boston Red Sox broke a 86-year-old curse and won the 2004 World Series--but the pizza parlor where I watched the game looked completely vacant. When I mentioned my observation to a co-worker, she explained to me that "everybody hates the Red Sox". (Side note: she's a fan of the New York Yankees.) It never made sense to me why West Coast baseball fans would care so about East Coast baseball teams.

Update 11/2/2009: Good game last night. Sometimes I blink and a boring baseball game turns really exciting.

My lab announced a Raccoon Relocation Program starting Monday: "Facilities will be coordinating a raccoon relocation program using humane devices on lawn areas surrounding the towers. These devices will not impact employee access to the campus. Please do not disturb these devices." Personally I would prefer a raccoon "abatement" program, given how paranoid I've become of them whenever I leave work at sundown. :P

Lots of Hulk Hogan in the news lately, i.e., a past suicide attempt and signing with WWE rival TNA. I probably won't bring up either subject though, if I manage to meet him during Thursday's book signing in Los Angeles. :)

Watched movie: "Good Hair" (2009)
An eye-opening documentary that made me feel guilty for liking beautiful hair. Just like in "King of Kong", I sat there frowning while the rest of the audience laughed. That's a serious matter, paying over $1000 in a layaway plan for just one weave! How vain can you get? :P Maybe India is on to something with those hair-shaving ceremonies. Also, I wished that Chris Rock would stop wasting Maya Angelou's time with questions about her hair. :) Personally, I wanted to know what she thought about America electing its first African-American President. I did like Al Sharpton's social commentary about black hair, at least. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "An Education" (2009)
Anticlimactic Oscar contender wherein a British schoolgirl must decide between boring Oxford or a glamorous and exciting marriage to an older man. Strangely, her parents seemed ok with either choice...even though she barely turned 17! How could those parents be so trusting? In any case, I never approved of the relationship even though I verified later that she met the age of consent in London. Rating: 4
There will be blood
10/25/09 12:24 AM PDT

Caught an interesting "South Park" episode on pro-wrestling where the kids started their own promotion--but instead of wrestling, they just performed soap opera skits for the crowd. Although I felt that some of the satire missed the mark, I did see some truth in it. The WWE does concentrate on storytelling in their vignettes, commentating, and wrestling matches. I also agree that a lot of WWE fans can't tell the fact from the fiction. However, I disagreed with how dumb that the "South Park" pro-wrestling fans came across as. Granted, I find a lot of pro-wrestling fans insufferable--but in a "fanboy" kind of way, i.e., they post/read a lot of garbage on the Internet, howl "Woooo!" wherever they go, and basically won't shut up (plus they get drunk).

Additionally, the voice actors in the "South Park" episode sounded nothing like Cena, Edge, and Vince McMahon. :)

A couple of people asked me how accurately that "The Wrestler" movie portrayed pro-wrestling. Pretty accurately, I felt...except that I've never seen a pro-wrester use a stapler on an opponent. I have, however, attended really cool hardcore matches where the guys landed on thumbtacks, barbed wire, tables, and/or fire. These matches occur in the WWE very rarely though.

Sadly, I used to think that the thumbtacks didn't hurt...but I found out from interviews that they apparently cause the wrestler a lot of pain. :P

I had to explain the part where Mickey Rourke made his face look bloody. I'm afraid that the blood isn't fake. The pro-wrestlers actually use a razor blade to make a tiny cut in their forehead (usually it's small enough so that they don't need stitches). The wrestling community calls it "blading". I haven't seen it in a few months though--ever since WWE programming turned PG.

Watched movie: "A Serious Man" (2009)
This movie started out so strangely that I began to wonder whether I had walked into the wrong theater. Easily my least favorite Coen Brothers film to date. Rather than "A Serious Man", they should have called this film "A Boring and Pathetic Man". The guy's inability to stand up for himself really frustrated me. He sorta reminded me of Milton, the arsonist in "Office Space" (who never asserted himself either). I guess on the bright side, this movie made me feel better about my own life. After all, none of my problems could ever compare to this guy's. Side note: Stay after the credits for a briefly amusing note about the Jews in the film. Rating: 4
Watched movie: "Saw VI" (2009)
I found this installment of "Saw" apropos given the state of our economy and universal health care. To my amusement, the traps tormented greedy bankers who make bad loans and health insurance agents who deny coverage to sick people. One scene I liked in particular: the "Russian roulette" merry-go-round. Maybe in the next movie, Jigsaw should go after executives who use bailout money to pay themselves bonuses. :)

"Saw VI" answered a few questions that I either didn't ask or didn't care about anymore:

  • The contents of the letter that Amanda read near the end of "Saw III". BTW...if I remember correctly, Amanda didn't know anything about Jill in "Saw III". Loophole.
  • The fate of Agent Perez from "Saw IV".
  • The meaning behind Jigsaw's ominous message to Det. Hoffman at the end of "Saw IV".
  • The contents of the box that Jigsaw left Jill Tuck in "Saw V".

I guess I'll have to wait for a "Saw VII" to clarify the reporter's trap (the one explained by the tape recorder that she broke). P.S. Where did Jigsaw get all these buildings? P.S.S. Did Jigsaw really say "That's a human being," in defense of that guy that they locked into a twisting device?? Rating: 7

Chill out
10/20/09 6:18 PM PDT

Finally found another mini-fridge (a "Galaxy" one from Sears) that could comfortably hold milk, water, and eyedrops. No more room temperature water and single-use milk cartons for me. :)

Watched movie: "The Informant!" (2009)
A lot less comical than what the trailer led me to believe. Instead of laughing, I frowned for most of the movie. First of all, Matt Damon's discombobulated thoughts hurt my head. He sounded like a schizophrenic on speed. Second of all, I found his actions sad and difficult to rationalize. I actually raised my rating after the film confirmed my nagging suspicion that he suffered from mania. After that revelation, the movie made much more sense to me. Rating: 5
Watched movie: "Law Abiding Citizen" (2009)
After "Oldboy", I concluded that American revenge movies constantly miss the mark. Take "Law Abiding Citizen", for example. How is it that such a jerkwad prosecutor could escape punishment after he: a) negotiated that outrageous, lopsided plea agreement (which should have caused a very public backlash), b) never admitted that me made a mistake, and c) hypocritically murdered someone without any consequence other than a happy ending with his family and a new career as the city's D.A.?! If anything, Jamie Foxx should have been one of the first ones to die. Alternatively, I could live with Gerard Butler sparing him--but at least make him beg for forgiveness or show some shred of contrition. Highly unsatisfying. Rating: 5
Watched movie: "Where the Wild Things Are" (2009)
Illogical and agitating...what "Pan's Labyrinth" might have been like if the kid had ADD and forgot to take their Ritalin. :) Spoiled little brat (bites his Mom and gets rewarded with chocolate cake). It actually vexed me that the monsters took his nonsense seriously. Example: a security system that would automatically cut an intruder's brains out? That makes no sense! I also cringed at all of the immature in-fighting--particularly in regards to that monster with the "roid rage" personality. Wouldn't surprise me if his temper tantrums gave little kids in the theaters nightmares. Though personally, I do love the idea of bringing a bratty kid to the movie, pointing to the screen, and saying, "See kid...that's just like YOU." P.S. Can't that chicken find a better prosthetic arm, LOL?? P.S.S. What kind of teacher tells his students that the sun will expand and destroy the Earth? Rating: 5
Chronological disorder
10/14/09 4:13 PM PDT

What the heck...today as our jury pool sat there waiting in the courtroom, the lawyers began whispering privately. Then the prosecutor whispered to the bailiff and stepped out; the defense lawyer stepped out without his client; the court clerk phoned the bailiff and whispered to him privately; the lawyers came back and conferred privately in the judge's chambers; the judge came out, told us to wait while they renegotiate the case, and went to the back; more time passed; the judge and defense lawyer finally came out sans prosecutor (the bailiff had to go look for him); then when the prosecutor returned...the judge excused all of us! Total waste of my morning.

Someday...someday I vow to make it onto a jury. :)

Coincidentally, my jury pool included a guy who sits in the office across from mine. From his perspective, the defense lawyer wanted to plea bargain after he saw what the potential jurors looked like. Is this what our justice system has become? Some kind of game?

Watched movie: "Paranormal Activity" (2009)
Nothing like a scary home movie to frighten one's day. If you're a fan of "The Blair Witch Project", "Lost Highway", or TV shows like "Ghost Hunters", then this film oughtta appeal to you (guess it appealed to a lot of folks as I had to wait about an hour to see it). Although the movie started out kind of slow for me, it did get scarier and scarier...particularly during the night scenes when the couple left the camera running in their bedroom. I remember thinking "woah!" a couple of times. Personally, I don't find swaying doors, Ouija boards, and invisible demons all that scary. I do, however, shiver at the thought of creepy camcorder footage and the sound of footsteps coming up the stairs. I also wouldn't want to be stared at in the middle of the night. :) Rating: 7
Watched DVD: "[·REC]" (2007)
Real-time, "first-person" Spanish horror flick that inspired an American remake called "Quarantine". Too bad that I saw "Quarantine" first, as it spoiled a lot of the surprises on the DVD. Fortunately, a few scares on the DVD still caught me off guard (particularly the scene where the cameraman turned the light on, and the part where the infected people came tearing up the stairwell a la "28 Days Later"). All in all, I found "Quarantine" slightly more intense--possibly because the subtitles in "[Rec]" kept distracting me (I had to rewind a few times because the subtitles made me miss stuff). Rating: 7
Hail to the Chief
10/10/09 4:39 PM PDT

Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize...??

Das cool.

This might sound strange, but I always felt that Oppenheimer deserved one of those awards. Thanks to his development of the atom bomb, World War II ended and we haven't had another World War since. :)

Did you know that Gandhi never won one of those awards? I guess he was like the Alfred Hitchcock of the Oscars: nominated but never won.

I read somewhere that "whatever" topped a national poll for most annoying phrase. Whatever. Personally, I can't stand that phrase "janky". I hate it when programmers use it.

The fridge I talked about it my last blog inexplicably broke. Good thing I finished the milk, but now I'm stuck drinking room temperature water. I should really just splurge on a better fridge. Did I mention that I finally cleaned my previous fridge? I wore a face mask, goggles, and gloves, and sponged that whole interior with bleach. Even though I opened a window, I could barely breathe after awhile and worried I might pass out. :)

Also didn't get out much this week thanks to a lousy head cold. My voice sounded nasal-y all week. At one point, I couldn't enjoy any meals because I lost all sense of taste. Made me realize how much that I take that sense for granted.

Turns out that I have no jury duty Monday because the courthouses close on Columbus Day.

Want vs. need
10/05/09 1:11 PM PDT

I found it curious how on that show "Heroes", two of the bachelors' fridges contained only mustard and a beverage. I can understand the beverage, but mustard?? I don't get it. In comparison, my fridge only contains necessities:

My upcoming schedule:

I'm really starting to look forward to the Olympics...especially when I heard that Ahn Hyn-Soo, the Korean speedskater who kept beating Ohno at the last Olympics, failed to qualify. Now it seems like anybody's game. For a profile of each speedskater to watch, see the Speed skating preview: Short track at universalsports.com.

Watched movie: "Surrogates" (2009)
Like something out of an Isaac Asimov novel...but more pretentious, IMHO, because I couldn't swallow the "slippery slope" that led 98% of the world's population to live entirely through their remote-controlled robots. For starters, how could people procreate? Socialization would suck as I never saw the robots eat, drink alcohol, or show any expression. Dating would suck because of all the imposters and sickos out there (then again, I guess that problem already exists today for people who meet over the Internet). And personally, I saw nothing attractive about talking mannequins. At most, I could see only a minority of folks making use of surrogates, e.g., soldiers, employees with hazardous jobs, disabled people, old people, rich people, phobic people, remote employees, online gamers, "second life" fanatics, and criminals. Come to think of it, that's a pretty sizeable list. Rating: 7
Watched movie: "Zombieland" (2009)
Arguably the smartest (and funniest) zombie flick since "Shaun of the Dead". Just like those slasher rules in "Scream", the narrating character in "Zombieland" created special rules for surviving a zombie apocalypse. For example, he always attacked a zombie twice to ensure its death. He also had a rule against "being a hero", which made a ton of sense to me (if you don't agree with that rule, just watch "28 Weeks Later"). Stay after the credits. Side note: I liked how during the movie, he appended a brand-new rule to check the back seat. Rating: 7
Ouch
09/29/09 2:42 PM PDT

http://www.movieline.com/2009/09/conan-obrien-speaks-with-slur-fails-to-recall-year-following-tonight-show-head-injury-video.php

Civics and civility, or lack thereof
09/28/09 7:09 PM PDT

Can't believe that film director Roman Polanski finally got arrested. What a life this guy had. The highlights:

Are people getting dumber and dumber? I started wondering that as I read some of the Internet comments about Polanski's arrest. Instead of anything remotely meaningful, I saw nothing but rude and uninsightful remarks (from both sides of the issue)...basically from anonymous users without any manners.

My list of peeves in this world just keeps growing and growing. Speaking of which, I have jury duty coming up next month. My biggest peeve about that: the people who get out of jury duty by claiming that they can't speak English (for example, the potential Asian jurors that suddenly developed bad accents during the last voir dire that I attended). If only the judge could strip these people of their U.S. citizenships.

Watched video: "Majo no takkyûbin" (1989) a.k.a. "Kiki's Delivery Service" (1998)
Pretty plain for a Miyazaki movie--nary any plot either. The witch girl spent most of the film delivering nice gifts and befriending nice people. Personally, I would've cast a different voice actor for her facetious little cat. Phil Hartman sounded too much like that celebrity host I can't stand, Adam Carolla. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Pandorum" (2009)
Fairly engaging Sci-Fi thriller about an engineer who wakes up with amnesia onboard a giant spaceship full of pale creatures (like the ones in "The Descent"); then has to reach the reactor bay before the whole ship goes critical. The film kept reminding me of "Alien"--lots of lonely chambers and dark, creepy passageways. Rating: 6
Ps and Qs
09/21/09 5:22 PM PDT

I found it amusing that so many rude outbursts headlined the national news last week, i.e., Kanye West, Serena Williams, and the "You lie!" guy. Out of these three individuals, Kanye outraged me the most. Basically, I found his interruption of Taylor Swift unprovoked and unprecedented--worst of all, I can recall at least two previous occasions where he ran his mouth like that. At least he looked really dejected during Jay Leno's interview. :)

Although I would never threaten to shove a ball down someone's throat, I could somewhat relate to Serena's frustration during that tennis match. In addition to blowing easy shots, I used to fume when opponents incorrectly called the ball "out" or called the score wrong. None of those compare to what I consider the rudest diss in tennis though: nailing somebody with the ball without apologizing. The last time an opponent did that to me, I got them back but good. :)

As for the "You lie!" guy...I watched the YouTube video and think that the incident got overblown, but I do think that the Congressman overreacted. Maybe it's just me, but I never understood how something as boring as health care could incite such visceral reactions. Even in layman's terms, I can barely tell the three plans apart.

Watched movie: "9" (2009)
Another one of those post-apocalyptic movies wherein every victory over the villain struck me as pyrrhic. At the end of the film, I just shrugged and thought, "so now what?" I also failed to understand why the scientist split his soul into nine pieces in the first place. To live forever a la Voldemort? To spawn a world full of rag dolls? Can those things even propagate?? Aside from the really thin plot, I liked all of the animation (particularly the eye movements). Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Jennifer's Body" (2009)
Kind of like "Buffy: The Vampire Slayer" in that the demon personified one of the many woes of a high school teenager (in this case, alienation from a BFF a.k.a. "frenemy"). I didn't laugh one single time though--mostly because I could nary understand any of the dialogue, thanks to Diablo Cody's overusage of teenage slang. Made it hard for me to take anything in the film seriously. I also found the main girl's friendship with Megan Fox pretty strange. Admittedly, I never understood the relationship between BFFs. Rating: 5
Watched movie: "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs" (2009) in IMAX 3D
Funny Sony Pictures Animation flick with some breathtaking 3-D animation (IMAX really makes a difference, I think) and a couple of heart tugging storylines. Although sometimes I felt that the characters got carried away, I found their shticks entertaining for the most part. I pity the fool who don't like Anna Faris, Bruce Campbell, and Mr. T. P.S. "Fight the power!" hehehe. Rating: 7
Break point
09/13/09 1:43 AM PDT

Olympic trials started for U.S. short track speedskating. To my surprise, Allison Baver managed to qualify even though she shattered her right leg about seven months ago. Most impressive.

Man, what an unpredictable women's singles tournament at the U.S. Open. I had considered it a foregone conclusion that either Venus or Serena would win...but to my astonishment, unseeded Kim Clijsters beat both of them (in the latter match, she won the final point by penalty because Serena verbally abused the line umpire)! I don't think I've ever seen a Grand Slam tournament with so many upsets in it: three of them belonging to the now famous 17-year-old American newbie, Melanie Oudin (she unexpectedly upset top players Dementieva, Sharapova, and Petrova). I sort of regret tuning into her quarterfinal match though...a) because I think I jinxed her streak, and b) because her loss of a good attitude (confirmed by her coach during an ESPN interview) stirred up some bad memories for me. My own ex-coach once told me something similar during the conclusion of my high school tennis season: that my loss of a "zen" attitude really disappointed her...a fitting assessment given that later on, my favorite racket broke because I had abused it so many times. :( I gave up tennis shortly after that.

Hard to believe, huh--that someone as mild-mannered as me would grow so frustrated with the sport that he'd bang his racket on the ground? Well, it didn't happen overnight. I had gone from earning a spot on the varsity team to getting stigmatized (day in and day out), blowing some key shots despite all the times that I had practiced them, and eventually losing just about every match that I played (including opponents that I should have beaten easily).

I guess high school tennis gave me more of a rush than I cared to admit though. One time while dating an amateur tennis player, I came out of "retirement" to play a mixed doubles game. Well, the opposing girl dinked the ball kind of high and I kind of overhead-smashed it into her. As I apologized profusely, my date said something like: how could I do that. Blame it on my competitive spirit. :P

Update 9/14/2009: Doh! In addition to missing Serena's rant, I found out that I tuned out just prior to Federer's trick shot and Kanye West's interruption of Taylor Swift's VMA acceptance speech.

Update 9/15/2009: Possibly the greatest Grand Slam tournament that I've ever followed, until I see one better. Props to all the underdogs. First Kim Clijsters upset both Venus and Serena to win the women's championship; then this new guy Juan Martín del Potro beat both Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer (arguably the two best tennis players on Earth) to win the men's championship. I applaud the victory a lot more when the winners beat really formidable opponents on their way to the trophy, rather than breezing through each bracket.

Watched movie: "Adam" (2009)
I hated this movie for the same reason that I hated "50 First Dates". In "50 First Dates", Drew Barrymore suffered from such a crippling mental disorder that I found any type of romance with her unrealistic, futile, and sad. Similarly, the title character in "Adam" suffered from a form of autism that made him incapable of reading people. It basically made him completely insensitive to other people's feelings--including, apparently, an inability to understand the meaning of love. So I cringed a whole lot--not just because I felt sorry for him, but because people with disinhibition really bother me (which come to think of it, explains my aversion to drunkards and flippant talkers). P.S. Visiting Central Park at night with a creepy stranger to watch raccoons...did Rose Byrne have no regard for her own safety?? :( Rating: 4
Watched movie: "Gake no ue no Ponyo" (2008) a.k.a. "Ponyo" (2009)
More preposterous than the average Miyazaki film, but still amusing to watch. Perfect for young kids--even though I found the little boy's mother terribly reckless. I just couldn't reconcile how she (and other adults) could shrug off all that calamity and craziness. P.S. That little boy's dejected expression totally cracked me up. Rating: 6
Ten... extremes
09/05/09 5:19 PM PDT

Made me sort of envious when I heard that Ted Kennedy got buried in Arlington. I like that cemetary a lot. I wouldn't mind roaming there if I ever turned into a ghost.

Interesting news about Wikipedia. About time that they restrict the authors. One downside though: I like reading the rumors on Wikipedia, even if they don't come from published sources.

Entertainment Weekly published a new countdown: Watching the Unwatchable: 16 'Dare You to Look' Scenes. After reviewing the ew.com picks, I decided to come up with my own top ten "hard to watch" movie scenes:

Honorable mentions:

10. "Suspiria" (1977)
Directed my Dario Argento. The first murder horrified me, and made me feel like a scared little kid again.
9. "The Fly" (1986)
I think out of all the disgusting scenes in the movie, the part with the monkey grossed me out the most.
8. "A Clockwork Orange" (1971)
I watched this movie in a library with headphones on. During the home invasion scene, I began looking around the room nervously...paranoid that a bystander might peek at my TV monitor.
7. "High Tension" (2005)
Graphic and cruel. In particular, the straight razor murder disturbed me. details
6. "Syriana" (2005)
I totally agree with the ew.com article. Out of all the torture scenes that I've witnessed, this one made me cringe the most. details
5. "Three... Extremes" (2005)
One word: "Dumplings". details
4. "Hannibal" (2001)
I didn't take my sister's warning about this movie seriously, until I saw the Ray Liotta scene. She was right.
3. "Mother of Tears: The Third Mother" (2008)
The goriest movie that I've ever seen (until I see one gorier). Dario Argento directed it. details
2. "Irreversible" (2003)
The only movie that I ever considered walking out of (others in the audience walked out in droves). The ew.com article didn't even cover all of the parts that sickened me. details, details
1. "Jackass: The Movie" (2002)
The paper cut scene tops my list because: a) these idiots cut themselves for real, and b) the scene gave me a permanent aversion to paper cuts. Curse this movie. details

I finally decided to rent "Audition" after I saw it on the ew.com list. During my first rental attempt, the DVD wouldn't play because it had so many scratches on it. Hollywood Video wouldn't even refund my money--the cashier just gave me a store credit despite all the time I wasted coming back. The second time that I rented it, the cashier looked at the cover with dismay and began making a commotion about what a messed up movie it was. It's experiences like these that remind me why I hate renting DVDs so much.

Watched movie: "Halloween II" (2009)
Hauntingly visceral with a lot more brutality than the average slasher flick. When I say "brutality", I mean those scenes where Michael Myers kept beating or stabbing his victims over and over again. I kept thinking "stop already!" To Rob Zombie's credit, Michael seemed more destructive than ever before. Case in point: the facial scars on the teenage girls from "Halloween I". That actually bothered me a lot--that Michael would terrorize the exact same teenage girls that he had already scarred (mentally and physically) in the first movie. Haven't they suffered enough? :( It made me wonder whether Rob Zombie ever watched "Twin Peaks", because I saw a bunch of similarities: unsettling murders, creepy white visions, a tragic loss of innocence--plus a supporting character, Dr. Loomis, that reminded me of Mike the one-armed man. Speaking of Dr. Loomis: props to what Rob did what that character. I loved how he basically "sold out", and had to redeem himself. Made for a rather interesting climax. In conclusion, I liked the movie overall but a) felt that Laurie Strode dreamt too much, and b) found the ending really cliché. Rating: 6
Watched On Demand movie: "Oldboy" (2003)
The mother of all revenge movies (in my view, even more whack than that "South Park" episode where Cartman got revenge on Scott Tenorman). Starts out where someone imprisons a family man for 15 years...then releases him and gives him five days to figure out why. Don't bother trying to solve the mystery yourself though...simply put, I found the answer unimaginable. My gawd man, who would plot such a thing?? Rating: 7
Watched DVD: "Ôdishon" (1999) a.k.a. "Audition" (2002)
I got kind of bored waiting for this film's famous torture scene; and unfortunately, I heard so much about it that it didn't shock me too much. Actually, I think the girl's gleeful taunts unnerved me the most--particularly that creepy repetition of "Kiri kiri kiri!" It also bothered me that she tortured a guy that totally didn't deserve it, i.e., a widower not unlike my own Dad, instead of some teenage butthead. My favorite part of the movie: a really eerie scene where the girl waited for her phone to ring with an unusually giant sack in the background. Yeah, that scene made me jump. P.S. I wonder why the widower didn't faint or go into shock. P.S.S. Check out the DVD extra: "Bravo's 100 Scariest Movie Moments Segment", and listen to Eli Roth (director of "Hostel") and Rob Zombie (director of "Halloween II") talk about how "Audition" creeped them out. Hard to believe, huh--"Audition" creeped them out. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "The Final Destination" (2009) in 3D
Other than a cool x-ray anthology and some fun 3-D gore effects, I found this installment of "Final Destination" pretty average--mostly because it didn't add much to the first three films (in particular, I felt that it lacked the originality of the first film and the creativity of the second film). To my disappointment, the Internet failed to educate these teenagers on the previous survivors' experiences. Had the Internet succeeded, then perhaps the teenagers could have cheated death much better--possibly even foiling it altogether like the survivors in "Final Destination 2" did. So I'm still waiting for a "Final Destination" movie where the characters learn to avoid the past survivors' mistakes (and make brand-new ones). P.S. I don't think that a car wash roller could kill someone because one of those "Jackass" guys had a segment on it once. Rating: 6
There will be Half-Blood...or not
08/28/09 3:25 PM PDT

I couldn't resist buying the new Harry Potter gift card from Regal Entertainment. The card showcases my favorite Half-Blood Prince poster on it: the one where Dumbledore appears as a reflection in Harry's glasses. I guess I never explained why I liked this poster the best. To me, Dumbledore's quote sums up my perception of him perfectly (not just in Half-Blood Prince, but in Deathly Hallows as well): "Once again I must ask too much of you, Harry."

The Half-Blood Prince's annotated textbook sure reminds me of real-life. Metaphorically, I prefer the old textbook with notes rather than a brand-new glossy one. Remember that wiki site I first created three years ago? To this day, I still contribute to it heavily. I also use the same home computer, TV, cell phone, automobile, and sonic toothbrush that I acquired over five years ago. Whenever I come across a model that I like, I stick with it. :)

I've actually seen "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" four times now. To find out what intrigued me enough to re-watch it, scroll past the HP6 "spoiler alert" graphic below. :)

Watched movie: "Inglourious Basterds" (2009)
Basically another Quentin Tarantino exploitation flick...lots of violence and bad taste, but nothing meaningful or historically relevant. Despite Brad Pitt's welcome comic relief, the film dragged on and on for me--mostly due to all the long, unpleasant conversations in it. To my chagrin, the Nazis in this movie preferred to veil their suspicions with polite chitchat instead of getting to the point. One of those Nazis reminded me of Columbo, actually, because the guy just wouldn't go away (and to my disappointment, Shosanna never got her revenge on him). P.S. Is it just me, or does Tarantino seem like a misogynist? Rating: 4
Watched movie: "Bakjwi" a.k.a. "Thirst" (2009)
A sordid, yet hypnotic vampire movie from the director of "Oldboy". Without a doubt, the two paramours in this flick gave new meaning to the word "insatiable". Funny though--despite all of the debauchery and appalling priest behavior, I found this film wildly poetic. Rating: 7

Intriguing movie element #1: "When Ginny Kissed Harry" (the name of the melodic tune that played during their first kiss). At first, I denounced how the movie handled their romance. In the original storyline, Harry kissed Ginny (after weeks of hiding his crush on her from Ron)--not the other way around. :) After awhile though, their movie romance began to fascinate me...primarily because I couldn't wrap my head around it. Case in point: after Ginny hid the book and kissed Harry, she added: "I can stay hidden up here too if you like," (!) before vanishing. What did she mean by that? An invitation to play hide-and-seek with her? Some kind of setup for the final movie, where perhaps the two emotionally reunite in that same room? This open-ended scene gave me hope that the next film installments would develop their relationship better than the Deathly Hallows book did.

Intriguing movie element #2: Jim Broadbent as Professor Slughorn. That actor really worked some magic because he turned Slughorn--my least favorite character from the book--into my most favorite character in the movie! I felt that his scenes stole the film, and really liked how well that he humanized that narrative about Harry's mother.

Intriguing movie element #3: "Professor Dumbledore...you meant a great deal to him" (according to McGonagall). In addition to humanizing Malfoy, I felt that the movie actually hinted at whether Dumbledore truly cared about Harry's well-being--starting with the opening scene where he put his hand on Harry's shoulder. The book had no such scene, and I'm certain that the visuals meant to convey more than just a segue from the previous film. The movie also altered the part in the book where Dumbledore paralyzed Harry before the Death Eaters arrived--implying to me that "movie" Dumbledore actually trusted Harry more than "book" Dumbledore did.

I still think that the movie dropped the ball on the Half-Blood Prince arc (to me, the book was as much about Snape as it was about Dumbledore). The book actually clarified that Snape nicknamed himself after his pure-blood mother's last name, Prince (his father's Muggle side made him a half-blood, just like Harry). The book chronology also clarified that Harry's father used to bully Snape and use his own spells against him (hence his understandable disdain for Harry attempting the same thing). So I saw a lot of common ground between Harry and Snape...except, of course, for a big distinction where Harry only flirted with the "dark side" whereas Snape actually joined it.

Not as nature intended
08/21/09 4:44 PM PDT

I recently learned from a radio broadcast that a new island formed in the Pacific Ocean: an island made entirely of garbage. Apparently, the currents of the Pacific Ocean converge into one spot called the North Pacific Gyre. These currents managed to amass an entire island of litter twice the size of Texas. A fascinating phenomenon...but also very sad.

Watched movie: "District 9" (2009)
A smart and stirring Sci-Fi movie that mixed the social issues of "Alien Nation", the realism of "Cloverfield", the humor of "Shaun of the Dead", and hi-tech weaponry reminiscent of those "Ratchet & Clank" commercials (heh heh...those shoot-em-up scenes made me feel like playing "Resident Evil 4" again). As unthinkable as the premise may sound (imposing apartheid against millions of stranded aliens), I found everything in the film frighteningly plausible--even the parts that made no sense (such as how humans and aliens could understand each others' language, and why aliens would trade their weapons for catfood instead of liberating themselves).

My only criticism of the movie: the human protagonist. It disappointed me how he betrayed the MNU out of selfishness rather than to atone for all of the atrocities that he condoned. I guess he turned face by the end, but it sure took him long enough. :)

As far as I'm concerned, the film ended perfectly and needs no continuation. Rating: 9

Watched movie: "The Time Traveler's Wife" (2009)
This movie really depressed me...but not because the husband kept vanishing (which to me didn't seem any worse than a husband who works a lot). This movie really depressed me because of the way that it portrayed time: as a predetermined constant that no one could alter. Basically, the husband could not change any of the past or future events that he glimpsed during his vanishing episodes (which to my discomfort, included a preview of his own death). Does this helplessness to change one's fate mean that nobody in the film had any free will? I say yes.

On the bright side, his condition did come with certain perks:

  • He could chat freely with loved ones at different time periods without worrying about cosmic paradoxes.
  • He could assure his wife that something would turn out fine...and mean it.
  • He could assure his past self that something would turn out fine...and mean it.
  • He could "cheat" on his wife with an older or younger version of his wife, and vice versa.

Except it weirded me out that he could desire his wife at one moment; then visit her as a little girl in the next. Come to think of it--everything in this movie gave me the creeps...particularly the part where he visited her from beyond the grave. How can she ever get closure, or remarry without feeling guilty? Rating: 7

Watched movie: "Cold Souls" (2009)
Offbeat film wherein actor Paul Giamatti pays a New York company to extract his soul and store it in a locker. Not sure why he did it, really...perhaps to improve his method acting? To my disbelief, he didn't even ask what would happen to his disembodied soul if he died! In any case, I couldn't quite grasp how the absence of a soul changed him. I guess he seemed more...numb; a bit like Bart Simpson when he sold his soul to Milhouse for five dollars. The movie didn't really explain it too well--nor did it bother to explain how something so harebrained became legitimized enough to appear in the yellow pages. :) Rating: 6
Mr. Monk and the final season
08/13/09 8:19 AM PDT

The final season of "Monk" premiered last Friday. As usual, I found him immature and annoying. I look forward to when the series finally ends. The commercials promise that Monk will solve his wife's murder before then. Personally, I still think that Dale the Whale did it. He has the motive, and always seems to pop up whenever Monk finds a major clue.

Hopefully, Monk will finally open that Christmas present that his wife gave him. I bet you that it contains a big clue inside.

I made a DVD with "the best of Monk" on it. It contains my four favorite episodes:

"Mr. Monk and the Marathon Man" (first season)
Interesting episode where Monk and Sharona reenact a murder suspect's marathon run to find the holes in his alibi. It ended with a rare triumph for Monk.
"Mr. Monk Goes Back to School" (second season)
The mystery disappointed me, but I thought that the smug English teacher made a good antithesis for Monk.
"Mr. Monk and the Sleeping Suspect" (second season)
Best "Monk" mystery ever, in my opinion. Typically, the killer orchestrates some kind of alibi and then Monk manages to refute it. However, the alibi in this episode had me stumped because I couldn't reconcile how a killer could stage their own coma (even with all the clues staring me in the face).
"Mr. Monk and the Three Pies" (second season)
I think that in general, "Monk" fans like this episode the best. I found it touching how Monk finally forgave his agoraphobic brother.

Notice that no episodes from seasons three through seven appear on my DVD.

Watched movie: "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra" (2009)
Cheesy like the cartoon but with more violence, swearing, sexuality, and ugh..."character development". Duke and Baroness: engaged? Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow: childhood friends?? Groannn. At least the movie stayed faithful to Snake Eyes' speechlessness--everybody else's corny lines made me remember why I liked him the best. (Can't believe the film resurrected that "Yo Joe!" battle cry.) Flashbacks and dialogue aside, I did enjoy the gadgets and special effects--particularly the accelerator suits. Made for some cool action and chase sequences. Rating: 5
Watched movie: "The Cove" (2009)
Guess I won't mock Hayden Panettiere anymore for impeding the annual dolphin hunt in Taiji, Japan. After squirming through this grisly documentary about it, I decided that she did the right thing. Man, who would want to hurt dolphins. It got to the point where I wanted to hide my face so that the audience wouldn't notice that a Japanese guy sat among them (I actually looked away from everybody during my speedy exit from the theater). :P That sucked. Otherwise, I liked the movie. It amused me how the OPC crusaders evaded police, covertly infiltrated restricted areas, and hid cameras in rocks like some kind of "Mission Impossible" team. Stay after the credits. Rating: 6
Worst-case scenario
08/07/09 6:26 PM PDT

While driving toward Santa Maria last Friday night, I parked at King City to clean a Starbucks drink off my shirt. Upon returning to my car, it dawned on me that I had locked my keys inside. Apparently, the failsafe that automatically unlocks all of doors (whenever it sense the key in the ignition) had failed. So to summarize the situation:

How did I get out of this predicament, you ask? I lucked out. I managed to google a locksmith from a motel lobby. He drove about 20 minutes to reach me, and charged $100 to unlock the doors with a wire. It made me wonder what I would've done if I had locked myself out at some offramp in the middle of nowhere. Could I have mustered enough nerve to break the window? Could I even break a car window? :)

After that "Hurt Locker" movie, I began fantasizing whether I could muster the nerve to disarm bombs or snipe enemies like the soldiers did. Probably not. :) I have to confess though, the crosshair sequence gave me fond memories of the "Resident Evil 4" video game. :)

Last Saturday, a rather macabre murder occurred in Santa Maria. Pretty crazy. I can't fathom why a guy would wake up one day and decide to decapitate somebody. Some of the comments on the article speculated that the death of the suspect's friend, Eric Okerbloum, triggered a psychotic episode. Huh? What kind of psychotic episode would drive someone to such an unusual act? Too many zombie movies, maybe? In any case, I learned more information from the comments than the article itself. I sense an emerging trend here: "civilian" reporters.

Watched movie: "The Collector" (2009)
Kind of like "Home Alone"...but with cruel, sadistic booby traps instead of comical slapstick ones. The burglars in both films seemed similarly inept. I found it ok--nothing special. Stay after the credits. Rating: 6
Rush
07/31/09 5:30 PM PDT

Read an interesting Entertainment Weekly article about an evolution in the horror genre due to the growing number of female horror fans. In addition to "The Ring" and "The Grudge", this article claimed that women also flocked to gorefests like "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" remake and those "Saw" movies. I never thought about it before, but yeah--out of all the recent horror movies I watched in a theater, I'd say that women comprised at least half of the audience.

According to the article, Diablo Cody targeted the upcoming horror movie "Jennifer's Body" (starring Megan Fox) toward women audiences. I think that for starters, she changed one of the paradigms for the "final girl". :)

Watched movie: "Moon" (2009)
A rather offbeat Sci-Fi movie that seemed amoral to me due to the main character's lack of outrage. In fact, the computer (Kevin Spacey) seemed more caring...and that thing was just an emoticon! Originally, I thought that the main character's loneliness would depress me...but as I soon discovered, the film had nothing to do with loneliness. :) Rating: 6
Watched on demand movie: "Surveillance" (2008-2009)
Perverse and insulting to the intellect...like some cheap version of "Natural Born Killers" or "The Devil's Rejects". Strange how the cops' misconduct offended me more than the killers'. Rating: 2
Watched On Demand movie: "The Grudge 3" (2009)
The least scary "Grudge" movie to date. I guess you can only relive the same curse so many times before it grows stale. The new director and cast didn't help either. That new Kayako actress looked like a mime with epilepsy, and I found the new heroine surprisingly dense (first time I've ever seen somebody overlook the boy's pale appearance). I can see why the movie went straight to video. Rating: 4
Watched movie: "Orphan" (2009)
A shocking and disturbing film that made "The Hand That Rocks the Cradle" look tame. After quickly guessing at the "something" that was wrong with Esther, I soon realized the futility of coming up with just one explanation. The closest generalization that I could think of for her: criminally insane psychopath. I liked it but wouldn't let a kid watch it (unlike one irresponsible family in that theater). Rating: 6
Watched movie: "The Hurt Locker" (2009)
Thrilling movie about a job that I'd easily nominate as the worst one on Earth: disarming terrorists' bombs in Iraq. You probably wouldn't know it from the movie though, judging by how the lead guy romanticized it. He really seemed to enjoy his work...so much so that I almost began to envy him. Almost. I would never ever gamble with my life so recklessly--and I'm certain that in real life, this guy's luck would have run out eventually (his survival often hinged on the trigger man's reluctance to blow up only one person). That's why I didn't find the film all that nerve-wracking; I thought to myself, if he cares so little about his own life then why should I?

Aspects of the film that I liked the most:

  • The daunting challenge of identifying threats that could be anyone or anything. For instance, the bomb squad had to assess: a) where the bomb or bombs were hidden, b) whether the bombs were being guarded by any gunmen or snipers, and c) the detonators for the bomb (pressure, a timer, or a trigger man).
  • Parts where the soldiers' "jokes" seemed half-serious (like during the fragging conversation).
  • The sniper duel (leading to a suspenseful battle of attrition).

Final thought: I found it hard to believe that one bomb squad would face (and survive) so many different life-threatening scenarios in only 38 days! Rating: 8

Harry Potter 6
07/23/09 1:17 PM PDT

Can't believe that I fell out of bed again this morning! During my nightmare about floods and zombies, I could've sworn that I heard a disembodied whisper in my ear. I sprung out of bed into a couple of cardboard boxes on the floor, and then felt the muscles in my leg tighten into a painful knot (I suspect that the awkward landing triggered some kind of cramp). Good thing that my apartment had neither a downstairs neighbor nor an upstairs neighbor to hear all the ruckus. Anyway, I've been trying to mask the limp all day.

On Saturday, my friend and I visited Neverland Ranch...or more accurately, the crowded front gate of the road leading up to Neverland Ranch. Homemade memorials such as candles, drawings, and condolences from all over the world lined the wall. A couple of policemen provided security, and various Michael Jackson fans snapped photos in front of the gate. Pretty cool, but yeah--I wouldn't fly in from overseas to see it. If you want to drive down there, follow these MapQuest directions that I validated.

Finished tabulating the 1H 2009 music video results. Looks like we had a clear winner for #30.

SPOILER ALERT: Instead of hiding everything with a spoiler tag, I appended my movie review of "Harry Potter 6" after the graphic below. Warning! Do not scroll down unless you're ok with big Harry Potter spoilers!

In case you're wondering, I chose that poster on purpose. :)

Watched movie: "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" (2009)
I felt sorely conflicted about this film. Although it ruined everything that I loved about the book, it managed to distill my least favorite storylines into some brilliant scenes. Cases in point of the movie's strengths:
  • Horace Slughorn. Thanks to some great acting, I found the scenes with this guy colorful and really fun to watch. I loved Slughorn's parties (including Hermione's great line about Harry "enjoying dessert"), the tomfoolery in Slughorn's class, and Harry's reaction to the Felix Felicis.
  • Draco Malfoy. I felt that the movie developed his character really well. In the book, I couldn't even tell if we should sympathize with him or not.
  • Ron + Hermione. To Emma Watson's credit, I actually cared about Hermione's feelings even though I don't give a flying fig about "Ronmione". :)

The movie's special effects also captured the bridge collapse and Dumbledore's firestorm rather well.

Cases in point of the movie's weaknesses:

  • Harry + Ginny. Ever since "Chamber of Secrets"--when Harry miraculously rescued Ginny Weasley from the Basilisk--I always liked the idea of these two as a couple. I pictured Harry as the "knight in shining armor", and Ginny as the "princess" from a family who always treated Harry like a son. However, I felt the film failed to carry over what made Ginny so special to Harry--and in all honesty, I found "movie" Hermione so much more bewitching that I began favoring "Harrmione" over "Hinny". :) Side note: I wouldn't have minded "Huna" either...as long as we saw the last of "Ho". :)
  • Quidditch. In the book, the Quidditch Cup meant the world to Harry. As the new team captain, Gryffindor counted on him to keep their championship streak alive. Unfortunately, Harry let Ron play their goalie (Ron had passed the tryouts with Hermione's help). So if Gryffindor had lost the Cup because of Ron, then Harry would have become a total disgrace. That's why I rooted for Ron to succeed in the book--not because I wanted him to look beaucoup and hijack my favorite Harry Potter moment of all time! :(
  • The Half-Blood Prince. Despite Alan Rickman's masterful performance, I felt that the movie really botched his character development. My fellow moviegoers didn't even understand what "Half-Blood Prince" meant, and that was the title of the film! If you read how Snape lost his composure near the end of the book, then this arc made more sense.

Other omissions from the movie that disappointed me:

  • A long overdue payoff where Dumbledore told off the Dursleys for all those years that they mistreated Harry.
  • Harry's new heartthrob status and a scene on the Hogwarts Express where he stuck by his true friends (Neville and Luna).
  • Harry's constant guilt over crushing on his best friend's sister.
  • Harry's big confrontation with the new Minister of Magic.
  • The grave consequences for what Harry did to Malfoy, i.e., detention every Saturday until the end of the term and Gryffindor losing their star player for the final, pivotal Quidditch game.

Also hated Hogwarts' tribute to their "homey" at the end. The book dealt with their grief more emotionally.

Finally, I couldn't reconcile why the movie added those scenes with the black waitress and the attack on the Weasley home. Made me wonder what other alternate directions that Deathly Hallows would take (particularly since the movies appear to have omitted a few characters). I did suspect some foreshadowing though:

  • Death Eaters kidnapping Ollivander?
  • Dumbledore glossing over his black hand and moaning "all my fault" in the cave?
  • The portrait of Dumbledore sleeping?
  • R.A.B.?
  • Harry and Hermione talking with Ron in the distance?

Conclusion: although I felt that this film lacked emotion (as well as everything that made the book great), I did laugh a whole lot. Rating: 8

Given how I keep citing my favorite Harry Potter moment of all time, I finally decided to quote the passage that contains it, below:

A roar of celebration erupted from the hole behind her. Harry gaped as people began to scream at the sight of him; several hands pulled him into the room.

"We won!" yelled Ron, bounding into sight and brandishing the silver Cup at Harry. "We won! Four hundred and fifty to a hundred and forty! We won!"

Harry looked around; there was Ginny running towards him; she had a hard, blazing look in her face as she threw her arms around him. And without thinking, without planning it, without worrying about the fact that fifty people were watching, Harry kissed her.

After several long moments--or it might have been half an hour--or possibly several sunlit days--they broke apart. The room had gone very quiet. Then several people wolf-whistled and there was an outbreak of nervous giggling. Harry looked over the top of Ginny's head to see Dean Thomas holding a shattered glass in his hand, and Romilda Vane looking as though she might throw something. Hermione was beaming, but Harry's eyes sough Ron. At last he found him, still clutching the Cup and wearing an expression appropriate to having been clubbed over the head. For a fraction of a second they looked at each other, then Ron gave a tiny jerk of the head that Harry understood to mean, Well--if you must.

The creature in his chest roaring in triumph, he grinned down at Ginny and gestured wordlessly out of the portrait hole. A long walk in the grounds seemed indicated, during which--if they had time--they might discuss the match.

(From J.K. Rowling's "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" (pp. 533-534).)

Why did I consider this the greatest passage of all time in the history of Harry Potter? First of all, I never expected such a bold gesture from someone as shy as Harry--so when I read about the kiss on the plane, my jaw dropped. Other reasons:

Crossroads
07/17/09 5:43 PM PDT

Every time I drive to work, I look both ways before I merge onto Capitol Expressway. I always found that habit sort of neurotic because the merge lane extends for such a long way. My mind could only imagine one potential danger from not glancing left: that a bus would suddenly cross the merge lane toward the curb, and we'd collide. So for over ten years, I glanced left at this intersection to avoid the highly improbable possibility that my car would jump out in front of a bus. Well, guess what happened this morning. When I glanced left, a bus suddenly barrelled past me toward the curb. If I had jumped out in front of it, I could have been killed. So I guess sometimes neurosis pays off. :)

Recently, I used MapQuest to plot a route for my "Suncoast run" in Los Angeles. I really like how it can connect the dots between destinations. It even has a traffic report and a satellite view of your route. I do have one criticism of MapQuest though: its lack of alternative routes. Currently, it only lets you avoid highways, toll roads, or seasonally closed roads. But a lot of the times I don't want to avoid all highways--I want to avoid specific highways. Examples:

I also can't seem to program hypotheticals into MapQuest. For example, sometimes my day winds down and I want to detour past certain destinations. Or sometimes I want to visit my destinations in a different order because of the hours in which they close. It'd be nice to MapQuest could diversify my routes. Also, some testimonials about good and bad highways would really help (similar to what hotel booking sites offer).

So make it happen, MapQuest. :)

Speaking of Neverland Ranch, I eventually managed to map a route to it using MapQuest. Or more accurately, I managed to map a route to the unnamed dirt road leading up to it. I used a Google satellite shot for reference. Hmm...maybe someday I should test my instructions. :)

By the way, I decided to pass on the WrestleMania 26 travel package this year. We'll see if something happens to change my mind.

Watched on demand movie: "The Objective" (2008)
Terribly weak outing from the co-director of the "The Blair Witch Project". I felt ripped off because sheesh, I could watch crap like this for free on the Sci-Fi channel. Serves me right for ignoring my stance against "straight to video" movies. Rating: 3
Attended concert: "Tori Amos (Sinful Attraction Tour)"
I had walked into the San Jose Performing Arts Center--without earplugs--expecting an intimate acoustic performance...not three or so hours of deafening and incoherent noise. To my disappointment, she sang mostly newer material that I didn't recognize. The three songs I did recognize sounded funny because of how she enunciated the lyrics (with some kind of thick accent). I guess I found the concert ok, but I couldn't believe that she omitted every single one of my favorite songs. P.S. Interesting idea, wearing glow-in-the-dark leggings. P.S.S. Crazy how she can play two pianos at once. At one point, she alternated between two pianos and two keyboards. Rating: 4
Best of the best
07/09/09 6:10 PM PDT

Recently, a friend of mine called Michael Jackson the greatest music artist of all time...surpassing both The Beatles and Elvis. After thinking about it awhile, I came to the same conclusion. My reasoning:

Like him or hate him, it's hard to argue with what he accomplished.

Recently, I also deemed Roger Federer the greatest tennis player of all time when he won the French Open (accomplishing a career Grand Slam) and beat Pete Sampras' record of 14 Grand Slam titles. Granted, he can't seem to beat Rafael Nadal consistently...but I don't place much stock in a win-loss record against one guy.

Watched on demand movie: "Pontypool" (2009)
Hauntingly illogical zombie flick that unfolded like "Sorry, Wrong Number". A lot of the dialogue confused me and hurt my head. Did the people contract dementia or something? Also, what made the virus spread...alliteration?? P.S. Stay after the credits for another nonsensical scene. Rating: 5
Watched movie: "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" (2009)
Two and a half hours of nonstop stupidity. Even the dogs and robots got on my nerves. As for the special effects: what a mess! P.S. How did that moron recover from the tazer so quickly?! Rating: 2
Watched movie: "Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs" (2009) in 3D
Decently funny sequel. I pretty much liked all of the characters except for Manny (the boring mammoth that has Ray Romano's voice but none of his comedic stylings) and Scratte (the flirty temptress that in my opinion, sends a bad message to little kids). Sid always seems to amuse me the most. Rating: 6
Even Steven
06/29/09 8:02 PM PDT

Last week affirmed my opinion that fortune and misfortune balance each other out.

Due to vacation, I missed the onsale date for the Tori Amos concert in Oakland. Instead of settling for lousy seats or ticket brokers, I resigned to miss the performance. Surprisingly, a new concert date opened up right here in San Jose. I managed to purchase a dead center seat.

Then I discovered that a rare match from my pro-wrestling goals list would headline a WWE show in Sacramento, titled "The Bash". I hadn't reserved any tickets because I never planned to attend the show. So once again, only lousy seats remained (even with ticket brokers and on eBay).

In desperation, I uncharacteristically gambled on a craigslist transaction with a seller near L.A. I paid him half the ticket price via green dot moneypak with the understanding that I would pay the rest via Fed Ex C.O.D. He never sent the ticket. Although I hadn't sent him much money, getting ripped-off always ticks me off. Bah...serves me right for ignoring the #1 rule on craigslist:

DEAL LOCALLY WITH FOLKS YOU CAN MEET IN PERSON - follow this one simple rule and you will avoid 99% of the scam attempts on craigslist.

Actually, I plan to avoid craigslist and green dot from now on. They basically offer zero protection to consumers.

Fortunately, Ticketmaster released more seats just 1-2 days before the event. Otherwise, I probably would have sulked at home Sunday all dejected. Definitely one of those "good things come to those who wait" situations.

Unfortunately, the Ticketmaster seating chart looked nothing like the actual seating arrangements.

Actual:

Fortunately, I still managed to appear on TV because of my foresight of buying tickets in two different sections. :) Hey, that guy on the right wore the same shirt as me. :(

Overall, the Three Stages of Hell match disappointed me (I found the unforgiving Sacramento heat way more hellacious; I waited in that 103+ degree heat for at least half-an-hour). Usually the match lasts awhile, but the first stage ended by disqualification and the second stage ended really early. I'm glad I finally managed to cross that goal off though. Would've sucked if I had to wait another seven years for that match to come around again. :P

Stupidly, I avoided water so that I wouldn't have to go to the restroom during the event. I spent the whole afternoon longing for a cool drink.

Props to the entertaining Rey Mysterio match...clever idea to safeguard his identity with two masks this time around. :)

King of Pop 1958-2009
06/26/09 6:54 PM PDT

I found Michael Jackson's death really tragic...mostly because I felt that the guy deserved better. I always thought it sucked how Americans turned their backs on him and stigmatized him as a pedophile.

To this day, I still regard the moonwalk as the best dance move of all time. I loved his video game, too: "Moonwalker" (in fact, I still own it). It starts out with "Smooth Criminal" and lets you pop, moonwalk, flick your hat (a la "Billie Jean"), and lead a company of dancers just like Michael Jackson. I also remember from my childhood when "Thriller" projected in the skating rink. That video scared me big-time.

Update 6/27/2009: Found a decent YouTube video of the gameplay. Woah, I didn't know that Michael could slide down the bannister.

Watched movie: "The Hangover" (2009)
Practically everyone in the theater laughed hysterically at this movie...except for me. I guess you could say that I found it overrated. Rating: 5
Attended PCPA musical: "Les Misérables"
Emotional play highlighted by strong solo performances (including the song that made Susan Boyle famous) and some cool "slow motion" scenes. My only major criticism: that a man would agonize all his life over...a loaf of bread. Basically, he fled from the law all his life; hid the truth from his daughter; drove his archenemy to suicide; and remorsefully confessed on his deathbed...all because of a @#%$*! loaf of bread?!?. You gotta be kidding me. I got to thinking that maybe the guy secretly killed somebody when he stole the bread...but according to the wiki, no. Rating: 7
Watched movie: "Land of the Lost" (2009)
I felt sorry for fans of the original TV series, because this movie sure debased it. I found the vulgar humor and Cha-Ka's portrayal particularly tasteless. Admittedly, Will Ferrell made me laugh a couple of times. Rating: 3
Posthumous
06/18/09 10:25 AM PDT

Tomorrow, my family will plant a tree in memoriam of my Mom. The modesty of this tribute appeals to me, as I'm not too big a fan of ornate memorials. For my own burial arrangements, I might just request a pine box. :)

Over the past few months, I came to the conclusion that I do not romanticize death like the movies and TV do. For example, I can't identify with characters who address their departed loved ones at a gravesite, in dreams, or as a hallucination (in fact, I skeptically regard dreams as misfires in the brain). Also, I don't like to dwell on what a departed loved one "would have wanted" of the people who survived them (this would probably explain why "Kite Runner" lost my interest).

I will admit to one superstition in regards to my Mom: after she passed away, a white praying mantis visited the house; followed by another sighting at IBM. I had trouble dismissing these uncanny appearances as a coincidence.

Update 6/22/2009: My Mom's tree looked a lot taller than I expected. When it grows up, I believe it will look like one of these. Coincidentally, it ended up in the same spot at Adam park where we used to play as kids.

The guy on the right donated the tree.

The Big Easy, Reflections
06/10/09 7:24 PM PDT

Having returned to California on Monday, I must say: what a relief to leave New Orleans. :) I can finally have a meal that doesn't make me rush to the bathroom afterward, and can walk outside without sweltering like crazy.

Not sure whether to blame Hurricane Katrina for the run down buildings, but that downtown area and French Quarter looked awful.

The trip did have its highlights though. I'd summarize the positives and negatives as follows:

Positives Negatives
The swamp tourThe oppressive weather
Garden DistrictDowntown and the French Quarter
Cajun food--particularly the beignets,
café au lait, and jambalaya		Cajun food
Attended event: WWE Extreme Rules 2009
As usual, this show did not disappoint. It sprung a few surprises:
  • Five title changes.
  • Rey Mysterio unexpectedly losing his mask.
  • Tommy Dreamer winning his first world title in the WWE.
  • CM Punk cashing in his Money in the Bank briefcase to win the World Heavyweight Championship (first time I ever caught this live).
You know that beer commercial with "the world's most interesting man"? I think I might have sat behind "the world's most annoying man". Talk about loud and obnoxious--he shouted obscenities even with kids in the audience. And whenever people told him to shut up, he drunkenly refused. Sadly, WWE events permit (possibly even encourage) that kind of behavior.
The Big Easy, Day 2: Mo' Cajun cookin'
06/07/09 11:29 AM PDT

Funny how some WWE wrestlers still stay in cheap hotels despite all their wealth. Upon returning to the Holiday Inn, I saw Jerry "The King" Lawler checking in at the front desk; then Maria stepped in my elevator on the way up. Ordinarily, I like taking pictures with celebrities--but not when it intrudes on their personal time. So I pretended not to recognize them.

I did wave to a tag team once, as they were checking out.

Ate at restaurant: Mother's Restaurant
My favorite New Orleans restaurant out of all of them. I enjoyed an expensive combination platter: Jerry's jambalaya, étouffée, red beans, potato salad, and greens. Also saved a po'boy for later: the Famous Ferdi Special. Update 6/9/2009: The Famous Ferdi Special tasted pretty good but one piece of advice: eat it before the gravy makes it all soggy.

Out of all the dishes I tasted, I liked jambalaya the best.

The Big Easy, Day 1
06/06/09 11:06 PM PDT

More like the Big Sleazy, judging by what I saw and smelt on Bourbon Street. Dang, yo.

Today's sweltering heat in New Orleans made me think of Hades--particularly when I saw what the pigeons look like: black with fiery eyes.

By the way, what is up with all these street musicians and panhandlers?

Regarding New Orleans architecture: I like those gates that decorate the balconies, such as the ones on the mansions in the Garden District. I wonder how much those mansions go for. :)

Final observation of the day: Cajuns have the coolest accents. :)

Rode vehicle: Airboat
Easily a highlight for 2009. If you ever visit New Orleans, I strongly recommend the Jean Lafitte Swamp Air Boat Tour. I booked a 6 passenger airboat. Whenever the tour guide sped us up, the air blasted our faces like some kind of wind tunnel. Whenever we banked turns, the airboat swung sideways like one of those "Tokyo Drift" cars. The airboat glided over bumps pretty well too...except when it came to waves for some reason. One drawback of an airboat: the deafening noise that it makes. Consequently, the tour guide provided us with earmuffs. Another drawback of an airboat: the absence of a windshield. During the ride back, some kind of projectile glanced off my face--a dragonfly, I think.

To my surprise, the tour guide lured gators to the airboat with...jumbo marshmellows, of all things. When he plopped them in the water, the gators glided toward them and GLOMP!...swallowed them whole. He also teased the gators into opening their mouths and jumping out of the water. Crazy. Another curious sight: gators sunning themselves on land with their mouths wide open, as motionless as statues (I almost dismissed them as fake until they began moving).


Side note: I didn't know that gators ate their young whenever food grew too scarce.

Ate at restaurant: Gumbo Shop
Tried a bowl of seafood okra gumbo--or more accurately, shrimp okra gumbo since I couldn't get the crab leg open. Overall, it tasted aiight.
Ate at coffee stand: Café du Monde
I discovered a French drink that I really like: café au lait. Way better than anything at Starbucks. :) Also enjoyed the beignets.
Ate at restaurant: The Court of Two Sisters
Dined on creole seafood gumbo and "shrimp and grits" (grits = the Cajun equivalent of polenta). Pretty good, but not worth $29. :) Also, most of the menu items contained a vegetable that I hate, asparagus. :(

In closing: my mouth may have liked the food in New Orleans, but my stomach sure didn't. Let's just say that the food tore through there quicker than I would've liked. :P

Watched movie: "Drag Me to Hell" (2009)
Zany, heart tugging, and totally evil. I tell you, that Sam Raimi went too far this time. :) Side note: I can't believe that Raimi still films movies with that same exact car in them. Rating: 7
Watched movie: "Up" (2009) in Disney Digital 3-D
I had two impressions of Pixar's latest venture: a) painfully ridiculous, starting with the notion that helium balloons could move an entire house; and b) painfully touching--so much so that I left "Up" feeling "down". I'd definitely recommend the film though. Rating: 7
Things that suck III: Movie edition
05/31/09 10:07 PM PDT

I recently learned that my favorite foreign film of 2008, "Let the Right One In", inspired plans for an American remake titled "Let Me In". Dang that Hollywood! How dare they remake that work of art. I would actually go so far as to call "Let the Right One In" one of my favorite romantic dramas ever--possibly because I can't recall any other film where I found the girl's actions more romantic than the guy's. One obvious example: the girl trying to eat the human food that the boy offered. One less than obvious example: the girl ridding him of those bullies that had tormented him the entire movie, which I really admired her for. :)

You know what else I hate besides inappropriate remakes? Spoilers. I don't even like hearing reviews about a movie that I already committed to seeing. (I only read reviews for movies that I haven't decided upon yet.) For "Terminator Salvation", I avoided spoilers pretty well until I overheard some mall folks discussing whether Arnold Schwarzenegger was computer-generated or not--gee, I wonder what movie what they had just come out of. :(

I guess while I'm at it, I'll publish this list of gripes that I recently finished: a countdown of moviegoers that I hate the most.

Honorable mention: Moviegoers who overdo their cologne or perfume.
#5: Boyfriends who startle their girlfriends during scary movies.
#4: Persistent talkers; particularly the ones who make dumb comments or cat calls.
#3: Drunken teenagers.
#2: Irresponsible parents who bring their toddlers into R-rated movies.
#1: Shadow puppeteers.

#1 should be no surprise if you read about that incident where I uncharacteristically flipped my lid.

Watched on demand movie: "Passengers" (2008)
Dunno why I keep watching these Jacob's Ladder-type movies as they never fail to disappoint me. The ending to this one troubled me (even though I predicted it from a mile away). Am I to believe that a) people congregate in the afterlife at whatever age they died at, and b) people still date in the afterlife?? As for Anne Hathaway, I'm starting to think of her as a "hot and cold" actress. Rating: 4
Watched movie: "Terminator Salvation" (2009)
Sadly, I felt nothing but apathy toward this movie for a number of reasons:
  • I didn't care for any of the characters, especially John Connor whom I never liked. The film needed more Ahhr-nold or maybe even that Summer Glau Terminator.
  • To me, the movie jumped from one scene to another without much emotion.
  • Based on the previous installments, I pretty much knew the outcome and thus viewed this entire film as a formality. In particular, I never considered John Connor and Kyle Reese in any real danger because of all the characters in the "Terminator" franchise, these two struck me as the least dispensable.
  • Just like in the previous films, I had trouble suspending my disbelief that team Connor stood any kind of chance against that virtually omnipotent supercomputer Skynet. Heck, I never understood why Skynet couldn't just send a whole army of Terminators back in time. :)
  • Basically, any human victories after the worldwide nuclear holocaust struck me as pyrrhic.

On the plus side, I liked how the movie developed that "is he man, or is he machine?" character with the exception of that terribly corny scene at the end.

Someone asked me if "Terminator Salvation" was a prequel to "Terminator". At the time, I replied: either a prequel or sequel depending on how you look it. But now that I've seen the film, I would learn toward "prequel" given all of the homages that it paid to the two Linda Hamilton movies. Rating: 6

Jung and the restless
05/22/09 4:19 PM PDT

That finale of "Survivor: Tocantins" made me realize how much stock that I place in testimonials. Although I consider myself fairly unassuming, if enough people complain about someone (even if I never personally witnessed it), i.e. Sierra, then I can't help but to take their judgments seriously. Conversely, if a person criticizes someone that everyone else considers beyond reproach, then it makes me suspect that maybe the critic has the problem instead.

During this season of "Survivor", enough people praised the winner, J.T., for me to think highly of him. Now a cynic might argue that he only acted that way to win the game--but for me, that argument splits hairs. If a person constantly thinks like a jerk but never acts like one, then I don't consider that person a jerk.

Philosophical question of the day: can someone become nicer if they try long enough, or do they have to pretend all their life?

I have a number of events coming up:

In addition to New Orelans gumbo, I plan to cross of my goal of riding an airboat. The company I booked through Expedia advertised the ride as follows:

"Take a thrilling ride through the swamps and bayous of Louisiana, accessible only by airboat! Come face-to-face with alligators, snakes, and other native creatures while exploring their neighborhood."

Why don't I pet the alligators and snakes while I'm at it. :(

Morally praiseworthy but not obligatory
05/17/09 1:22 AM PDT

I confess that I probably overanalyzed that new "Star Trek" movie. I think that more than anything, I nitpicked the portrayal of Spock. In my opinion, he never would have cited Kirk's dead father in an argument or jettisoned a crew member to a dangerous planet. Granted, I'd never call "sensitivity" one of Spock's strengths, but I always considered the guy respectful and well-mannered.

Historically, I never liked how "Star Trek" physics allowed arbitrary time travel. It made me wonder why the Federation, the Romulans, and Klingons never tried to arm their own ancestors with superior technology. "Enterprise" explored this premise once by starting a "temporal cold war" storyline where warring aliens kept tampering with each others' histories. I concluded that the storyline sucked.

Someone at work questioned Spock's ethics for giving Scotty the equation to transwarp beaming. I saw no problem with it given that he came up with the thing in the first place. In fact, I felt that Spock should have divulged much more--at a minimum, anything that the Vulcans would've accomplished had their planet survived, and all of the lessons Spock learned from the original "Star Trek" episodes (they're bound to unfold differently now, especially "Amok Time").

One time, my college roommate condemned the idea of transporters. He posed that a transporter could only work if it killed you and then resurrected you at your destination. Interesting point; especially in lieu of that one "Next Generation" episode where a transporter accidentally cloned Riker. Personally, I always wondered why a transporter couldn't just restore people to their former selves anytime they beamed up sick, injured, or dead.

Watched movie: "Angels & Demons" (2009)
My take on "Angels & Demons": oxymoronic & laughable. First of all, the symbologist from "The Da Vinci Code" missed his calling--his scholarly pursuit of that terrorist put Jack Bauer to shame. Second, since when did priests know how to create antimatter? I didn't realize that seminaries taught particle physics. Third, Ewan McGregor's farfetched heroics reminded me of that dumb kung fu scene in "Dead Alive" where Father McGruder shouted, "I kick arse for the Lord!". I guess thrillers and religion just don't mix for me. P.S. Did anyone else have trouble getting back into the movie after that deplorable act of vandalism in the Vatican Archives? Rating: 5
Line dancing
05/10/09 1:17 PM PDT

Sometimes at work, we discuss irredeemable movie/TV characters around the "water cooler". For instance, we quickly established that the following characters could never redeem themselves: The Comedian from "Watchmen" and Locke's father in "Lost" (personally, I'd throw in some characters from "Before the Devil Knows You're Dead" and "Blindness" too, including Mark Ruffalo). Conversely, some of our disagreements defied reconciliation, e.g., a debate about whether that Juno character in "The Descent" got her just desserts. In my view, a lousy friend who panics under pressure doesn't deserve to die. :)

Amusingly, another colleague and I disagreed on "Kite Runner". She refused to forgive the Amir character...whereas I had forgiven the guy even before he had sought atonement in Afghanistan. I guess I found it all moot after Amir could no longer apologize to the person he had wronged. Also, I tend to give kids more leeway than adults.

We also disagreed on Kate in "Lost". Even now, I can't look past what she did. :)

One time, my sister found it interesting that I couldn't forgive one of the Harry Potter characters: Ron Weasley. I think it all goes back to my contempt for kicking someone when they're down--or to phrase it another way, hurting someone when they're really vulnerable. Then again, I guess that character shouldn't feel too bad--I always hated Malfoy much worse. :)

Someday I'll make up my mind about that Seth Rogen character in "Observe and Report". He pushed that envelope farther than I was willing to forget.

Watched movie: "Observe and Report" (2009)
The audacity of this movie took me aback even though this director's previous film, "The Foot Fist Way", inoculated me to that type of humor. Both movies followed that formula where the lead guy acted all beaucoup but showed a vulnerable side--however, I left "Observe and Report" questioning whether Seth Rogen really redeemed all of his bad behavior. P.S. Props to Anna Faris' comedic stylings, and her character's interesting choice of music. :) Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Star Trek" (2009)
As a fan of Gene Roddenberry's original "Star Trek", I found this movie both thrilling and demeaning. Basically, Leonard Nimoy ruined it for me. His presence forced me to interpret the film as a sequel rather than a reinvention--in turn, forcing me to take J.J. Abrams' bold revisions of the "Star Trek" timeline seriously. The revisions that struck me as the most sacrilegious:
  • Wiping out Vulcan and most of the Vulcan race.
  • Objectifying Uhura, and senselessly making her Spock's girlfriend.
  • Cruelly and unusually exiling Kirk to a hazardous planet (instead of say, the brig), where he coincidentally met the two individuals that could help him the most.
  • Relegating Scotty to a remote outpost for beaming away Archer's dog (a slap in the face to both Scotty and "Enterprise" fans).
Overall, I found the movie too tongue-in-cheek, and didn't care for all that cartoonish and unprofessional conduct (particularly during the Kobayashi Maru). The film also portrayed Spock as a prick, in my view, with nary any insight as to how he and Kirk became such good friends. On the plus side, I really liked Spock's relationship with his mother. The respect he showed her touched me more than anything else in the movie. Captain Pike had his moments too--he came a long way from that one light "yes", two lights "no" guy. :) In conclusion, I found the new "Star Trek" cool but could almost picture Gene Roddenberry rolling in his grave. Update 5/11/2009: After re-watching the film, I appreciated the music more and raised my rating a bit. Turns out that this composer also scored the "Lost" soundtracks. Rating: 8
Watched movie: "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" (2009)
A "shiny", yet lackluster backstory for one of my favorite X-Men characters. Despite all of the dazzling special effects, this movie really bored me. For starters, it lacked the meaning and emotion that the original "X-Men" movies captured so well. Granted, I didn't expect "Wolverine" to reach that same bar--but given the bad blood between him and his enemies, I expected a really visceral vendetta at least. Instead, the "vendetta" lost steam at every turn. Every time that Wolverine's bloodlust gained momentum, something stopped it. Side note: Did Patrick Stewart really appear in the film or did they computer-generate him?? His face looked whack. P.S. Stay after the credits. Rating: 4
Popularity contest
05/01/09 4:06 PM PDT

I think we all agree that an optimist sees a glass as half-full while a pessimist sees the same glass as half-empty. But riddle me this: if a glass is 10% full, am I pessimistic to call it 90% empty? I say no. :)

Speaking of percentages, I decided that "Fast & Furious" stumbled upon one pearl of wisdom inside all that shallowness. When Vin Diesel explained his taste in women, he cited "20% angel" and "80% devil" as a deciding factor. That criteria actually made a lot of sense to me--the measurement, I mean, not the percentages that he picked. My preference would likely gravitate toward the reverse, as I don't even like it when women swear. Similarly, my apologies to the men (and women) who drool over Angelina Jolie and Megan Fox--but their tattoos really turn me off. :)

Moving on, I concluded that Indian food lacks popularity. At work, whenever I suggest that we eat at Emperor of India, no one entertains my great idea. :) And just recently, an Indian place I frequented at the Great Mall ("Swagat") vacated while all the other ethnic restaurants (Italian, Japanese, Chinese, Thai, Hawaiian) remained open.

I decided to reinvest all of my retirement savings back into the stock market, and just ride out the waves that follow. Despite all of the bad financial news, the other shoe never dropped like I thought. In my view, the economy has stabilized somewhat.

Interestingly, I discovered a 51st state quarter in my loose change: District of Columbia. At first, I misread the name of the guy on the coin--I thought it read "Puke" Ellington. :(

Watched movie: "earth" (2009)
A cinematically gorgeous documentary (not counting the humpback whales or walruses) that made me realize my cynicism toward nature. Instead of feeling awe or adoration toward the wildlife, I felt sorry for them. The threats on their life never seemed to end: either they had to worry about predators eating them, or worry about starving to death. That would suck, in my view, having to fear death all the time. Sometimes I wanted the filmmakers to intervene. For example, they just filmed away when a baby elephant trekked toward certain doom, and when a polar bear couldn't catch a break. I guess in the big picture, human morality can't apply to animals. Best case in point: when a hungry pride of lions slunk around in the darkness, hunting baby elephants; then swarmed over one of the big elephants in a completely unfair fight. My verdict on that incident: they had to do what they had to do. :) Rating: 6
Happy enough
04/26/09 2:12 PM PDT

Today marks my tenth year at IBM. Seems hard to believe. This year, someone asked me if I felt happy with my career. I replied, "For the most part." "What would make you happier about your job?" the person probed. Nothing came to mind.

I actually think that sums up my life. Aside from living vicariously, I can't think of anything that would make me blissfully happy, i.e., a dream job, a family, a house with two cats in the yard, material wealth, or travel. Similarly, I can't think of anything to feel depressed about. I guess you could say that I'm "happy enough".

Speaking of living vicariously, I spotted myself in wwe.com's countdown of Most Extreme Matches.

Watched movie: "State of Play" (2009)
An intriguing political thriller that primarily delved into an investigative reporter's ethics--specifically, how far a journalist should go to sell newspapers (and similarly, how low they should stoop). I likened the Russell Crowe character to a "Survivor" castaway in that I never fully reconciled his motives. His loyalties seemed torn between a disgraced Congressman friend, the Washington Globe, and some kind of personal agenda (bringing down the big bad corporation). Once again, I couldn't quite tell what the big bad corporation did wrong. I guess if this season "24" showed us anything, we shouldn't trust private defense contractors. :) I also felt that the plot employed one too many coincidences to move the story along. I did like the ironic coincidences, however: Russell Crowe parking under a "no parking" sign and visiting policemen carelessly spilling a stack of newspapers. Side note: Call me paranoid, but I never stood next to the Metrorail tracks like that when I visited Washington, D.C. Rating: 7
Watched movie: "Sin Nombre" (2009)
A train ride with no light at the end of the tunnel--or to put it another way, a wholly unpleasant movie that failed to reward my toleration of it. Basically, I had no one to root for--either because the acting sucked, or because I couldn't get past the characters' poor choices. Rating: 3
Catching the football
04/18/09 12:59 PM PDT

This week's episodes of "House" and "24" reminded me of that term, "jump the shark". Recently in Wikipedia, I discovered a similar phrase for movies ("nuking the fridge") and celebrities ("jumping the couch"). It got me thinking that pop culture could use another phrase, an antithesis to "jumping the shark", to signify the moment when a TV show got really good. Some of my ideas:

"Running the blockade"
Most "Babylon 5" fans would probably pick a moment from the final four episodes of the second season, but for me the series turned the corner earlier than that during "And Now for a Word" when the station suspensefully launched a single merchant vessel toward a Centauri blockade (to see whether the Centauri would fire upon it or not). Some of the best television that I've ever seen followed that one episode.
"Catching the football"
"Lost" became one of my all-time favorite shows halfway through the third season--beginning with an episode titled "The Man from Tallahassee". Oddly, the quality really seemed to improve once Jack caught that football. It led some longstanding conflicts to come to a head, and opened some new doors for the main characters.
"Ramming the starship"
For the most part, "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" bored me until the series introduced a menacing new superpower called the Dominion. I still remember when Starfleet first encountered them in "The Jem'Hadar": one of their tiny little ships went kamikaze and took out an entire Galaxy-class starship. For those of you unfamiliar with "Star Trek", a Galaxy-class starship resembles the USS Enterprise (Next Generation) in size and appearance. It's a pretty big ship.
Snips and snails and puppy-dog tails
04/11/09 7:28 PM PDT

During that last episode of "House" where a main character committed suicide, I found Dr. House's insensitivity somewhat unsurprising. It made me realize how much respect that I had lost for him, and why the show went downhill for me. Granted, House has consistently acted like a jerk--but some of his actions in the later seasons really soured me:

Another reason why the show went downhill for me: the lack of good foils for House. Nowadays, his employees talk just as cynically as he does, and hardly react to his antics.

Similarly, I concluded that I lost respect for Monk too. I guess I finally got fed up with his immaturity.

Recently, I compared favorite and least favorite "Lost" characters with a new fan of the series. Funny how our three least favorite characters matched: Michael, Claire, and Charlie. Additionally, I dislike Kate but recently my opinion of her improved slightly. My top three favorite characters: Locke, Faraday, and Hurley. I noticed that Sawyer seems rather popular with the female fans.

P.S. In the last "Lost" party, Jack and Kate found a male and female skeleton in the caves. One of them had a light and dark gem. I wonder if the current season will resolve that mystery.

Watched movie: "Fast & Furious" (2009)
Not bad considering how much I hate Paul Walker and Vin Diesel. I think the plot holes actually helped the movie because I nary took any of it seriously. In particular, I found Paul Walker's attempt to play an FBI agent really laughable. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "I Love You, Man" (2009)
Funny despite my inability to relate to such vulgar conversations. Evidently, I never hung out in social circles where people talk this freely. The Paul Rudd character amused me even though I began to tire of his witless mispronunciations and poor judgment (like lending his friend $8000). I also didn't understand why his fiancé and her girl friends cared so much that he befriend other men. Did they overlook the possibility that she might have to compete for his attention later (which just as I predicted, ended up happening)? Rating: 6
Failure to communicate
04/10/09 8:14 PM PDT

That sabotage of communication lines in the local news forced my workplace to shut down yesterday. I also caught a computer virus last week (it masqueraded as anti-virus software, but didn't fool me). This type of malfeasance makes me fume. I say throw the perpetrators in prison for a long time.

In one of the official WrestleMania XXV photos, I spotted myself behind Mickey Rourke and Ric Flair. Woooo! You know, I always found it challenging to appear on camera at WrestleMania. To give you an idea of the difficulty, check out these past screenshots:

WrestleMania 22 (Attendance: 17,159)

WrestleMania 23 (Attendance: 80,103)

WrestleMania XXIV (Attendance: 74,635)

Update: 25th Anniversary of WrestleMania (Attendance: 72,744)

Update: WrestleMania XXVI (Attendance: 72,219)

Update: WrestleMania XXVII (Attendance: 71,617)

Update: WrestleMania XXVIII (Attendance: 78,363)

The 25th Anniversary of WrestleMania
04/07/09 5:04 PM PDT

First, I'd like to tap my temple and proclaim myself "smart" for parking 1-2 miles away from the site of WrestleMania XXV (25). Granted, the sun burned my nose and my feet hurt afterward--but what a relief to breeze past traffic when roughly 72,744 people tried to leave the area at the same time. I also saved myself $20 by parking at a Washington Mutual.

Second, my orange attire stood out pretty well in the incessant blue light that bathed the audience. Although I sat in the fifth row, I timed my movements to appear on camera longer, i.e., whenever my crowd jumped to their feet, I sat down slower than everyone else. Oddly, one of the fans (German, I think) recognized me after the show--he remarked that during the Royal Rumble broadcast, my glowing green shirt annoyed him.

Just as I predicted, the match between The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels stole the show (the WWE really should have booked that match last instead of the boring Triple H vs. Randy Orton main event). What an entrance by Shawn Michaels...easily the greatest pro-wrestling entrance that I have ever seen. He dressed up like an agent of light, and descended to the stage on a cloud.

I also liked Stone Cold Steve Austin's beer bash and Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat's impressive return to the ring. I could've done without the part where Mickey Rourke boxed Chris Jericho though. P.S. It looked like "Rowdy" Roddy Piper injured his arm.

Now I'm debating whether to attend WrestleMania 26 in Arizona. I can't think of any matches that I'd want to see there. On the other hand, I've yet to attend a WrestleMania that disappointed me.

Curious side note: I noticed that the Hyatt Regency-Houston has no fifth floor. Weird.

Hall yeah
04/04/09 9:49 PM PDT

This morning, I purposely slept in and skipped all of the Saturday autograph sessions that came with my WWE travel package. I couldn't think of any pro-wrestler here that I wanted to meet.

Apparently, the architect of the Hyatt Regency-Houston never accounted for drunken pro-wrestling fans. At all hours of the day and night, the sounds of "Wooooo!!" echo up to my room on the 23rd floor. Hence, I've been making good use of the earplugs that I brought.

I can't decide which segment of people that I find more insufferable: loud pro-wrestling fans, obnoxious nerds, or shallow teenagers. I guess it depends on whichever people I encountered last. :)

To my frustration, TV shows air one hour earlier in the Central time zone. While trying the cuisine at Benihana, I missed most of the 2009 WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony broadcast because I forgot that 10/9c means 9pm here. Fortunately, I caught enough of it to spot myself in the front row. That's the first time that I ever managed to appear on camera during that ceremony.

If you recorded it, look for the guy with the gold tie. To my dismay, most of the attendees ignored the dress code. Thankfully, security finally cracked down on hecklers this time around. It would've sucked if they overdid the "What!" every time that Stone Cold Steve Austin finished a sentence. I also appreciated the stricter time limit on everyone's speeches.

Stone Cold Steve Austin delivered a pretty good speech given that he ignored all of his notes (I finally got to hear his catch phrases live). My one criticism: I felt that he dwelled too much on that 2002 incident where he walked away from the company.

A couple of other occurrences that amused me:

Tomorrow: WrestleMania XXV.

The pursuit of happiness
03/29/09 1:39 PM PDT

During the screening of "Walkabout" at the "Lost" party, I noticed that Jack's father wore tennis shoes. Funny how it took five seasons for Jack to explain why. Maybe the writers tried to cover a loophole? Another possible loophole: Locke spoke to someone on the phone named "Helen". She called him a customer, and said that she'd have to charge him if he wanted to talk to her longer. She seemed inconsistent with the "Helen" from his other flashbacks.

Now that I stopped collecting "Tomb Raider" and "Silent Hill" games, I plan to stop collecting "Resident Evil" too. I bought "Resident Evil 5" for PlayStation 3, but left it in the shrink-wrap as I found out that the console still costs over $400. Forget that...

I'm wondering whether I would even enjoy "Resident Evil 5". I miss the old survival horror genre where the creators focused on scariness rather than all-out action.

Watched movie: "Gomorra" (2008) a.k.a. "Gomorrah" (2009)
An entertaining, modern-day Italian mafia movie that reminded me of "Traffic" for a few reasons:
  • Everything felt realistic, like a documentary.
  • The film delved into a wide variety of corrupt Italian enterprises (from textiles to hazardous waste disposal). It took me awhile to figure out what each adult did.
  • To my recollection, none of these characters ever crossed paths.
Just like in "The Godfather II", I really enjoyed the sound of their Italian dialects--even the two "Beavis & Butthead" teenagers sounded cool (speaking of which, those two dumbasses should've spent less time reenacting "Scarface" and more time studying "GoodFellas"). :) I also liked the music, and found some of the visuals really amusing, e.g., the ventilated trunk, the hazmat suits, and some rather curious-looking dump truck drivers. Make no mistake though...I'd never want to grow up in such an unsafe region. Side note: How did the teenagers know so much about guns? Rating: 8
Watched movie: "Knowing" (2009)
Maybe I should just give away the ending so that you don't waste your time. Hint #1: It reminded me of "The Fountain", which isn't a compliment. :) Hint #2: Despite foreknowledge of when and where the tragedies would happen, I realized the futility of Nicolas Cage's efforts pretty quickly. Speaking of which, I think I like Nicolas Cage better when he overacts. :) Rose Byrne played her part ok, but I didn't think much of her role. Sometimes I wondered how these two could deliver such hokey dialogue with such straight faces. Final thought: I liked the movie's philosophical question about whether coincidences happen randomly for a reason. For me, this question defines our very existence. Rating: 5
Footnoteworthy
03/21/09 4:49 PM PDT

Saw some historic stuff on TV this past week:

Law & Order
The two detectives actually gunned down a murder suspect. In 19 seasons of this show, I only remember one other episode where a detective discharged his firearm on-camera. Admittedly, I'm having trouble recalling L&O plots these days. I used to know this show so well that I could recollect each storyline based solely on how they found the body. :)
Family Guy (rerun)
Lois finally acknowledged something that Stewie said (she concurred with his point about "The Godfather"). For the longest time, I wondered whether any adults in that cartoon could understand him.
The Tonight Show With Jay Leno: President Barack Obama
Despite my initial reservations that Obama took time from his busy schedule to appear on a talk show (the first sitting U.S. President to do so), I got more insights out of this one appearance than all of his speeches combined (I don't take much stock in a President's ability to read a teleprompter or to improvise platitudes). His responses seemed really intelligent, and gave me a better understanding of how he operates. It also amused me that his college basketball brackets seemed to favor swing states (good catch, Leno).
Battlestar Galactica series finale
I actually found the finale really depressing. Admittedly, I never followed the show—but I found it hard to believe that farm life and total seclusion from each other would make the crew happy. How boring, man.

I enjoy my workplace's e-mail invitations to the "Lost" viewing parties. The latest one read:

"We've now finished watching the pilot and there are a million questions to be answered...............How could the beautiful and sweet Kate be the prisoner of the federal marshall? What terrible crime did she commit? Will the federal marshall live long enough to reveal her secret? How could a polar bear be living on a tropical island? What happened to the French woman who sent the strange distress call 16 years ago? What secret did the bizarre Mr. Lock tell the little boy? Join us on Friday at noon and discover the intrigue! We'll be watching Episode 1 of Season 1, so it's not too late to get started..."

Amusingly, the episode only answered half of those questions. I already know that the show won't reveal Kate's crime until mid-second season. I also didn't figure out the polar bear thing until one of the "Lost" specials recapped the third season. At the time, both revelations struck me as anticlimatic.

I found it clever how WWE televised red herrings about who would face the Undertaker at WrestleMania 25. To my dismay, one of the challengers actually pinned the Undertaker in an upset victory. Given WWE's notoriety for promoting unpopular wrestlers, I kept worrying that this guy would beat Shawn Michaels for the right to challenge The Undertaker. Fortunately, the right person prevailed.

I actually can't think of any WrestleMania match that would excite me more than this one. I eagerly await the promotional video for it—possibly even more so than the match itself. :) When I researched their WrestleMania appearances, I discovered that these two hold the record for most WrestleMania matches (Undertaker with 16 and Shawn Michaels with 15).

You might wonder whether a dream match between Hulk Hogan and Stone Cold Steve Austin would thrill me more. My answer to that: No.

By the way, I concluded that Hulk Hogan won't appear at WrestleMania 25. When he exchanged words with the divorce lawyer in front of news cameras, I couldn't help but notice his crutches. According to Internet rumors, he underwent back surgery.

Lure of the misanthrope
03/14/09 11:52 PM PDT

Given my cynicism toward human pageantry, you would think that a film like "Watchmen" would appeal to me. You would think that I would identify with its characters, and respect their unpretentious behavior. Well you would think wrong. :)

Minor spoiler alert

I considered the characters in "Watchmen" self-destructive and perverse, and only identified with them in the sense that I never want to turn into them. For instance, I'd never want to care so little about humanity that I'd defy laws, behave like the Unabomber, or give up and exile myself to Mars (even though that last one really tempts me). :)

I think the characters' lack of shame bothered me the most. Obvious example: Dr. Manhattan neglecting clothes. Less obvious example: Rorschach breaking down his friend's door and bogarting his beans. This blatant disrespect made me wonder: what inhibition would Rorschach lose next? Would he turn on his friends someday?

Also, what other inhibitions would Nite Owl II and Silk Spectre II lose?

As for The Comedian, don't get me started...

During Friday's "Lost" party at work, I didn't catch anything new except for a scene where Locke explained backgammon to Walt. Good metaphor for the show, now that I think about it. The game requires both strategy and luck--and according to Locke, originated from an ancient culture. My inference: that many other cultures played backgammon just as many other cultures occupied the island with their own agendas.

I started watching the final episodes of "Battlestar Galactica" and man, I'm frakkin confused. Also caught one of the final episodes of "ER" where George Clooney made a surprise appearance.

A mile in their shoes
03/08/09 2:08 PM PDT

Sometimes I long for a class on Internet etiquette so that I don't have to learn it by trial and error. I recently wrote an e-mail that professed my "dismay" over someone's mistake. To my embarrassment, this very e-mail ended up in the inbox of that person's manager. At first I wanted to blame all of the folks who had forwarded my e-mail around--but in hindsight, I never should have assumed any privacy on that correspondence to begin with. I'm reminded of those kids in the public service commercials--the ones who couldn't take back what they irresponsibly published online.

In my defense, I rarely ever send flame anymore. I enforce a "cooling off period" on myself whenever I draft something that I might regret.

Update 3/9/2009: I should also point out, as a mitigating factor, that I did not know this person that I e-mailed about. :)

My workplace kicked off a weekly viewing party for the first season of one of my favorite shows, "Lost". On Friday, I watched the first episode. So far I haven't caught anything new except for a curious background conversation where Rose thought that the island monster sounded familiar??

I plan to attend the next three parties as I look forward to one particularly important Locke episode called "Walkabout". One time I caught a rerun of it on the Sci-Fi channel, and saw it in a new light. When I first viewed this episode, I had no context around Locke's "rebirth"--I knew nothing of the awful personal tragedies that had disillusioned him. So when I viewed this episode again, the restoration of his faith felt way more cathartic than before.

Although I've seen every episode of "Lost" already, I enjoy discussing this show around the "water cooler". Aside from comparing favorite and least favorite characters (and which ones belong together), I like pooling our observations and exchanging predictions (I once had a theory about the dog that went nowhere). Recently though, I've had no idea what would happen next. Nowadays when a "Lost" episode ends, it bums me out that I have to wait another week.

If I had to interpret what the show meant, I'd categorize my viewpoint into three themes:

"Lost" differs from any other show that I know. Due to its non-linear presentation, I sometimes wonder whether the order of the episodes even matter. I've found that the subtitles in the reruns help a great deal--occasionally, they point out connections that I never would have caught.

In conclusion, I must say that I love the music in "Lost". The stirring piano piece when Sawyer reminisced about a lost love...the music that swells whenever the characters get emotional...the symphonic excitement whenever the characters race through the jungle. Thumbs up.

Watched movie: "Watchmen" (2009)
Interesting Cold War era movie if you can get past the constant reminder that these superheroes have no shame. Won't someone please get Dr. Manhattan some pants?? And for a guy named "The Comedian", I found him really far from funny--unless a comic book equivalent to Chris Brown makes you laugh. Ideologically, I've never seen such cynical superheroes (except perhaps for the guy that Rorschach reminded me of, the Punisher). That Rorschach character unsettled me, and Dr. Manhattan sounded like some kind of nihilist. Rating: 7
Money in the bank
02/27/09 7:54 PM PST

Now that I rebalanced most of my life savings into bonds, I feel way less stressed. Nothing against Barack, but I'm convinced that this economy will get even worse before it gets better. For the next few months at least, I plan to stay out of the stock market except for one modest portfolio and a Roth IRA (both of which lost beaucoup bucks as well). I know this means that my money won't keep up with inflation anymore, but what would inflation matter if I have no money left to inflate?? :(

Even though I didn't plan to retire in the new future, I still daydreamed about it. Now I can't even daydream about it.

After watching the The 81st Annual Academy Awards, I decided to create my own best and worst list about the show:

BestWorst
The segments where five past Oscar winners praised each nominee. Some of the bizarre choices for these segments (too bad that the nominees couldn't pick their own).
The hilarious skit where the "Pineapple Express" duo watched movie clips a la "Beavis Butthead". Hugh Jackman's musical numbers.
The speech by Heath Ledger's family after his posthumous win. Total difficulty in seeing the annual death reel during the "In Memoriam" segment.
The shortening of the technical Oscar awards by keeping the same presenters onstage. Corny past award montages and the overusage of orchestral music.
My favorite movie of 2008, "Slumdog Millionaire", sweeping the top honors. The absence of any victory dancing. :)
Watched movie: "The International" (2009)
Unfortunately for director Tom Tykwer, his film "Run Lola Run" set a bar so high that I doubt he can ever surpass it. I left Tykwer's latest movie, "The International", somewhat unsatisfied. Maybe it came out at the wrong time because compared to today's bad banks, the International Bank of Business and Credit didn't seem so terrible to me. Just like in "The Constant Gardener", I had trouble following what the big corporation did (other than cover-ups) to make the protagonists feel so indignant. More importantly, I didn't care. Basically, nothing in the movie impressed me except for one redeeming scene: the inexplicably gratuitous shootout at the Guggenheim Museum. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Entre les murs" a.k.a. "The Class" (2008)
Keepin' it real. Although this semi-autobiographical drama focused on French teachers and students, I felt that the "inconvenient truths" depicted in the film could apply to our own education system as well. Some of the themes that I identified with:
  • The teachers' frustrations in dealing with insolent teenagers, and the trickiness of disciplining troublemakers.
  • The temptation to give up on problem teenagers, and the futility of trying to help students that would never amount to anything.
  • The expectation for teachers to stay patient regardless of the provocation.
  • The "elephant in the room" when it came to ethnic stereotypes. For example, I noticed that no one dared to bring up the ethnicity of their top student (except for when his mother faced deportation to China)... :)
  • Parents who can't speak English.
To my disbelief, the faculty allowed student representatives to sit in on student evaluations (which unsurprisingly led to the biggest conflict in the film). It also puzzled me why the main teacher kept dignifying students' moronic comments, as some of those teens deserved a smack on the head. :) Maybe French schools differ in those respects. Rating: 7
Hope for the best, prepare for the worst
02/21/09 5:19 PM PST

I'm growing bored with "House". I once enjoyed this show so much that I watched over half a dozen episodes in one night. Now it feels more and more like a chore to watch. I still consider it better than most of the shows out there though.

The last episode featured an interesting theological discussion where a priest accused House of "wanting to believe". That struck a chord with my own sentiments, as I "want to believe". I want to believe that people are good. I want to believe that good people go to a better place. I want to believe that everything happens for a reason. Doesn't make me any less cynical though. :)

Ever hear the quote, "Hope for the best, prepare for the worst"? In my view, that approach to life distinguishes the cynic from the pessimist.

In other news, my irreplaceable WrestleMania 25 travel package finally arrived. That means that I no longer have to watch the clock at work, rush home, and stress out that my package hadn't arrived yet (or alternatively, that someone had stolen it off my front porch again). My mind kept picturing a big FedEx box by my front door--for all the world to see--with the letters "WWE" inviting people to steal it. It also tormented me whenever I read an Internet report from some happy person who received their package already.

My seat at WrestleMania 25 looks pretty decent--about five rows from the ring. I plan to debut my neon orange cap this time in order to differentiate myself from those yellow-capped vendors who walk around the arena.

Can't say that I'm excited about the main events--I've already seen those two match-ups live (fairly recently, in fact). I guess the WWE can only book so many matches before they have to start recycling them. That might explain why I'm starting to tire of their events.

I do look forward to one WrestleMania match, however: The Undertaker versus Shawn Michaels. Ever since their last singles match against each other (over ten years ago), they've grown into two of the greatest WrestleMania icons I've ever seen. How great? Well if I made a list of the greatest WrestleMania performers, these two would top it (even over my favorite pro-wrestler, Hulk Hogan). Shawn Michaels wrestled so many quality matches at this big event, that fans nicknamed him "Mr. WrestleMania". And Undertaker wrestled at more WrestleMania events than anyone in history (16). He never lost a match there either. I assume that after WrestleMania 25, his record will jump to 17-0--but what a match it will be.

Watched movie: "The Uninvited" (2009)
Relatively boring except for some hair-raising psychological horror that the original Korean version undoubtedly inspired. In particular, the girl's "daymares" kept alarming and confusing me (her visions felt like a cross between "What Lies Beneath" and "Better Off Dead..."). Fortunately, the ending clarified all of the gaps in my logic. Rating: 5
The following takes place between...
02/14/09 5:51 PM PST

Thanks to deadlock on the CoSport Web site, my friend and I failed to acquire a single Olympic ticket. Fortunately, the Hospitality Pass Packages (2 sporting events + 1 medals ceremony) sold out less quickly. By purchasing two consecutive packages, I managed to schedule the exact 2010 Olympic week that I wanted (except for curling):

Yeah, curling's going to rock. :P Anyway, I look forward to crossing "Olympic event" off my goals list.

Now I just have to worry about hotel accommodations and airfare. :(

Watched movie: "Taken" (2009)
Like a couple of "24" episodes except with Liam Neeson playing the one-man army instead of Kiefer Sutherland. Both guys raced against the clock, mowed through bad guys like Jason Bourne, defied laws with impunity, tortured people without remorse, and had to rescue hapless daughters named "Kim". I might have rated the movie higher had they toned down the corniness--most notably Liam Neeson's lame monologue as shown in the trailer. Unanswered question: what happened to all of the other abducted women that Liam Neeson didn't save?? Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Friday the 13th" (2009)
A remake of the first three "Friday the 13th" films with the following differences:
  • More violence, sexual content, language, and drugs--basically everything that only a modern day R-rating would allow (which is why I fumed when I heard a kid crying in the theater).
  • More variety in Jason's killings thanks to modern day special effects. One particular scene stood out for me: the part with the girl under the dock.
  • More colorful characters. Addtionally, I counted three different "final girls" using Wikipedia's criteria.
Minor spoiler alert: Interestingly, the movie actually recreated Jason's evolution somewhat faithfully, i.e., his mother's death (from Part 1), the same irreconcilable backplot where he survived his own drowning (from Part 2), his original "baghead" disguise (from Part 2), the enshrinement of his mother's head (from Part 2), the hockey mask (from Part 3), the lynching (from Part 3), and the "ch ch ch, ha ha ha". That still leaves seven other "Friday the 13th" plots to remake though: his death, his copycat, his resurrection as a zombie, his battle with "Carrie", his voyage to Manhattan, his possession of other people, and his adventure aboard a 25th century spaceship. :) Rating: 5
Critical mass
02/08/09 1:19 AM PST

I recently noticed a cool feature on www.rottentomatoes.com where each movie page summarizes the critical reviews. After looking up my top five favorite movies of all time, I concluded that the summaries ring true. :)

1. The Truman Show (1998)
"Consensus: A funny, tender, and thought-provoking film, The Truman Show is all the more noteworthy for its remarkably prescient vision of runaway celebrity culture and a nation with an insatiable thirst for the private details of ordinary lives."
2. Fearless (1993)
No review. :( Update 12/8/2011: "This underrated gem from director Peter Weir features an outstanding performance from Jeff Bridges as a man dealing with profound grief."
3. United 93 (2006)
"Consensus: Potent and sobering, United 93 is even more gut-wrenching because the outcome is already known. While difficult to watch, director Paul Greengrass' film has been made with skill and treats the subject matter with respect, never resorting to the aggrandizement of which Hollywood has sometimes been accused. Especially effective is the cast of mostly unknown actors, who portray the passengers of the doomed flight as ordinary people who respond with bravery to extraordinary circumstances."
4. Sunshine (2007)
"Consensus: Danny Boyle continues his descent into mind-twisting sci-fi madness, taking us along for the ride. Sunshine fulfills the dual requisite necessary to become classic sci-fi: dazzling visuals with intelligent action."
5. Memento (2001)
"Consensus: Memento's fragmented, complex narrative is skillfully executed, keeping audiences guessing. Overall, critics find it to be a highly original, clever movie."

I also validated a theory of mine that every year, at least one critically panned movie makes my annual top ten list. Cases in point:

Watched movie: "The Unborn" (2009)
Scarier than I expected--possibly because the first half reminded me of a Japanese horror flick. The second half, to my disappointment, delved into that American tendency of overusing special effects. Minor spoiler alert: I made a two-column table to show exactly what I found scary (and not scary):
ScaryNot scary
JumbyMatty
Dog with cherub maskDog with upside-down head
Medicine cabinetDude with the twisting head
Restroom stall with a peepholePotato bugs
Yeah, that scene with the medicine cabinet scared me good. P.S. Why did Sofi kill the dybbuk's host in the first place? Rating: 5
Watched movie: "Push" (2009)
A total disappointment despite the cool trailer, direction by Paul McGuigan ("Wicker Park"), and two "Sunshine" actors. The superpower duels disappointed me the most--particularly the anticlimactic ones between rivals with similar abilities. And just like in "Heroes" and "Kung Fu Panda", it dismayed me whenever jobbers defeated such formidable adversaries. Examples:
  • How could such a lightweight girl trounce that Division agent? And for that matter, how could those agents behave so carelessly around a Pusher?
  • How could Nick defeat such a powerful Mover? And for that matter, how come he seemed immune to Pushers and Bleeders by the end of the movie?
  • How could Nick outsmart all of the villains (including Watchers) with such extraordinary foresight?
Also, I felt that the movie completely botched the romance between Nick and Kira. P.S. I liked Dakota Fanning's art at least. Rating: 5
Watched movie: "Coraline" (2009) in 3D
Marvelous stop-motion animation reminiscent of "Spirited Away" and "Pan's Labyrinth". Many of the 3-D sights dazzled me--especially that synchronized mouse show. Too bad that such wonders don't exist in our own boring reality. :( P.S. Coraline's friend sure had bad posture. P.S.S. Stay after the credits for a final 3-D effect and a password to coraline.com (which according to my Internet research, enters you into drawing for a free pair of Coraline Nike Dunks). Rating: 8
Kismet
02/02/09 6:36 PM PST

I felt sorta relieved to read that Mickey Rourke opted against a WrestleMania match this year. In my opinion, that match would have betrayed the character he played in "The Wrestler" (unless I'm misinterpreting the message of the movie). Now I just need a potion to make me forget that perturbing photo where he kissed his onscreen daughter, Evan Rachel Wood, on the lips. :P

After watching "Slumdog Millionaire" again, I ranked it my favorite movie of 2008. I concluded that it stands up to repeat viewings. I'm also convinced that the film depicts Kismet even though I still can't tell what religion that Jamal believed in. Clearly, his brother practiced Islam--but I never saw Jamal pray.

So now if I rank the five best picture Oscar nominees from my favorite to least favorite, they'd fall into place like so:

  1. "Slumdog Millionaire" (My rating: 8)
  2. "Frost/Nixon" (My rating: 8)
  3. "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" (My rating: 7)
  4. "The Reader" (My rating: 5)
  5. "Milk" (My rating: 5)

That'd be cool if my favorite movie of 2008 won an Academy Award. I can't remember if that ever happened before.

I'll go ahead and make my Oscar predictions for 2008 now:

Kate Winslet's Oscar nomination for actress instead of supporting actress messed up my original predictions.

Watched movie: "Watched movie: "Underworld: Rise of the Lycans" (2009)
Skip it. Without Kate Beckinsale, I found this prequel to "Underworld" rather banal. Although the movie helped me understand why vampires and werewolves hate each other so much, all of the characters bored me--especially since I knew their fates already. Surprisingly, Michael Sheen reprised his role as Lucian despite his critically acclaimed success after "Underworld". Maybe he didn't realize how cheesy that his lines would sound. Two rhetorical questions: a) would a baby between a vampire and Lycan survive? and b) did the Death Dealers go on vacation or something? Rating: 4
Royal Rumble 2009
01/27/09 5:53 PM PST

Too bad that I didn't bet on last weekend's Royal Rumble Match of 2009--I successfully predicted the winner for a change. I also managed to deduce the #30 entrant by numbering each participant on my homemade checklist.

Overall, this year's Royal Rumble Match disappointed me--but it had its moments. For instance, one of the participants actually broke the record for quickest elimination. Another participant innovatively balanced on top of eliminated wrestlers to avoid touching the floor.

To my irritation, at least three people reminded me that I left my commemorative chair behind. I knowwwww. I also managed to lose all of my earplugs prior to the event. They fell out of my pocket somehow. Fortunately, some paper towel strips that I crumpled up worked surprisingly well.

After a number of failures, I finally snapped the perfect photo of a signature Jeff Hardy move called the "whisper in the wind".
Hehe. I live vicariously.
I don't like Royal Rumble Matches where the ring totally fills up.
Five to nineteen degrees here in Detroit...
01/25/09 12:45 PM PST
...not counting wind chill. Remind me never to complain about chilly weather in California ever again. :)
If you sit by the river long enough...
01/22/09 11:01 AM PST

Now I know why I can't hear my downstairs neighbor anymore.

Last night when I returned home, a security guard and a policeman entered my downstairs neighbor's apartment. I saw the policeman scanning the place with a flashlight. This made me really curious, and eventually I walked downstairs to find out what happened.

The policemen didn't answer my inquiry at first. "When's the last time you saw your neighbor?" one of the cops asked me.
"About three weeks ago, but I heard him more than I saw him. He often screamed really loud. Real profane stuff," I explained.
"When was the last time you heard him?"
"About a week ago. He screamed in the courtyard a couple of times at night. I filed a complaint."
"Did he sound crazy?"
"That would make sense. I never heard the other person."
"Well, you'll have peace and quiet now. He's dead."
"Dead?? What happened?"
"We don't know."
"Was it...suicide?"
"We don't know." Then turning his attention to the other cop: "Did you call the coroner yet?"

While eavesdropping on the cops, I learned that the guy suffered from schizophrenia. His mom last saw him alive on Thursday. One cop even mentioned that the guy wasn't legally married to his wife, whatever that meant.

After I returned to my apartment, one of the cops knocked on my door to get my contact info. Then he knocked on my next door neighbor's door, asking if he ever saw the tenant downstairs. "No, I don't know him. I just moved in." My neighbor's response made me pause and think: Welcome to the neighborhood.

Inauguration day
01/20/09 10:38 AM PST
Das cool.
Perhaps it is written
01/18/09 7:09 PM PST

I can't hear my downstairs neighbor anymore. Peace and quiet at last.

The Phase I lottery ended for the XXI Olympic Winter Games. The bad news: I won zero of the three short track tickets that I ordered. The good news: by some strange stroke of luck, I managed to win the hottest ticket of all: Ladies Figure Skating long program. Personally, I would have preferred the reverse (three short track tickets and no figure skating tickets)--but in the big picture, I can probably acquire the remaining short track tickets a lot easier than the remaining ladies figure skating tickets.

If possible, I plan to avoid ticket brokers for a couple of reasons: a) they might go out of business before Olympic tickets mail out at the end of 2009, and b) they're not supposed to resell Olympic tickets (that's how I allegedly lost my WrestleMania 21 tickets).

Thanks to my On Demand service, I stumbled upon a curious 1986 television special called Voltron: Fleet of Doom wherein the Lion Force Voltron actually teamed up with the Vehicle Voltron. Although the cheesiness made me frown a lot, the animation brought back childhood memories. For those of you who never heard of the Voltron cartoon series, let me give you the basic plot of each Lion Force episode:

  1. Typically, the bad guys conjure a Robeast to terrorize the people on planet Arus.
  2. The good guys fight the Robeast with their robotic lions--usually to no avail.
  3. The five robotic lions combine to form one big robot, Voltron. During this assembly, the Robeast politely waits.
  4. Voltron cuts the Robeast in half and saves the day. Why they didn't just form Voltron from the beginning, I dunno. I guess each episode would end too early.

To my recollection, Voltron always dispatched the Robeast except for a couple of rare cases: a) an episode where four of the five lions had to thwart the Robeast themselves because the bad guys took out one of the pilots (which begs the question as to why the bad guys never tried this successful tactic again); and b) an episode where the Robeast kept deflecting Voltron's attacks and had to be blown apart by cannon (which begs the question as to why the bad guys never conjured this kind of Robeast again).

After the Lion Force season, I stopped watching the show as it shifted focus to a lame outer space Voltron made out of vehicles. :P

Occasionally when I watch movies, a song catches my ear and I seek it out for my playlist. Recently, I sought the following songs:

Watched movie: "The Butterfly Effect 3: Revelations" (2009)
A rather graphic follow-up to "The Butterfly Effect" wherein the time traveller progressively worsened his life despite very careful efforts to observe the past rather than change it. During the movie, I found a few plot points curious:
  • That the guy did practically nothing to trigger the new serial killings (even after the movie explained it, I couldn't reconcile how the second murder would improve his love life so dramatically).
  • That the guy did practically nothing in every jump thereafter, as he never seemed to catch the serial killer in the act.
  • That neither his sister nor his time travel mentor seemed to change in any timeline.
In the end, I failed to predict the identity of the serial killer. But I blame an illogical red herring for tricking me. :) Rating: 6
Watched movie: "My Bloody Valentine 3D" (2009)
An exploitation flick of sorts in that the movie focused on gore and sex rather than any type of plot or suspense. Admittedly, the 3-D effects enlivened the experience. After all, where else could you see guns protruding at your face or an eyeball popping out at you? I just wish that the killer diversified his M.O. a little more--because that same old pickaxe started to bore me. This lack of variety reminded me of why I dislike "Friday the 13th" movies. Interestingly, I failed to predict the identity of the serial killer again--I blame another illogical red herring for tricking me. :) Stay after the credits for a final 3-D effect. Rating: 5

I concluded that exploitation movies work best with a crowded theater. For instance, it amused me when Jaime King swung her gun toward the killer, and some girl in the audience protested, "No, he's cute!!"

The cynicism of Steve
01/11/09 4:03 PM PST

The recession continues...over the holidays, I noticed that Hunter's Landing Coffee Company closed down in Santa Maria. Personally, if certain businesses closed down in San Jose then I'd call that a silver lining. Examples:

The Burger King at 4040 Monterey Highway
Their drive thru personnel kept making me wait in the parking lot to cheat their timer. So when I saw a dining area sign that boasted their commendation for "fastest drive thru", I decided to boycott the place indefinitely.
Men's Wearhouse
I finally realized that this retail chain kept tricking me into buying their overpriced clothes by hiring attractive women to compliment whatever I wore. Given that I resent this type of chicanery, I haven't gone back since.
Century 20 Oakridge Theatres
A hotspot for loud teenagers. :)
El Amigo Mexican Restaurant
The worst Mexican food that I ever tasted. Even their tortilla chips sucked.
Watched movie: "Revolutionary Road" (2008)
Remind me never to live with, marry, or impregnate anyone in the near future. :P This film realized all of my worst fears about settling down. Granted, no couple should stay together if they argue that viciously--but man, even the slightest possibility that someone could fall out of love like that terrifies me. So if you loved the romance between Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet in "Titanic", then prepare to cringe a lot, cover your ears, or tiptoe out of the theater during "Revolutionary Road". :) Some rhetorical questions that popped in my head during the movie:
  • Didn't they have divorce in the 1950s?
  • Did people seriously smoke that much?
  • Did George Bernard Shaw influence the author? Because that ex-mental patient sure reminded me of a George Bernard Shaw character.
  • How did Frank know what April would use the rubber syringe for? I probably would have dismissed the thing as a kitchen utensil. :P
Rating: 4
Watched movie: "Vals Im Bashir" a.k.a. "Waltz with Bashir" (2008)
Haunting anecdotes of the Lebanon War depicted by some of the best Flash animation that I've ever seen. Interestingly, each interview unlocked a different repressed memory for the filmmaker--ominously building up to what he repressed at the 1982 Sabra and Shatila massacre. Although much of the humor felt misplaced to me, e.g., one scene where the Israelis kept missing a hostile car, I found this movie rather profound--especially in lieu of the current climate within the Middle East. Rating: 7

Sorry "WALL·E"...you're off the list. :)

A new year
01/07/09 6:00 PM PST

I finally filed a formal grievance against my downstairs neighbor regardless of whether he retaliates or not. His ranting woke me up one too many times. During my first night back from Santa Maria, he repeatedly screamed profanities out of his door and slammed it so hard the walls shook. The noise woke me up at around 1am and 5am in the morning--leading me to start work on only three hours of sleep. That was the straw that broke the camel's back. Later when I turned in my grievance letter, I learned that someone else had complained about him. So hopefully, he'll receive a "cure or quit" notice or something stronger than a "please don't do that". It would suck if he skated by given that this very same apartment complex almost evicted me for "clutter".

Man, some rock came out of nowhere and left a small crater in my windshield. Mere minutes later, that crater suddenly splintered into a large crack. It made me wonder what would happen if that same rock had hit me on a motorcycle or in a convertible--whether I'd end up with some kind of bullet hole.

Upon tabulating the video music results for 2H 2008, I noticed that phenomenon again where an ok song bubbled to #1 because everyone ranked their favorite music videos so differently. In contrast, the #30 song and video seemed just short of unanimous.

MTV Hits finally aired a music video that I've been trying to record for months: "Break The Ice" by Britney Spears. Ever since I lost the video in that HDD/DVD crash, I had to record hours and hours of music videos night after night. By the end of 2008, I had recorded all of her lackluster comeback videos and most of her greatest hits.

Thanks to my upcoming tenth anniversary at IBM, I received five extra vacation days. Not sure how to spend them though. I only planned a handful of vacations for 2009:

Watched movie: "Gran Torino" (2008)
Shamelessly racist but hella funny for a Clint Eastwood film. Clint Eastwood played a curmudgeonly Korean War veteran in a rather diverse neighborhood full of gangs. Clint often muttered words that I'd characterize as...politically incorrect. :) Seriously though, I never heard so many casual Asian slurs. I gotta hand it to Clint for risking such bold dialogue. P.S. I found the ending ok but wished that Clint had gone more "Dirty Harry" on those punks. Rating: 7
2008 Year in Review
12/31/08 1:00 PM PST
Best of 2008 Worst of 2008
Events that happened to Steve
  1. Watching America elect its first African-American President.
  2. Watching Michael Phelps win each of his eight gold medals at the XXIV Summer Olympics in Beijing.
  3. Vacationing in New York--a trip highlighted by excellent Broadway musicals, a front row seat at the Royal Rumble in Madison Square Garden, a live taping of Late Night with Conan O'Brien, and a terrific Harry Potter book.
  4. Personally witnessing Ohno win gold at the 2008 Samsung ISU World Cup Short Track competition.
  5. (tie) WWE upgrading me to a front row seat at No Way Out where I enjoyed two excellent Elimination Chamber Matches; attending WrestleMania XXIV and the Hall of Fame ceremony where I finally checked off my goal of watching the Rock live; and enjoying a TLC Match from a front row seat at One Night Stand (purchased at face-value).
  1. Helplessly watching my Mom succumb to lung cancer.
  2. Almost getting evicted over the "cure or quit" notice from my apartment complex.
  3. Losing all of my HDD/DVD recordings in a hard drive crash; then discovering that companies stopped making HDD/DVD recorders.
  4. Suffering from the worst air sickness of my life during the zero gravity flight.
  5. (tie) Suffering from throat congestion and horrible body aches at the Utah Olympic Oval (2008 Samsung ISU World Cup Short Track competition) and agonizing through stomach cramps during my flight to Florida.
Movies
  1. "Slumdog Millionaire"
    "Hip, emotional Danny Boyle flick about a gallant underdog's incredible streak..."
  2. "Let the Right One In"
    "Cute movie if you don't think about it for too long."
  3. "Frost/Nixon"
    "Way more gripping than I originally anticipated."
  4. "Timecrimes"
    "Groundbreaking, aptly named time travel flick..."
  5. "Waltz with Bashir"
    "Haunting anecdotes of the Lebanon War depicted by some of the best Flash animation that I've ever seen."
  6. "4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days"
    "A tightly-wound, well-crafted movie if you can make it past the subject matter."
  7. "Wanted"
    "Yeah! Coolest gunfights ever!"
  8. "Saw V"
    "...like something from an Aesop fable."
  9. "Quarantine"
    "A stressful, hair-raising film with a lot of memorable highlights."
  10. "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
    "A good but depressing drama..."
  1. "Happy-Go-Lucky"
    "An annoying comedy about an annoying optimist who socializes with annoying people."
  2. "10,000 B.C."
    "B.C.? More like B.O. because this movie stunk."
  3. "The Objective"
    "I felt ripped off because sheesh, I could watch crap like this for free on the Sci-Fi channel."
  4. "Mamma Mia!"
    "A disgrace to the ABBA name."
  5. "The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor"
    "...what a shame to see such top-notch Chinese actors in such a shallow American blockbuster."
  6. "Diary of the Dead"
    "...nauseatingly pretentious."
  7. "One Missed Call"
    "A mediocre American remake of a mediocre Japanese horror flick."
  8. "88 Minutes"
    "That's 88 minutes that I won't get back."
  9. "Righteous Kill"
    "Made me wonder whether De Niro and Pacino really believed in this project or just sold out."
  10. "Star Wars: The Clone Wars"
    "...unless you're a little kid, skip this movie."
Songs
  1. "Stop and Stare" OneRepublic
  2. "Better In Time" Leona Lewis
  3. "Untouched" The Veronicas
  4. "Pocketful of Sunshine" Natasha Bedingfield
  5. "Shut Up and Let Me Go" The Ting Tings
  1. "Falling Down" Scarlett Johansson
  2. "I Don't Want To Go To School" The Naked Brothers Band
  3. "Turn My Swag On" Soulja Boy Tell'em
  4. "T-Shirt" Shontelle
  5. "Whatever You Like" T.I.
Music video "Shut Up and Let Me Go" The Ting Tings "Falling Down" Scarlett Johansson
TV series "Survivor: Micronesia -- Fans vs Favorites" "Monk"
Commercial Tide to Go Instant Stain Remover commercial where a talking shirt stain keeps distracting a job interviewer. Those painfully lame Comcast HD commercials where a person lip-synches "More. More. More." lyrics during a conversation about the service.
Movie trailer "Watchmen" "Taken"
Beverage Raspberry iced tea McDonald's Sweet Tea
Watched movie: "The Wrestler" (2008)
Plainer (and more open-ended) than Darren Aronofsky's previous films, but no less depressing. This time Aronofsky chose a washed up pro-wrestler to ride the downward spiral. Sadly, nothing in the movie really shocked me due to my familiarity with the subject matter (and I admit with some reluctance that I still patronize the WWE despite what I know). But having said that, I must compliment Aronofsky on his attention to detail--everything from pro-wrestlers politely planning their matches backstage to browsing a store for hardcore weapons. So if you don't follow pro-wrestling behind the scenes, then this movie can give you a lot of insight. P.S. That parallel between pro-wrestling and "The Passion of the Christ" never occurred to me. Rating: 6
Holiday movie marathon 2008
12/29/08 2:38 PM PST

A man shot a talker at the movies, police say. This type of misconduct angers me. Talking during movies, I mean. I wish theaters would crack down on it.

Watched movie: "Punisher: War Zone" (2008)
A ridiculously violent bloodbath that brought new meaning to the word "overkill". The gore reminded me of my favorite video game, "Resident Evil", but with criminals splattering rather than zombies. :P The script left much to be desired. If you hated that line in the trailer about "Sometimes I'd let to get my hands on God," wait until you see that scene where the Punisher told his compatriot that if he ever saw him near Hell, he'd kick his @$$ out. Groaann. I think overall, I only liked one line in the entire movie: "If I remember correctly, they're not called the Ten Suggestions!" As for the plot (if you could call it that), I liked the storyline where the Punisher accidentally killed an undercover agent. Based on my foggy recollection of the "Punisher: War Zone" comic book, I remember that the Punisher enforced a strict code against harming innocent bystanders. Trivia question: What actress do "Rambo 4", "Saw V", and "Punisher: War Zone" all have in common? Rating: 6
Watched movie: "My Name Is Bruce" (2008)
I found Bruce Campbell's latest film cartoonish, mildly funny, and...overly cheesy. Supposedly Bruce Campbell played himself--but from my perspective, he acted more like "Ash" than the guy I met in real-life. :) Trivial side-note: Ellen Sandweiss, the actress who played Cheryl in "The Evil Dead", made a cameo in "My Name Is Bruce" as his ex-wife (also named Cheryl). Rating: 4
Watched movie: "The Spirit" (2008)
Maybe Frank Miller should stick to his own comic creations. Compared to "Sin City" and "300", I felt that "The Spirit" lacked grit. Furthermore, I felt that some parts stunk of old cheese and cheap wine. Give me a steak dinner anyday. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" (2008)
A good but depressing drama wherein Brad Pitt aged backward while Cate Blanchett aged forward (leaving only a temporary window of time where they could celebrate their love). Sadly, everyone in Brad Pitt's life inevitably died (including the cool fellow who survived seven lightning strikes). Although I liked the movie, I'd never want to watch it again--not so much because it lasted nearly three hours, but because it kept reminding me of why I dread mortality. Rating: 7
Watched movie: "The Day the Earth Stood Still" (2008)
More like the plot for a half-hour "Twilight Zone" episode than a feature length movie, if you ask me. By the end of it, I still failed to grasp why Keanu Reeves should save the human race. Maybe the original film made a more convincing argument. Rating: 5
Watched movie: "The Reader" (2008)
Not sure what to make of this one. I liked how the secret relationship made Ralph Fiennes' character guarded for life--leading to a favorite ending of mine where the guarded character finally turns around). However, I hated the lack of catharsis. I also never understood Kate Winslet's character, i.e., what motivated her and whether she deserved any sympathy. I felt that she needed more development. Rating: 5

One more movie to see before I can post my review of 2008...

Hindsight
12/20/08 6:57 PM PST

Man...the Zero G corporation copy-protected that DVD they sent me. Now I can't record any highlights from my weightless flight. Oh well.

The main zero gravity footage turned out exactly as I predicted: short music videos of people stuntin' and having fun--all spliced together to look like we floated for the entire flight. Fortunately, the DVD extras provided much more candid footage of each team. Executive summary: I cautiously hopped in one spot for awhile, slowly ventured out, and then attempted very minor stunts in front of the camera. Meanwhile, all kinds of carefree people howled and twirled around me.

In the last few parabolas, I glimpsed moments where I peeled myself off the floor fighting motion sickness. Hmm...guess I hid it pretty well.

Watched movie: "Milk" (2008)
A highly relevant film, but ugh...have these characters no shame? Too much information for my taste. :( Rating: 5

I guess "Milk" will need a sequel after this Prop. 8 controversy plays out. At the Camera 7 Theater, I noticed leaflets that called for boycotts against all Cinemark screenings of "Milk", i.e., Century Theatres, CinéArts, and Tinseltown, citing that the CEO of Cinemark donated $9999 to the Yes on 8 campaign.

Watched movie: "Transporter 3" (2008)
Finally a "Transporter" movie that I actually enjoyed--not because of the preposterous stunts, but because of the terrific chemistry between Jason Statham and his impudent love interest. Their scenes together illustrated my belief that "opposites attract". I also liked how the exploding bracelets premised some bizarre predicaments. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Seven Pounds" (2008)
A wrenching two-hour movie that I figured out within the first few minutes. Can't say that I approved of what Will Smith did. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Los Cronocrimenes" a.k.a. "Timecrimes" (2008)
Groundbreaking, aptly named time travel flick that requires a sequential list for me to explain the premise:
  1. A man sees a woman strip in the woods. Later, he encounters other bizarre sights that he can't explain.
  2. The man stumbles into a time machine and travels about 90 minutes into the past.
  3. The man realizes that he must recreate every bizarre sight that led his past self to stumble into the time machine--otherwise, the man could cease to exist or cause a permanent double of himself!
I found it refreshing that a time traveller would actually try to recreate his horrific past rather than change it for the better. As for the film's moral implications--I found them impossible to reconcile. :P Rating: 8

Before I post my top ten favorite movies of 2008, I'm going to try to see "The Wrestler" and "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button".

Forgive nor forget
12/15/08 3:02 PM PST

During last night's Survivor: Gabon finale, one of the jurors made a nasty comment about someone's dead father. Later, the host (Jeff Probst) called that comment the lowest insult that he's ever heard on the show. After some careful thought, I concluded that I agree with him. I can't think of any worse insult than mocking the death of somebody's loved one.

Futhermore, I can't think of a worse time to insult someone than that period of vulnerability after the death. Case in point: I doubt that I will ever forgive those two family friends who insulted me right after my Mom died. If they had picked any other time, I probably could have let it go. But now I can't wait to cut all ties with them.

Watched movie: "Frost/Nixon" (2008)
Way more gripping than I originally anticipated. Historically, I never thought much of Richard Nixon--I had always regarded him as a boring, incoherent ex-President who resigned before my time. To my amazement, however, Frank Langella humanized the guy so well that I both hated and sympathized with Nixon by the time that the film had ended. Give Langella the Oscar, man. As for David Frost, I never heard of this guy but the movie built up his desperation so convincingly that I really wanted him to succeed in the end. All in all, I felt that Ron Howard summarized his film the best by calling the Frost/Nixon interviews a "boxing match...two highly trained fighters--each with his corner men--both with something to prove." Rating: 8
Watched movie: "Doubt" (2008)
This movie made me think of "Law & Order: SVU" because of how the nuns could only find circumstantial evidence that their priest committed pedophilia. Unfortunately though, a "Law & Order" episode of this ilk would bore me. The "dun dun!" wouldn't even work because every scene would have to start with the same caption: "St. Nicholas Catholic school". Thankfully, Meryl Streep's performance kept the movie interesting. Wish I could say the same for the message of the movie--I couldn't figure out what it was. Rating: 5
Do they have to say the words
12/07/08 6:27 PM PST

During concerts, I like to write my observations on a scrap of paper. I recently learned that some people find that odd. So for this Bryan Adams concert, I prepared an answer in case some stranger asked me. "You see, my co-workers wanted to know which songs that Bryan Adams played." When I ran that by my co-workers, they still found it unusual. They felt that I should lie along the lines of, "I am a journalist."

I really don't see the big deal. :)

That Bryan Adams concert made me realize another musical pet peeve of mine. I appended it to my list:

Minor: When the musician praises one of my least favorite cities of all time, San Francisco. :)

Attended concert: "Bryan Adams"
Finally...a rock concert that I could enjoy in peace. The audience kept relatively quiet because Bryan Adams performed every song acoustically (with no band except for one piano player). I still had to block out some monotone karaoke from the seats next to me—but for the most part, I didn't need my earplugs. In summary, Bryan Adams performed about six of my nine favorite songs. Speaking of which...I can understand snubbing "Do I Have to Say the Words?" and "Thought I'd Died and Gone to Heaven", but how could he overlook his Grammy-winning masterpiece, "(Everything I Do) I Do It For You"? :) On the plus side, his five encore songs included a couple of pleasant surprises: "Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman?" (with a piano instead of a Spanish guitar) and "All for Love" (with Bryan Adams singing all three parts)! I would've rated the concert higher except that his funny stories about some of the songs hurt my opinion of them. I guess I prefer my interpretations to his. Also, I felt that he ruined "Please Forgive Me" when he impersonated a country singer for a few verses. :( Rating: 8
Attended Broadway musical: "The Phantom of the Opera"
Even better the second time. I could see underneath the chandelier from my seat. At times, I dare say that I identified with that Phantom character. I declare "The Phantom of the Opera" my favorite Broadway musical ever (a close second: "Grease"). Side note: although my ticket granted me access to the Orpheum Theatre's VIP room, I left pretty quickly when I saw nothing but a bar inside. Goes to show how little I fancy alcohol when I even turn down complimentary drinks that much of my ticket probably paid for. Rating: 10

Yesterday, I spotted an aged lady inside of my downstairs neighbor's apartment. So I guess I can take a bit of solace that the guy actually rants at someone other than himself. :P

Don't try this at home
12/01/08 2:09 PM PST

I caught an interesting episode of that reality show, Hulk Hogan's Celebrity Championship Wrestling, where the celebrities had to stage a Royal Rumble. It reinforced why I consider the Royal Rumble one of the most dangerous matches in wrestling. One celebrity (Danny Bonaduce) launched over the top rope wrong and ended up on a stretcher. Another guy, a professional, injured himself in a similar display. It substantiated why WWE battle royals let women go between the ropes instead of over them. Those top rope stunts can risk serious harm!

Speaking of Royal Rumbles, I already acquired a front row ticket to the WWE one in Detroit. With a poster like this, how can anyone resist? :)

Watched movie: "Quantum of Solace" (2008)
Disappointingly lackluster despite all of the Bourne-caliber action sequences (and tragic real-life accidents). Sadly, the vulnerable Bond that I liked in "Casino Royale" turned into a stoic womanizer in "Quantum of Solace". My advice to the filmmakers: concentrate on character development, not on ways to make stunts more dangerous. Side note: nice "Goldfinger" homage. Rating: 5
Watched movie: "Bolt" (2008) in Disney Digital 3-D
Similar to "Toy Story" but with a Hollywood dog seeking the meaning to a pet's life rather than Buzz Lightyear seeking the meaning to a toy's life (unsurprisingly, both individuals reached the same conclusion). Disney animation never ceases to amaze me--in "Bolt", I particularly enjoyed the Hollywood action sequences and the way that the pigeons darted their heads. Conversely, I hated the overcaffeinated hamster and wished that the annoying thing would just roll away. :) Rating: 7
Paragon
11/24/08 1:47 PM PST

A DVD of my zero gravity flight arrived in the mail. I'll have to watch it someday.

Watching TV series: "Heroes" (season three)
After watching this season for awhile and researching Wikipedia a whole lot, I think I finally figured out everyone's superpowers. Peter and Sylar confused me the most because of their abilities to collect powers. I couldn't reconcile why they still got trounced all the time. I also couldn't reconcile the ineptitude of my favorite character, Hiro, given that his power to manipulate space and time should make him totally invincible.

Although I look forward to every episode, "Heroes" frustrates me the same way that "Smallville" does. I hate how both shows keep changing and dropping plotlines in an aimless fashion. It makes me wonder whether the writers just make stuff up as they go along. I also hate it when characters communicate poorly, disseminate important information off-camera, or just shrug off earth-shattering news. I want to see the characters react--not bore me with their smug expressions. Actually, I wouldn't mind if Peter reacted less--that guy totally overacts in my opinion. Example: "With or without my powers, I'm gonna find a way to shut you down, and I'm gonna make you pay for EVERYTHING YOU'VE EVER DONE!!!" Rating: ++1/2

Watched movie: "Happy-Go-Lucky" (2008)
An annoying comedy about an annoying optimist who socializes with annoying people. I never heard so much drivel in my life. Surprisingly, the optimist's main foil (a misanthropic driving instructor) only made me frown more. Needless to say, I hated this film. Rating: 2
Watched movie: "Twilight" (2008)
Sorry to all of you teenage girls out there, but I found this movie laughable. In my view, Edward treated Bella more like a hoagie than a woman. Hehe...she won his heart through his stomach. Seriously, though--I found it unsettling that women would swoon for this creep. The only part of this film that satisfied me: Edward's self-imposed abstinence. For a much better vampire romance, watch "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" (the series, not the movie), "Underworld: Evolution", or "Let the Right One In". Rating: 5
Benefit of the doubt
11/18/08 1:14 PM PST

Funny show, that "Family Guy". During a "Lord of the Rings" discussion, one of the clerks asked why Frodo didn't just fly to Mordor on an eagle. LOL. I never thought about that. Perhaps Mordor harbored some formidable anti-aircraft? One of my colleagues posed another good question: why did Gandalf keep swinging his staff like a club instead of casting magic with it?

Personally, I never understood Frodo's test in "The Fellowship of the Ring" where he offered the ring to potential allies. What if they had answered "thanks" and kept it??

Watched movie: "Låt den rätte komma in" a.k.a. "Let the Right One In" (2008)
Cute movie if you don't think about it for too long. :) In the back of my mind, I kept questioning whether this boy really belonged with a girl who could never age past 12. After all, in "Buffy" and "Underworld" I considered the human old enough to make a mature decision. I also considered the vampires in those two relationships somewhat more ethical in that to my recollection, they didn't kill humans for food. Perhaps "Let the Right One In" wanted to push the envelope. Admittedly, the movie's dark humor made me smile a lot...even during scenes that probably should have horrified me. :) Rating: 8
Attended concert: "OneRepublic"
A decent bay area concert where four bands (OneRepublic, Augustana, The Spill Canvas, and The Hush Sound) performed over 30 songs. Although I only recognized about one-fifth of the songs (including an interesting rendition of Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy"), I certainly felt like I got my money's worth. Ryan Tedder's talent with the piano took me aback--he pounded those ivories like a man possessed. My only criticisms of the night: a) OneRepublic played "Stop and Stare" too loud for me (unlike their concert from "Smallville"), and b) I really hated Ryan Tedder's hat. My favorite moment of the night: when everyone in the auditorium hushed up so that Augustana could perform a purely acoustic version of "Clementine". Rating: 7
Watched movie: "Slumdog Millionaire" (2008)
Hip, emotional Danny Boyle flick about a gallant underdog's incredible streak on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? (Hindi version) thanks to a lifetime of personal experiences. Oddly, every answer happened to trigger a different (and usually painful) memory for him--almost as if karma wanted to repay him for every tragedy that he endured. Props to Danny Boyle's directing and choice of music--particularly when it came to the chase sequences and the "Bollywood homage". And nice touch when one peeping eye swapped places with another (you'll probably have to see this shot yourself to understand what I mean). All in all, I would've rated the film higher had the climax delivered more of a payoff. Side note: How did Jamal get on the show (did he pass "Fastest Finger")? Also, I doubt that Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? airs on TV live. :) Side note #2: If "Slumdog Millionaire" depicted India's standard of living accurately, remind me never to visit there. :P Rating: 8
Attended concert: "Trans-Siberian Orchestra"
Less like an orchestra and more like a heavy metal band. At first, the concert made me drowsy with deep-voiced narrations, lounge singing, and sentimental Christmas jingles (my sister's family treated me so I didn't know what else to expect). Fortunately, the musicians really blew the roof off in the second half. As the electric guitars, pyrotechnics, lasers, strobe lights, and jet streams overstimulated my senses, the band belted out a relentless rock medley of classical numbers, holiday music, instrumental solos, and...the theme to Peanuts. Rating: 7

Funny story: while visiting my apartment, my sister asked if she could borrow a hand towel. A hand towel? I laughed. What is this, the Ritz?

Darwinism
11/10/08 5:39 PM PST

Over the weekend, I bought up some blank DVDs at the Circuit City clearance sale. Alarming how many businesses opted to close in this economy. For instance, in Santa Maria alone: no more Baker's Square, Mervyn's, or Blockbuster Video.

I once came to the conclusion that those sign-holders (like the individuals advertising Circuit City's clearance sale) represent the worst job in America...even worse than sanitation or those other "dirty jobs that someone has to do". I can't imagine a more boring, unimportant job than sign-holding. :)

Watched On Demand movie: "Splinter" (2008)
Like John Carpenter's "The Thing" without the snow and paranoia. In my view, none of the characters deserved to survive. Their incessant carelessness frustrated me. Maybe it's just me, but my first reaction to a deadly organism would not be to close in on it for a better look. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa" (2008)
Absurdly fun but terribly corny. I liked all the animal herds, the penguins, and the "playa" hippo. One unanswered question though: what do the lions in the animal reserve eat?? Rating: 6
Election day
11/04/08 11:28 PM PST

Congratulations Obama! I'm proud to have seen this historic day within my lifetime.

Update 11/6/2008: Where'd all the newspapers go?

The Hour of the Wolf
11/02/08 6:28 PM PST

That lunatic underneath my apartment flared up again. His profane ranting repeatedly woke me up at odd hours for two nights in a row. When the ruckus continued this morning, I called night services to report a disturbance. "My downstairs neighbor keeps shouting obscenities and I hear stuff crashing," I explained to the operator. Later, a security patrolman arrived. I heard the lunatic tell him, "I'll be quieter," before slamming the door in his face. To my disappointment, the patrolman simply reported into his walkie talkie and left.

On another subject, I happened to watch a Million Dollar Mission on "Deal or No Deal" where the contestant successfully won one of the nine million dollar cases. I like these Million Dollar Missions because the game only holds my interest when the million dollar case stays in play. It entertains me when the contestant agonizes over the button as if it would trigger a nuclear strike. :)

On YouTube, I watched the first contestant to win the million dollar case. Her calm demeanor disappointed me. But I guess I can't judge because I'd probably react the same way. :) The thought of a million dollars just doesn't excite me.

Watched movie: "Max Payne" (2008)
More like Max "painful to watch". I can't decide what to blame most for this mess of a movie:
  • The script. Who wrote this tripe?
  • The cast. Bad enough that the film starred Mila Kunis--after Ludacris and Nelly Furtado attempted to act, I could no longer take the movie seriously.
  • The directing. I never played "Max Payne", but I strongly suspect that the director modeled his pointless slow motion scenes after bullet time. Clearly, this director learned nothing from failed video game adaptations such as "House of the Dead" and "Doom".
Also found it pretty ridiculous that Max could outrun and shrug off automatic fire. I did find one saving grace in the film though: the whole segment where Max Payne "ate his spinach" and went berserk. Cool music during that segment. Side note: Stay after the credits so you can groan at the foreshadowing of a sequel. Rating: 4
Watched On Demand movie: "Peur(s) du Noir" (2007) a.k.a. "Fear(s) of the Dark" (2008)
A disappointing anthology of black-and-white animations that ranged from charcoal texture to computer-generated. The movie reminded me of an old MTV show called "Liquid TV" in three ways: a) the animations lacked plot; b) the animations lacked closure; and c) they saved the best animation for last, in my estimation (kind of like how "Liquid TV" used to save "Aeon Flux" for last). Side note: I kept smiling in the last segment because the main character eerily resembled a friend of mine. :) Rating: 4
Watched movie: "Changeling" (2008)
I don't get why Clint Eastwood started directing these melancholy dramas. How about another Western like "Unforgiven"? :) I've also seen much better work from J. Michael Straczynski, i.e., a TV series called "Babylon Five". For this film, they dramatized a real-life case--kind of like how "Law & Order" rips stories from the headlines. In most cases, I prefer documentaries to dramatizations because I just hate it when films turn sanctimonious. "Changeling", in particular, almost made me roll my eyes. Had Clint not appended that realistic touch where Christine Collins never received closure, I'm certain that my eyes would have rolled. :) Rating: 5

Say what you will about that movie "The Fountain", its musical score sure makes trailers sound exciting. First "I Am Legend", now..."Frost/Nixon"???

Pound of flesh
10/26/08 3:17 PM PDT

I received a scare from my 401(K) provider. They mailed me a letter stating that I had committed a round trip (shifting to one investment and then back again), and reminded me about their policy on excessive trading. They warned me that if I committed any more round trips, then they would temporarily suspend my trading. Sheesh--here I thought they would revoke my 401(K) plan or something.

I'm still thankful that I rebalanced my 401(K) at the first sign of trouble this year. Even though I lost about a fourth of my savings, I probably could've fared much worse.

Recently, some low prices on Ticketmaster caught my eye. When it comes to concerts and musicals, I browse for seats away from the stage. I'll never forget what happened to me during that broadway show, "Chicago". :)

My schedule for the rest of the year:

I decided to watch "The Phantom of the Opera" again while I'm in the area. This time I reserved a premium seat (as opposed to New York, where I peered down from the mezzonine section).

Watched movie: "What Just Happened" (2008)
A movie business rendition of "Wag the Dog" that troubled me because it reminded me too much of real-life--specifically, the parts where De Niro (the Hollywood producer) had to dignify unprofessional behavior because his career depended on it. Personally, I hate entrusting my fate to other people. When the "Fiercely" director and Bruce Willis threw tantrums over a dog ending and a beard, respectively, I saw nothing amusing about it. I also didn't care for the sub-plots involving De Niro's teenage daughter and estranged wife. Maybe I just don't get this director's sense of humor. :) Rating: 5
Watched movie: "Rachel Getting Married" (2008)
A drama that bordered on "chick flick", but didn't quite get there because Anne Hathaway made me squirm so much. I guess her family's nervousness rubbed off on me. Part of me wants to reveal her "elephant in the room" because it defined the premise so meaningfully--but I'll refrain from spoiling it. Instead, I'll just ominously synopsize her character as a recovering addict who returns home on the eve of her sister's wedding a.k.a. the happiest day of her sister's life. Side note: this film extensively illustrated how women differ from men. :) Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Saw V" (2008)
Finally...a "Saw" movie that addressed my problems with the previous four films. Namely:
  • The absurd notion that these booby traps "help" people. I actually found the Jigsaw killer's lesson profound this time around--like something from an Aesop fable. :)
  • The booby traps' ridiculously perfect timing. This time the Jigsaw killer rigged the rooms so that the characters had to trigger the next trap or die--leaving a lot less to chance. In one flashback, Jigsaw even attributed his gift for foresight to an "understanding of the human mind". Do I consider the "Saw" movies any less contrived because of this? No. But at least "Saw V" made the most convincing effort to date.
  • The authorities' worthlessness. "Saw V" finally featured a resourceful investigator...well--resourceful in lieu of all the useless cops who pursued Jigsaw. :)

"Saw" sequels sure focus on the details. "Saw V" flashed back to all four of the previous "Saw" movies whether the audience remembered them or not.

All in all, I'd consider "Saw V" one of the better "Saw" movies. I only left the theater with minor complaints:

  • I hated Julie Benz's hairdo. I guess I'm used to seeing her as Darla.
  • I wished that the FBI agent would stop talking to himself.
  • The remaining survivors should have bled to death...unless their story's not over.
  • Surprise endings in "Saw" movies feel so forced to me. Maybe it's time to stop coming up with them.
I still have open questions about "Saw" (what happened to Cary Elwes?), "Saw III" (what was the reason behind that trap for the little girl?), and "Saw IV" (why did Jigsaw leave Det. Hoffman that ominous message?)...but maybe "Saw VI" will answer them. :) Rating: 7

Whenever I think about the Buddhist philosophy about "Hell", I recall that story about a dinner table of starving people who could not feed themselves because their arms had turned into very long utensils (I guess they lived in the circle of Hell that punished selfishness). Interestingly, the dinner table in Heaven also featured people with very long utensils for arms--however, these people ate well because they used their utensils to feed each other.

Steve's top 20 favorite movie endings (non-spoiler)
10/18/08 4:55 PM PDT

To my amusement, Entertainment Weekly posted a photo gallery of Capt. Kirk's 20 Best and Worst Moments. Unsurprisingly, many of Kirk's best moments came from "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan". Their final pick for worst moment totally cracked me up: KILLED BY A BRIDGE. Hard to top that one. :) My personal pick: that painfully cornball speech that he delivered in "Return to Tomorrow".

I also gave in to curiosity and clicked through the EW countdown for Fine Finales: 20 Movie Endings We Love despite their spoiler alert. Looks like I only saw about half of the movies on their countdown. But based on the endings that they chose, I have no desire to see the rest of the endings. :) I dug their #15 and #17 at least.

Entertainment Weekly's Fine Finales: 20 Movie Endings We Love

  • The 40 Year-Old Virgin (2005)
  • Reservoir Dogs (1992)
  • Lost in Translation (2003)
  • Some Like It Hot (1959)
  • Valley Girl (1983)
  • The Third Man (1949)
  • Boogie Nights (1997)
  • Manhattan (1979)
  • A League of Their Own (1992)
  • White Heat (1949)

  • The Karate Kid (1984)
  • North By Northwest (1959)
  • Pride & Prejudice (2005)
  • The Killing (1956)
  • The Bourne Ultimatum (2007)
  • Saw (2004)
  • A History of Violence (2005)
  • The Godfather: Part II (1974)
  • The Others (2001)
  • A Taste of Cherry (1997)

I decided to compile my own list of favorite movie endings, ranked below:

Steve's top 20 favorite movie endings

1. Ghost (1990)
2. Dead Poets Society (1989)
3. Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (1992)
4. Brokeback Mountain (2005)
5. The Bourne Ultimatum (2007)
6. Caché (2005)
7. Fargo (1996)
8. United 93 (2006)
9. Resident Evil (2002)
10. Shakespeare in Love (1998)

11. Fearless (1993)
12. Planet of the Apes (1968)
13. Ladyhawke (1985)
14. Wicker Park (2004)
15. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)
16. The Truman Show (1998)
17. The Sixth Sense (1999)
18. Spider-Man 2 (2004)
19. Wanted (2008)
20. Soylent Green (1973)
Timetable
10/13/08 4:06 PM PDT

I'm impressed by that majestic new Santa Maria library. It even houses a cafe and gift shop now.

I voted in the Presidential election over the weekend. I strongly recommend voting by mail. I'll never forget that one election day when I waited for over half-an-hour in the freezing cold.

I recently ordered individual tickets for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver--and snubbed the travel packages even though they would bypass the lottery and guarantee tickets for 3-5 events. The packages forced way too much variety. Each one only offered one short track event at best, and nary any figure skating. None of their schedules matched what I wanted at all.

I also had to use my debit card since my only Olympic-accepted credit card will expire before February 2009. I guess they won't charge it for awhile. Looks like I can't reserve my hotel yet either, until 50 weeks prior to February 2010. Pretty tricky, planning this Olympic vacation is.

Watched movie: "Quarantine" (2008)
A stressful, hair-raising film with a lot of memorable highlights. I liked it despite a number of problems kept me from rating it higher:
  • Previews that spoiled some of the best scares.
  • The lame banter at the beginning of the movie.
  • Some cliched horror movie mistakes that hurt the realism of the film for me. Case in point: what idiot would reach out to a rabid kid that had just bitten her mother??
  • Needlessly shaky camerawork.
When "Cloverfield" succeeded at the box office, I dreaded the motion-sickening imitations that would spawn from it. "Quarantine" nearly fell in this category when the camera kept shaking relentlessly--even darting from person to person during periods of reprieve. Fortunately, this "camcorder" style worked very well for horror and action scenes. Some scenes had a "28 Weeks Later" quality to them, e.g., intense moments where rabid attackers suddenly popped into the frame (or in one alarming scene, ran with such frenzy that they slipped on the floor). Some scenes had a "Blair Witch Project" quality to them, e.g., one suspenseful part where the cameraman used his camera light to scan an attic. Some scenes had a "Resident Evil" video game quality to them, e.g., the distressing parts when I could hear the monster but couldn't see them due to the camera angle (by the way, nice touch to blur the focus at a most inopportune time). One scene even had an "Exorcist" quality to it. :) Rating: 7

Can't believe that I got carded when I bought a ticket to this movie. Guess I still look like a student. :)

Alis volat propriis
10/07/08 8:11 PM PDT

No flight cancellation for me, thanks to my eleventh hour acquisition of a WWE ticket through eBay. Interestingly, eBay revised their feedback system so that sellers can no longer leave negative or neutral feedback. Meaning, a buyer can now degrade a seller's rating without any fear of retaliatory feedback. I like this new rule even though it won't stop buyers from abusing the feedback system. For instance, the rule wouldn't have helped against the buyer who defrauded me. Then again, if I could only leave an Unpaid Item strike then I suppose that the buyer would've had no reason to retaliate.

It sure rained a lot in Portland. I wonder if that happens all the time there given its proximity to Seattle.

A couple of laws caught me off guard in Oregon:

The Ladder Match at WWE No Mercy 2008 impressed me. In this screenshot, one of the competitors actually lost a tooth. Ouch.

Picture of the day:

Watched movie: "Appaloosa" (2008)
I heard a review that called "Appaloosa" this year's "Unforgiven". Why, because they're both Westerns? I didn't see the likeness. I felt that "Unforgiven" ended way stronger. Although "Appaloosa" started out promising, it lost my interest near the end. Perhaps Ed Harris should pursue another genre. Rating: 6
Das not cool
10/04/08 4:28 PM PDT

On Thursday, I signed for a FedEx envelope that presumably contained my ticket for a WWE event this Sunday. Instead, the envelope contained some kind of I.O.U. The note read that I could call the seller and pick up my ticket on the day of the event. Come on, man--what kind of fool did he take me for? I guess my good luck with StubHub couldn't last forever. Fortunately, they refunded my money (out of their own pocket apparently, since they already paid the seller). It made me wonder how StubHub could prevent this type of abuse from happening again. For example, what would keep a seller from sending an empty envelope, or a buyer from lying about the contents of the envelope?

Watched movie: "Eagle Eye" (2008)
Contrived beyond belief and very loud. Like "Live Free or Die Hard" all over again. It bothered me that such an all-powerful villain could not foil someone as dumb as Shia LaBeouf. What do women see in that Shia LaBeouf, anyway? I can't figure it out. Rating: 5
Watched movie: "Blindness" (2008)
A pretty whack movie, even for a cynic like me. I guess the author felt that blindness would turn humans into animals. The parts of the movie that disgusted me the most:
  • The squalor inside of the quarantine facility.
  • The shameless nudity, including one particularly awful scene where the ward leader openly (and inexplicably) cheated on his wife.
  • The trading of sex for food, and how the sighted person just went along with it!
To my disappointment, Julianne Moore's revenge felt really anticlimactic--which sucked because I wanted those villains to suffer a lot more than they did. Oh well. Rating: 5
My city by the bay
09/28/08 6:49 PM PDT

Ever since the Seaside repairman replaced the entire hard drive in my Panasonic HDD/DVD recorder, it runs great now. Goes to show that "process of elimination" works.

Attended concert: "Journey with Heart and Cheap Trick"
Should've done my homework before I purchased this ticket. It never occurred to me that Steve Perry left the band. I'm glad that I still went though. The current lead singer, Arnel Pineda, sounded close enough to Steve Perry for me to accept this new line-up. Side note: I wonder why he kept calling the audience "San Francisco". That city's about 30 miles north of the Shoreline Amphitheatre.

Maybe I should start judging concerts by the number of times that I pull out my earplugs. I kept them out once for Heart and almost five times in a row for Journey. Journey actually performed a couple of hits that I completely forget about, i.e., "Faithfully" and "Open Arms". Too bad that the audience didn't forget. You know, it's one thing to sing along--it's another thing to shout lyrics off-key and drown out the lead singer. I hate alcohol.

All in all, I felt that I received my money's worth. I got to hear 11 songs from Cheap Trick (though I only recognized one song: the theme to "That '70s Show"), 10 songs from Heart (including "Alone" and "Barracuda"), and 19 songs from Journey (including "Separate Ways", "Lights", "Open Arms", "Don't Stop Believin'", and "Faithfully"). Rating: 7

The center cannot hold
09/21/08 11:00 PM PDT

Yesterday, I defied gravity in a parabolic flight. I did not like it. For starters, I never felt so motion-sick in my entire life. But let me start from the beginning.

The demographic. My co-workers wondered what kind of people (besides me) would sign up for a zero gravity flight. Now I know: business people, old people, and foreign people. I saw a couple of little girls too. I think motion sickness afflicted one of them, but more on that later.

What I thought would happen. During the safety briefing, the training video walked through an organized schedule of activities: trying push-ups in martian gravity; trying push-ups in lunar gravity; floating cross-legged in a Zen-like meditation; catching M&Ms in our mouths; catching water blobs in our mouths; flying like Superman; pitching and catching people like baseballs. Generally, everyone in the video looked overjoyed and played around like kids.

What really happened. Chaos, man. I kept losing my bearings; flailing around like a puppet without its strings. Because the weightlessness only lasted for 30 seconds each time, I constantly worried about landing on my head, landing on someone else, or being landed upon. So I kept my body upright as much as possible (meaning, no upside-down stunts for me), and continuously hovered away from everyone.

At one point, I flew backwards and collided with a bunch of people. Zero gravity has no brakes, after all. Once you kick off the hull, you can't slow yourself down or stop yourself from spinning. I really hated this loss of control. I didn't realize how much that it would unsettle me.

I sure wish that I had bought motion sickness medication. The Zero G crew didn't have any--presumably to avoid liability. I probably wouldn't need it anyway, I rationalized. If I can read books in planes without getting airsick, I can handle this. Talk about a failure of imagination.

As the flight progressed, the pressure on my skull began to sicken me. My head grew dizzy, and I felt more and more claustrophobic. To make matters worse, the flight coach noticed my discomfort and started to baby me. She gave me a cold wet towel and rubbed something lime under my ears. Man that lime stunk.

Nothing would stop me from defying gravity though. I didn't pay $3750 to lie on the floor of a plane. :) So during each 30 seconds of weightlessness, I pandered to the cameras--then crumpled to the floor until the next "take".

Motion sickness sucks, man. It sucks most of all when you you're helplessly trapped inside of the contraption that's causing it! Thankfully, I never puked--but it took me hours to recover. Three naps, to be precise.

On the plus side, I managed to complete the following tasks during the flight:

Would've been cool to emulate Hugh Jackman's space pose in "The Fountain"--but for the life of me, I couldn't cross my legs in the zero gravity.

My two cents
09/16/08 5:40 PM PDT

Forgive the pun...my Roth IRA really did earn a total of two cents this past month. :) But I guess I can't gripe too much given how much that the stock market lost this week.

Watched movie: "Burn After Reading" (2008)
Just like in the Coen Brothers' movie "Fargo", I never knew what would happen next in "Burn After Reading". It featured such offbeat characters that I gave up trying to rationalize what made them tick (that's probably why the ending with John Malkovich and the CIA agents amused me so much). George Clooney's character boggled me the most. I kept thinking, "Why is a guy like that doing that?" It reminded me of "A Beautiful Mind" when I had to accept Russell Crowe as a mathematician. :) As far as the humor in the film, Brad Pitt cracked me up the most--especially when he kept squinting at John Malkovich. Brad Pitt should probably consider more comedies because I remember finding him really funny in "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" too. Rating: 7
Watched movie: "Righteous Kill" (2008)
An overdirected whodunit that suffered from a contrived plot and a complete lack of chemistry between De Niro and Pacino. Made me wonder whether De Niro and Pacino really believed in this project or just sold out. During my prediction of the killer, I thought to myself: wouldn't it be lame if my prediction came true--and sure enough, my prediction came true. Funny story: after I warned a colleague that "Righteous Kill" sucked as badly as a similar Pacino whodunit called "88 Minutes", I discovered in IMDb that the same guy directed both films! I'll make a note to skip whatever he directs next. Rating: 4

T minus 3 and a half days. Meaning that if all goes well, I will finally defy gravity this coming Saturday.

Disaster
09/12/08 7:31 PM PDT

To my amusement, that new comedy "Disaster Movie" hit #1 on the IMDb Bottom 100 and received a 0% on the Rotten Tomatoes tomatometer. Guess I won't be seeing that movie.

Yesterday, I got addicted to watching 9/11 specials all evening. In particular:

9/11: As It Happened (MSNBC)
A minimally-edited rebroadcast of the live NBC coverage of 9/11 (back when Katie Couric still worked for NBC). It disappointed me that the camera happened to cut away from Flight 175 as it approached. I also got confused by Matt Lauer's misconception that the plane had circled the tower before it hit. I guess that's live TV for you. When Tom Brokaw joined them, I rolled my eyes at his melodramatic platitudes. Personally, I hate it when newscasts turn corny. At least this program gave me the best sense of what aired live on the news while I slept. P.S. I also hate it when newscasters speculate during the absence of facts. Rating: ++ stars
Countdown to Ground Zero (History channel)
Dramatizations and interviews that chronicled 9/11 from Al-Qaeda to the aftermath of the WTC collapse. I liked how the narratives jumped between different characters (like a cross between a disaster movie and "24"). I also liked the computer animation clips of the twin towers that showed where the planes struck, where the fires burned, the location of characters inside the building, and an idea of which stairwells and elevators remained accessible. This program gave me the best sense of what happened inside of the WTC. Rating: +++ stars
120 Minutes That Changed America (History channel)
Real-time video and audio footage from various eyewitnesses around the burning WTC. Although the program dragged at times, I liked the raw presentation of people's candid reactions. This program gave me the best sense of what New York City bystanders endured during 9/11. Rating: +++ stars

All in all, I still laud "United 93" as the best 9/11 portrayal ever, as I felt that it really captured the chaos and confusion of the people in charge. If you ever watch this movie on DVD, pay close attention to...

Yeah, I still find this movie brilliant. I know of no other film that depicts bureaucracy and misinformation so well.

I believe I can fly
09/08/08 4:10 PM PDT

I'm starting to think that this Zero Gravity Weightless flight will finally happen. I received a schedule of events for September 20 and the following general pointers:

When I read that Britney Spears swept the top honors at the MTV Video Music Awards, I paused. To my recollection, she never won a VMA before despite a decade or so of nominations. In case you're wondering--yes, I've followed the VMAs for quite some time. I use them as data for every other music video survey. You can probably identify most of the VMA videos by scanning the bottom of each chart. :)

Watched movie: "Traitor" (2008)
Not sure I agree with the review that called "Traitor" this year's "Bourne Ultimatum". The latter film thrilled me a lot more. I suppose that both films went for documentary-style realism and "dry professionalism". "Traitor", in particular, seemed to lack any guidance on what to feel--probably because the director wanted to depict Islam even-handedly. So this "matter-of-fact" approach made the plot and the shocks a lot more unpredictable for me. Initially, I compared the movie to "Syriana"--then gravitated toward "Hard Boiled" and "Infernal Affairs". I finally concluded that the film didn't really fall into any obvious pigeonhole. Rating: 7
Without a trace
09/02/08 4:26 PM PDT

The Seaside repairman finally repaired my HDD/DVD recorder. He replaced the entire digital board at a cost that approached the recorder's original price (if only I could just buy a new one). Upon returning to San Jose, I tried out the recorder long enough to confirm that I indeed lost everything on the hard drive. Hours of recordings gone. Soon after, the hard drive completely crashed again. I calmly called the repairman back.

I guess this Olympic Chinese gymnist age controversy won't blow over after all. Originally, I thought that the FIG would have no way to prove the authenticity of those online gymnastic registries. But then China's deputy sports minister acknowledged their validity by blaming the age registration discrepancies on "faulty paperwork". Given the suspicious disappearances of these online records from the Web, I now find this whole case rather fishy.

"The Dark Knight" broke the "Titanic" box office record of $500M in 98 days! That leaves one last box office record: highest grossing movie of all-time in the United States, held by "Titanic" with $600,788,188. I strongly doubt that "The Dark Knight" can surmount that one.

Watched movie: "Transsiberian" (2008)
I once read a review that called this film "Hitchcockian". I'd call it Hitchcockian too in that it reminded me of movies that Hitchcock directed better. Although "Transsiberian" had its moments, I felt that it suffered from overdirection and a few flaws:
  • A boring first half.
  • Characters that I didn't care for--particularly the Emily Mortimer one who got off way too easy, in my opinion.
  • Numerous contrivances, including close calls that made my eyes roll and a happenstance where Woody Harrelson knew how to operate the train.
For a much better suspense flick, see "Insomnia" or "Double Indemnity". Rating: 5
Watched movie: "Death Race" (2008)
Although the action sequences entertained me (tip from Steve: bring earplugs), I found this movie rather low brow. All of the acting felt cardboard. In particular, it disappointed me that Joan Allen played such a plastic villain. Come to think of it, it disappointed me that she even appeared in this movie at all. Rating: 6
Olympic Summer Games XXIV: Witness gold
08/25/08 1:32 PM PDT

In summary, I found this year's Summer Olympic games unexpectedly thrilling. I'd rank the highlights as follows:

  1. Michael Phelps' swimming gold rush. I always treat Olympic gold medal runs skeptically because in the past, NBC hyped them even though the odds disfavored the athlete. So I'd call Phelps' gold medal run nothing short of inspirational. First, it astonished me when his team won the 4x100m freestyle relay. I experienced a delayed reaction because I thought that France had sealed the victory. Unbelievable moment. Then on Friday night, Phelps' 100m butterfly race compelled my Dad, my brother, and I to lean toward the TV in total suspense. Phelps won by a fingertip. Afterward, I attempted to write down some notes but couldn't even keep the pen steady. What an amazing nine days.
  2. Women's all-around gymnastics showdown. I loved how Nastia Liukin and Shawn Johnson managed to prevail despite the inexplicably high scores for their rivals' flawed routines (I kept thinking that the Americans had to perform perfectly just to keep up with them)! To my admiration, Nastia and Shawn systematically overcame each challenge while other gymnists (including their teammate from the team competition) faltered under the pressure.
  3. Beach volleyball finals. Although I enjoyed watching Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh duel the Chinese in the rain, I'll never forget how Todd Rogers' protégé, Phil Dalhauser, blocked spike after spike in the men's final set. He dominated.
  4. USA basketball redemption. During the gold medal final against Spain, USA performed so below their average that I started to wonder why basketball fans revered Kobe Bryant and LeBron James. But when Kobe scored that 4-point shot in a clutch situation, my faith in team USA returned. They sure looked happy. Heh heh, when a correspondent asked LeBron to address the smart-alecks who called him "Le-Bronze" James, I liked his reply. "Witness gold."
  5. Usain Bolt's lightning sprints. I found Bolt's antics entertaining (even though the IOC president publicly criticized his pre-finish celebration). It amused me how other sprinters strained while Bolt seemed to casually jog into first place. I guess we can call him the "world's fastest man" now.

Honorable mentions:

I look forward to attending the Winter Olympics XXI in February 2010.

Olympic Summer Games XXIV: Sweet and sour
08/22/08 3:59 PM PDT

I've never seen a praying mantis before...but ever since my Mom passed away, I spotted two white ones: one in Santa Maria and one at IBM. Coincidence? They spar pretty good.

Good beach volleyball finals. I liked how Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh dueled the Chinese in a rainstorm (almost like a samurai showdown). I also duked the air excitedly when Dalhausser and the Professor outplayed the Brazilians. No question about it...Dalhausser schooled those guys. I couldn't believe how many consecutive spikes that he blocked in the final set.

"In response to a request from the International Olympic Committee, the FIG has now asked the Chinese Gymnastic Association to submit further documents testifying to the birthdates of the gymnasts." Haha, as if anything will come of that. The Chinese government can just print out whatever proof that the FIG needs. :)

I actually care little about the age controversy since my favorite U.S. gymnists already won gold medals. I care more about why the Olympic judges kept overlooking those Chinese girls' mistakes. Maybe the commentators biased me.

I had a funny debate at work about which U.S. gymnist we liked better: Nastia Liukin or Shawn Johnson. A co-worker felt that Nastia had a chip on her shoulder, whereas I characterized her as unpretentious and game-faced. I guess I favor results over smiles and sociability. :)

My friends and I also differed on the antics of Jamaican racer Usain Bolt. Personally, I find the guy entertaining.

You know, I find it ironic that kids could grow obese from Michael Phelps-endorsed Frosted Flakes. Couldn't Kellogg's have picked a healthier cereal to portray Michael Phelps on?

Speaking of Michael Phelps, I noticed that I now have to expand his medal record in Wikipedia to scroll through all of the gold medals that he won. As they say in India, bo saurus che.

Olympic Summer Games XXIV: There can be only one
08/20/08 10:42 AM PDT

I always thought that the International Olympics Committee awarded two gold medals for a first place tie, but I guess they made an exception for gymnastics. I have no idea why. In any case, I predict that the rule will change thanks to the convoluted tiebreaker that victimized Nastia Liukin. Haha, the gymnastics tiebreaker reminded me of the one I use to break music video ties. I sort music videos by the following algorithm:

  1. Lower ranking average
  2. In tie, higher rating average
  3. In tie, outside ranking pairs get eliminated until average differs
  4. In tie, outside rating pairs get eliminated until average differs

But I wonder why they ended up discarding the lowest score instead of eliminating both the lowest and highest. Maybe that would have caused another tie.

I noticed that my sorting algorithm only works as well as the judging. Meaning, unpredictable results can occur if our rankings and ratings lack consistency. For international gymnastics, that problem strikes me as irreconcilable. :)

All in all, I concluded that tiebreakers can lead to total madness. The IOC should just award two gold medals. Alternatively, they could go into overtime and make the gymnists repeat their routines until a winner emerges. :)

By the way, props to Shawn Johnson for finally winning a gold medal.

Too bad about that hurdles sprinter Lolo Jones. Like the title character in "Run Lola Run", her misstep probably caused a major butterfly effect.

Olympic Summer Games XXIV: Cool, these champions are
08/18/08 2:40 PM PDT

Congratulations, Michael Phelps! You the man.

My hands actually trembled after his fingertip win in the 100m butterfly.

I also beamed when Nastia Liukin and Shawn Johnson won gold and silver medals, respectively, in the women's individual all-around gymnastics competition. Haha, the commentators had me convinced of biased judging (scoring the Americans too low and the Chinese girls too high). But I'm proud that the Americans performed so well that no judge could credibly deny them victory. Side note: I can hardly understand that Béla Károlyi.

Watched movie: "Tropic Thunder" (2008)
I found this movie halfway decent...and halfway indecent. The spoof on Hollywood entertained me the most. Faux trailers rock! I also enjoyed the celebrity cameos, ridiculous one-liners, and parts with phony animal or people props. Can't say the same for the characters though. I didn't find any of them that funny--particularly Robert Downey Jr. and that terribly offensive Simple Jack character. I can see why disability advocates protested the premiere. :) Rating: 5
Watched movie: "Mirrors" (2008)
Lackluster horror movie with a couple of standout scenes. It bugged me that Keifer Sutherland kept acting like his volatile "Jack Bauer" character. Also, I wish that the red band trailer hadn't spoiled most of the shocks. Rating: 5
Watched movie: "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" (2008)
A Star Wars movie for little kids? The cutesy characters and sophomoric banter reminded me of a Saturday morning cartoon. I longed for the characters to stop talking, and felt like the film utterly failed to develop them. Personally, I learned nothing meaningful about the Star Wars genre. So unless you're a little kid, skip this movie. Rating: 4

Warner Bros. strategically bumped the release of their nearly-completed "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" film from November 21 to July 17! Das not cool at all.

Still going...
08/12/08 2:02 PM PDT

For the third consecutive season, I predicted the Mole incorrectly. Did the wrong person walk out of the booth? I griped. The show chose a naturally unathletic Mole this time--meaning, he could sabotage the missions just by playing normally. In retrospect, the thought of a Mole who "futilely tries hard" actually crossed my mind...but in my opinion, Craig tried too hard (he once required an ambulance after winning one of the missions). That throws me off whenever the Mole intentionally helps players instead of betraying them.

I'm impressed with this swimmer Michael Phelps. He managed to win three more gold medals at the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics (one of them in a harrowing 4x100-meter freestyle relay). If he wins all eight of his eight swimming events, then he'll break the U.S. record of gold medals won in one Olympics. Some call him a "fish", but he looks more like a "Street Fighter" character to me. :) Heh...it amuses me whenever mild-mannered athletes go crazy with euphoria (see photo below).

Correction 8/13/2008: If Michael Phelps wins all eight of his eight swimming events, then he'll break the world record of gold medals won in one Olympics. At this point, he has won five out of eight gold medals.

Speaking of U.S. records, "The Dark Knight" only needs around $19.46M to overtake "Star Wars" as the second highest grossing film of all time in the United States. I still remember feeling skeptic when Christopher Nolan chose to direct a Batman movie. Here I thought that "Batman Begins" would break his streak of extraordinary films. :)

It also disappointed me when I heard that James Cameron would direct "Titanic". What a waste of his talent, I initially thought.

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
08/09/08 7:06 PM PDT

The Camera 7 recently hosted a Midnight Movie Madness screening of "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan", my all-time favorite "Star Trek" movie with the original crew. I attended despite the following disclaimer at the box office window:

ATTENTION!

STAR TREK 2: THE WRATH OF KAHN is a 26 year old print.

The quality is not up to Camera 7 standards. There is a good chance that it will break.

The entire movie is this color and there are issues with poor sound quality.

We hope you will enjoy it anyway.

Sure enough, every scene looked reddish. Occasional buzzing noises disrupted the dialogue. And at one point, a vertical hold problem divided the screen. But all in all, I think that the movie still rocked. Here's what I like the most about it:

Ricardo Montalban as Khan. Easily the greatest "Star Trek" villain ever.

The awesome lines. I loved all of the smart dialogue from the screenplay, such as:

Spock at his best. Unlike most of the original "Star Trek" movies, I really admired Spock in this one. He struck me as an invaluable crew member and a true friend to Kirk (exemplified by my favorite line in the movie, "I have no ego to bruise"). To this day, I still get emotional during his selfless rescue of the Enterprise.

All in all, the audience disappointed me as I expected more of a crowd reaction like when I watched "First Contact" in college. Heh...but I liked how some folks showed up in old school Starfleet uniforms.

Looks like I never posted my ratings of each "Star Trek" film, so here they are:

  1. The Motion Picture (My rating: 5)
  2. The Wrath of Khan (My rating: 9)
  3. The Search for Spock (My rating: 8)
  4. The Voyage Home (My rating: 9)
  5. The Final Frontier (My rating: 4)
  6. The Undiscovered Country (My rating: 6)
  7. Generations (My rating: 8)
  8. First Contact (My rating: 9)
  9. Insurrection (My rating: 5)
  10. Nemesis (My rating: 6)
Watched movie: "Baghead" (2008)
I couldn't tell whether the plot would gravitate toward "Blair Witch Project", "Cry_Wolf", or "Friday the 13th Part 2". The movie sure took awhile getting somewhere though. I started getting really sick of the main characters. They reminded me of all the shallow, territorial, and/or oversensitive people that I try to avoid in real life. I kept thinking: just bring out the slasher already and spare me from all this awkward personal drama. Rating: 4
Watched movie: "Pineapple Express" (2008)
Idiotic...yet funny. I particularly liked the characters' dumb insights--they made me think "Stu-pid!" or "That don't make no sense!" many a time. Props to the comedic chops of James Franco and that inexplicably deathproof "Foot Fist Way" guy. My only main criticism of the film: two sub-plots where the humor escaped me, i.e., the high school girl and the "Dumb and Dumber" throwback where the villains kept giving the inept duo too much credit. Rating: 6
All work and no PLAY! makes Steve a dull boy
08/03/08 10:10 PM PDT

"PLAY! A Video Game Symphony" cancelled again! Ordinarily, this wouldn't aggravate me...but dang, that PLAY! concert series has consistently frustrated me for the past two years. Cases in point:

WWE also irritated me recently. As you know, I reserved a ticket for WrestleMania XXV expecting big matches (I would post my own "dream card", but I lost the list I compiled). Well during last night's show, they booked one of my dream matches for SummerSlam in August...meaning that I can no longer expect this match to happen at WrestleMania XXV anymore. I think the cliche goes something like: "they sailed that ship too early".

Sometimes my downstairs neighbor shouts obscenities and slams his door multiple times. It sounds like threats against someone--yet I never hear the other person. I sure hope that he's not talking to himself. Anyway, on Thursday morning I heard him ranting at the top of his lungs and slamming his door. It really affected my dreams because I could've sworn that a mob gathered around the guy to beat on him. Yeah, I'm pretty sure that I dreamt that part. Don't you hate those dreams that make you second-guess what happened in the waking reality? :)

Occasionally, I joke to people that I live in the downtown part of my apartment complex; the "ghetto" district.

I guess while I'm on this subject of annoyances, I'll disclose one more: parsley. I discovered that this herb really offends my palate...not as badly as cilantro does, but enough for me to pick out every leaf that I see. :)

Watched movie: "Ne le dis à personne" (2006) a.k.a. "Tell No One" (2008)
A decent French thriller that likely would have appealed to me more had I not seen Hitchcock and De Palma explore that same type of premise already. In this rendition, the leading man desperately sleuths whether his wife came back from the dead. Other than an unexpectedly thrilling police chase, the movie didn't impress me that much--probably because I didn't really care whether the guy succeeded or not. Maybe the movie should've built up the couple's original relationship better. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "The X Files: I Want to Believe" (2008)
I found the movie ok even though I never cared for those "X-Files" episodes where Scully wrestled with her Catholic faith (kind of like how I never cared for those "Star Trek: The Next Generation" episodes where Data quested for his own humanity). I still like how "X-Files" characters talk. e.g., "Why set up such an elaborate fiction?" and "I'm cursing God for all His cruelties." Interestingly, I remembered every plotline that Mulder and Scully alluded to, including the fates of William (their son) and Samantha (Mulder's sister). I began wondering if I remembered the final episode correctly though...because the movie all but dismissed everything that happened in it. Skinner still works for the FBI? Side note: I'll never get used to that corny romantic relationship between Mulder and Scully. :) Side note #2: Why did Crissman and Scully say that the FBI agent still lived? Rating: 5
Watched movie: "The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor" (2008)
An inferior photocopy of "Indiana Jones" and "Army of Darkness" loaded with sophomoric tongue-in-cheek humor, ridiculously contrived action sequences (where the characters kept surviving overwhelming odds), painfully cornball drama, and a mummy who should've massacred the heroes easily but inexplicably couldn't. Sigh...what a shame to see such top-notch Chinese actors in such a shallow American blockbuster. Like that cool cop boss from the "Infernal Affairs" trilogy relegated himself to playing a mere cardboard villain. And I've seen Jet Li and Michelle Yeoh in some way more artistic Chinese films. Rating: 3

I'm actually glad that "The Dark Knight" still beat "The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor" at the weekend box office. That mummy movie totally didn't deserve #1. :) Looks like "The Dark Knight" just needs a mere $5.113M to shatter the "Shrek 2" record of $400M in 43 days. "Titanic" holds the next record: $500M in 98 days. :)

Summer forecast
07/27/08 8:49 PM PDT

The "Dark Knight" movie keeps breaking box office records. It broke another one by earning $314.245M in its first 10 days (by comparison, it took "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" 16 days to pass $300M). I've never seen anything like it. I'm still skeptic about whether "Dark Knight" can beat "Titanic", which plateaued at over $600M in around 250 days (the only U.S. movie to ever break $500M). However, I think that "Dark Knight" can easily beat the "Shrek 2" record of $400M in 43 days.

This horror movie "Mirrors" looks pretty gruesome. I caught the red band trailer and didn't expect such graphic images.

I'm unimpressed by the quality of movies this year. Last year, I rated six movies an 8, four movies a 9, and one movie a 10. This year so far, I rated zero movies an 8, zero movies a 9, and zero movies a 10.

I compiled a list of some of the coming attractions that I'm looking forward to:

"Blindness" (September 26, 2008)
An interesting "Children of Men" type premise where everyone goes blind except for the main character.
"Saw V" (October 24, 2008)
Whenever someone asks me why I keep watching these "Saw" films, I can't think of a good answer. :)
"Quantum of Solace" (November 7, 2008)
Cool title. Hopefully, it'll live up to the new benchmark set by "Casino Royale".
"Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" (November 21, 2008)
The book featured my favorite "Harry Potter" moment of all-time. The movie better not omit it. :)
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" (December 19, 2008)
Strange premise, but usually David Fincher films don't disappoint.
"Knowing" (March 20, 2009)
The plot: Nicolas Cage works to prevent the major disasters prophesized in a numerical cypher. The movie will star my favorite actress, Rose Byrne.
"Terminator: Salvation" (May 22, 2009)
I always wondered whether anyone would attempt a prequel to "Terminator" (or a sequel, depending on whether the chicken or egg came first). I guess now they'd have the modern special effects to accomplish one.
"Green Zone" (2009)
I look forward to any movie directed by Paul Greengrass.
"The Descent 2" (2009)
Hopefully, this sequel will book the WrestleMania-caliber showdown that I waited for in the first movie.
Postmortem
07/21/08 5:46 PM PDT

My Mom sure left a lot of possessions behind. Offhand, I noticed that she collected a lot of figurines, dolls, teacups, spoons, rubber stamps, clothes, and shoes. Personally, I never understood the appeal of shoes. I hardly ever change mine from day to day. My Mom also fancied towels with floral patterns, fruit-scented lotions, and green plants. I say "green" because my plants turned brown. Also, my towels and soaps look white.

I concluded that material possessions suck as a legacy. Because when it came down to it, I found myself admiring how many lives that my Mom touched rather than how many possessions that she managed to accrue.

I also felt indifferent about how my Mom looked after death. That's not my Mom anymore, I kept thinking. It actually seemed macabre to me that visitors would come to gaze at the corpse. But in hindsight, I'm glad that we hosted a viewing service. It let us catch up with old friends in much greater depth than at the funeral.

The idea of koden is genius. That's the Japanese tradition of donating money with sympathy cards (or sometimes without sympathy cards). When I made my Dad a spreadsheet to tally the amounts, the modest donations really added up. In the end, the koden easily covered the expensive casket, the funeral costs, and the bill for the big buffet lunch.

Watched movie: "Hellboy II: The Golden Army" (2008)
Decent comic book flick full of eclectic creatures, badass weapons, and tongue-in-cheek humor. It reminded me of "Men in Black" in that I struggled to keep my bearings the whole time. I doubt that the first "Hellboy" movie would've helped my confusion any. For starters, I couldn't reconcile how such an unprofessional BPRD team could last for so long (in particular, the tooth fairies and the golden army should've overwhelmed them easily). Side note: I'm glad that del Toro will get to direct "The Hobbit". Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Mamma Mia!" (2008)
A disgrace to the ABBA name. Clearly, I spoke too soon when I blogged that you can't go wrong with a musical based entirely on ABBA songs. This film managed to butcher everything that I liked about the play: the songs, the humor, the emotion...if you ask me, they should just burn all of the reels and start over with cast members who can sing. I cringed whenever Pierce Brosnan tried it. That guy cannot sing one note. Meryl Streep also seemed out of her element--her attempts at comedy, song, and dance really disappointed me. It's almost as if the director told the whole cast to act like mental patients. For a movie musical done right, see "Across the Universe". Rating: 3

Side note: Watching "Mamma Mia!" in a near-vacant theater while sold-out Batman screenings played nearby didn't really help my mood. :)

Update 7/25/2008: For those of you who doubted my condemnation of Pierce Brosnan's singing, behold this audio evidence that I found on YouTube. My ears!!

Watched movie: "The Dark Knight" (2008)
I might get shunned for saying this, but...I found this movie overrated. Somehow it didn't affect my emotions like Nolan's previous films. Maybe I just don't care for these nihilistic plots (for example, I never understood why people raved about "Fight Club" and "V for Vendetta"). Or maybe "Batman Begins" set my expectations too high. In any case, I'm stunned that this movie dethroned "The Godfather" from the #1 spot in IMDb, and shattered the box office record for opening weekend. Rating: 6

Update 7/25/2008: Well, I re-watched "The Dark Knight"...and still can't reconcile all the hype. To summarize:

Failure to launch
07/16/08 5:17 PM PDT
Dear Mr. Aoki,

Regrettably, we will have to cancel the August 9 Zero-G flight from San Jose. Due to an unforeseen delay in NASA modifications, our plane, G-Force One, will not be ready in time for your experience. We sincerely apologize for this inconvenience, but hope that you will be able to reschedule your experience. Upcoming flight dates and locations are listed on our website at http://www.gozerog.com/. Currently, they include:

August 23: Los Angeles, CA
September 13: Las Vegas, NV
September 20: San Jose, CA
September 28: Kennedy Space Center, FL
October 11: Kennedy Space Center, FL

We apologize once again for this inconvenience and thank you for your continued patience and understanding as our plane continues to go through modifications.

Please contact us with any questions or concerns.

Yeah, I have a question and a concern. My question: What flight will they cancel next? And my concern: that they'll cancel whatever flight I schedule next.

Dunno why my nose keeps bleeding. So far, my nose bled profusely for the past three nights. One morning I woke with blood all over my face (reminded me of when that goose hit Fabio's nose on that roller coaster). I ruled out bacterial infection since my stomach hasn't bothered me lately...even though I found it peculiar how my brother-in-law and I both darted to the same restroom during our drive back to San Jose. Hopefully, my nose isn't reacting to the toxic smoke that has been polluting our air as of late.

I have a sinking feeling that HDD/DVD recorders will go extinct soon. I ended up searching and searching for one because Panasonic, my brand of choice, no longer manufactures them. I finally purchased a Philips DVDR3576 DVD Recorder (with 160 GB Hard Disk and five-year protection plan) from circuitcity.com. To my disappointment, the recorder lacks play list capability--meaning, I can prune individual recordings but can't splice any of them together. So I'll probably just dedicate this recorder to music videos. Another noteworthy disappointment: it can't read my Panasonic DVD-RAM discs--only finalized DVD-R discs.

Hopefully, the repairman in Seaside can fix my broken Panasonic recorder. It sounds like he won't be able to recover any of my recordings though...unless (fingers crossed) the hard drive didn't really crash.

Reflections
07/13/08 11:51 PM PDT

Finally back in San Jose after a rough two weeks in Santa Maria. All in all, this month sucked. But why stop there. This whole year sucked.

My overall reflections:

Guess I didn't miss too much at work since most of the week's meetings got cancelled due to a power outage at the lab. Apparently, a high voltage circuit breaker shorted out.

Upon returning to my apartment, I discovered that the hard drive in my HDD/DVD recorder had crashed. I suspect that I lost all of my recorded programs, including every music video that I accumulated since the last chart and all of my "Silent Hill: Origins" footage. Ordinarily, this would have upset me greatly--but on that day, I felt numb to it. I guess after everything that went down, a broken HDD/DVD recorder just felt trivial to me.

Watched movie: "WALL·E" (2008)
An ambitious, visually imaginative Pixar flick with some neat camera effects. I especially liked the animation inside of the spaceship. The romance, on the other hand, didn't work for me for a couple of reasons: a) I felt that the "iPod" robot needed more femininity (maybe some pink would have helped); and b) the robots never convinced me that they could truly love. :) So all in all, I loved the visuals and the messages about overindulgence--but felt that the movie lacked emotion (particularly when compared to my favorite Pixar flicks). Also found the plot contrived in spots, e.g., the garbage airlock/M-O coincidence that saved WALL-E and EVE. Side note: Nice touch, showing a billboard on the moon. Side note #2: Why was EVE so trigger-happy? It didn't seem to jive with her directive. Rating: 7
Watched movie: "Hancock" (2008)
Highly entertaining until a plot twist ruined the rest of the movie for me. In summary, I enjoyed the first half (where an image consultant tried to coach Hancock) and hated the second half. My favorite scenes in the film: a YouTube video where Hancock sought an ice cream (while half-naked in front of kids), and the diatribe by Nancy Grace. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "The Foot Fist Way" (2008)
Almost like a companion piece to "Napoleon Dynamite". The main character (an uncouth Tae Kwon Do instructor) reminded me of "The Office" boss in that he lacked tact, spoke dryly, and acted beaucoup. The camera work and meek characters reminded me of "The Office" too. Overall, I found the movie amusing even though I frowned a lot. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D" (2008)
Ironic that a 3-D movie set so far underground would lack so much depth. The story and the characters struck me as two-dimensional. Amazing visuals though--it looked real when Brendan Fraser spat in my face. So I'd skip this movie unless a theater near you screens it in 3-D. Rating: 5
Michi Aoki 1935-2008
07/07/08 4:25 PM PDT

My Mom passed away last Thursday. She lost her life to lung cancer even though she never smoked.

The ordeal started last year with high blood pressure. We couldn't figure out why it stayed so high despite her dietary regiments. Eventually, she started coughing...a lot. We assumed that the blood pressure medication was causing it--at the time, we didn't realize that fluid was accumulating in her lungs.

In February 2008, my Mom's doctor discovered the fluid and routed her to a hospital to drain it all out. That's when we learned about the tumor: non-small-cell adenocarcinoma stage IIIB. The oncologist reclassified it to stage IV when a PET scan discovered metastatic tumors elsewhere in her body.

My Mom opted for Tarceva rather than harsh chemotherapy. The Tarceva really disappointed us as it had virtually no effect on the tumor. It grew to the point where my Mom required regular appetite medication and an oxygen machine. She lost over 20 pounds.

My family and I said our goodbyes on Sunday, June 29. The next day, my Mom surprised us with a sudden burst of lucidity. She seemed like her old self again. But two days later without warning, she slipped into a coma and passed away on July 3 at 4:55pm. She did not suffer any pain.

I have no regrets. Although it bothered me that I had missed my Mom's final breath due to traffic jams, I felt content with how we said goodbye and with the time that we had spent together.

I wrote an obituary about her for the Santa Maria Times (inconvenient how Microsoft Word had no document template for it). For those of you who knew my Mom, you are welcome to attend her viewing and funeral services this week.

MICHIKO "MICHI" AOKI
1935-2008

Michi was born on 4/21/1935 in Santa Maria, California to parents Hiroshi and Komitsu Makino.

Michi passed away on July 3, 2008 in the loving care of her immediate family.

Michi studied in Japan, graduated Arroyo Grande High School, married Tad Aoki in 1960, and raised four children. She also taught Dharma School at the Guadalupe Buddhist Temple for many years.

She was preceded in death by her parents Hiroshi and Komitsu Makino and brother Bobby Makino.

She is survived by husband Tad Aoki of Santa Maria. Daughters Naomi Choquette of Mililani, Hawaii, June Trachsel of Pacific Grove. Sons Stanley and Steven Aoki of San Jose. Grandchildren Nathan, Kelsi and Jarad Choquette of Mililani, Hawaii and Corinne Trachsel of Pacific Grove. Sister Hiroko Maenaga of Guadalupe.

Viewing services will be held on Thursday, July 10, 2008 from 4:00 P.M. to 7:00 P.M. at the Dudley-Hoffman Mortuary. Funeral services will be held on Friday, July 11, 2008 at 10:00 A.M. at the Guadalupe Buddhist Temple with gravesite services to follow at Santa Maria Cemetery.

Arrangements are under the direction of Dudley-Hoffman Mortuary and Crematory.

Ultra smooth
06/28/08 4:21 PM PDT

I noticed that my new neighbor fancies cigarettes as I see them scattered all over his porch whenever I approach my apartment. Where's a "cure or quit" when you need one.

Watching TV series: "The Mole" (season five)
I think I've seen enough episodes of season five to predict the Mole's identity. My pick: Nicole...not because she sabotaged the most missions, but because she bent so many rules with impunity. Cases in point:
  • She stayed indoors even though the rules mandated that she camp outside overnight.
  • She threatened a player's life with no apparent fear of getting ejected from the show.
  • She signalled a player after the host specifically warned against it.
I reasoned that only an "exempt" Mole could flaunt such a carelessness for the rules. I can't picture an ordinary player jeopardizing this lifetime opportunity in such a way. Rating: ++

After the first season of "The Mole", I abandoned my misconception that the Mole had to sabotage every mission. In fact, the first season Mole performed so well that I considered her the best player! Instead, I began basing my Mole criteria on two other patterns:

That brings us to season five. Out of the seven remaining players, I ruled out four of them for forming coalitions: Clay, Mark, Alex, and Paul. I also ruled out Kristen because she looks too similar to the previous two Moles. That leaves Craig and Nicole. Although both of them hindered multiple missions, Craig went the extra mile to complete the last one (when no one would've faulted him for failing the team). That makes Nicole my prime suspect.

Watched movie: "Get Smart" (2008)
A lot like "Casino Royale" in that the movie a) reinvented Maxwell Smart as a present day rookie, and b) gave both him and Agent 99 vulnerabilities. The comedy and romance didn't really work for me (too corny for my taste)--particularly when it came to the cheap laughs and dumbed-down flashbacks. I did like how Steve Carell portrayed Agent 86: harebrained and inept--yet curiously resourceful in clutch situations. TV show fans would probably appreciate the many inside references to the old series...once again, my compliments to Wikipedia for jogging my memory. Rating: 5
Watched movie: "Wanted" (2008)
Yeah! Coolest gunfights ever! Where else can you see marksmen so good that they can curve their bullets, or snipe each other's bullets right out of the air? Interestingly, Timur Bekmambetov of "Night Watch" fame directed this flick. That explains why "The Exterminator" looked so familiar, and why the slow-motion scenes looked so poetic. My tips for Timur if he ever helms a sequel: a) make the marksmen hold their guns with one hand instead of two, and b) set up some kind of "WrestleMania-caliber" duel between two arch-rivals. Side note: Angelina Jolie's expression when James McAvoy first threatened her...priceless. Rating: 7
Memento mori
06/22/08 7:32 PM PDT

It made me sad when some Christian protesters loudly condemned George Michael (and us) as we filed into the "25 LIVE" concert. Personally, I find it disturbing when evangelists preach hate in the name of Jesus. Maybe that's just me.

Attended George Michael concert: "25 LIVE"
Even though I barely recognized any of the songs in the second half, I found this concert satisfactory. He covered all of my favorite songs, and almost none of the ones that I dislike (even "Too Funky" didn't sound as bad as when I originally heard it in the '90s). He also performed a hit that I had completely forgotten: "Everything She Wants" by Wham! My friend once tried to jog my memory of it by reciting the lyrics--but he didn't sing the "aha-ah aha-ah doo-doo-doo la la la la laaaa" part so I didn't get it. :) Now I can't get the song out of my head.

My only major complaint about the concert: I hate it when turn the singer directs the microphone toward the audience. I could swear that he did it about half the time during a couple of my favorite songs. Like I said before: I don't attend concerts so I can hear audience members butcher the songs.

In closing, see if you can guess which songs that he performed for his encores:

  • "Praying for Time"
  • "Careless Whisper"
  • "Freedom '90" (in hindsight, I feel silly over my dread that he'd perform "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" as the final encore)

I wonder where this "false finish" phenomenon came from because to my recollection, every concert that I ever attended did it. Rating: 6

Watched movie: "La Terza Madre" (2007) a.k.a. "Mother of Tears: The Third Mother" (2008)
I once read that Italian splatter flicks showcase the vulnerability of the human body. What better illustration of this point than an unrated Dario Argento movie with modern special effects. Yes, I'd say that he spearheaded the point rather well. I'd easily nominate "Mother of Tears" as one of the goriest movies ever. Although most of the murders grossed me out, three of them bothered me in particular: a) the first one with the drill and intestines, b) the one where the baby got maimed; er, the second time that it happened, and c) the one where the lesbian got impaled--vertically. To get a good sense of the graphic content, just skim through this movie's plot keywords on us.imdb.com.

I marveled at how Asia Argento managed to unwind so easily after each disturbing encounter--didn't even seem traumatized when a fiery pursuer spirited her mother's ghost to Hell. She even had the gall to laugh after everything that happened! It also disappointed me that she thwarted the Mother of Tears with a spear rather than white magic. Come to think of it, how did that detective manage to escape?

All in all, a couple of thoughts occupied my mind: a) "Doesn't get much sicker," and b) "Hope I don't go to Hell for watching this." At least this movie finally cleared up the chronology from "Suspiria" and "Inferno". Rating: 5

Playing video game: "Silent Hill: Origins" (PSX2)
A "Silent Hill" prequel that built upon the first four games--yet sucked in every respect. Cases in point:
  • Gazing at objects. Just like in "Silent Hill 2", Travis automatically fixates on the objects that he can pick up. But to my frustration, he also fixates on doors--meaning that half the time, I ended up investigating "false alarms".
  • Running out of breath. Just like in "Silent Hill 3", Travis gets winded and slows down. I'm disappointed that "Silent Hill: Origins" brought this limitation back as I really hated it in "Silent Hill 3". Additionally, I didn't care that Travis could boost his stamina with energy drinks--because I rarely went though the hassle of using them.
  • Moving by analog joystick. Just like in "Silent Hill 4", Travis runs wherever you position the analog stick--even when the camera angle reverses. Hence, I often found myself losing my bearings or running in circles whenever a camera shift disoriented me.

Overall, it seemed like "Silent Hill: Origins" retreaded (and botched) the characters from "Silent Hill", the psychological drama from "Silent Hill 2", and the gameplay from "Silent Hill 4" (including the peepholes and the ability to charge melee weapons). Although "Silent Hill: Origins" did introduce some new features, I disliked them:

  • The new melee weapon system. In contrast to the previous games, no melee weapon in "Silent Hill: Origins" could last forever (each one shattered after a certain amount of stress, and some could only be used once). This limitation didn't bother me so much as the overabundance of really weak weapons like light stands and broken poles (to me, the weak weapons amounted to poking monsters with a stick). Because Travis could not sort or discard any weapons, I found the weapons screen really tedious and the real-time selection menu useless. It also disappointed me that the game introduced no colossal weapons this time around (such as the great knife in "Silent Hill 2").
  • The new grapple system. In contrast to the previous games, monsters can now grab Travis--forcing you to press certain on-screen buttons to repel them. I soon grew impatient with this feature as it made even the simplest melees tedious.
  • The new mirror portals. In contrast to the previous games, Travis can use a mirror to toggle between the normal world and the "Otherworld". I didn't care much for this feature because it doubled the number of maps that I had to explore.

Even though "Silent Hill: Origins" recast my favorite characters from "Silent Hill", I found the voice actors lacking. I also found the music and extras inferior to the first four games. For example, I had no desire to acquire all of the costumes in "Silent Hill: Origins" (as opposed to "Silent Hill 2", where my quest for the green spray obsessed me). Rating: 4

Dang. PLAY! is coming to San Francisco on August 23. I remember swearing off that concert unless it met one of my four conditions--the first one being, if it toured nearby.

No day but today
06/18/08 7:28 PM PDT

The sight of cigarette smoke sorta bugs me now that I know what lung cancer can do to a healthy person. I find it unfair that it can still afflict people who never touched a cigarette in their entire life.

I speculated how my lifetime goals would change if a disease ever made me terminal. Maybe someday I should brainstorm a special bucket list for goals that I'd only entertain if my life neared its end. For example, I could start the list with: "experiment with recreational drugs".

Watched movie: "The Incredible Hulk" (2008)
A decent reinvention of the comic-book Hulk. What I liked best about the film:
  • Banner's regiment for repressing the Hulk. It impressed me how Edward Norton went the extra mile to control his stress, i.e., Lamaze-type breathing, a pulse monitor on his wrist, and Jujitsu (I always felt that Bill Bixby could have controlled the Hulk better if he had only learned to defend himself). To show Edward Norton's progress, the movie cleverly superimposed a "Days Without Incident" caption over him. Side note: I also liked how he had the foresight to shop for extra stretchy sweats.
  • The cool cameos. I spotted and verified Lou Ferrigno, Doc Samson, Jack McGee (from the TV series), the Leader, and Tony Stark. Also recognized that piano piece, "The Lonely Man", from the TV series.
What I hated the most about the film:
  • Liv Tyler. I probably would've rated this movie higher if they hadn't cast her. Hearing her croon "Bruce" helped me imagine what those victims in "The Happening" must have felt. :)
  • The Hulk's veiny muscles. Yeck.
All in all, I'm glad that a "Hulk" storyline finally covered some really good reasons for why Banner would want his green-skinned savior gone, i.e., the potential misuses for Banner's blood, his life as a fugitive, and a duty to abstinence. :) Rating: 6
Watched movie: "The Happening" (2008)
Surprisingly gruesome for an M. Night Shyamalan film. Other than the cool message that maybe nature finally decided to retaliate against humanity, I didn't think much of a premise based upon killer plants. I probably would've liked the movie better if M. Night had followed the disaster movie formula closer (for instance, a more eclectic cast). During "The Happening", I had no one to root for because I found the main characters too dorky. I also felt like most of the people behaved unrealistically--for example, I kept waiting for people to duct tape their windows or to start exterminating plants). Final question: Why would a toxin induce suicidal tendencies rather than just inducing instant death? Rating: 6

Did I every mention my least favorite contemporary actresses? Scarlett Johansson and Liv Tyler. I can't stand them for some reason.

I finished tabulating the top 30 music videos for 1H 2008. The bottom song surprised me as I didn't expect our #30 songs to spread out so much.

Buggin'
06/10/08 3:32 PM PDT

San Jose, we have a problem...

Dear Zero-G Flyers,

We regret to inform you that we have decided to postpone the Zero-G flight scheduled on July 26 in San Jose due to the modifications of our plane, G-Force One. It is required for the NASA training flights that are scheduled to begin later this year, and it was originally scheduled to be completed by mid-July. However, after reviewing the current status, we feel that it is best to postpone your flight in order to avoid a possible last minute schedule change.

Your flight is now scheduled on Saturday, August 9 in San Jose.

Yesterday at work, I discovered ants crawling on my car. Wouldn't have bugged me so much had they stayed outside (I sped along the highway trying to blow them off). As soon as one of them appeared inside, my skin began to crawl. That is, I grew paranoid every time that a hair twitched on my skin. Needless to say, I really hate ants--possibly more than rats and pigeons (but not more than cockroaches).

Another irritation: my screening of "Kung Fu Panda" ran Spanish subtitles. Moviefone didn't forewarn me. I probably should've caught another showing, but I didn't feel like waiting another 40 minutes.

Watched movie: "Kung Fu Panda" (2008)
Felt like a typical Jack Black comedy despite the animation. I think I smiled a lot. I don't recall ever laughing though--not so much because of Jack Black, but because his "foils" bored me (the praying mantis probably delivered the best comedic reaction of the whole movie when it twitched). I mostly just enjoyed this film for its kung fu. In my view, Tai Lung (the villain) showcased the coolest kung fu of all--so I thought it really sucked when he had to job to that fat, "couch potato" panda. Side note: stay after the credits for a brief "zen" moment. Actually, I beg to differ with the turtle. I think it's more "zen" to view everything in life as an "accident" rather than the other way around. P.S. How can a duck father a panda? Rating: 6
Watched movie: "The Strangers" (2008)
A flimsy horror flick that should've gone straight to video. In my opinion, the masked intruders lucked out because I couldn't believe how many missteps that their victims committed. It should've been over once that guy got the shotgun working--but no, he had to venture outside on a longshot while his girlfriend waited at the house without protection. I speculated that the couple probably stood a better chance if they had just panicked, i.e., by running away or by cowering somewhere with the shotgun. P.S. Did the movie omit a scene from the trailer? Rating: 4
The Truman Show
06/05/08 12:00 AM PDT

Today I commemorate the tenth anniversary of my favorite all-time movie, "The Truman Show". For those of you who religiously monitored my top 20 favorite movies of all time over the past ten years, you probably noticed that "The Truman Show" always topped the list. I'd go further to say that this preference probably won't change no matter how many more movies that I review.

"The Truman Show" showcased everything that I could ask for in a film: drama, emotion, intrigue, suspense, levity, inspiration, meaning, engaging music, attention to detail, "oh sh-- moments"--even a brief homage to Santa Maria. I remember when I first watched "The Truman Show" in my hometown (the aforementioned Santa Maria). Even though I already knew the premise, most of the scenes in this film left me in awe. I just sat there thinking, "Wow." Not long afterward, I proclaimed "The Truman Show" as the best movie ever made.

Personally, I derived three main meanings from this film (spoilers ahead):

Satirizing television. During a turning point in the film, Christof fed lines to Truman's friend, and manipulated the audience's emotions with cameras and music. I felt that this scene best embodied why I consider real-life television so pretentious and commercialized. In addition to all of the amusing product placement within Seahaven, I loved the ending where two TV viewers trivialized everything that happened by seeking a TV guide. Interestingly, the film also covered what I like about television--its ability to inspire and enrich the lives of the viewing audience. The reactions of the TV audience (particularly when they pulled for Truman) played a big part in fueling my own emotion.

Playing God. Aside from Christof's name, I noticed a lot of parallels to a biblical God. He cued the sun. He struck down Truman with lightning when he got cocky. He talked down from the clouds. He tried to persuade Truman to stay in his safe Eden-like paradise. Ultimately, I got the sense that Christof struggled to influence Truman's free will. This led to two parts in the film where I considered Christof dead wrong: a) the part where Christof "drowned" Truman's father to give Truman a phobia of water; later compounded by Christof's messed up threat to drown Truman in his own phobia; and b) the part where they ripped away Truman's love interest.

Living your own life. Christof struck me as an overprotective father figure for Truman in the sense that he seemed to decide "what was best" for him. Among other things, he dictated who Truman should befriend and who Truman should marry. He even stroked Truman's TV image when he stirred in bed, like some kind of grown-up child. Hence, I totally rooted for Truman to escape this stifling world and to live his own life.

Although I love practically everything about this film, I'll try to list what I liked the most:

Tables and ladders and chairs...oh my
06/04/08 9:52 PM PDT

I noticed that the Pantages Theater appended another request to their performance: "Prior to the performance and during intermission, as a courtesy to the cast and audience, please take a moment to turn off cell phones and pagers, and to unwrap any candies--Thank You." I couldn't tell whether to take that last clause seriously.

Attended musical: "Wicked: A New Musical"
Satirical reinvention of "The Wizard of Oz" that humanized the wicked witch, spoiled the good witch, contrived the origins for Dorothy's friends, and devised ways to acknowledge Dorothy's presence without actually showing her. Reminded me of "Smallville" due to the close "behind-the-scenes" friendship between the wicked witch and the good witch (even embroiling them in a love triangle). Also reminded me of "Shrek" because of how the wicked witch seemed misunderstood. For the most part, I liked the character depth, Oz politics (guess it makes sense that the Wizard of Oz would excel at spinning the truth), and the stage effects. None of the songs really stood out for me though. Rating: 6

Thanks to my front row seat at WWE One Night Stand 2008, I got to slap hands with wrestling celebrities like Mick Foley (twice), Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler, and CM Punk (man that guy had a sweaty hand). I also got to touch The Undertaker's padded glove after he crashed into the barricade in front of me. How cool is that...I managed to buy this ticket from Ticketmaster at face value!

Only two minor complaints: 1) The lady next to me glued so much glitter to her sign that the flakes began sticking to me and my camera bag--did I ever mention that I can't stand glitter? 2) Referees and cameramen kept blocking my shot! Fortunately, I still snapped some awesome pictures.

Looks like a couple of the pro-wrestlers suffered nasty injuries. When the Big Show dropped the steel steps (shown in my screenshot), the steps bounced off the ground and fractured his sinus cavity (ouch). Also, Randy Orton broke his clavicle (hence my look of discomfort as he passed by in one of my screenshots below).

On a final note, I'm really impressed that The Undertaker risked such a dangerous stunt.

House always wins?
05/30/08 5:00 PM PDT

"IBM 4 life." That's what I used to joke to my colleague every time he thought about leaving IBM. To my disbelief, he finally did it. Usually my cynical projections come true (similar to how House, M.D. reliably solves each case with cynicism). That's why I often won bets against him—he tended to expect the best whereas I assumed the worst unless proven otherwise. :)

This Sunday, I attend a WWE event called "One Night Stand" that stipulates gimmicks for every match on the card. Last year's event featured four matches that I wanted to see. This year's event only features one match that I want to see, but it's one of my favorites of all time: the TLC Match. The card for WWE One Night Stand 2008:

"I Quit" Match
The wrestlers fight until one of them gives up by saying "I Quit" in a microphone. These matches tend to drag on for me.
Singapore Cane Match
The wrestlers can reach for a hanging singapore cane for an advantage in the match. Personally, I'd find the match more interesting if they all started with singapore canes.
Falls Count Anywhere
The wrestlers can pin each other anywhere in the arena. It's a lot more interesting to watch on TV than live. In the last match that I watched, the wrestlers disappeared out of sight for most of the duration. :)
Stretcher Match
One wrestler must push the other wrestler on a rolling stretcher across the finish line. Usually it comes down to a last-second swap on the stretcher, rather than some kind of injury or knockout.
First Blood Match
The wrestlers fight until one of them bleeds. Not a very suspenseful match, in my opinion, because if the wrestler bleeds by accident then I noticed that the referee mysteriously ignores it.
Last Man Standing Match
The wrestlers fight until one of them cannot answer a 10-count. Kind of like boxing and usually just as boring. :)
Tables, Ladders and Chairs Match
The wrestlers attack each other with tables, ladders, and chairs during their efforts to reach a title belt that is suspended over the ring. Lots of stunts and other carnage. Possibly WWE's most entertaining match.

My sister invited me to George Michael's 25 LIVE concert next month. At first, I vacillated because a) I only recalled one song of his that I liked, and b) it's George Michael. But I finally agreed to it when I read that he'd cover stuff from WHAM!. So ideally, he'll sing "Careless Whisper" and skip "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go". :)

Props to last night's season finale of "Lost"....most intriguing.

Depreciation
05/27/08 12:00 PM PDT

Our IBM coffee cafe changed vendors from Ritazza to Peet's. Despite my sentiment that Peet's tastes like instant coffee from the vending machine downstairs, I still like it better than Starbucks. :) Too bad that more employees didn't vote for Seattle's Best when IBM polled us. Alternatively, I would've liked "It's a Grind".

Comics suck as an investment. Captain Nemo's offered me $25 for my long box of rare childhood comics (all in mint condition). I told them thanks anyway, and gave the comics away to my friend. Back when I first collected them, I probably paid at least four times that amount.

Watched movie: "The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian" (2008)
The Disney equivalent to "Charlie Wilson's War". :) Given what happened since the first movie, I wondered why the Pevensie children even bothered with Narnian politics anymore. Other parts of the movie that bugged me:
  • The Pevensie children still seemed immature to me despite their acknowledgments that they grew up beyond their current ages.
  • To my disappointment, none of the Narnians seemed shocked by the reappearance of their mythological icons (by comparison, imagine the reaction if Christ had walked amongst us again).
  • To my disbelief, none of the enemy projectiles ever hit any of the main characters--even when the characters just stood there or fled under a whole barrage of arrows. I also began counting that girl archer's arrows because she never seemed to run out.
  • Deus ex machina, Aslan? Too bad that real-life wars can't end with moving trees, a water giant, and portals that exile the losers to another dimension. I also still didn't get why Aslan withheld the "weapons of mass destruction" for so long.
I'm surprised this movie passed with a PG rating despite all of those deaths by sword and arrow. P.S. That professor sure looked like Santa Claus. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" (2008)
A painfully ridiculous Indiana Jones installment that lacked the originality of "Raiders of the Lost Ark" and the chemistry of "Last Crusade". If I had to pick the spot where Indy "jumped the shark", I'd say the scene where he survived a nuclear blast at ground zero. After that senseless scene, I concluded that Indiana Jones cannot die. Other than some decent teamwork during the chases and a nostalgic glimpse of the lost ark, I considered this whole movie rather mediocre. Rating: 5
Reckonings
05/20/08 7:38 PM PDT

"Survivor: Micronesia" inspired me to count down my favorite Survivor seasons of all-time. At first, I struggled with my #1 and #2 picks because I felt that both seasons had their own unique merits. I finally leaned toward the season that stirred the most interesting "water cooler" chats.

I also simplified the movie criteria on my Web site to better suit why I like the films that I like. Previously, I had:

After careful consideration, I revised my criteria as follows:

While walking through my apartment complex's parking lot, I noticed a 4-door BMW 3251 with a cardboard sign over the rear window. It reminded me of my year-end blog:

My Vacation:
1. My boyfriend told me he hates me.
2. I lost my job.
3. A bum broke this window and stole my purse!!!

I suspect that the author listed these grievances in chronological order. I'm kind of curious how they would rank from bad to worst.

Influence
05/13/08 3:32 PM PDT

I love that Harry Potter line about "opening hostilities early" because I feel like it applies to so many real-life situations. Take my return trip to Firestone, for example. I basically had to assert that my rear brakes began making funny noises ever since their mechanic realigned them. I didn't want to accuse them--but I also did not want to pay for a second brake inspection. So when the clerk asked what I needed, I slyly replied, "It's my brakes again." Unfortunately, I think that my veiled hint opened hostilities too early because the clerk grew more and more defensive. First I had to recreate the symptom for their mechanic--which I did, successfully. Then the clerk remarked that he didn't know what happened between now and the last time I brought the car in. Not sure what he meant to imply, but I forced myself to not to take offense. End result: they inspected and lubed my rear brake for free.

Victory is mine? Yes and no. The funny noises eventually returned.

Speaking of diplomacy, I gotta comment on Survivor. In all my years of watching it, I've never seen anything like Thursday's episode. To my disbelief, the final four women managed to pull off one of the most ridiculously daring plots ever conceived: voting out the last guy by persuading him to give up his immunity! Even though his gullibility played a huge part, I couldn't help but admire the womens' bold, persuasive tactics. They masterfully exploited his guilt, his inexperience, and his admiration of celebrities. I'm pretty sure that he felt smitten with them too--enough to risk a million dollars to get back into their good graces.

Although I agree that he committed the dumbest blunder in Survivor history, I'd be lying if I said that a woman's wiles never made me falter in a similar fashion. Ordinarily, my cynicism can see through all kinds of deceit or the appearance of deceit--but without giving specifics, let's just say that I have a weakness for women with halos over their head. :)

Watched movie: "Speed Racer" (2008)
A relentless spectacle of sensory overload--like "Jet Moto" on acid or a Skittles commercial gone haywire. Sometimes I felt dazzled; other times I felt overstimulated. I probably looked like Dave in "2001" or a stoned addict in "Requiem for a Dream". Those "Matrix" directors sure went over-the-top on the characters' cartoonish antics, e.g., messages on a test, hearts, and dollar signs. I'm sure that most people would either love or hate this movie. Although I tend to dislike racing movies, I found this one outrageously fun. P.S. The highway sure looked bland on the drive back. Rating: 7
Watched movie: "Iron Man" (2008)
Good movie but not as emotional as I expected--especially given how highly that critics and audiences regarded it. I did like how Robert Downey Jr. managed to enliven such a dull comic book character. Neat technology too. My favorite special effects design: that "hands-on" drag and drop interface (complete with its own 3-D trash can). Side note: Stay after the credits to hear Nick Fury of S.H.I.E.L.D. fame talk about the Avenger Initiative. Crossover, baby. Rating: 6
Magic 8-Ball
05/08/08 2:08 PM PDT
YearSteve's prediction Actual winner
2001The RockStone Cold Steve Austin
2002Stone Cold Steve AustinTriple H
2003Brock LesnarBrock Lesnar
2004GoldbergChris Benoit
2005BatistaBatista
2006Rey MysterioRey Mysterio
2007Shawn MichaelsThe Undertaker
2008The UndertakerJohn Cena
Update
2009Randy OrtonRandy Orton
2010Shawn MichaelsEdge
2011John CenaAlberto Del Rio
2012Chris JerichoSheamus
2013John CenaJohn Cena
2014BatistaBatista
2015Roman ReignsRoman Reigns

Never had much success with Royal Rumble predictions. Out of eight Royal Rumble winners, I only predicted three of them. In 2002, I lost a famous bet where the loser had to buy the winner a burrito. That sucked. Thankfully, I dodged a similar bullet last January when I talked that very same co-worker out of a winning bet. He initially predicted that a surprise entrant would win despite my jeers that such a longshot would never happen. Luckily, I changed his mind days prior to the Rumble. Had he stuck with his original pick, I would've owed him another dinner. So imagine my relief as I photographed the surprise entrant (pictured right) after he unexpectedly won the Rumble (as unlucky entrant #30, no less).

Incidentally, every Royal Rumble winner in this table went on to win the Championship belt at WrestleMania...except for John Cena. John Cena also won every WrestleMania match that he ever competed in (4-0)...until this year. So broken precedents all around.

Watched movie: "88 Minutes" (2008)
That's 88 minutes that I won't get back. Instead of a "24" thriller, I got a "Sorry, Wrong Number" thriller. Al Pacino wasted most of the time talking on his cell and peering at everyone suspiciously. Maybe he figured that he could safely bide his time for 88 minutes--or maybe he just didn't care (it would explain his baffling nonchalant attitude). Frankly, I couldn't reconcile why the caller kept forewarning him and destroying his property when it detracted from the primary goal of framing and discrediting him. Come to think of it, how did the caller even know that Al Pacino switched cell phones? For once, I longed for the "talking villain" cliche to clear up some of these loopholes...not that it would've saved the movie from such a stunning anticlimax. Rating: 4

Total bummer...I received the following e-mail today about my gravity flight:

Dear Mr. Aoki,

We regret to inform you that we have to reschedule our Zero-G flight on May 25, due to insufficient number of flyers confirmed for this date. It is very unusual that we have to reschedule our flights for this reason, but since it falls on the Memorial Day weekend, we don't believe many people will sign up in the next week or so, and therefore we have made our decision at this time.

We will be delighted to reschedule you on any of our future flights. Our next available flight from San Jose is on July 26. For more future dates and locations, please go to www.gozerog.com.

We apologize for the inconvenience this may cause, and hope we can reschedule your flight. We look forward to hearing from you.

Guess I have to reset my countdown. T minus...79 days...

Differential
05/04/08 1:41 AM PDT

I finally replaced my brakes after they alarmed me with some loud, horrific noises. Can't help wondering whether the worn-out front brakes contributed to that unprecedented skid that I had. Guess I shouldn't have waited so long to service my car...106,000+ miles without any preventative maintenance. :)

I'm disgusted that Exxon Mobil accrued over 10 billion dollars in profit, and even more disgusted that this figure disappointed them! I really need to brainstorm more ways to conserve gas.

Watched movie: "Smart People" (2008)
Mirthless. That's how I characterize a) this movie, b) its dry characters, c) their lack of wit, and d) my lack of amusement. The trailer deceived me by making the cast look like an ensemble of "House", "Juno", and "Sideways" characters. Shades of these personalities might have come out--but what I saw I didn't like. Rating: 5
Watched movie: "The Life Before Her Eyes" (2008)
A female "coming of age" movie that bored me despite the high school shooting spree and the filmmakers' attempts to tease me with the same recurrent cliffhanger. Let me tell you a secret about the cliffhanger: it made the entire film pointless. One might compare this movie to "Atonement"--but not me. "Atonement" actually had atonement in it, whereas this movie only foreshadowed it. If anything, this movie reminded me of "Jacob's Ladder". For a better drama about a 17-year-old teenage girl, see "Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me". Rating: 5

T minus 21 days.

Deviation
04/28/08 5:54 PM PDT

Judging by the reaction of fellow Harry Potter fans, I concluded that we don't always see eye to eye. Take the subject of wands, for example. I view wands as a personal extension of the wielder. I view a wizard's wand as masculine, and a witch's wand as feminine. Using this logic, I found it demasculating that Harry had to borrow Hermione's wand. No one saw it that way though.

"But I think that Hermione's wand contains unicorn hair," I added. Turns out that I erred. Malfoy's wand contained the unicorn hair.

Attended musical: "MAMMA MIA!"
Can't really go wrong with a musical based entirely on ABBA songs. They pretty much covered every ABBA hit except for my #1 favorite. I think I'm getting used to that occurrence though. Other minor critiques:
  • At times, I felt like they force-fit an ABBA song into a situation that didn't quite apply. Similarly, the characters enacted certain ABBA songs in a way that ruined my original interpretation (example: "Take A Chance On Me").
  • I would've found the play way more emotional if the characters hadn't overdone their antics so much. The comedy reminded me of "Desperate Housewives".
  • They omitted the best part from "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)"!
My favorite part of the musical: their dramatization of "Under Attack". Rating: 7

Crazy. While driving through rainy conditions from the San Jose Performing Arts Center, my car slid off the highway. Instead of curving with the exit ramp, I skidded forward onto the dirt shoulder. Didn't even have time to react. In hindsight, I might have regained control of the car if I had repressed my instinct to keep braking. I heard that you're supposed to stop braking and steer into the skid. But how do you slow the car when you're skidding forward?

Thankfully, my car escaped unharmed. If I had glanced off a guard rail or had flown off of a cliff, I'm unsure whether my minimal car insurance would have covered the damage.

Ido bebé ido
04/22/08 4:06 PM PDT

To my dismay, Quito's Mexican Restaurant closed its doors. A sign on the front door read:

Regretfully, after over 48 years of serving the Santa Maria Valley, Quito's Mexican Restaurant must close its doors. The Rodriguez family sincerely thanks you for your faithful and consistent patronage over the past half century.

Correspondence may be mailed to Quito's, PO Box 468, Santa Maria, CA, 93456, or email at QuitosRestaurant@gmail.com.

Again, thank you so much.

How surreal that my family and I will never taste another Quito's enchilada again. My old hometown keeps disappearing little by little.

Woah, Twilight Zone...how on Earth did WWE convince the real Hillary, Obama, and McCain to deliver promos on Monday Night Raw last night? It's not everyday that you see McCain attempting pro-wrestling slogans or Obama imitating the Rock. Good line, though: "Do you smell what Barack is cooking?"

Watched movie: "The Forbidden Kingdom" (2008)
Visually appealing with some stimulating kung fu match-ups, including a dream one between Jackie Chan and Jet Li. A lot of the combatants looked familiar to me; possibly because they reminded me of characters from previous movies and video games. Rating: 7
Watched DVD: "Zatôichi hatashi-jô" a.k.a. "Zatoichi and the Fugitives" (1968)
Like a "blind swordsman" version of "Yojimbo". Although the showdown paid off decently (gotta love how he can slice through walls), I grew impatient with the villains' appalling behavior and frowned every time that Zatoichi spared them. Metaphorically, he kept "taking his foot off the poisonous snake". Rating: 6
Watched DVD: "Zatôichi kenka-daiko" a.k.a. "Samaritan Zatoichi" (1968)
The more vulnerable side to Zatoichi? While playing "guardian angel" to a dispirited woman, he seemed unusually careless, i.e., falling down a lot, getting captured in a straw mat for cheating, and even losing his sword to the main villain. An attempt to humanize him, perhaps? P.S. Props to the comical sidekick. Rating: 6

Tonight, I finally see MAMMA MIA! at the San Jose Center for the Performing Arts.

Molten lah-vah
04/18/08 10:32 AM PDT

I caught a news flash that hazardous fumes forced a mass evacuation of Hawaiian volcano parks. Interestingly, a colleague once encouraged me to tour a Hawaiian volcano site so that I could poke at molten lava with a stick. According to him, some tourists found that fascinating. I guess I wouldn't mind watching keys melt in molten lava. That's my favorite Deep Thought:

"If you drop your keys into molten lava just let 'em go 'cause, man, they're gone." -Jack Handey

Generally, it astonishes people that I never visited Hawaii. They can't believe that I never visited my sister in Oahu. Well, it makes more sense if you consider my lack of enthusiasm for sunshine, water, or sand. Other than a pro-wrestling event or a honeymoon, I can't think of any convincing reason to fly out there.

Watched On Demand movie: "Gone Baby Gone" (2007)
Good baby good even though I had trouble taking Casey Affleck's and Michelle Monaghan's "street credibility" seriously. Every time that they told people off, I wanted to laugh. I couldn't reconcile such wholesome, self-righteous private eyes in that kind of environment. I could picture them as narcs though. :)

Gotta love those heavy Boston accents. Sometimes I couldn't understand the dialogue no matter how many times that I rewound the movie.

A shame that Amy Ryan didn't win the Oscar. Where's social services when you need them? :)

Cool twist. I didn't see it coming despite my movie rule that I won't believe a death unless I actually see it happen. Rating: 7
Zen and the art of the oxymoron
04/11/08 9:21 PM PDT
"The threat of violent protests in San Francisco prompted officials to make unannounced changes in the Olympic torch relay and closing ceremony."

I wonder if any of those Tibet activists practice Buddhism, because I don't often read about Buddhists wanting to lay the smackdown on someone. :)

Life would be so much simpler if everyone settled their disputes in the wrestling ring. :)

What a mess, this business with the congested airports. I'm thankful that I have no flights planned. Not just because I hate delayed flights, but because I hate overhearing people whine about delayed flights. Are we so spoiled now that even careful safety measures try our patience? I blame that motto, "the customer is always right", for inflating our heads with airs of entitlement.

Stop and stare
04/07/08 7:28 PM PDT

Nothing like California weather. I hate smoldering in Florida. I did enjoy WrestleMania 24, however. I'll likely attend WrestleMania 25 next year (the location: Houston, Texas). Additionally, one of my favorite WWE pay-per-views, One Night Stand, will come to San Diego on June 1. Even if I decide not to attend, it'd be a good excuse to finally catch "Wicked" at the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood. Ah, nothing like Broadway and pro-wrestling to enliven a weekend.

In other news, my heart leapt when I saw a note on my apartment door. Turned out to be a temporary water shutdown notice.

Two more Suncoast stores blinked out of existence: the ones in Fairfield and Capitola. So I guess no more trips toward Santa Cruz for me.

My colleague announced that he acquired new cats named Haley and De De. When I laughed that he could rename them to "Dexter" and Dee Dee, no one seemed to appreciate my clever joke. My mind visualized a tumbleweed rolling past them. Come on people, haven't you ever heard of Dexter's Laboratory?? :)

That show "Smallville" confuses me. I can't reconcile the chronology. Examples:

I can only conclude that the WB completely reinvented the whole Superman mythology--similar to what Christopher Nolan did for Batman.

Watched movie: "The Ruins" (2008)
Surprisingly gruesome for a horror movie premised only on killer plants. I had trouble sympathizing with those turistas--er, I mean tourists. For one thing, I agreed with the quarantine and felt uneasy about what would happen if someone escaped it. Secondly, I would've turned back a long time ago (prior to the taxi ride). The tourists dismissed way too many warning signs for me to feel sorry for them. Admittedly, the Mayans should have set up better precautions like a fence or a hazard sign. Rather negligent of them, if you ask me. :) My two biggest questions:
  • Why didn't the Mayans just gun them all down from the start?
  • Why didn't the plant just attack them all from the start?
Of all the creepy scenes in the movie, I liked the ringing flowers the best. Never seen that before. Rating: 6
WrestleMania XXIV: Rain or shine
03/31/08 3:07 PM PDT

Whew. Nary any rain or shine to ruin my WrestleMania 24 outing. Thankfully, rainclouds kept shrouding the sun until night fell. And even though some drizzles alarmed me (I brought no raincoat), they didn't last long.

WWE made the most of this outdoor venue. Jets streaked across the sky and fireworks periodically exploded all over the Citrus Bowl. The biggest perk in my opinion: wind carrying all that smoke away (I always considered the fireworks smoke a nuisance whenever the arena trapped it all inside). Speaking of nuisances, I couldn't figure out why a cable kept landing on me near the end of show. I wonder if that pyrotechnics malfunction in the news caused it. If so, I'm lucky that the cable cooled off.

My cheap ticket placed me flat against the "WrestleMania WrestleMania WrestleMania" banner. Pretty cool because to pinpoint me, just look for the neon figure in front of the second "W". I'm glad that no one tried to wave me down because for the second consecutive time, my neon shirt and hat matched exactly what the roaming vendors wore. You would think that I would've learned my lesson when this happened at last year's WrestleMania.

Props to the Money in the Bank Ladder Match and "final" Ric Flair match.

For once, the last WrestleMania match kept me on the "edge" of my seat because of the jeopardy on the Undertaker's undefeated streak. You see, the Undertaker won 15 WrestleMania matches and lost zero. If the WWE ever wanted to break that streak, what better place than at the end of the show? Made for some thrilling false finishes.

Amusingly, the ring lights died during the Lumberjill Match. To correct this, I think that the crew rotated the lights from the audience to the ring. That's why we vanished for awhile from the live broadcast.

Man, I lost a fifty dollar bill somewhere in the Citrus Bowl. My two theories about how this happened: a) it fell out of my pocket, or b) I mistook it for a twenty dollar bill and paid a vendor $70 instead of $40. It's only money but it's been bugging me.

Something else that bugged me in Orlando: all those pesky tolls! A quarter here, three quarters there. Like tiny paper cuts if you don't have one of those toll passes.

Kinda funny that I drove over an hour to the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex only to snub it. Why, you ask? Three reasons:

Maybe sometime I'll revisit this place during an available date for the Astronaut Training Experience.

On the drive back to Fort Lauderdale, I kept hearing that Miley Cyrus song, "See You Again", on the radio. I like it. It sounds new wavish and speaks to me as an introvert. :)

"Finally...the Steven has come back to Orlando!"
03/30/08 1:46 PM PDT

Barely slept on the red-eye due to some astonishing stomach cramps. I kept picturing that old GLAD ForceFlex commercial--the one where the garbage bag flexed and stretched.

When my shuttle approached the rental car center, a pre-recorded voice chimed, "Have a sun-sational visit." I frowned.

As expected, the weather's hot here...muggy hot. I covered myself with sunscreen in preparation for the four hours that I'm going to spend sweltering outdoors.

Last night, I checked off my goal of watching the Rock live. Pretty charismatic speaker. In addition to reciting all of his catch phrases, he entertained the fans with lots of levity and wit.

I think I sat through the longest WWE Hall of Fame Ceremony ever...over four hours! I'll bet you that Ric Flair took up half of it with all of his anecdotes and acknowledgements (he even thanked production staffers and referees). As I predicted, he got emotional a lot and kept making his closest buddies cry.

Well, WrestleMania XXIV in a couple of hours.

On High in Blu Tomorrows
03/24/08 5:39 PM PDT

Finally caved in and bought a couple of Blu-ray discs even though I own neither a PlayStation 3 nor a Blu-ray player. What convinced me, you ask? My discovery of an upcoming Blu-ray release for WrestleMania 24 (as you may or may not know, the WWE began broadcasting in Hi-Def this year).

I recently read an early weather forecast for Orlando: 60% chance of rain. In other words, a 60% chance that I'll get rained on at WrestleMania 24 this weekend. Guess I better pack a raincoat.

In other news, I feel excited about a couple of upcoming movie projects:

Meanwhile, I'm going to watch "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" very closely this November to make sure that they don't butcher my favorite parts. I guess that's the downside to reading the books before the movies. Better that, though, than risking exposure to a Harry Potter spoiler. Even though I never really heard any for Death Hallows, who knows what could slip out over the next three years. :)

Speaking of butchering, I'm sick of these celebrities that disfigure their faces with cosmetic surgery trying to look like supermodels. I barely even recognized Lara Flynn Boyle's swollen features in a recent "Law & Order" episode. Botox and lip collagen gone bad? Ever since I caught a VH-1 special about plastic surgery, I've grown disillusioned with celebrities. I look at them all suspiciously now.

Watched movie: "Shutter" (2008)
Not bad but too much like a fusion restaurant (cultures mixing together with no real identity). In the case of "Shutter", a Japanese director remade a Thai film for American audiences. IMHO, the American influence hurt the movie the most. Cheap theatrics like the skull reflection and reptilian skin didn't scare me at all. I prefer simpler, realistic scares like an Asian woman widening her eyes. That's probably why "Ju-on" terrified me more than any other movie I know. (Side note: the ghost in "Shutter" starred in "Ju-on" too--but not as Kayako.) In conclusion, I do have to compliment "Shutter" for ending uniquely. It nearly redeemed the film for me when I found out why chiropractic aches kept nagging Joshua Jackson. Rating: 5
Watched movie: "Be Kind Rewind" (2008)
Another creatively zany Michel Gondry joint. Where else could you watch such hijinx as shooting night scenes during the day (complete with hilarious negative face masks), urinating magnetic pee, or simulating blood splatter with pizzas?? The background characters cracked me up--they sounded like actors straight out of "Atomic Cafe". Overall, I liked how Gondry, Jack Black, and Mos Def managed to capture the fun in making amateur camcorder movies. Although I cringed when the production grew too serious or commercialized, I accepted this as a legitimate danger of the craft. I only wish that they appended some outtakes too--whenever my friends and I filmed our amateur videos, the bloopers always highlighted our experience. Rating: 6

Too funny. The "Be Kind Rewind" Web site sweded Google and YouTube! Michel Gondry even sweded his own trailer!

Life, the universe, and nothing
03/19/08 10:18 AM PDT

Recently I watched the "Sunshine" DVD with audio commentary from physicist Brian Cox, the film's scientific consultant. (Cillian Murphy based his Capa character on him.) I'd recommend listening to it as I found his insights about space travel and modern physics fascinating. He also explained which scientific accuracies that the film compromised for the sake of dramatic license. Some of his thoughts (minor spoiler alert):

Cox's plot-related thoughts:

Best insights from Danny Boyle's audio commentary:

Speaking of space travel, the Zero Gravity Corporation e-mailed me forms to fill out (registration, liability waiver, medical history, prescription release), and provided details about my weightless flight. Direct quotes:

An SCC cocktail contains Scopolamine, Chlorpheneramine, and Caffeine. Scopolamine counteracts motion sickness while caffeine counteracts the drowsiness caused by Scopolamine. It'll probably resemble my reaction to Chlor-Trimeton chased with Mountain Dew. :)

Watched movie: "10,000 B.C." (2008)
B.C.? More like B.O. because this movie stunk. Not sure what to blame the most: the writing, directing, or acting. Maybe the writing because the narration and dialogue pained me to no end. I'm no historian but "we're going to take them down!" sounded like a bad modern day movie slogan. Also, no character ever earned my respect because a) prophecies steered all of their triumphs (including the cornball ending where they cheated death, b) they all lacked screen presence (especially the leading man), and c) I didn't care whether any of them succeeded or failed. For that matter, I wouldn't have cared if all of the film reels burned in a fire. It's not like the movie had any historical relevance. Rating: 3
Watched movie: "Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who!" (2008)
This movie cracked me up even though I'm not a big fan of Dr. Seuss' books, Jim Carrey's comedies, or Steve Carell's films. The film's extraordinary animation made their collaboration work. Side note: what was up with that bizarre Japanimation daydream? Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Doomsday" (2008)
Not bad for shallow, mindlessly violent entertainment. Lots of decapitations (I started tallying them with chicken scratches) and bloodshed. The filmmakers even splattered a cute little bunny (hee). I never heard of a graphic novel with this Rhona Mitra character, but I'm sure that this movie will inspire one. Side note: do all post-apocalyptic survivors go "Mad Max" at some point? :) Rating: 5
Rising to the occasion
03/12/08 7:30 PM PDT

Good news and bad news. The bad news: no weightless flights in Fort Lauderdale until June 14. D'oh! I guess I thought that these flights happened all the time. The good news: I discovered that Cloud 9 could book the same flight right here in San Jose instead. So my new target date for defying gravity: May 25.

My co-workers gaped at the cost of the flight. Admittedly, I never splurged this much money on a frill before (unless you count laser eye surgery).

Now I have an open day to spend in Fort Lauderdale. Maybe I'll visit the Kennedy Space Center anyway. Someone mentioned Space Camp, but I don't care what that Dave guy said in "Stranger than Fiction"--I'm too old. :)

On Sunday, I learned that Apolo Ohno won the overall individual title at the ISU World Short Track Speedskating Championships in Korea. The headline puzzled me at first: "Ohno collects first overall world title". I couldn't reconcile how Ohno never won a world championship before. But wikipedia jogged my memory: Ahn Hyun-Soo (the "Master") won the last five consecutive world championships from 2003 to 2007. He probably would've won a sixth, too, had he not fractured his knee back in January. So this might have been Ohno's only chance to clinch the world title. Can this guy perform in clutch situations or what? :)

According to another article, Ohno still gets booed in Korea. I have an opinion about that but will keep it to myself. :)

Watched movie: "Die Fälscher" (2007) a.k.a. "The Counterfeiters" (2008)
Thought-provoking but not one of my favorite Oscar winners. Certainly not a "Schindler's List" or "Life Is Beautiful". For one thing, I hated how the camera kept zooming in a la an episode of "The Office". I also resent dramatizations that spoon-feed their "moral of the story" at the end. Let me draw my own conclusion.

Props to the interesting moral dilemma: help the Nazis counterfeit Allied currency or die. Personally, I identified with the main character, a convicted counterfeiter: "one adapts or dies". To tell you the truth, I envied his position--he could cooperate without looking hypocritical, yet embrace ideologies without looking self-righteous. The luxury of moral ambiguity. :)

All in all, I'd need a big reason to play the martyr, e.g., the survival of humanity. Can't say that I'd willingly die for pride, patriotism, or principle. Also, I see no shame in a gilded cage if the alternative is starvation and/or death. :) Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Cheung Gong 7 hou" a.k.a. "CJ7" (2008)
Too cartoonish for my taste and terribly ridiculous. Stephen Chow overdid it this time. Although I cracked up a lot, I also cringed a whole lot--particularly when the kid overacted or when the characters mistreated that poor alien pet. Animal cruelty, if you ask me. At least the film redeemed itself near the end. Rating: 5
Watched movie: "4 luni, 3 saptamani si 2 zile" (2007) a.k.a. "4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days" (2008)
A tightly-wound, well-crafted movie if you can make it past the subject matter. Although nothing that violent happened, my mind kept picturing pro-lifers stumbling out of the theater in droves. Admittedly, the sight of that toweled fetus shook me up (and made me more partial toward Romania's old murder law against belated abortions). Prior to that horror, I remember stoically admiring how that "Mr. Bebe" guy managed to perfect such a minimally invasive procedure. Also felt like I missed a lot of context behind why any woman would want to subject her body to something so scary. For instance, I kept wondering what made her and her roommate so desperate that they couldn't just call it off and try again another day.

The real-time suspense made me remember why movies like "Cache", "Psycho", and "Pulp Fiction" engaged me so well. Even when hardly anything happened on screen, I felt tense.

Parts that I considered strokes of genius (minor spoiler alert):

  • Otilia desperately trying to book a room with callous hotel clerks.
  • Mr. Bebe menacingly lecturing the women on all their mistakes as they struggled to keep him from bailing out.
  • Mr. Bebe educating them about illegal abortion with such foresight that I couldn't help but admire his professionalism. For example, he advised them on contingencies and how to best dispose of the fetus, i.e., do not flush it down the toilet or bury it.
  • Otilia reading my mind by orally itemizing everything that Gabita did wrong up to that point.
  • Otilia trying to hide her anxiety during an endless party full of hilariously shallow small talk (ingenious to make the phone ring in the background like that).
  • Otilia rejecting her boyfriend's apology because he "didn't know what he did wrong".
  • Otilia anxiously walking through scary dark streets and alleyways, which took forever but really built up the suspense.
  • Otilia watching Gabita read a menu (again, taking forever) which upon reflection, struck me as a fitting note to end the movie on.
  • A couple of brilliant "made-you-jump" moments.
My only disappointment: that nothing ever shocked me into thinking "oh sh--!". That would've made the movie complete for me. Rating: 7
Another day
03/04/08 7:32 PM PST

No word from my landlord about whether I passed the inspection or not, so I can only assume that I successfully stayed my eviction. They must have really meant business because when I googled "cure or quit", I realized the gravity of their threat. Had I not passed their inspection or moved out, my landlord would've had sufficient grounds to evict me. Surreal, man. In hindsight, I'm glad that I managed to stay cool and take their ultimatum seriously.

My apartment looks bare to me now--slightly reminiscent of my time in Apt. #237.

Also donated a boatload of clothes to Goodwill.

In other news, I spoke too soon when I told people that I had nothing planned after Las Vegas. In lieu of my impulsive trip to Florida, I decided to finally go after another goal on my bucket list: defy gravity. I once read about weightless flights in an airplane magazine (advertising Cloud 9 Living as the vendor). Each flight costs $3750 per person. Basically, the plane simulates zero gravity by soaring in parabolic arcs.

Thanks to the frequent flyer miles from my AAdvantage membership, a round trip to Florida will only cost me $7.50. To think that I used to scoff at frequent flyer miles.

So the events in my future:

I will look like a speck at WrestleMania XXIV because I skimped on the ticket this time, but I will be there. To give you an idea, I'll be sitting in the third row (obscured by the ceiling monitor in this concept design, below).

The "cure or quit" ultimatum
03/01/08 5:15 PM PST

You know you've hit rock bottom when a landlord threatens forfeiture of your lease because you "failed to maintain the premises"--not because of uncleanliness, but because of clutter. Granted, I never should have kept a cot in my kitchen. I originally purchased the cot several months ago so that visiting guests didn't have to sleep on the floor. As months passed, I stopped thinking about the cot's presence (I hardly ever accessed that part of the kitchen). I began unconsciously sorting clothes on it.

Regrettably, when this cot obstructed a routine maintenance visit, I'm fairly certain that it triggered the "full court press" that followed. While I was away at work, the Woods photographed everything in my apartment: the cot, my desk, my table--even the spout in my bathtub (note to self: mildewcide spray corrodes chrome). Then they slipped a notice to cure or quit in my door. Imagine my shock to read such scathing language:

NOTICE TO CURE OR QUIT

PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that you have violated the following covenants of your apartment lease...

FAILURE TO MAINTAIN PREMISES. On February 28, 2008, during a notified routine preventative maintenance inspection, there were verified reports that you failed to maintain the premises in a clean and sanitary condition in violation of the lease agreement and statute. There was not an area of the premises that had been cleaned in some time and was cluttered.

"No duty on the part of the landlord to repair a dilapidation shall arise...if the tenant is in substantial violation of any of the following affirmative obligations, provided the tenant's violation contributes substantially to the existence of the dilapidation or interferes substantially with the landlord's obligation...to effect the necessary repairs: (1) To keep that part of the premises which he occupies and uses clean and sanitary as the condition of the premises permits." California Code Section 1941.2(a).

These incidents were witnessed by Maintenance.

The incidents cited above are injurious to the heath of residents and guests; indecent or offensive to the senses; in violation of safety regulations; and in obstruction of the free use of the premises and common areas so as to interfere with the comfortable and quiet enjoyment of life and property.

PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that you are hereby required to vacate the premises in each of the foregoing breaches of covenant is not cured within THREE DAYS after service of this notice upon you. You must vacate the subject premises and deliver up possession of the premises to the landlord, The Woods Apartments. Your failure to cure the breaches of covenant or to vacate the premises within the designated three-day period may result in legal action being taken against you wherein forfeiture of the lease and possession of the subject premises will be sought and wherein damages for such things as rent, court costs, attorney fees, etc. may also be sought.

Dated this 28th day of February, 2008

Where did they borrow this form letter from, social services? I felt depressed enough as it was without some faceless notice attacking my hygiene and calling me a failure as a tenant. Worse than a slap in the face, if you ask me.

Unfortunately, my indignity didn't end there. Unable to concentrate at work (and tormented by endless speculation), I drove home early to confront the community manager. Despite my resolve to stay assertive, some of her comments boiled my blood. Examples: "Your apartment is uninhabitable. Look at these photos. You have a bed in your kitchen. You have papers all over your desk. The place is like a maze. It will attract rats. What are these boxes? Is that your ladder? What if paramedics had to bring a gurney in there? What if a pipe burst in the ceiling? What if you had a fire? I'll call the city to inspect your apartment if I have to." I'm not kidding about the papers on the desk remark. She actually complained about that with a straight face. Sorta reminded me of Ken Starr because I felt like she compounded one legitimate grievance (cot in the kitchen) with open season on every other little nit that she could find (papers on a desk, boxes).

Her subjective answers frustrated me the most. When I kept asking, "What specific things can I do?" she kept replying ambiguously, e.g., "Remove the clutter", "Make it look like a path, not a maze," "Make your kitchen look like a kitchen and your living room look like a living room," "Make your apartment look normal," "Make it so I'm happy." As you can imagine, I didn't appreciate such arbitrary benchmarks. I told her that words like "normal" and "happy" did not help me, and I kept trying to list the action items, i.e., "Number one: remove the cot. Number two: remove the papers. Number three: make a path that a gurney can fit through."

We agreed to have the assistant community manager inspect my apartment after I finished. I spent all evening tidying up. I left the cot by the dumpster (we have a lot of scavengers--the cot vanished almost immediately). I boxed all of my DVDs and discarded the media cabinet. I bundled up all of my old clothes into the trunk of my car. I uncluttered and wiped all of the surfaces. Then this morning, the assistant community manager and some other guy came in taking pictures. They probably felt pretty awkward. I know I did.

So the verdict is still pending. I might be looking for another place to live. Not necessarily because I failed their inspection, but because I hate them with such a passion now that my reluctance to move might thaw.

At least I finally uncluttered my apartment.

In other news, my division awarded me with a "hero" certificate. Great, huh? Not that I enjoyed a single moment of it given where my mind was. :)

Atop the high horse
02/27/08 5:04 PM PST

Not a subject that I normally blog about, but I've been doing a lot of thinking lately...

During that WWE No Way Out event in Las Vegas, I witnessed something curious as the Elimination Chamber descended. A woman gestured the sign of the cross over her chest. Why, I wondered? Did she consider the structure unholy? Did she pray for the wrestlers' safety? I opted not to ask because had she dared to answer something sanctimonious, my face would've betrayed disapproval. Personally, I never try not to judge what people pray about. I believe in freedom of religion. However, I secretly harbor one pet peeve about prayer (similar to how I resent disrespect at the WTC). And that pet peeve is simply: praying for favoritism from God. For example, praying to succeed at the expense of others; such as in a sporting event. Whenever I see athletes do it before a competition, I think: they better be praying for the welfare of their opponents too. Basically, I am ok with praying for other peoples' well-beings--but am less thrilled about praying for any type of selfish outcome, e.g., good health, good fortune, or cheating death. I probably picked up this attitude from my Buddhist upbringing; a belief that we accept tragedies as a natural part of life.

This year, I looked forward to missing WrestleMania XXIV. Recently when WWE announced nothing but lackluster matches for the show, I felt rather smug about my choice...until an announcement the other night that The Rock would induct both his father and grandfather into the WWE Hall of Fame. Augh! This means that The Rock might appear at WrestleMania XXIV as a surprise guest. It might be the only chance of checking him off my WWE goals list. But I'd have to fly to Orlando, and somehow acquire a ticket to one of the hardest events ever to acquire a decent ticket for. I'll have to think about it. I'd never live it down if he appeared at WrestleMania after I only attended the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony--you might recall this happening to me before a la Hulk Hogan (on my "worst events that happened to Steve" list).

Watched movie: "George A. Romero's Diary of the Dead" (2008)
My impression of George Romero's latest zombie flick: nauseatingly pretentious. Although I appreciated how Romero tried to incorporate media technologies (Web sites, camera phones, blogs, MySpace, text messages, Web cam, YouTube) into a modern-day "Night of the Living Dead", the film's cynical pot shots toward sensationalism made me roll my eyes. For example, I wanted to shoot myself in the head whenever that self-righteous lead actress spoke--especially given how she hypocritically tampered with the documentary, i.e., editorialized and added scary music to it. Perhaps Romero just tried too hard after "Night of the Living Dead" and "Dawn of the Dead"--because I never minded the social commentaries in those movies. Other parts that dismayed me:
  • Whenever the characters acted glib, careless, or just plain dumb in ultra-hazardous situations.
  • Whenever the cameramen filmed the zombies instead of fighting them.
Admittedly, I did like the Vincent Price-like professor and the Amish badass--even though they embodied total cheese. Kept reminding me of a zombie flick called "Automaton Transfusion". Also liked the tense, real-time sequences such as when the cameraman wandered around (probably would've found it more realistic without music though). Rating: 4
Watched movie: "The Eye" (2008)
I liked the ending better--pretty much my only praise for these American remakes of Asian horror (that and sexier stars, I suppose). Specifically, I like how the American protagonists fight their fate whereas the Asian ones seem helpless against it. When it comes to the horror though, I nearly always find the Asian version significantly scarier. For instance, the ghosts in the original "Eye" terrified me way more than the pale imitations in this remake. Watch the original to see what I mean. Rating: 5
Watched movie: "Vantage Point" (2008)
Engaging; reminded me of old times when I used to enjoy "24". Although "24" never rewound the clock back to noon like "Vantage Point" kept doing, the action felt real-time and character-specific. I had one major complaint though (and I'm certain that much of the audience would concur): too many cliffhangers. It tried my patience whenever the director jumped to the next character without concluding the current arc. It particularly frustrated me when a new arc didn't appear to add anything. Happily, the film finally tied up all of the loose ends--albeit in a deus ex machina-type way. Rating: 7
Watched movie: "The Signal" (2008)
For some reason, '70s horror films disturb me much more than contemporary ones--possibly because they remind me of an age when I couldn't view splatter flicks in theaters. When "The Signal" began with this '70s style, I expected one heck of a scary movie. But alas--I guess the filmmakers only meant to pay "homage" to the genre because the movie suddenly segued into an unrelated three-part storyline (each written and directed by a different filmmaker) about a signal that induces chilling behavior:
  • Transmission I: Crazy in Love: Impressively terrifying; reminiscent of an early Cronenberg film.
  • Transmission II: The Jealousy Monster: Mind-numbingly stupid. The screwy humor didn't amuse me at all.
  • Transmission III: Escape from Terminus: Mediocre conclusion.
Rating: 5
Las Vegas III: No Way Out
02/20/08 1:05 AM PST

Las Vegas...such an unnatural city. At my room in the Luxor, a bathroom card warned of a drought in Las Vegas, and encouraged towel reusage to conserve water. A drought in the middle of the desert?? Isn't that a given? :)

I like those Egyptian-themed rooms in the Luxor. Never seen windows and curtains slanted like that. Also never ascended a pyramid in inclinators before. Felt as though the inertia kept pulling me diagonally.

The UNLV Thomas & Mack Center hosted WWE No Way Out. To my pleasant surprise, WWE upgraded me to the front row to make room for a professional boxer (Floyd Mayweather Jr.) and his entourage. As part of the show, one of the larger wrestlers launched himself over the barricade to pursue Mayweather. I dare say that the wrestler's leg might've clipped me had I not recoiled. Hazards of a front row seat, I suppose. :)

Two Elimination Chamber Matches highlighted the show (I explained the rules in an earlier blog). During one particularly scary accident, the gated entrance gave way and the Undertaker fell right out. Fortunately, he looked ok afterward. I had forgotten that WWE keeps the chamber unlocked so that eliminated wrestlers can exit.

Watched movie: "Jumper" (2008)
Jumped around too much for me (no pun intended). That is, the plot never seemed to dwell on anything substantial, e.g., why Jumpers feud with Paladins and whether the protagonist ever considered using teleportation selflessly. Subject matter for a sequel, perhaps? Rating: 6
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (spoiler alert)
02/15/08 4:32 PM PST

SPOILER ALERT: Instead of hiding everything with a spoiler tag, I appended my review after the graphic below. Warning! Do not scroll down unless you're ok with Harry Potter spoilers!

Read hardcover book: "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" (2007) by J.K. Rowling

One of those books that I couldn't put down because I wanted to cross a part where life finally got better for them. Such tragedy and despair. How could parents read this book to their kids without mortifying them? :) Personally, I'd have trouble reading it aloud given all those surprises that gave me pause.

Although I liked a lot about the book, I came up with my three favorite things about it:

"He [Harry] felt like asking them [his six doppelgangers] to show a little more respect for his privacy as they all began stripping off with impunity, clearly much more at ease with displaying his body than they would have been with their own."

"Fleur [Harry's doppelganger] walked over to stand beside him [Bill], giving him a soppy, slavish look that Harry hoped with all his heart that would never appear on his face again."

"For the first time, Harry imagined Mad-Eye's body, broken as Dumbledore's had been, yet with that one eye still whizzing in its socket. He felt a stab of revulsion mixed with a bizarre desire to laugh."

"Harry had the impression that the Minister was wondering whether it was worthwhile opening hostilities this early."

"...Harry's insides contracted with a sudden excitement...As Scrimgeour pulled out the tiny, walnut-sized golden ball, its silver wings fluttered rather feebly, and Harry could not help feeling a definite sense of anticlimax."

"Harry looked up, diverted. The circumstance of Ron having read a book that Hermione has not was unprecedented."

Other aspects of the Deathly Hallows that I liked:

The parts that disappointed me:

Also kind of miffed me whenever the illustrations spoiled what would happen in the chapters.

As for Mrs. Weasley's famous line, I don't know if I approve of that. :)

Miscellaneous questions:

In conclusion, even though I saw minor parts where Death Hallows could have done better, I liked the book and felt that it ended the Harry Potter series acceptably. I look forward to the upcoming movies. Rating: 8

Salt Lake City, Day 2: GOLLLLLLLLLD!
02/11/08 7:36 PM PST

After the last day of World Cup Short Track competition, I seriously had to lie down. My throat felt congested and my body ached all over. Perhaps the cold air and hard benches in the Utah Olympic Oval wore me down. That's one neat building though: a huge indoor running track, gymnastics mat, and ice rink all in the same panoramic landscape.

I had another wacky theory: my throat started feeling funny on the day when I tried hair spray for the first time (yeah, can you believe that I never sprayed my hair with it before). I couldn't find anything else in travel size. Anyway, I think I overdid it because a lot of lint clung to my hair. So I'm wondering if the fumes might have irritated my throat or something. I have no other cold symptoms beside aches and a sore throat.

Now for my euphoric rant of the day: remind me never to doubt Apolo ever again. Despite formidable competition from the world's top skaters (two Koreans and one Canadian), Apolo outraced them all to win gold in the 1000M final! Man that was cool. Best race that I've seen since Torino 2006 (and this one I got to see live)! I almost went to work the next day wearing a bandana again, but decided not to make it a tradition. :)

Prior to the awards ceremony, I spotted Apolo's father Yuki Ohno in the VIP stands and decided to approach him. He probably thought, who the heck are you because when I congratulated him and said he must be proud, no answer. Probably didn't help that I accidentally interrupted his conversation with someone. :) Anyway, he gracefully let me take a picture with him.

I always feel awkward imposing on people to take photos with them. But I find it worthwhile at the end of the day. I eventually concluded that photographic proof generates way more buzz than a meaningless autograph. :) Take that controversial Chris Benoit photograph, for example.

Speaking of photographic proof, I'm really impressed that Katherine Reutter won another silver (in the 1000M). At this rate, I might start idolizing her like I idolize Ohno. :) Side note: Funny to see only two skaters in a semi-final when the top two advance to the final.

Sometimes short track speedskating reminds me of roller derby as I can't count how many times that I saw a racer crash into the boards.

Final thought: why does Salt Lake City terrain still look frosty under lukewarm temperatures? Altitude?

Salt Lake City, Day 1
02/10/08 1:04 AM PST

My hotel room smells like Aqua Velva. Fortunately, that's my favorite aftershave.

Ohno's standings at today's World Cup Short Track races gave me flashbacks of his past Olympic performances. Cases in point:

So I guess you could call today's performance normal for Ohno since historically, Korea and Canada usually dominate. That's why I found his 500M gold medal at Torino 2006 so miraculous--he managed to outskate both Canada and Korea in his all-time worst race!

Speaking of Torino 2006, I still remember watching the ladies short track races at odd hours because NBC's coverage favored events that USA stood a chance to medal in. As a result, I lowered my expectations during the ladies World Cup races today. Man did I get blown away--particularly by this 19-year-old newcomer, Katherine Reutter. She won a silver medal (and Allison Baver, the bronze) in a 1500M competition that traditionally featured no American finalists, much less American medalists.

To my delight, I got to congratulate Katherine Reutter in person. For some reason, she hung around the Oval while the rest of team USA slipped out. (I was futilely waiting around for Ohno to appease my co-workers' wishes that I meet him.) Fortunately, I had a disposable camera on hand--ever since that blurry photo with Julianne Hough, I smartened up. So only 26 exposures left before I can develop my proud photo with USA's newest short track prodigy. :) Side note: Usually when I take a picture with someone, I ask a total stranger to snap it. To my embarrassment, the total stranger turned out to be her mother.

Us versus them
02/08/08 3:36 PM PST

This year, I voted by mail instead of waiting in long lines at the booths. Worked great except that by the time that Super Tuesday rolled around, I had changed my mind about who to elect. :) Oh well.

I visit the Utah Olympic Oval tomorrow. After finding a bargain flight to Salt Lake City, I resolved to watch Ohno and our Olympic speedskaters compete at the World Cup Short Track this weekend. It had always bothered me a little that I never got to attend a live short track relay. Now I can root for the United States on their home turf (even though Korea and Canada usually dominate the relay event), and I'll get to see the facility where our U.S. Olympic athletes train. Also, the flight will give me a chance to start on that final Harry Potter book.

Someone astutely observed that I live vicariously through Harry Potter and Ohno. Heck yeah, I say--look at their illustrious lives. It's not so much that I identify with Harry Potter, though--rather, I like rooting for him because people give him crap and I want him to step up. :)

Watched movie: "Rambo" (2008)
I paid to see a ridiculously violent bloodbath. I went into the theater expecting a ridiculously violent bloodbath. I waited impatiently for the ridiculously violent bloodbath. And what did the movie end up delivering to me? A ridiculously violent bloodbath. Job well done! My complaint: too many parts with "plot" and "dialogue". :) Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Untraceable" (2008)
More like "unbelievable". Not just because of the contrived premise, but because of that inept FBI task force. To my frustration, they probably spent more time staring at the Web site than doing any actual work. The Diane Lane character neglected her daughter for this?? If you're going to be that useless, you might as well just stay home. :) Other questions that came to my mind:
  • Why didn't the FBI videotape the whole morse code message instead of just decoding a fragment?
  • How did Diane Lane miss the killer in her backseat after all that checking?
  • Was that killer some kind of hypocrite?
I did like the deeper meaning about amorality on the Internet. Rating: 4
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (spoiler alert)
02/04/08 2:25 PM PST

SPOILER ALERT: Instead of hiding everything with a spoiler tag, I appended my review after the graphic below. Warning! Do not scroll down unless you're ok with moderate Harry Potter spoilers!

Read book: "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" (2006) by J.K. Rowling

The one year where Harry Potter's social life interested me more than his crusade against Voldemort. I've never felt more proud of Harry. Cases in point:

Other aspects of the Half-Blood Prince that I liked:

The other weak part of the book in my opinion: Slughorn and his boring club. But at least his arc ended in a way that satisfied me.

A couple of miscellaneous questions:

In conclusion, I'd summarize the Half-Blood Prince as a great payoff for all of those years in which I followed Harry Potter. Rating: 8

New York III: Late Night with Conan O'Brien
01/31/08 5:21 PM PST

I miss Eastern Standard Time...it made me feel three hours smarter than the West Coast.

The World Trade Center construction site looked the same except that the memorial signs now appeared grouped together into one small corner. Also noticed a new Tribute WTC Visitor Center nearby.

During my visit to 30 Rockefeller Plaza, Writers Guild of America picketers handed out "UNFAIR IS UNFUNNY" flyers. I wonder if it means anything that Conan O'Brien shaved his "strike beard" just prior to the taping that I attended.

It paid to reserve my Late Night with Conan O'Brien ticket by phone. My ticket guaranteed a #10 spot in line. We shuffled into our seats less predictably though. I ended up in the sixth row four seats left of the aisle. You can try to make me out in Conan's camera shots of the audience--but I looked much clearer in the HDTV broadcast. Conan's wrinkles looked more pronounced too. :)

enlarge | full screen

Other observations:

Attended Broadway musical: "Chicago"
A zany satire that grew on me once I stopped taking their shameful antics seriously. Kept reminding me of Sunset Blvd, but with a more cartoonish flair. I particularly liked the ventriloquist and courtroom segments. Unfortunately, my ticket placed me dead center in the front row, causing the following types of discomfort for me:
  • I could never see the whole stage--I had to pan and scan my head.
  • To my chagrin, I could clearly see everyone's spittle.
  • It embarrassed me whenever actresses flirted with me from the stage. At one point, I even turned red after the "Mama" character asked me if I "liked that".
Rating: 7

During the flight back, I finished "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" (year six). I'll review it in my next blog as I have a lot to say about it, and a lot of spoilers tags to apply. I'll just hint that I liked it and dropped my jaw a couple of times.

New York III: "LLLLLET'S GET READY TO RUMBLE!"
01/27/08 9:06 PM PST

The cold winds in Manhattan keep paralyzing my face. Pretty embarrassing when I try to order something, and can barely enunciate the words. This must be how Botox feels.

Attended Broadway musical: "RENT"
"RENT" tested my theory that impoverished characters make better drama. Other than an emotional highlight where Mimi tried to lure Roger out of seclusion, the first half bored me. Fortunately, the powerful second half (where their relationships unraveled) gripped me from beginning to end. Maybe I'll check out the movie someday. Side note: Took me awhile to realize that Angel and Angela were actually the same person. Rating: 8

While attending the Royal Rumble 2008 at Madison Square Garden, I recalled one of the drawbacks to live shows: a limited view. Even though I sat in the front row, I couldn't make out everything that happened. For example, a distraction led to miss how my pick to win the Royal Rumble Match got eliminated. When I looked around later, I noticed that he had mysteriously disappeared from the ring. Not that I'm complaining, though--my seat rocked.

Also enjoyed the surprise appearances, including an introduction by that guy whose name I can't remember--the guy who opens boxing matches with, "LLLLLET'S GET READY TO RUMBLE!"

Update 1/27/2008: I looked him up: Michael Buffer.

I didn't need the list of entrants after all. The TitanTron helpfully enumerated each entrant as they approached the ring.

The WWE also broke a couple of its formulas this time: a) first time that surprise entrant won (a recently injured one at that), and b) second consecutive win for entrant #30.

By the way, I managed to sell my commemorative chair for $54.

New York III: '50s behavior cracks me up
01/27/08 9:13 AM PST

The New Yorker Hotel upgraded my room to a Presidential suite on the topmost floor. No bubble bath or mini-bar here, but the ambient heat and the two flatscreen HDTVs impressed me (one in the bedroom; one in the living room).

Manhattan looks the same. It occurred to me that in real-life, a "Bourne Ultimatum" car chase would have to slow down for all these honking vehicles, traffic lights, and bold pedestrians.

Attended Broadway musical: "Grease"
Unlike concerts and PLAY! symphonies, famous Broadway musicals never disappoint me. I can always depend on them to deliver exactly what I want to hear. "Grease" nailed all of my favorite musical numbers--and somehow, the small theater made them feel more special. I actually felt that Sandy's and Danny's touching solos upstaged even my historical favorite, "You're the One That I Want". Audience members seemed disappointed that an understudy substituted for Max Crumm (winner of the NBC talent competition, "Grease: You're The One That I Want"). Admittedly, Laura Osnes (the other winner) clearly stole the show for me. But all in all, I had fun and would highly recommend this musical to everyone. Rating: 9
Death without pity
01/25/08 3:20 PM PST

I fly to New York tomorrow morning. Hope I don't run into Cloverfield. :)

Watched movie: "The Bucket List" (2008)
A profound but depressing reminder of human mortality. I dread the idea of ever deteriorating from a terminal condition. Actually, I dread the idea of dying at all--but given a choice, I'd prefer to go out with as much dignity as possible rather than at the center of everyone's pity.

Personally, I believe in bucket lists. I measure life by the goals that I accomplished rather than by how many relationships or people that I'll leave behind. I also believe in realistically ambitious goals--not wishful ones like "kiss the most beautiful girl in the world", dead simple ones like "laugh until you cry", or ambiguous ones like "see something majestic". Needless to say, their bucket list gave me no ideas--but at least their venture encouraged me to try my goals while I still have my health.

Jack Nicholson cracked me up as usual. Spooky how our sentiments matched so closely: a) he envied those with faith; b) he feared a postmortem awareness in his own grave, and c) he didn't care about dying alone. Yeah, I never did fancy sappy goodbyes. :)

Side note: What a nerd, that Morgan Freeman character. :) Rating: 6

Watched movie: "Cloverfield" (2008)
"The Blair Witch Project" meets "Godzilla". "Cloverfield" helped me conclude that shaking a camcorder in a nauseating way doesn't always make a movie more realistic. For the life of me, I could not suspend disbelief. These characters behaved like actors to me. Their dialogue sounded contrived. The camera caught too many perfect shots and coincidences. Additionally, I kept feeling this helpless urge to fast-forward, rewind, and pause the screen.

Ah well. Maybe they did the best that they could with that premise. After all, how could any disaster movie set in Manhattan compare to what happened there on September 11? Rating: 6

Even in the contest between man and cow, the issue is not certain
01/22/08 1:00 PM PST

Maybe I didn't miss much from the Fort Worth PLAY! concert. YouTube footage from Chicago and Stockholm showed that historically, the orchestra only played "Theme of Laura" (not one of my favorites) rather than a whole "Silent Hill" suite. Two of the clips featured Akira Yamaoka rocking out on an electric guitar, so that might explain why symphony concerts tend to snub that piece. After all, how many symphony orchestras do you know keep an electric guitar handy?

Someone asked me whether I would consider attending the PLAY! concert again. I would only entertain the idea under one of the following conditions:

Even then, however, I'd feel wary about risking another trip.

This year's Oscar nominations broke ground for me in a couple of respects: a) for the first time ever, I already screened the five best picture nominees (before the Academy announced them), and b) for the first time ever, I actually liked all five best picture nominees. If I had to rank them from most favorite to least favorite:

  1. "No Country for Old Men" (My rating: 8)
  2. "Juno" (My rating: 7)
  3. "Michael Clayton" (My rating: 7)
  4. "There Will Be Blood" (My rating: 6)
  5. "Atonement" (My rating: 6)

Having reviewed and researched most of the movies with nominations, I already decided on my Oscar predictions for 2007 (just had to confirm their nominations first):

Playback
01/20/08 5:29 AM PST

I hate that PLAY! concert so much. The evening had started out perfectly. My flight landed at the Fort Worth airport right on time. I enjoyed a juicy rib eye steak at Reata. I strolled to the Bass Performance Hall with a whole hour to spare. No overcrowding, long lines, or obnoxious people in sight. To my elation, the program clearly read, "Silent Hill". The audience sounded pumped up (as usual, they popped loud for "Super Mario Bros."). I finally got to appreciate an orchestral rendition of "Castlevania"--included one awesome highlight where they busted out a pipe organ and rocked out.

After intermission, I patiently waited through boring "World of Warcraft" music in anticipation for the suite that I literally looked forward to for months, "Silent Hill".

Before continuing, let me recount my state of mind at this point. I couldn't shake this bad feeling in my gut. A sense of foreboding, if you will. It had first crept over me when the PLAY! Web site boasted a premiere of "Guild Wars", but...I had dismissed the feeling as pessimism. Well, this foreboding returned during the concert when one of the camera angles showed a page of notes with something scratched out. Why would someone scratch out their orchestral notes, I worried. So after the audience applauded "World of Warcraft", my eyes fixated on the conductor's hand as he reached for the microphone. My breathing shallowed.

Bad news and good news, the conductor began. This can't be happening. Two hours ago, we made one change to the program. "Guild Wars" will now replace "Silent Hill". This...can...not...be...HAPPENING!!

Out of the 15 possible choices, why did they have to axe the only one that I cared about. Considering that it represented the topmost reason for my trip, one could say that the irony of this development...displeased me. So much so that I sat on my hands for the remainder of the concert, even during the standing ovations. Not that anyone noticed, I'm sure. :)

To add insult to injury, the conductor polled the audience about what to play for the encore. Most of the audience actually shouted, "Silent Hill". One guy shouted "Warcraft!" "I couldn't agree more," replied the conductor as he lead the orchestra through another nauseating rendition of "World of Warcraft". My rating of the second PLAY! concert: 2

Side note: Funny how much the crowd's attire varied: some wore casual, some wore formal, and some wore cosplay--costumes like Link, Luigi, and Pyramid Head. Ah, Pyramid Head. They just keep jobbing your video game.

Program recap:

  1. Star-Spangled Banner
  2. PLAY! Fanfare
  3. Liberi Fatali
  4. Super Mario Bros. (huge pop)
  5. Lost Odyssey
  6. Sonic the Hedgehog
  7. Metal Gear Solid
  8. Castlevania
  9. Kingdom Hearts
  10. Oblivion
  11. Chrono Cross/Trigger
  12. Stupid World of Warcraft
  13. Stupid Guild Wars
  14. HALO
  15. Legend of Zelda (huge pop)
  16. One-Winged Angel
Unrest
01/18/08 5:42 PM PST

Even though I graduated Cal Poly about nine years ago, I still wake up from bizarre nightmares sometimes. Lately, I dreamt that I couldn't graduate college any time soon because I neglected to attend my courses for the quarter. Man, just let me dream about zombies or other panicky situations. Spare me from these nightmares where I suffer from incompetence or disinhibition.

Tried falafel for the first time. Not bad.

Watched movie: "The Savages" (2007)
Engaging portrayal of a brother (Philip Seymour Hoffman) and sister (Laura Linney) who pause their separate lives to decide how to care for their deteriorating father. Even though I wouldn't call the movie a comedy, I found a lot to laugh about in it. It covered dramas that I'm sure every family can relate to. My favorite scene: a thought-provoking argument where Philip Seymour Hoffman chastised Laura Linney for allowing a nursing home to "prey" upon her guilt. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Before the Devil Knows You're Dead" (2007)
Apropos title. Alternatively, "Point of no return" or "In for a dime, in for a dollar" could have worked as the plot explored how a couple of white-collar guys (Philip Seymour Hoffman and Ethan Hawke) could resort to something so unforgiveable. Movies like this (where the walls keep closing in) make me thankful that I don't owe money, take drugs, gamble, or support a high-maintenance person. :) Philip Seymour Hoffman, man--he sure knows how to play these high-strung guys convincingly. Quote of the day: "We're in the worst trouble imaginable." Ya think?? Rating: 7
Watched movie: "One Missed Call" (2008)
A mediocre American remake of a mediocre Japanese horror flick. Unfortunately for both films, the premise sounded way scarier in concept than in production, i.e., it made me feel safer knowing that each victim could not die until their cell phone message came true. Also frustrated me how both films' characters kept wasting time. At least the Japanese version featured a couple of spooky highlights. Even though the American version tried to introduce more "made-you-jump" hallucinations a la "The Ring", the PG-13 rating watered everything down. I do have one compliment for the American version: it ended with a better twist (pay close attention to that last cell phone message). Rating: 4
Lemonade
01/14/08 6:22 PM PST

I think I actually liked last night's Golden Globes press conference better than the traditional award show. Although some of the winners baffled me, I liked how the entire program concluded within one hour with nary any fluff. I probably wouldn't mind if the Academy Awards followed this format too. Last year's show dragged on so long that my HDD recorder cut off Scorsese winning the Oscar.

While driving on the road leading out of IBM, I spotted that pack of raccoons ducking into a storm drain. One of them stood guard outside. I stopped the car and had a staring contest with it. Then I drove away (the raccoon won).

I have a number of events coming up:

I feel psyched about this year's Royal Rumble because I finally get to attend a big Madison Square Garden event. Although I never made it a goal of mine, I've always harbored a curiosity about that famous arena. I even purchased two separate tickets to ensure a good seat. By my estimation, I'll end up in one of two spots:

Also hatched myself a plan to deduce the 30th entrant. For the past three years, it bothered me that the live Royal Rumble match never counted down the entrants (on TV, they show the entrant's number as he heads toward the ring)--leaving me perpetually curious about when the last entrant would come out. So this time, I'm going to alphabetize the entrants on a piece of paper--then write down their numbers as they come in. Smart, huh? :)

Watched movie: "Persepolis" (2007)
Well-done French animation about an Iranian girl's hardships. Sometimes the adult subject matter unsettled me (even when the camera cut away from the graphic imagery). Other times, I laughed hysterically. I could easily picture some of these gags in an anime comedy. Parts that I found particularly hilarious:
  • Marjane's ornery behavior.
  • The characters' perturbing smiles.
  • A funny remark about Japanese monster movies.
  • The wild rock concert.
  • The way that the animation exaggerated Marjane's feelings of amour, bitterness, or determination.
  • A couple of laughable instances where Iranians repressed "indecency".
Rating: 7
Watched movie: "Le Scaphandre et le papillon" a.k.a. "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" (2007)
A poignant true story filmed from the perspective of a stroke survivor paralyzed from head-to-toe, i.e., you hear what he thinks and see what he sees. A good movie to watch for anyone who ever felt like their life sucked--because life can't suck much worse than what this guy endured. The parts that sobered me the most:
  • His helplessness as the doctor suggested occluding an eye.
  • The painstaking process of communicating through blinks, including one hard-to-watch scene where I could foresee what he intended to spell.
  • The voiceovers and flashbacks that showed how he took life for granted.
  • The awkward scene where the loyal wife had to translate his message to his mistress.
  • The horrific flashback where the stroke melted his face.
I would've rated it higher but in contrast to "The English Patient", this guy's flashbacks bored me. Side note #1: I didn't know that Max von Sydow could speak French. Man, he still looks good for his age. Side note #2: I started to mix up the actresses. Rating: 6
Watched TV series premiere: "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles"
As if the Terminator movies didn't have enough plot holes, now we have a few more:
  • Why did Skynet send an old school Terminator back in time instead of a superior liquid model?
  • Heck, why didn't Skynet just send a whole army of Terminators after John Connor?
  • If a human could jump back in time to build a time machine, then could a Terminator jump back in time to kill the human before he finished the time machine? Then could another human jump back in time to destroy the Terminator before he killed the human?
  • By jumping eight years into the future, did Sarah and John alter the events in "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines"?
I liked the part where the girl Terminator ate a snack chip. My mind just couldn't reconcile it. Rating: ++

Update 1/15/2008: I guess last night's episode answered one of my questions: their actions appear to have altered the continuity toward "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines". P.S. How embarrassing for Sarah Connor that she never heard of 9/11.

Stoicism
01/09/08 4:20 PM PST

Amazing what still passes for art nowadays. During my visit to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (second floor), I wrote down some of the art pieces that made an impression on me:

Side note: A museum guard gave me a pencil to write with in place of my pen. What did she mean by that? "If you're going to vandalize a painting, please have the courtesy to use this pencil?"

Explored art exhibit: "Take your time" by Olafur Eliasson
My brother and my sister's family got me interested in this limited engagement. I'd characterize it as a meditative funhouse. Highlights:
  • A light shower of mist.
  • A giant hollow crystal with mirrored kaleidoscopes in every extension.
  • A wall of dry brush that resembles cauliflower.
  • A window with mirrors that infinitely reflect you looking at yourself.
  • A terrace with mirrors that infinitely reflect you standing both over and under the same platform.
  • A room bathed in annoying yellow light.
  • An enclosed, panoramic screen that projects subtle color shifts. Started to lose myself in the whitespace when I kept staring into it. Reminded me of the observation deck in "Sunshine".
Rating: 6
Watched movie: "There Will Be Blood" (2007)
An unpredictable drama in that the two main guys kept foiling my hunches about what would happen next. For example, I expected Daniel Day-Lewis to a) feud with the faith healer over control over the oil--but even though a power struggle brewed, it only simmered, and b) redeem himself somehow. I finally concluded that the faith healer simply embodied everything that Daniel hated. Why so angry, Daniel? :) Also, what was up with that creepy musical score. Rating: 7
Holiday movie marathon 2007
01/05/08 2:05 AM PST

Tried karaoke for the first time when my sister's family set up their home machine. Actually pretty fun once the self-consciousness wears off. I wanted to scream the chorus to "Smells Like Teen Spirit", but couldn't muster the nerve (what would the neighbors think?). Oddly, the machine scored me significantly higher for "All Apologies" than my soulful attempt at "You're the One That I Want". I guess morbid songs suit my voice better. :)

Watched movie: "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" (2007)
Way gorier than what I remembered from the original play, i.e., the play showed no blood whereas this movie desensitized me to the sight of it. :) The movie seemed to give these Sweeney Todd characters more edge (no pun intended). Too bad that I couldn't get used to their habits of breaking into song. I find that in most cases, impromptu musical numbers work better on stage than on screen. P.S. Why do Tim Burton characters look so pale? :) Rating: 5

Trivial side note: As a kid, I used to voluntarily usher for the PCPA Theater--that's how I saw "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" for free. I don't remember how my ushering gig started though, as it must've looked out-of-place for a little kid to usher grown adults to their seats. Anyway, the movie omitted the main musical number from the play--the chorus went something like, "Sweeney Todd...the Demon Barber of Fleet Street."

Watched movie: "Charlie Wilson's War" (2007)
Although I enjoyed the characters' wit (a la Aaron Sorkin), I had trouble rooting for them for a couple of reasons: a) I detested the parts where they behaved unprofessionally, and b) it occurred to me that these covert actions helped empower the Taliban (which I guess would make this film a companion piece to "The Kite Runner"). That's why world politics tire me so much--the problems never end. At least the movie seemed to hint at this futility, i.e., Gust's profound story about the Zen master. My favorite Charlie Wilson quotes:
President Zia: "Congressman, what they're saying is: ten million dollars from the U.S. to fight the Russian army is such a low figure that it can be mistaken for a joke."
Charlie: "I caught up to the sarcasm there, sir."
Charlie: "His sense of humor--it's a bit of a acquired taste."
Gust: "Don't f-- us up now."
Charlie: "Hunh, awesome pep talk."
Charlie: "Jesus Gust, you could depress a bride on her weddin' day."
Rating: 6
Watched movie: "I Am Legend" (2007)
Since I never saw "The Last Man on Earth" or "The Omega Man", I'd liken "I Am Legend" to "28 Days Later" and "Castaway". The first half of the movie interested me a lot more than the second half. Specifically, Will Smith's timed regiment interested me a lot more than his crusade for a cure. I felt like he found the cure already: munitions and UV rays. :) I mean seriously, what was left for Will Smith to save? Rating: 6
Watched DVD: "Miracle on 34th Street" (1947)
Pretty dated movie as I couldn't imagine any responsible adult smoking a pipe near children or leaving them with total strangers. Also found a lot of parts hard to believe even though the story kept Santa Claus' existence open-ended. Jolly ol' St. Nick...what does it matter whether skeptics believe in him or not, anyway? Otherwise, an amusing film. :) Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem" (2007)
During this direct continuation to "Aliens vs. Predator", I concluded that Aliens really bore me now, i.e., they kept killing uncreatively and dying unremarkably. So it disappointed me whenever the Predator wasted its cool weapons on them--I much preferred the scenes where the Predator took out human bystanders. In summary, I liked the following things about the movie:
  • The Predator's complete indifference to human life (something that "Aliens vs. Predator" lacked near the end, to my chagrin).
  • A couple of shocking deaths, i.e., the impregnation of the boy and the accidental ginsu-impalement of a main character's love interest.
  • That "WrestleMania" main event of the Predator vs. the Predalien (?).
Things I didn't like:
  • The Aliens (boring).
  • The humans (boring).
  • The slow start.
  • The close combat scenes wherein I couldn't distinguish the Predator from the Aliens.
All in all, not the greatest crossover but I've seen worse--namely, the first "Aliens vs. Predator". :) P.S. I had to look up Ms. Yutani on Wikipedia. Rating: 4
Watched movie: "National Treasure: Book of Secrets" (2007)
Painfully contrived--particularly that whole arc where the U.S. President (whom I don't remember electing) entrusted America's most confidential secrets to Nicolas Cage. I sure hope that Nicolas Cage photographed whatever he could then. In the movie's defense, I found it interesting whenever the characters snuck through areas that I couldn't tour through myself, i.e., the Oval Office, the Library of Congress' Main Reading Room, and the Black Hills around Mount Rushmore. Also liked the tilting platform. My lingering unanswered questions:
  • How did Thomas Gates' name get cleared?
  • What was on page 47? The screenplay for a sequel?
Didn't care much for that Riley character's comic relief, except for one line: "I vote Mitch [to stay behind]." Das funny. Rating: 5
Watched movie: "The Golden Compass" (2007)
I found this film unremarkable except for the "daemons" (the animal familiars that embody each person's soul). An intriguing concept--it made my mind wander to all sorts of questions:
  • Can you discern a lot about a person by their daemon? For example, does an owl symbolize a wise person? Does an animal's mood and personality reflect the person's mood and personality? Does an ugly animal mean that the person lacks inner beauty?
  • When a person argues with their daemon, are they really arguing with themselves? What would psychologists say about Nicole Kidman slapping her own daemon?
  • Do daemons allow people any privacy (for example, what did the daemons do when Lyra was conceived)? Sorry, that was bad. :)
P.S. The last name of Nicole Kidman's character kept distracting me. Did the author pick "Coulter" on purpose? :) Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Across the Universe" (2007)
Surreal romance musical devoted to Beatles songs and one of my least favorite decades in American history, the '60s. Well--less like a musical and more like a variety of music videos. That is, not much plot but plenty of trippy artistry such as synchronized dancing, psychedelic visuals, cutout animation, and a bizarre underwater segment. Gotta love that bowling alley where all of the patrons inexplicably slid down the lanes and hurdle-jumped. Side note: see if you can recognize the disguised celebrities. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "El Orfanato" a.k.a. "The Orphanage" (2007)
Like a tamer, subtitled version of "Poltergeist". Creatively scary but missed some opportunities to really terrify. Examples:
  • The kid in the sack mask. Pretty spooky sight but sadly underutilized.
  • Laura in the wheelchair. Her inability to effectively investigate noises could've brewed some hair-raising situations.
  • The "ghost hunters", the medium, and the infrared cameras. Nothing horrific happened here despite all the potential.
  • "1-2-3 knock on the wall." The scariest scene in the movie, in my opinion--but again, could've been way scarier if the approaching kids had frozen into poses or advanced unnaturally a la the ghost lady in "Kairo".
Good job on that faded '70s look, the creepy sequence where little hands tore the wallpaper from the opening credits, those made-you-jump scares involving the old lady, and Laura's search for the doorknob hole. P.S. Not to sound heartless, but is an adopted HIV positive kid worth such unbearable grief? Rating: 6
2007 Year in Review
12/20/07 5:55 PM PST
Best of 2007 Worst of 2007
Events that happened to Steve
  1. Watching Apolo and Julianne win Dancing With the Stars after I had met her and watched Ohno skate at the U.S. National Short Track Championships.
  2. (tie) Enjoying various theatrical screenings: Eli Roth's advanced screening of "Hostel: Part II"; re-watching "Sunshine" with a cup of tea and with friends; and concluding my Bourne marathon with "The Bourne Ultimatum".
  3. Vacationing in Texas; especially the idyllic River Walk and Royal Rumble.
  4. Attending WrestleMania 23.
  5. Unexpected acts of thankfulness.
  1. Unexpected acts of thanklessness.
  2. The horror, mounting panic, and insomnia from losing my camera bag in Washington, D.C.
  3. The toilet bowl overflow.
  4. The Chris Benoit tragedy which rattled me with the notion that anyone can commit murder.
  5. Driving around in frustrating circles at San Antonio, Cleveland, and Detroit.
Movies
  1. "Sunshine"
    "...intriguingly tough choices..."
    "...[saw it] six times."
  2. "The Bourne Ultimatum"
    "Thrilling from beginning to end..."
    "...best action sequence since 'The Matrix Reloaded'."
  3. "Enchanted"
    "This movie actually brightened my day."
    "Amy Adams enthralled me all over again."
  4. "Ratatouille"
    "...inspirational, touching, and laugh-out-loud."
    "My favorite Pixar movie of all time."
  5. "Day Watch"
    "Another relentless, mind-bending whirlwind of matrix fu."
  6. "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix"
    "I liked this angrier Harry Potter..."
  7. "Hot Fuzz"
    "Way better than any of the action cop dramas that the movie tried to satirize."
  8. "No Country for Old Men"
    "Edgy, suspenseful, and amusingly deadpan."
  9. "Spider-Man 3"
    "...delivered emotionally."
  10. "Next"
    "...coolest power ever."
  1. "Ido"
    "Revolting and perverted."
    "...utter disgust..."
  2. "The Number 23"
    "...couldn't quite decide whether to rate it a 2 or a 3."
  3. "I Know Who Killed Me"
    "Tastelessly cruel."
  4. "Bug"
    "A most unpleasant film..."
  5. "Hannibal Rising"
    "Vanilla revenge movie..."
  6. "1408"
    "Mostly just disjointed theatrics rather than anything scary."
  7. "Rush Hour 3"
    "Too corny and sophomoric for my taste."
  8. "Resident Evil: Extinction"
    "Just euthanize this series, man."
  9. "Bee Movie"
    "...the characters kept overacting and wouldn't shut up."
  10. "The Last Mimzy"
    "Who wrote this illogical plot, a 5-year-old kid?"
Songs
  1. "See You Again" Miley Cyrus
  2. "Stuttering" Ben's Brother
  3. "This Ain't a Scene, It's an Arms Race" Fall Out Boy
  4. "Potential Breakup Song" Aly & AJ
  5. "That's How You Know" Amy Adams
  6. "So Close" Jon McLaughlin
  1. "Boyz" M.I.A.
  2. "Runaway Love" Ludacris f/ Mary J. Blige
  3. "Rehab" Amy Winehouse
  4. "Big Girls Don't Cry" Fergie
  5. "A Bay Bay" Hurricane Chris
Music video "Wake Up Call" Maroon 5 "Gimme More" Britney Spears
TV series (tie) "House" and "Lost" "24"
Commercial Bank of America commercial where bystanders gaze at their dreams in a reflective logo. (tie) Kia Motors commercial where rainbows follow Rondo compact MPVs around while a multi-color choir sings "Let the Sunshine In" (spliced with equally annoying textual nonsense) and the Wendy's commercial where a guy with red pig tails convinces fellow tree kickers to get a hot juicy burger with him.
Beverage Mango lassi Salted lassi

By the way, I now rate "Sunshine" a 10 out of 10.

Water cooler recommendations (a.k.a. movies that I recommend for interesting conversation, not necessarily because I rated them highly):

Watched movie: "Juno" (2007)
I think I figured out why this movie cracked me up so much:
  • The dialogue combined teenage slang with unusually big words--making for a totally wicked dichotomy, dude.
  • All of the characters seemed more mature than I'm used to. It amused me how they managed to stay calm and collected in some of those tense scenes. It's like they all mastered the art of non-confrontational conversation. :)
  • It amused me how all of these diametrically different characters could get along with Juno despite their contrasting personalities and/or generation gaps. I'm more used to seeing outspoken people hang out with similarly outspoken people. :) To the film's credit, each character alone would make a good foil for Juno.
Rating: 7
Favorite restaurants in the Santa Maria vicinity
12/16/07 4:36 PM PST

Decided to play food critic for a day, and praise my top five favorite hometown restaurants:

Hama Sato (230 Betteravia Road)
Authentic Japanese cuisine near the intersection of Betteravia and Broadway. I love the "Masa Gozen" entree in particular. It comes with tasty BBQ short rib (perhaps my favorite dish of all time), tempura, yakitori/gyoza, stir fried vegetables, green salad, fruit, and a small scoop of ice cream. Not open on Sundays.
Far Western Tavern (899 Guadalupe Street)
Santa Maria might be known for Santa Maria style tri-tip, but my family prefers the steak at Far Western in Guadalupe. We usually drive there on special occasions. For a reliably lean cut of steak, order the Cowboy Cut Top Sirloin. Side note: Sign up for the birthday program and receive a discount equal to your age (you have to redeem it within the week of your birthday though).
Quito's (715 South Broadway)
Mexican restaurant across the street from Shaw's. Excellent enchiladas. I fancy the shredded beef.
BBQ Land (1975-A South Broadway)
Red oak wood barbeque restaurant open seven days a week. My family's favorite spot for a good tri-tip sandwich. Try the chicken too.
Pappy's 101 Diner (1275 E. Betteravia & Highway 101)
A good late night diner for when all of the other restaurants closed. I typically order the Santa Maria Tri Tip & Cheese Enchilada with corn tortillas. Honestly, I never understood the hype behind Santa Maria style BBQ. Open 24 hours on Friday and Saturday.
Watched movie: "The Kite Runner" (2007)
Aptly named since I found the kids' kite tournament more interesting than anything else in the whole movie. Even the main character's foolhardy quest for redemption bored me. At least the film featured some good cultural and sentimental moments. Rating: 5
Watched movie: "Atonement" (2007)
I felt that this drama showed real promise until the war derailed everything. In particular, I liked the idea of unfolding scenes out of context (presumably to show how a third person could misconstrue the truth). For instance, the movie often bewildered the audience with a very curious sight--then clarified it in subsequent scenes. Usually the truth disappointed me; but I guess that's more like real-life where rumor can entertain us more than fact. Personally, I prefer movies where the flashbacks expose some kind of machination or shocking truth as in "Wicker Park" or "Memento". Rating: 6
American movie classics
12/10/07 1:52 PM PST

I finally decided to rent some Oscar winning classics that I kept hearing a lot about but have never ever seen.

Watched video: "The Sound of Music" (1965)
Pretty good but I probably couldn't sit through it again. Felt like I had endured three hours of VH1. Also couldn't help nit-picking the scenes that in my view, could have delivered more emotion. For example, I found Julie Andrews' departure and return too subdued. Also felt that "Climb Ev'ry Mountain" deserved a loftier production than what it received--maybe even replacing what Julia Andrews sang as she soared up the hill. :) These are a few of my favorite scenes:
  • When Capt. von Trapp first heard his children sing. The highlight of the film, in my opinion.
  • When Maria danced with Capt. von Trapp.
  • When Mother Abbess sang "Climb Ev'ry Mountain".
  • When Maria returned to the children.
Things I did not favor:
  • The play clothes that Maria sewed for the children. Possibly the ugliest clothes that I have ever seen.
  • The romance between Maria and Capt. von Trapp. I wasn't feelin' it.
Final two observations:
  • Does Maria's improvisation of "My Favorite Things" qualify as early freestyle rap? :)
  • Do these people have telepathic powers? How did Maria know the lyrics to Rolfe's and Liesl's "Sixteen Going On Seventeen" song?
The next day, I had to resist the temptation to cheer up my co-workers with musical satire. :) Rating: 7
Watched video: "Casablanca" (1942)
Other than the war politics and Humphrey Bogart's wit, I actually found this "timeless" movie somewhat unremarkable--perhaps because I failed to see what made the film so romantic. Specifically, I didn't understand...
  • ...how Rick could fall in love with a girl whom he knew nothing about.
  • ...how Rick could fall back in love with Ilsa when in my judgment, she had yet to redeem herself.
  • ...what "Here's looking at you, kid," means. I don't get it.
Rating: 6
Watched video: "Gone with the Wind" (1939)
Hahaha, that Scarlett character was just too much for me. It amused me how the Civil War kept taking a back seat to her silly little soap opera. I'm not even convinced that the tragic deaths in her family affected that one-track mind. Every time that I began to admire her, she crooned for Ashley and made me groan again. I can understand why Clark Gable grew frustrated. I wonder if original audiences cheered his line, "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn." I liked the ending a lot. It gave me the sense that Scarlett had more mischief to plot. Rating: 7
The heart of the matter
12/04/07 3:53 PM PST

Raised my rating of "Enchanted" to a 9. When I re-watched it, Amy Adams enthralled me all over again. Not just because her character symbolized pure innocence, but because she played the role so convincingly. Other factors:

Final thought: if you're still wondering why relationship dramas plague "Dancing With the Stars", then watch the heart-wrenching waltz in "Enchanted". Even a stubborn cynic like me found it hopelessly romantic. :)

Watched movie: "Awake" (2007)
Thin premise for a movie, if you ask me. My imagination of anesthetic awareness scared me a lot worse than what the film actually depicted. Also grew detached from the patient's plight when I realized that he could do nothing to stop it. Rating: 4
Watched movie: "Blade Runner: The Final Cut" (2007)
Undistinguishable from the Director's Cut. Surprised me how many patrons packed the theater. I might represent the minority, but I never understood the popularity of "Blade Runner". :) Rating: 6
Rhapsody
12/01/07 12:11 AM PST

Finished tabulating the top 30 music videos for 2H 2007. Guess we found lip gloss neither popping nor cool.

Watched movie: "August Rush" (2007)
After all of that build-up, I expected a huge emotional payoff at the end--but to my disappointment, the movie ended before the scene that I waited for. What the heck? Imagine if "Pinocchio" had ended before his realization that the fairy had turned him into a real boy. Otherwise, I liked the movie. Although it contrived a whole lot, I simply rationalized that the kid had a special destiny. Rating: 7
Watched movie: "Enchanted" (2007)
This movie actually brightened my day. I went into it feeling cynical, and left feeling uplifted. Amy Adams' relentless optimism grew on me, I guess. Admittedly, I worried that her character would never evolve past "airhead". So I'm glad that they made her good will contagious instead of something pitiful (how amusing to see New York's vermin and citizens illogically dancing to her musical numbers--I still wonder what Patrick Dempsey thought about all that). Props to Disney for daring to satirize itself--even though I can't recall any Disney princess ever acting that naive. :) Rating: 9
Boiling point
11/29/07 5:52 PM PST

So last night, I kind of snapped. During the crescendo of "August Rush", somebody kept obstructing the film projection with shadow puppets. The first time that it happened, I ignored it. The second time that it happened, I fidgeted in my seat restlessly. The third time that it happened, I turned around but saw nothing. The fourth time that it happened, I saw the culprit in the act and kind of lost it. I charged up the aisle steps...into a dead-end. After doubling-back, I dashed up the second tier. When I reached the back row where the projector light began, guess what I saw. Two stupid teenage girls.

If you think about it, I took a gamble rushing up there. If they had boyfriends with them, it could've escalated into a major confrontation. Then I reckon that I would've missed the ending of the movie. :)

Anyway, our dialogue unfolded as follows:

Me (visibly angry and hovering over shadow puppet girl): "What the hell are you doing?!"
Shadow puppet girl: "Nothing."
Me (still visibly angry and still hovering over shadow puppet girl): <silence>
Shadow puppet girl: "NOTH-ING."

After that exchange, I spent the rest of the movie sitting in the back row with them--fuming miserably and unable to enjoy the emotion of the final scene. Even when an elderly patron thanked me afterward for my "babysitting", I walked past her without a word.

Watched movie: "August Rush" (2007)
No review until I re-watch the last part in a better mood.
Top five favorite US-101 rest stops
11/27/07 8:10 PM PST

In the spirit of the holiday season, I compiled a list of my top five favorite stops along US-101 (between San Jose and Santa Maria). My criteria for rest stops, you ask?

Yeah, I have a lot of time on my hands when I drive home. :)

Gilroy: Exit Monterey St toward Gilroy
The rest stop of rest stops. The Garlic Farm Shell gas station features 12 gas pumps, four restrooms, a car wash, a Togo's, a Baskin Robbins, and even a second-floor inn. You can also easily access a Jack In the Box, a KFC/A&W, and a Carls Jr.
(tie) Gonzales: exit 5th Street and Soledad: Exit CA-146- Exit 302- toward Soledad
I typically stop at either one or the other (or neither). They both have a Starbucks drive thru. The Gonzales one has a Dairy Queen and McDonald's. The Soledad one has a Shell gas station, Taco Bell, Carls Jr., McDonald's, and Burger King.
King City: Exit Broadway
Another impressive rest stop. You can easily access a 24-hour Shell gas station (with clean restrooms), a Starbucks drive thru, a Subway, a KFC, and a McDonald's.
Atascadero: Exit 218A toward Santa Rosa Road
I like the strong vacuums at the Chevron gas station here. You can also enjoy a slush puppie from the Chevron convenience store (the same kind of brain-freezing drink that I enjoyed at the Winchester Mystery House).
San Luis Obispo: Exit Madonna Rd / CA-227 exit
I only stop here for Seattle's Best Coffee from the Borders bookstore. If you want, you can explore that grotesque Madonna Inn. I find it hard to enjoy their waterfall urinal because sometimes women tourists sneak into the mens restroom with cameras. Definitely a majestic sight though. :)

Notice that I didn't mention the Salinas Northridge mall or the Paso Robles east 466 exit. That's because I hate waiting in traffic at those two stops.

Watched movie: "Beowulf" (2007) in Digital 3D
How does the saying go--"it's not bragging if you back it up"? That Beowulf definitely backed it up. I guess he's a man's man like those berserk Spartans in "300". And just like in "Scarface", all that gloriously cool violence made me overlook the message about pride. Side note: pretty neat watching the film with 3-D glasses--but my eyes crossed whenever the camera panned through an object. Had trouble focusing on the ground too (particularly rocks and plants). Rating: 7
Watched movie: "No Country for Old Men" (2007)
Edgy, suspenseful, and amusingly deadpan. Also found it groundbreaking in a few respects:
  • One of the most chilling villains ever. Talk about a stone cold dude. I felt genuinely scared for the guy who stole the drug money. Also freaked me out thinking that this dude could air-compress a lock off and blow the occupant away within seconds.
  • One of the best cat and mouse hunts ever. Pretty thrilling when those two razor sharp minds matched wits. I liked the little details like when Anton studied the motel room layout beforehand--even verifying whether the wall could absorb his gunshot).
  • One of the most curious chase scenes ever. The sight of that dog head following the guy downriver practically stopped my breathing. My take on it: "oh sh--!"
A couple of criticisms:
  • Just like in "Fargo", the main law officer (Tommy Lee Jones) bored me. Not sure why the movie even needed him.
  • The ending made me wonder whether the Coen brothers forgot to append "to be continued" to it. I received no closure from it at all.
Finally, a couple of questions:
  • Did Anton kill the accountant (thereby making the "Do you see me?" question rhetorical)?
  • Except for the cashier, trailer park clerk, and bikers, can we assume that Anton killed everyone that he spoke with?
Rating: 8
Watched movie: "The Mist" (2007)
Having prejudged this movie as a retread of "The Fog", "The Mist" turned out better than I expected. It felt more like that classic "Silent Hill" video game in that a) monstrous insects lurked in the fog, and b) mental torture strained the survivors' sanity. I'd also compare the plot to an "Outer Limits" episode because of how the human drama overshadowed the crisis. I wonder if Stephen King wrote this novella with a cynicism toward religion and human intellect--those survivors sure acted stupid. :) Rating: 6
Fight or flight
11/23/07 8:00 PM PST

Sheesh. While walking across the IBM patio, my eye caught a reflection in the mirrored window. A white blur rushing up behind me at top speed! I spun around to see a hostile white dog. It slowed down, barked at me, and began advancing. I lunged toward it and it sped off. Then it began running up behind me again. When I darted toward it, it finally took off for good. The dog kind of looked like Benji but dang, the sight of that speeding white blur scared the crap out of me. For a moment there, I thought that the raccoons finally declared war on the humans.

Dune
11/23/07 3:50 PM PST
Read book: "Dune" (1965) by Frank Herbert

This detail-oriented sci-fi classic impressed me. Not just because Frank Herbert managed to invent an entire glossary of vocabulary, but because he loaded the book with so much profound wisdom. Specifically, his principles about self-discipline, leadership, perception, and combat exceeded anything that I could have imagined. My two favorite quotes from the book:

"The Freman were supreme in that quality the ancients called 'spannungsbogen'--which is the self-imposed delay between desire for a thing and the act of reaching out to grasp that thing."
"'Give as few orders as possible,' his father had told him...once...long ago. 'Once you've given orders on a subject, you must always give orders on that subject.'"

The main character, Paul, harbored some intriguing abilities (minor spoiler alert):

I also liked the author's constant usage of foreshadowing. Even though the beginning really bored me, the biographical quotes alluded to pivotal plot points that I could look forward to. Examples: Duke Leto knowingly walking into a trap and Dr. Yueh's betrayal.

For me, the story finally picked up when Jessica suddenly woke up bound and gagged--I did a double-take on that part. It also pleased me that Jessica (one of my favorite characters) continued to help Paul as a prominent character instead of getting killed off.

Props to the creative idea of walking rhythmlessly to mask one's footsteps from the giant worms.

In conclusion, I can't picture how anyone can film a movie about this. I considered each characters' real-time thoughts the most fundamental strength of the book. Like "Shogun", "Dune" excelled at explaining people's attitudes with details about their culture and formalities. Rating: 7

Watched movie: "Dune Special Edition" (1984)
I can see why David Lynch credited Alan Smithee for this debacle. My criticisms:
  • Bad narration.
  • Shallow character thoughts. Corny enough that I could hear their thoughts to begin with, but at least make them think something worthwhile (rather than what their acting already conveyed).
  • B-quality overacting.
  • Cheesy special effects.
In the movie's defense, it cast some perfect actors (Kyle MacLachlan, Sting, Dean Stockwell, Max von Sydow, Kenneth McMillan), and decently cut out some of those inconsequential plot tangents from the book. Too bad that the movie cut out all of that great wisdom and cultural detail too. Rating: 4
Pandora's box
11/19/07 5:32 PM PST
Watched movie: "Southland Tales" (2007)
The IMDB confirmed my suspicion: this film's writer/director also wrote and directed "Donnie Darko". No wonder I had that gut feeling after the movie. Unlike "Donnie Darko", however, I found "Southland Tales" much more irreverent, absurd, and frustrating. It particularly annoyed me that the cast featured so many comedians (comedians in rather humorless roles, I might add). They made the movie feel like a bad Saturday Night Live skit. Rating: 4

Coincidentally, "Southland Tales" showed clips from a film noir movie that I had recorded earlier in the week: Mickey Spillane's "Kiss Me Deadly".

Watched movie: "Kiss Me Deadly" (1955)
An unusual film noir movie in that I half-expected Rod Serling to narrate at the end. The private eye actually uncovered some kind of Pandora's box (and I don't mean that figuratively). Now I understand the "Southland Tales" homage to it. Having never seen a Mike Hammer movie before, I had a few questions about "Kiss Me Deadly":
  • Why didn't the villains just shoot Mike Hammer dead?
  • Why did people cooperate with Mike Hammer without knowing anything about him? Side note: I liked Mike Hammer's impatient lack of subtlety later in the film.
  • How could Mike Hammer stay so nonchalant toward the various attempts on his life? For example, it dismayed me that he casually rode a car knowing that it would blow up at a certain speed.
Also wondered why the roommate looked at the hitchhiker's corpse so emotionlessly--then it occurred to me that the movie probably meant it as a clue, along with the dead canary. Rating: 5
Lord of the Dance
11/16/07 7:11 PM PST

Kept working late nights this week during my race to finish a deadline. That's when the raccoons lurk about. I spotted that four-coon gang as I settled into my car. Wonder what they think about.

Attended performance: "Michael Flatley's Lord of the Dance"
Riverdance gone "WWE"--complete with a good guy, a good girl, a bad guy, a temptress, a spirit, and a sparkled "Lord of the Dance" championship belt. Basically I just liked the "combative" toe-stomping numbers. Didn't care much for the singing, fiddling, and frolicking. Also rolled my eyes at some of that superficial sex appeal (at one point, the Lord of the Dance growled in approval after the women tore off most of their clothes--how cheesy can you get). I guess all in all, the original Riverdance struck me as a classier show. Rating: 7
Rain nor shine
11/12/07 9:23 PM PST

My lost camera bag arrived on Friday. It contained my camera and five rolls of undeveloped film. The Verizon Center could have really capitalized on my gratitude. If they had enclosed a survey along with my camera bag, I would've checkmarked "very satisfied" on every box. If they had enclosed an envelope for donations, I would've mailed them a big check. But I guess my verbal thanks to the lost & found employee will have to suffice. :)

Attended concert: "Evanescence with Special Guests Sick Puppies & Julien-K (The Open Door Tour)"
A chilly outdoor concert, but thankfully the rain cleared up by evening (the Santa Barbara Bowl actually prohibits all umbrellas). I kept earplugs in during 90 minutes of Julien-K and Sick Puppies, but removed them to appreciate Amy Lee's voice. Amazing how she belted out lyrics for about 90 minutes without any break.

I mentioned earlier that my enjoyment of the concert would hinge upon three songs: "Bring Me To Life", "Going Under", and "Hello". Evanescence's score: 2 for 3. To me, it felt like they played every song but "Hello". Along with songs from both "Fallen" and "The Open Door", I suspect that they touched upon an earlier album that I never listened to. Oh well. I doubt that I would've liked the sing-along version of "Hello" anyway (a sarcastic thank you to the crowd for ruining "My Immortal" with their accompanying vocals). Did I mention that I hate it when the audiences sing along with the performers?

All in all, a great concert. Whenever I remove my earplugs, that's quite a compliment. :) Personally, I think that Evanescence belongs in an opera house where alcohol is prohibited. Maybe I'll see them again when something like that happens. Rating: 8

P.S. I wonder if Destiny's Child knows about that interesting Sick Puppies rendition of "Say My Name".

I try to make it a point to call someone whenever I leave a venue (unless I'm alone). That way, the police can backtrack my timeline if I turn up missing. Yeah, sometimes I remind myself of that guy Dwight in "The Office".

As a birthday present to myself, I finally purchased the box set: Royal Rumble, The Complete Anthology from FYE. My Suncoast Backstage Pass doubled the 10% discount for my birthday. Also, my parents gave me Twin Peaks - The Definitive Gold Box Edition. Das cool.

Watched movie: "P2" (2007)
A decent cat and mouse thriller despite those tired old American horror cliches--namely "made-you-jump" and "final girl". Actually, I'd call the whole movie one big "final girl" cliche. I kept thinking to myself, she's sure taking this bad situation well. I also thought to myself: a) nice dress (how did the parking attendant do it?), and b) way to maim that evil dog (boy I hate dogs like that). Rating: 5
Law and order
11/08/07 6:06 PM PST

Is it neurotic to organize the cash in your wallet? After a lifetime of sorting mine by denomination, I began sorting them by crispiness too. That way, I spend all of my worn out bills first. I don't remember when or why this habit started--but now I have it down to a science. The folded, torn, and deprecated bills file into the very back of my wallet (in that order) so that I know to spend them first. The mint bills file into my wallet upside-down so that I know to spend them last. The perfect bills file into my emergency pack or mugger's wallet so that I never have to spend them. Hopefully, the mugger wouldn't wonder why my cash looks so clean. :)

Watched movie: "Rendition" (2007)
An evocative movie in that it depicted rendition in a rather egregious way. It started out where the CIA, based only on circumstantial evidence, detained an educated Egyptian American from his pregnant wife (Reese Witherspoon) and son. I thought they stretched it when nobody notified Reese Witherspoon about why her husband vanished from a plane flight, but I still suspended disbelief. Well, my suspense of disbelief vanished when the CIA ignored a passing polygraph and extradited the poor guy to a secret African prison--where interrogators stripped, tortured, and locked him up in a hole. That's messed up man. Nevertheless, I would've rated the movie highly except that the entire suicide bomber plot bored me. Rating: 5
Watched movie: "American Gangster" (2007)
Slow movie with a good payoff--but not a great payoff considering that I waited well over two hours for it. The characters reminded me of "Lord of War" in that I rooted for the narc rather than the druglord. Guess the director's attempt to humanize Frank Lucas didn't work on me. :) Personally, I don't understand the appeal of the gangster lifestyle at all. How can anyone enjoy such wealth with all that jealousy, distrust, and poor judgement around them? Side note: Stay after the credits for a meaningless clip. Rating: 6
Watched movie: "Bee Movie" (2007)
Preposterous and mind-numbing. To my irritation, the characters kept overacting and wouldn't shut up. Also found the bee's amorous thoughts rather unsettling. Maybe Seinfeld humor just doesn't animate well. Rating: 4
Watching TV series: "House, M.D." - Season Four
Strong intellectual episodes but I still can't figure out what direction that the writers plan to move this season toward--especially after that last episode. My co-workers and I have been trying to predict it (amusingly, characters in the show actually discussed certain predictions that I made--causing me to second-guess myself). It's like when a WrestleMania card coalesces (yes, all of my allegories come back to pro-wrestling). I mentally picture the matches that I want to see--then either nod in approval or frown in disappointment. After that last "House" episode (titled "Whatever It Takes"), I frowned in disappointment.

Recently, I began a daily ritual where I drive home from work, verify that my camera hasn't arrived yet, and drive back to work.

Closure
10/31/07 11:21 PM PDT

Came home last night to find my possessions displaced onto the floor. Odd, I thought. Later I discovered that a 5.6 earthquake had rocked my apartment. Wonder why I didn't feel it.

I convened the final meeting of my corporate workgroup this morning. Despite its demands on my time for the past two years, it actually saddened me to close it. I guess I grew attached to the group, and appreciated all of their efforts. So what's next? Haven't really thought about it. Where do you go once you've fulfilled your career aspirations? Hopefully I'll think of something.

Meanwhile, I made sure to individually thank each member for what they contributed. After all, all of my favorite leaders had one commonality: they gave credit where credit was due, and they gave respect where respect was due. Conversely, take a guess at what my least favorite leaders did. :)

Cyber Sunday
10/30/07 7:41 PM PDT

Boy, I sure lucked out. My camera bag appeared in the Verizon Center lost and found. They offered to ship the bag to my California address free of charge. Is that service or what? A huge weight lifted off my mind. I had actually missed the film rolls more than the camera. I snapped some really close pictures in that front row.

Now that I managed to enjoy a front row seat at Cyber Sunday , I think I've pretty much experienced every televised section of the arena. I stayed seated for much of the time too. It really bugs me when fans inconsiderately stand up all the time or hold signs in the front row.

My only minor complaint from the show: a match where the majority of fans voted for "Street Fight" as the stipulation. A Street Fight won over a Steel Cage Match?? Come on!

Watched movie: "Saw IV" (2007)
An absorbing prequel/sequel if you ignore the ridiculous implausibilities--particularly how the mastermind managed to predetermine everyone's schedule with nary a hitch. At least in past "Saw" movies, the victims triggered the countdowns themselves. Somehow in "Saw IV", every piece magically fell into place. Other thoughts:
  • How unfair to entrap Det. Mathews again after his badass escape in "Saw III"!
  • Have Jigsaw's lessons ever successfully helped anyone?? If you're thinking Amanda, then review "Saw III" and think again. :)
  • I guess "Saw III" and "Saw IV" happened simultaneously. Lousy way to write off the cliffhanger from "Saw III".
  • Judging by all of the loose ends, I assume we can expect a "Saw V".
Rating: 6
Washington, D.C. reflections from IAD
10/29/07 5:40 AM PDT

Still feel sick from losing my trusty camera. I lost about 124 pictures too--basically every picture that I snapped after the Hope Diamond. The curse, perhaps?

Fortunately, I look on the bright side in these situations. I consider myself a cynic but not a pessimist. :) All of my Washington, D.C. pictures prior to the Hope Diamond survived my mistake. In addition, I made it back to the hotel ok before the Metro stations closed. Man, imagine if the subways had stopped at midnight and stranded me in the middle of D.C.!

So despite the mishaps, I still view this vacation favorably. My favorite parts of it: the Pentagon Tour, the Bill of Rights, and the changing of the guard ceremony at Arlington Cemetery.

On a side note, I'm still walking gingerly with a slight limp. I can see why no one visits the Jefferson Memorial. Not worth the torture. :)

Lost camera
10/28/07 9:56 PM PDT

Noooooo! I forgot my camera bag at the Verizon Center!! After the Cyber Sunday event concluded, I left without strapping my camera bag back on. The arena had closed by the time I dashed back from the Metro station. I'm so disappointed with my negligence right now. Details to follow.

The D.C., Day 4: Disturbing the peace
10/28/07 12:44 PM PDT

Sunny Sunday. The Marine Corps Marathon permeated everything today. At the finish line, crowds and speakers blared noise all the way into Arlington Cemetery. Even at the somber Kennedy gravesites and the Tomb of the Unknowns, we could hear the faint sound of party music. Then as the crowds swarmed into the Metro stations, our gigantic ascending escalator shuddered and stalled. Crazy.

Arlington National Cemetery
A classy, beautiful cemetery. Spent all Sunday morning here. Make sure to catch the changing of the guards at the Tomb of the Unknowns. A sentinel paces in front of the sarcophagus, turns and clicks their heels, and repositions their weapon on the opposite shoulder. On the hour, a relief commander escorts a new sentinel in; inspects the new sentinel; and ceremoniously relieves the first sentinel. Their regimented movements reminded me of Disney animatronics. Pretty cool. I guess trek to the famous Iwo Jima War Memorial outside of the cemetery if you have the stamina. My feet hurt pretty bad by the end of that.
Hope Diamond
Decided to examine this 45.52 carat jewel at the Museum of National History. Surprisingly small and dark. Guess it reflects the karma of the owners. :) For some reason, I had imagined the Hope Diamond as a gigantic faceted crystal.

Tonight: the WWE event, Cyber Sunday. Then I fly back to SFO tomorrow morning.

The D.C., Day 3: Inalienable rights
10/27/07 5:44 PM PDT

Rained hard this morning but cleared up by afternoon. My feet hurt.

Memorials
My advice: when you're picking up your admission ticket into the Washington Monument, reserve a time about two hours into the future if you can't reserve one immediately. That's about how long it took to see the World War II, Lincoln, Korean, and Vietnam Memorials. I underestimated the length of that reflecting pool. What a walk.

Tourists packed that Lincoln Memorial. Don't expect much privacy to search for the gold in his head. :)

I'm embarrassed to admit that I mistook the National Mall for shopping outlets. It's just a really long park. I wonder where politicians shop then.
National Archives Building
One document really impressed me in the Rotunda for the Charters of Freedom. Not the faded Declaration of independence or the four-page Constitution, but the Bill of Rights. Thanks to that ancient, barely legible parchment, Americans can speak, report, petition, congregate, and pray freely. The NRA can bear guns. The police can't search your home without probable cause. Prosecutors can't try you twice. Rather profound when I think about how deeply that this document has influenced American morality.
Capitol Building
Meh.

Squirrels: nature's most pervasive creatures. :) I watched them hop across the White House lawn with impunity--even burying nuts outside of the Capitol Building.

The D.C., Day 2: Underwater, indivisible
10/26/07 5:52 PM PDT

Spent much of today walking in the rain, riding the underground Metro, and walking in the rain some more. What is up with all this rain.

The architecture in Washington, D.C. reminds me of why the Pledge of Allegiance refers to us as a Republic. Towering white pillars and marble steps galore. Marble sidewalk curbs even.

White House tour
Basically a single-file line through the White House's antique rooms, i.e., the East Room, Green Room, Blue Room, Red Room, and State Dining Room. Presidents decorated everything. Portraits of Presidents, photographs of Presidents, and busts of Presidents. A somewhat cosmetic experience if you ask me--but at least I can say I toured the White House.
Pentagon tour
A lot better tour than I expected. The tour guide walked us through various corridors as employees stepped past us. The interior design and ambiance felt like my own workplace. Guess I imagined dim, windowless corridors without any people in them. The guide also gave us perspective on how deep into the building that American Flight 77 reached. Looks like the Pentagon is planning a more formal memorial in addition to the three spires that we spotted from the 9/11 exhibit room windows. P.S. Impressive how these guides can spend the whole tour walking backwards.
Supreme Court
I recommend the lecture inside of the courtroom--very informative (especially if your group asks good questions). I guess Presidents need to appoint the new Justices carefully because they're stuck with them for life. :)
Library of Congress
Other than the famous Main Reading Room in the Thomas Jefferson building, meh.
The D.C., Day 1
10/25/07 8:49 PM PDT

Can't believe that I missed my flight to Washington, D.C. after leaving San Jose 2 1/2 hours early. I failed to factor in the time it would take to drive to SFO at 5 MPH. :( Curse that morning gridlock! The thirty minute security line didn't help either. Fortunately, I narrowly made it onto the next flight despite all of the passengers and standbys ahead of me.

Drizzling here in Washington, D.C. I'm staying at the Hyatt Arlington--no skimping on the hotel this time.

Tomorrow: White House, Pentagon, and Supreme Court.

Attack of the snowclones
10/23/07 12:41 PM PDT

Thanks to YouTube, I finally compiled a new top ten list on my Web site: Steve's top ten favorite trailers.

P.S. I guess anyone can post whatever garbage that they want on that YouTube. :)

Watched DVD: "Wrong Turn 2: Dead End" (2007)
To quote the person who lent me this DVD, "it had its moments". Too much character development if you ask me. At least that Henry Rollins character didn't mess around. Also liked some of the creative camera work and gore. Rating: 5
Watched movie: "30 Days of Night" (2007)
Like 30 "Nights of the Living Dead" with vampires instead of zombies. Note the similarities:
  • The contrast between darkness and light made everything look monochromatic.
  • The monsters fed on humans and "turned" some of them against their friends.
  • The humans loitered carelessly within ineffectively secured hideouts.
  • Dimwits jeopardized the survivors' lives.
  • A little girl attacked them.
Somehow one band of humans managed to stay alive even though they hardly seemed more resourceful than the victims who died early. Their lack of stealth made me wonder what happened to the vampires' heightened instincts. Also didn't understand why the leader fought Josh Hartnett while the other vampires just watched.

By the way, gotta love that stubborn decapitation of Josh Hartnett's howling friend. They probably invited "Fangoria" for the filming of it. :) Rating: 6

Disclosure
10/14/07 2:48 AM PDT

The White House and Pentagon both approved my tour request. I'll probably try to visit the Supreme Court on that day as well. Guess I should start thinking about what else to see that weekend.

While re-listening to that Evanescence CD "Fallen" , it occurred to me that my enjoyment of their concert will depend solely on whether they play my three favorite songs. Of course they'll play "Bring Me To Life" and "Going Under", but will they play "Hello"?

I happened to catch a couple of new "Smallville" episodes where Supergirl arrived. This type of drama tends to frustrate me because I feel like the characters communicate poorly and unrealistically . For instance, I felt that Clark should have briefed Supergirl better on their powers, their enemies, their allies (especially those that know his secret identity), the varieties of kryptonite, and any other important Smallville facts that she should know. Maybe he did that off-camera, but I wanted to see her reaction. You see--I'm like a lot of normal people in that I enjoy watching someone react to news, gossip, or anecdotes. In movies and TV, I refer to it as a "payoff". "Lost" tends to overlook this type of payoff as well--the characters needlessly withhold crucial information from each other. In my opinion, normal people would eagerly confide (and embellish) what they learned or witnessed.

Same goes for these Smallville characters lying and keeping secrets from each other ad nauseum--secrets that inevitably turn into mistrust and hurt feelings. Like a soap opera, man. It irritates me how they can't just tell the truth.

Watched movie: "Se, jie" a.k.a. "Lust, Caution" (2007)
Rather slow movie from beginning to end despite the mindbending NC-17 sex scenes. Don't worry--nothing underaged according to the end credits--but what branded into my memory sure looked violent. Almost wished for a "Memoirs of a Geisha" English narration so that I could hear what the woman thought of that first affair (the one where he basically attacked her). Then I could also hear why such a cruel collaborator began to allure her. She explained it but sometimes those subtitles sped by way too fast.

I wonder if Cronenberg ever influenced Ang Lee. I'm starting to detect a more static, visceral, and gratuitously gory style in the latter director. :) Rating: 6

Watched movie: "Michael Clayton" (2007)
Rather slow movie that redeemed itself once I figured out each character's agenda. The premise: a law firm sends their resident "problem-fixer" (a drained George Clooney) when one of their senior litigators starts to manically tank his defense of a high-profile client. For me, the plot bored me up until the characters' interests began conflicting--eventually leading to an intriguing problem-fixer vs. problem-fixer situation. Also, most of Clooney's personal drama disinterested me except for the part where he couldn't transfer out because the company relied on his unique skill set. Rating: 7
Decorum
10/07/07 2:48 AM PDT

Finally bought the Camera Cinemas' Discount Admit Card: ten movies for $50. Perfect for me because I don't like watching movies on Saturday night anyway (or Friday, for that matter). I've started watching movies on Wednesday nights instead. That'll probably change when "Lost" resumes though.

I hesitantly decided to attend an Evanescence concert next month in Santa Barbara (two days before Lord of the Dance and one day before my birthday). I say "hesitantly" because a rock concert makes me think of crazed crowds and deafening noise. Although I wouldn't call Evanescence heavy metal, Ticketmaster did categorize them as "alternative rock". So no thanks on the floor tickets. Also purposely bypassed their San Jose concert because the entire seating chart read, "general admission". That means suffering in a long line for a semi-decent seat (if you're lucky).

Hope they play more songs from "Fallen" than "The Open Door". :)

Funny how the Ticketmaster voice recognition machine introduced itself as "Kelly". Didn't stop me from spurning her though. Ordinarily, I have a lot of patience for these voice recognition machines. I disciplined myself to speak unemotionally to them. In the past, I let sarcasm or frustration creep into my voice--both of which only aggravated the miscommunication. The secret is to talk monotone; like a robot. And if bystanders ridicule you, tune them out--or better yet, call from a private room. :)

So back to my story: spurning Kelly. She put me in "S-E-C-I". After much confusion, I reasoned that she meant "section I". Well, that seating put me way to the side (possibly behind a pillar). She wouldn't let me choose another one so I just waited on the line for a human to come on. Click. Dial tone.

Watched movie: "The Kingdom" (2007)
Felt like humming "The A-Team" theme music because to my disbelief, this one FBI team managed to take down an entire terrorist cell and its "Bin Laden-wannabe" leader within one week! Although I enjoyed the politics and the forensic science, a few parts made me groan:
  • The FBI team embarrassing America, in my opinion, by acting so cavalier among their spiritual hosts--even swearing causally and cracking dumb jokes.
  • The part where a whole terrorist cell, complete with rocket launchers and automatic weapons, totally outnumbered the protagonists and yet couldn't even take out a single one!
  • The race to save Jason Bateman from a videotaped beheading. Oh brother.
I realized too late that the opening subtitles identified each FBI agent's role. So I missed what purpose that Jason Bateman served. Later, I looked him up in Wikipedia and still didn't understand his usefulness (not even as a comic relief). Maybe the cell should have kidnapped someone else--because my indifference toward him hurt the suspense of the final battle. :) Rating: 6
Rac pack
10/01/07 4:31 PM PDT

Last night, I braked as four creatures dashed across my headlights. In an instant, I realized that I had spared the lives of the foul IBM coon gang. To think that I could have sped up and flattened the lot of them.

Watched movie: "Superbad" (2007)
Crude yet intelligent--like a teenage "Pulp Fiction". Reminded me of "Sideways" in that I identified with the more conservative friend. That is, I related to his group dynamics and his efforts to improvise under illogical situations. Wish that the film explored more of that entertaining dynamic between Evan, Seth, and McLovin. I felt that the film wasted way too much time on those un-funny, imbecilic cops. Rating: 5
Sentiment
09/28/07 6:55 PM PDT
"You know as well as I do decisions made in real-time are never perfect. Don't second-guess an operation from an armchair." -Noah Vosen

I love that line from "The Bourne Ultimatum". Too corny for real-life, but man so apropos.

I added another track to my work playlist: "Bim Bam Smash" (from the exciting climax of "The Bourne Supremacy"). Occasionally, I re-evaluate whether I like "The Bourne Supremacy" or "The Bourne Ultimatum" better. They both have their own unique merits. Sometimes I imagine a perfectly spliced Bourne movie where he tracks Pam in Berlin, saves Nicky in Tangier, and then car jousts with Kirill in Moscow. Never mind the plot holes. :)

Still no soundtrack for "Sunshine". I resorted to just replaying my favorite score on YouTube. Although the same score plays during the payload separation and Kaneda's sacrifice, the latter scene's sound effects distract me too much. I prefer listening to the soothing sounds of Capa wailing and banging his head on his helmet. :)

I'm impressed by the quality of movies this year. So far, I've already rated three movies a 9 and five movies an 8.

Jamba Juice changed their menu. One time I went on a Jamba Juice run, and my co-worker requested a femme boost in her drink. I frowned because that meant embarrassing myself at the cashier station, i.e., "I'd like a femme boost in that order, please." They might mistake the drink as mine. So I deviously read the order from a piece of paper. To my chagrin, the cashier repeated the order aloud--pausing on the femme boost. "We don't call it a femme boost anymore. Now it's called a calcium boost," she explained. I guess that implies that women need more calcium than men. I didn't know that.

Watched movie: "Resident Evil: Extinction" (2007)
The "Resident Evil" equivalent to a Romero film that I hated, "Day of the Dead". First of all, why did the Earth dry up? I can't even think up a fictional reason much less a scientific one. Next, let's just assume that I accept this global climate shift (which I do not). Given that the Earth basically "died", why should I even care about the events in this movie? More importantly, why the heck would I care about Alice v. Umbrella III? It actually offended me that they kept fighting each other as humanity faced extinction. How pointless can you get. I did look forward to the one solace that the "Resident Evil" films would stop here. But to my disappointment, the ending didn't even grant me that. Just euthanize this series, man. Rating: 4
Watched movie: "Eastern Promises" (2007)
Cronenberg gone gangster. As someone who has seen nearly all of Cronenberg's films, the gore in "Eastern Promises" didn't really surprise me. For example, I knew what would happen when the movie started with a barber shop (granted, I didn't quite expect the killer to see-saw the razor like that--pretty gratuitous of you, Cronenberg). :) The static, visceral characteristics of the film didn't really surprise me either. Instead, my surprise came from other aspects of the film:
  • The scenes where Cronenberg actually attempted humor (albeit humor so dry that I thought twice about laughing). I still remember Viggo's deadpan line, "Have you got hair dryer?"
  • A rather atypical fight scene where the hero fought au naturel. And not just naked where the camera kept his private parts out of the frame--I mean butt nekkid.
By the way, props to Armin Mueller-Stahl and Viggo Mortensen for playing such intriguing gangsters. Rating: 6
Video game accolades
09/21/07 6:27 PM PDT
Watched movie: "The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters" (2007)
Engrossing documentary about a controversial dispute between two "Donkey Kong" world record holders. The audience kept laughing at the politics behind it--but not me. I consider that a serious matter, claiming the top score in a video game. I'd put the issue right up there with the 2002 Olympic Winter Games figure skating scandal and Barry Bonds' 73rd home run baseball. On second thought, that latter one did amuse me somewhat.

I partially related to their video game addiction because I know what it feels like to try for that perfect score (check out my endeavors below). I never attempted any world records though. Amazingly, the nerds in this movie could play the classic arcade games so well that some of them actually reached the kill screen. For example, I never knew that "Donkey Kong" ended on the 117th level--probably because I never made it past the elevator stage. :) Also, gotta respect that Billy Mitchell for accomplishing a perfect Pac-Man game (eating all dots in all 255 levels).

Favorite scenes from the movie:

  • Steve Wiebe drawing the flight path of springs that Kong hurls at Mario (you have to wait for one particular wild spring to climb the ladder).
  • A screaming kid jeopardizing Steve Wiebe's world record run.
  • The explanation of what kill screens mean.
  • Players complaining about an unlucky Donkey Kong machine that throws too many wild barrels and fireballs. What?

I tried to watch this movie unbiasedly, but dang! I can't stand obnoxious nerds. Anyways. Rating: 7

My greatest classic Nintendo achievement: Retiring undefeated in "Mike Tyson's Punch Out!" with a perfect KO record. That means that I won all of my bouts by knockout--even in the dream match against that ear-biting punk, Mike Tyson. In the first round, Tyson can knock you out with one punch so you can't make a single mistake. Typically, the average player loses to Tyson and must keep inputting a cheat code to face him again--but even then, can only win by decision. Since a cheat code ends the game with a 1-2 record, my screenshot proves that I knocked out Tyson after a very long road of consecutive wins. I also have videotaped evidence like the guys in "The King of Kong". :)

You're probably thinking, how did a little kid know how to work a VCR? Umm...thing is, I was attending college when I accomplished this. In my defense, I only started again while housesitting during summer school. One of the TVs had an old Nintendo set connected to it. So it's not like I obsessed about this my whole life or anything. Granted, I shuttled a VCR from home to videotape my victory bout--but wouldn't anybody? :)

My greatest PlayStation achievement: Earning the green aerosol spray can in "Silent Hill 2" via a perfect ten star rating. The gamemakers made this goal so difficult that I had to strategize my whole gameplay. For instance, I wrote notes to myself and tallied my score on scratch paper. Look at the insane criteria for a perfect rating:

  • Action Level: Hard; Riddle Level: Hard/Extra
  • Ending: Dog or Rebirth; Ending Clear: All 4 endings plus all 3 secret endings
  • Saves: 2 or less
  • Time: Under 3 hours
  • Items: Over 100 plus all 8 secret items
  • Defeated Enemy By Shooting: 75 or more (difficult because it precludes James' handy "death kick"); Defeated Enemy By Fighting: 75 or more
  • Boat Stage Time: Under 1 minute, 20 seconds (attempting this over and over actually started to erode the joysticks my controller!)
  • Total Damage: Under 500 pts (the hardest criteria on here; actually had to just start over if James received too much damage)

    • You can read about my frustrations in an earlier blog entry. Now I can look back on them and laugh.

    Honorable mention: Check out this screenshot from "Resident Evil". After many botched attempts, I managed to put down three zombies with a single shotgun blast. Awesome, huh? :) I also concluded that four zombies cannot be done due to a limitation in the programming.

    Big things poppin'
    09/15/07 4:47 PM PDT

    After watching "The Bourne Ultimatum" for a third time, I decided to raise my rating to a 9. I never tire of that Tangier chase. If you watch that action sequence closely, you can see razor-sharp minds at work. First, notice how Bourne's photographic memory really came in handy: he deduced which alleyway that Nicky ducked into based on where Desh parked his motorbike; then whipped laundry around his hands as an early foresight to the broken glass that he'd encounter on a future ledge. Second, during that period where Desh lost track of Nicky, notice how he instantly looked up as soon as she slammed the door. That's why the chase paused--both Desh and Bourne had to wait for Nicky's next move in order to improvise the next leg of the race. Pure genius, man--I'd easily hail it as the best action sequence since "The Matrix Reloaded".

    I recently found that the soundtrack for that sequence, "Tangiers", helps me work more productively. Call it an adrenaline shot, if you will. :) Side note: I also feel productive listening to T.I. Maybe I like that shot of cockiness. :)

    Funny story: one day I noticed a black flake on my sideburn; followed the next day by another black flake on my other sideburn. It looked like burnt skin and made me worry about leprosy or some kind of necrosis. Turned out that vinyl had peeled off my headphones onto my sweaty skin. Interesting how only one co-worker dared to point out that a black flake had affixed itself to my head. It made me wonder how many other employees had quietly noticed this embarrassing curiosity.

    Watched DVD: "Mou gaan dou II" (2003) a.k.a. "Infernal Affairs II" (2007)
    A prequel to "Infernal Affairs" that made me think about "Smallville" because to my puzzlement, the rival bosses appeared as friends in this film. Made me wonder what happened in-between to estrange them so much. Also had trouble distinguishing the young cop mole from the young gang mole--probably because a) they looked alike, b) they acted alike, and c) they kept switching between both sides of the law. I guess that's a recurring theme in Hong Kong crime dramas: likening the cops to the criminals. Rating: 6
    Watched movie: "3:10 to Yuma" (2007)
    Say what you will about Russell Crowe, that guy can sure act. Unfortunately, I just don't get the appeal of these "valor is the better part of discretion" type Westerns. Like in "High Noon", I felt that Gary Cooper should have left town. Maybe I just don't like Westerns in general--I never cared for such celebrated classics as "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly" and "The Searchers". Rating: 6
    Watched DVD: "Miu gaan diy III: Chung gik miu gaan" (2003) a.k.a. "Infernal Affairs 3" (2007)
    Sort of like "The Godfather: Part II" but blurrier in how the two timelines intersected--even presenting a surreal scene where Dr. Lee addressed both moles at once! No complaint here since I liked all of those actors from the first movie. Too bad that the filmmakers had to introduce such banal new characters though, i.e., the two mystery men that appeared in both chronologies. Side note: Ming actually gave a couple of brief acknowledgements to "Infernal Affairs II".

    I liked how the chronology filled puzzle pieces in a "Lost" type fashion. For example, at one point I noticed a permanent marker doodle on Ming's monitor. What happened, did Ming get bored? I speculated. Later, a flashback clarified it and I thought, Ahhh. Also interesting to see Yan's sessions with Dr. Lee and his struggles to infiltrate Sam's gang. My favorite scene: when Yan spied on Sam through the library books and encountered Dr. Lee's eyes.

    Finally, I'd almost liken the mole hunt premise to "Memento" because even the main character behaved suspiciously. Pretty weird how the movie contrasted this paranoia arc with Yan's "romantic comedy" hijinks. Rating: 7

    The Bourne Marathon
    09/08/07 4:57 PM PDT

    Finally decided to catch up on the entire Bourne trilogy this week. "The Bourne Identity" never really interested me because I already saw a mini-series by the same name--but I patiently sat through the Matt Damon version so that I could get to "The Bourne Supremacy". Definitely worth the wait because "The Bourne Supremacy" and "The Bourne Ultimatum" blew me away. Ultimately, I liked "The Bourne Supremacy" the best (but am probably in the minority).

    Having seen these movies back to back, I noticed certain commonalities between them:

    Watched DVD: "The Bourne Identity" (2002)
    A lot simpler than the Richard Chamberlain TV version. Made me wonder which version followed the novel more faithfully. Although I liked the action scenes, I didn't see much substance to the movie. Rating: 5
    Watched DVD: "The Bourne Supremacy" (2004)
    What a difference that a director makes. Whereas "The Bourne Identity" struck me as a shallow popcorn movie, "The Bourne Supremacy" engaged me like a grown-up spy thriller. Makes sense given that Paul Greengrass directed my favorite movie of 2002-2007, "United 93". That handheld documentary style made me feel like a part of the movie. Everything felt realistic even when the action seemed totally impossible. For example, the climax where Bourne jousted with that sniper thrilled me the most even though my brain doubted that any car could survive a beating like that. Also enjoyed watching Bourne show off his professional talent without anyone slowing him down. For instance, how cool to see Bourne duel with a rolled-up magazine, confront his pursuers over a cell phone in a sort of "Unforgiven" fashion, and confound the CIA about his true objective (which to my amusement, they grossly overanalyzed). Rating: 9
    Watched movie: "The Bourne Ultimatum" (2007)
    Thrilling from beginning to end thanks to Paul Greengrass' energetic directing--even the scenes with just credits or dry conversations excited me. Right off the bat, I liked how the movie hit the ground running with John Powell music and ended with Moby's "Extreme Ways" theme. Big props to the suspenseful reporter surveillance scene, the Tangier chase (including a cool part where everyone in the chase paused), and David Strathairn.

    Regarding Bourne's new allies: I had mixed feelings about them because in "The Bourne Supremacy", I enjoyed how he managed to outwit the CIA on his own merits. Side note: even though I also liked the car chase in "The Bourne Supremacy" better, how funny to see that reversal where the police cruiser was the one getting chased.

    Somehow the filmmakers read my mind because during the first two movies, I imagined a payoff where Bourne eventually befriended the Julia Stiles character instead of scaring her all the time. Personally, I think that those two would make a cuter couple than the girl whom Bourne kept brooding about. :) Seemed like the filmmakers purposely introduced subtle winks to the previous movies--Julia Stiles' new hairdo and Bourne's final line of dialogue sure gave me déjà vu..

    All in all, count me in among the many audiences and critics that raved about this movie. Rating: 9

    Sunset
    09/04/07 5:21 PM PDT

    I miss my weekly routine of watching "Sunshine" with a hot cup of tea. I doubt that I'd get the same enjoyment from a DVD--the big screen and the surround sound really enhanced those space scenes. I look forward to when the soundtrack comes out so that I can drift to its awe-inspiring tones. The music from "Sunshine" fuels my imagination. :)

    Oddly enough, I felt less dread for death because of how this film romanticized it. Cool how the characters cared so deeply about their mission that they sacrificed their bodies and lives for it. Indeed--what better way to check out than in a blaze of glory for the survival of humanity? :)

    A couple of people asked why "Sunshine" missed my top 10 movies of 2002-2007--given that I watched the movie six times. My answer: timing. I had already posted half of my countdown before I raised my rating of "Sunshine" to a 9.

    Recently, our site operations notified us to keep our waste baskets inside of our offices. The notice read: "These waste baskets, that have found a home in the hallways on a 24/7 basis, pose as a safety hazard to all IBM employees, including those that are sight-impaired." What safety hazard? Death or injury by waste basket? If a waste basket jeopardizes your safety, then you should probably stay home. :)

    To my embarrassment, an office neighbor caught me washing my doorknob. He practically announced it to the whole hallway wing despite my excuse that a sick colleague had touched it. Hey man, those communicable diseases are no laughing matter. :)

    Latest updates on my planned trips:

    Watched movie: "Right at Your Door" (2007)
    Ever wonder what would happen if we really did have to duct tape our windows? This movie explored that contingency in what felt to me like some kind of ironic "Twilight Zone" episode. Too bad Rod Serling couldn't explain the message of the movie to me though--because I didn't get it. At first I thought that the movie intended to punish the guy for insensitively barricading his wife out of his plastic quarantine--but in a dumb twist, I guess that saved her life. Also, the movie hardly raised any moral issues despite all of the opportunities to do so. So I only liked three parts in the movie: a) the exciting real-time chaos after the dirty bombs first exploded in Los Angeles; b) the wife's hysteria and usage of guilt trips when the guy wouldn't let her in; and c) their makeshift airlock system. Rating: 6
    Watched movie: "Death Sentence" (2007)
    Despite the thrilling violence, this movie turned out way more laughable than the trailer led me to believe. Talk about cornball. The music alone made me want to gag. I expected a gritty character study about what drives a normal man to kill--not "Death Wish VI". Here's why I had trouble taking the movie seriously:
    • I found the ineffectiveness of the authorities hard to swallow. Somehow they couldn't slam-dunk an easy double-murder case, substantiate Kevin Bacon's vigilantism, or raid the gang members after their copkillings! Side note: can you believe the insensitivity of that prosecutor and detective?
    • I felt that Kevin Bacon made the decision to kill all too easily, as shown by how he calculated the first murder. Also found it funny how he tried to resume his life despite looking clearly screwed up.
    • Between an office job and family life, Kevin Bacon apparently trained at CTU because he sure fought well. He kept defying death--practically dodging bullets like Neo from "The Matrix".
    Rating: 5
    Watched movie: "Halloween" (2007)
    More like a retread of "Halloween" than a reinvention--even reused the original "Halloween" music. Other than some plot changes that I found pointless, I'd identify the main differences in the remake as:
    • A lot more profanity, violence, and nudity courtesy of Rob Zombie.
    • A cast that read like a who's who from past Rob Zombie films.
    • More focus on Michael Myers' childhood, including therapy attempts by his mother and Dr. Loomis.
    Admittedly, Michael Myers seemed a lot more brutal in this remake than in previous "Halloween" films--like a juggernaut of sorts. Rating: 5
    Watched movie: "Balls of Fury" (2007)
    Pretty funny movie despite certain un-funny characters in it (like Christopher Walken and Diedrich Bader). Dan Fogler and James Hong cracked me up the most. Also, props to the neat ping pong effects. Rating: 7
    Five years later...
    08/29/07 2:38 PM PDT

    After a month of counting down to the fifth anniversary of my blog, we've finally reached my #1 pick for best and worst experience! Based on some interesting guesses that I heard, I suspect that some people thought that I'd just pick the events that made me the most happy and sad. Although these transitory feelings factored in, my criteria actually extended into a deeper internal truth: a) what event ultimately made me a worse person; b) what event ultimately made me a better person.

    Drum roll...

    #1 worst event that happened to Steve 2002-2007: Fender bender (2003)

    You're probably wondering: of all the negative experiences that happened to me over the last five years, why on earth would a non-traumatic fender bender top them all? After all, it made me a safer driver (no traffic accidents or tickets since), my auto insurance eventually returned to normal, it dented a car that I no longer own, and to my recollection I never stewed in the shower over it. So bygones be bygones, right? Wrong. Believe it or not, that fender bender irrevocably damaged my faith in human nature. It taught me that seemingly decent citizens can backstab you. It showed me that by accepting responsibility for my actions, I merely invited vultures to take advantage of me.

    First of all, let me put this fender bender in context. I wasn't talking on a cell phone or doing anything to distract myself. I even looked both ways when I began the right turn. The accident occurred because I realized too late that the car in front of me had decided to loiter in the right-turn lane--with nothing but open road ahead of her. But I owned up to my mistake. I kept it civil and didn't blame her for anything. She even accepted my apology. So later on's when the molehill became a mountain: she decided to file a whiplash claim against me on the last eligible day. It stripped me of my "California Good Driver" status for the next three years (even though I never hospitalized anyone, the accident still counted as an "injury"), and skyrocketed my auto insurance beyond belief.

    What kind of slime would lie about whiplash? "Maybe she really had whiplash," suggested the devil's advocates. Right. I hit her car at 5 MPH; she showed no trace of pain when I talked to her; then suddenly developed whiplash weeks later on the last eligible day. Well, I tell you what. You know those drivers that flee the scene of an accident? I don't blame them so much now--I understand why they do it. Because it's not like our litigious society would reward them for owning up; our society's more likely to punish and stigmatize them.

    Sooo...to recap why this bad experience topped all the rest:

    Crap like this that makes me guarded and cynical. On that note, let me move on to the best of 2002-2007. :)

    #1 best event that happened to Steve 2002-2007: Watching Ohno win the 500M gold medal (2006)

    Before you protest, "Hey Steven, what gives! Your #1 best event happened to somebody else," let me explain the context behind this controversial pick.

    I don't inspire easily. I've felt cynical for most of my life. I rarely idolize celebrities or politicians. I don't root for any sports teams. Heck, I've rarely even felt happy for more than a day. Ohno's gold medal victory changed that. Not only did the excitement make me uncharacteristically hop up and down on my bed, I think I smiled for three days straight afterward. :)

    In general, I consider Apolo Anton Ohno a role model--not just because of our similar backgrounds, but because I admire his work ethic, attitude, and unprecedented popularity with the ladies. :) I also felt like he got a lot of bum deals when I first started following his career in the 2002 Olympic Winter Games. First, critics accused him of helping out best friend Shani Davis in the qualifiers (basically accusing him of being a good friend). Second, he narrowly missed a gold medal in the 1000M because someone tripped him. Third, Koreans tainted his 1500M win-by-disqualification by disputing the referee's call and even threatening Ohno afterward (almost like an entire country hated him). Fourth, he got disqualified in the 500M. Finally, a teammate slipped in the relay race before Ohno could finish it out. So the 2002 Olympic Winter Games left me dissatisfied because I never got to see Ohno cross the finish line first.

    Then in the 2006 Olympic Winter Games, Ohno's odds for victory looked even more bleak. He slipped into last place in a 1500M qualifier. The Korean skaters easily outraced him in the 1000M. And he narrowly qualified for the 500M final--his worst race--whereas his Korean rival breezed through the qualifying rounds. I pretty much eliminated Ohno from gold medal contention by that point. :)

    Imagine my surprise when after two nerve-wracking false starts, Ohno burst from the starting line into the lead position. Never saw that before, I thought. A couple of laps later, still in the lead with no skater able to pass him (not even his Korean rival). Never saw that before either, I thought. Actually, correction--I think by that point I was cheering and hopping on the bed.

    Then when he crossed the finish line first, his stone-cold game face turned into unbridled elation--much like mine. For lack of a better term, I'd call that victory "miraculous". He managed to accomplish something that I likely never will: a monumental victory against impossible odds. The kind of victory you only see in contrived Hollywood movies.

    So getting back to my original point: I'm pretty cynical and don't inspire easily. But that weekend, I'd go so far as to say that Ohno's gold medal victory made me believe in dreams again. :)

    #1 favorite and least favorite movie of 2002-2007
    08/26/07 10:58 PM PDT

    The blog entries for my top picks grew long enough to where I decided to announce my #1 movies now and then my #1 events on Wednesday.

    So without further ado...

    #1 least favorite movie of 2002-2007: "Jackass: The Movie" (2002)

    One of my earlier blogs leaked a big clue about my least favorite movie of 2002-2007. The blog entry said that if I could erase any memory from my brain, that I wouldn't mind picking the paper cut scene in "Jackass". Well, that's because the movie actually gave me a new phobia about paper cuts--or more accurately, a new neurosis. Nowadays I cringe at the thought of paper cuts. When I'm driving and my mind wanders to that scene, I squirm in my seat.

    So never mind the fact that I found "Jackass: The Movie" completely tasteless and devoid of any redeeming value. I additionally cannot forgive the Jackass cast for subjecting me to such a horribly traumatic scene.

    #1 favorite movie of 2002-2007: "United 93" (2006)

    Probably no surprise at all to most people that "United 93" topped my countdown. In fact, I would go so far as to call "United 93" the most profound and thrilling disaster movie of all time.

    "United 93" starred no big actors. It dumbed nothing down. It developed no characters (no one in the plane addressed each other by name). It contrived no gunfights, car chases, kung fu duels, or catch phrases. It used no Hollywood formulas that I could recognize. It didn't sensationalize one side over the other--for example, I saw no attempt to hide any of America's inept countermeasures. In summary, the whole movie felt genuinely real.

    Although one could argue that the plot of "United 93" wrote itself, I give Paul Greengrass all the credit in the world for risking his reputation on such a sensitive subject matter. After all, critics and audiences could have easily condemned him for misrepresenting or disrespecting 9/11. I particularly liked the documentary aspect of "United 93", which chronicled the "behind-the-scenes" timelines of 9/11. In addition to the United 93 passengers, the movie dramatized other unique situations such as air traffic controllers racing to problem-solve their rogue planes (not yet connecting the missing ones to the hole in the World Trade Center), FAA agents scrambling around a whiteboard trying to identify suspicious flights, and the Air Force deadlocking over the protocol for shooting down civilian airliners. Side note: I once saw an interesting documentary where 9/11 air traffic controllers recounted how challenging it was to adjust flight paths without knowing any of the hijacked planes' altitudes.

    Finally, forgive me for the bizarre analogy that I'm about to make...since I'm about to compare "United 93" to WrestleMania. Sometimes when a film climaxes into a memorable battle or duel, I call it a WrestleMania film. Examples include "Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith" (Anakin vs. Obi-Wan and Yoda vs. the Emperor), "Dark City", and "Freddy vs. Jason". Well, what better example of a "rock vs. hard place" showdown than the feral, no-holds-barred, gravity-shifting fight to the death that climaxed "United 93"? Even more sobering: the thought that these total strangers fought tooth-and-nail to stop this plane from crashing into our nation's capitol.

    In retrospect, I don't even remember breathing during that intensely emotional scene. So if you're vacillating on whether to watch this film, let me reassure you that it is worth your time.

    Revisit this site on Wednesday, August 29 at 2:38pm PST when I announce my #1 best and #1 worst experience from five years of blog entries!

    #2 favorite and least favorite movie of 2002-2007
    08/24/07 8:08 PM PDT

    The other night when I exited IBM down the outdoors exit ramp, a nasty canine-sounding growl stopped me at the security door. My mind raced: What animal could snarl that ferociously? A dog? A wolf? A bear? I adjusted my eyes toward a medium brown animal, standing upright and glaring at me from just outside of the door. Holy cow, I realized. That ghastly noise came from a raccoon.

    If raccoons make you think of cute little Meeko in "Pocahontas", think again--think more along the lines of "rabid rottweiler".

    As I froze there weighing my options, the bushes rattled and three more coons came out. Outnumbered. Once I realized that they could pass through bushes, I methodically retreated up the ramp. Sure enough, they came crawling out near the spot that I had vacated.

    So that fiendish coon pack blocked the path to my car. I had to circle all the way around from another parking lot exit.

    What do coons feed on, squirrels? I wonder whether IBM's rodent abatement project threw off their ecosystem. Coons, man.

    Top 5 favorite shows from 2002-2007

    Celine Dion - A New Day...
    This Caesars Palace show ends on December 15, 2007, so catch it before it's too late. I described the experience as "Celine Dion singing inside of a holodeck built by Cirque du Soleil". The illusions staged a neat effect where Celine's voice and mood appeared to harness the weather.
    Blue Man Group
    An always entertaining mix of music and performance art. These guys mastered comedic timing so well that just their stares crack me up.
    Riverdance
    Something for everyone in this show. Personally, I consider that "Riverdance vs. tap dance" showdown the best skit ever.
    STOMP
    A marvel of rhythmic choreography. Somehow the performers manage to innovate music from all manner of ordinary objects, including the kitchen sink. I've watched this show three times, and enjoyed it each time.
    Andrea Bocelli
    If you haven't heard Andrea Bocelli sing live, then you haven't truly lived. :)

    #2 least favorite movie of 2002-2007: "Ido" (2007)

    I called this the worst Japanese movie ever, and felt sorely tempted to call it "the worst movie ever".

    The movie basically compared humans to pigs (one scene even showed a human-pig hybrid--WTF??). It contained disturbingly graphic scenes of child abuse and perversion, and tasteless scenes involving vomit and Jack Benny-like humor.

    I actually sat there speculating whether the Virgina Tech gunman wrote this screenplay. Sorry for that blunt hyperbole, but I can think of no better way to characterize my utter disgust over this film.

    #2 favorite movie of 2002-2007: "Ju-On: The Grudge" (2003)

    The scariest movie that I have ever seen. Note that I'm referring to the original rated R Japanese-subtitled version--not the PG-13 Sarah Michelle Gellar remake. Just look at the trailer and you'll notice the difference immediately. :)

    Traditional horror movies tend to give audiences a reprieve--periods of time where you can feel secure knowing that nothing will happen to the characters (yet). For example, in "The Blair Witch Project" I felt safe during the daytime shots since the menace only terrorized them at night. Well, "Ju-On" changed this "safety period" paradigm in that the wide-eyed ghosts actually stalked their victims outside of the haunted area--even into public places and broad daylight. It made me somewhat paranoid afterward. Whenever I worked late at IBM, or looked at my face in the mirror, I could picture those unnerving stares.

    I remember one time my heart stopped at a "Software, Etc." store because I heard a strange thumping noise on the floor--followed by a kid crawling backwards around the corner. If you're wondering why that experience would alarm me, see this movie. :)

    Four scenes in "Ju-On" scared me the most. Two of them I found rather creative. One particular scene terrified me so much that I remember feeling sick to my stomach (the scene where a bloody, significantly distraught Kayako crawled down the stairs toward Rika). But to tell you the truth, even harmless scenes like the creaking chandler unsettled me.

    To my surprise, a couple of colleagues who saw this exact same movie told me that it bored them. So maybe something in my genetic code just unconsciously reacts to Japanese horror. :)

    #3 favorite and least favorite movie of 2002-2007
    08/21/07 5:39 PM PDT

    #2 worst event that happened to Steve 2002-2007: My bridge on the River Kwai

    Because my second worst experience of 2002-2007 spookily paralleled "The Bridge on the River Kwai", I'll use that same metaphor to analogize what frustrated me. In summary, I led a team to build a bridge. I never led a team to build a bridge before, but accepted the risk because I felt so strongly that we needed to close an enormous gap. My leadership style relied on persuasion, mutual respect, and authoritative decision-making.

    After much sweat and tears, the bridge grew into an engineering success. A lot of traffic passed over it; people from all over complimented it (even to this day), and the design inspired other teams to attempt identical bridges.

    Well, the proudest accomplishment of my career turned into the biggest disappointment of my career. An unexpected change in political climate made bridges out-of-style. The powers-that-be decided that we needed more malls than bridges. Needless to say, I felt pretty bitter about the whole ordeal.

    It's not like I wanted to quit or anything. These things happen--plus my ego can take solace in the fact that people still use and admire this bridge. But I definitely lost my sense of humor about office politics. You see, office politics used to amuse me--much like a good "Dilbert" strip or "Office" episode. But now I regard the subject rather warily.

    #2 best event that happened to Steve 2002-2007: LASIK surgery (2003)

    Prior to June 27, 2003, I needed glasses just to read my computer monitor. The coated lenses that I wore since high school began peeling to the point where flaky webs obscured my vision. Colleagues finally persuaded me to buy a new pair, and I splurged on $300+ rimless glasses--which I misplaced soon after. The frustrating loss of such expensive glasses finally drove me to ask my optometrist for laser eye surgery.

    The LASIK surgery changed my life. Now I can see when people wave at me; I can watch movies in a theater; and I can drive at night. Even have a video of the surgery as a memento. :)

    #3 least favorite movie of 2002-2007: "The House of the Dead" (2003)

    Ironically, one of the best trailers that I've ever seen heralded one of the worst movies that I've ever seen. After the awesome trailer, my friend and I couldn't wait to see this movie.

    So the movie started with credits superimposed over scenes from the video game. Cool, we thought. A brief homage to the video game. Ehhh...no. Imagine our chagrin when the director spliced in those video game scenes throughout the live action as well. Yeah, I couldn't believe it either. Also, imagine our chagrin when characters died in the same revolving fashion as in the video game (minus the words "GAME OVER"). Not to mention that the "hot rave" on this remote island was hosted by Sega. Basically, the movie seemed more like an infomercial for the video game--but even as an infomercial for the video game, I'd still call this crap a complete disgrace.

    By the way, Uwe Boll directed it. His movies likely would've monopolized my countdown had I not resolved to avoid anything that he directed after "Alone in the Dark". :)

    #3 favorite movie of 2002-2007: "Shaolin Soccer" (2003)

    Another hilarious "American Dream" type comedy. I tend to like these "American Dream" stories because I firmly believe that starting and the bottom and working your way up builds character. For example, I remember finding that series "The Practice" more absorbing when the lawyers struggled to pay the bills. Similarly, I felt that economic troubles made Peter Parker and Mary Jane more interesting in "Spider-Man 2".

    In "Shaolin Soccer", a broke martial artist aspires to make money by teaching practical applications for Matrix-like kung fu. No one takes him seriously, of course, until a washed-up coach discovers what the artist can do with a soccer ball. This leads them to form a soccer team where each player sports a signature kung fu move.

    I can't remember the last time that I laughed so hard during a movie. The gags just kept on coming. For example, in one wacky scene the soccer ball spun so hard that all of the opposing players flew into the net with it.

    I also felt that "Shaolin Soccer" mastered a concept that for lack of a better term, I refer to as an "escalation of violence" (albeit cartoonish violence). In pro-wrestling, you save the best stunt for last so as not to raise the audience's expectations too early. For example, a wrestler would smack someone with a traffic sign and then gradually build up to a flaming table as the grand finale. The kung fu in "Shaolin Soccer" escalated in a similar way. The surprises started modestly, incremented just enough to keep me impressed, and finally finished climactically.

    #4 favorite and least favorite movie of 2002-2007
    08/19/07 7:38 PM PDT

    I broke a personal record on Friday: I watched "Sunshine" in a theater for the fifth time. It's almost like I get a rush from it--like one of those sunlight addicts in the movie. :) I guess the word that I'm searching for is "passion". That's the feeling I get when these characters vent their convictions, sacrifice their bodies, and "scream at the sky" in the name of humanity. One scene that I find curiously inspirational: the part where Capa bangs his head against his helmet, trying to will himself to stand. The music and directing definitely contributed to the emotion. A shame, really. If Danny Boyle had just changed two flaws in this movie, I probably would've rated it a 10 by now. :)

    "Wicker Park" held my previous record for repeat viewings. I saw "Wicker Park" in a theater three times. Funny how that movie also starred Rose Byrne. Coincidence?

    Update 8/24/2007: Make that six times. Starting to turn into a weekly ritual where instead of seeing a new movie, I enjoy "Sunshine" again with a hot cup of tea. I tired of certain parts but really like re-watching the following scenes:

    Watched movie: "The Invasion" (2007)
    (Minor spoiler alert) A refreshingly contemporary remake of "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" wherein the "pod people" actually resolve some of our current events, e.g., the Iraq War and North Korean disarmament. I guess the director wanted to make the pod people more appealing because instead of replacing humans with clones, the alien invasion simply infected their minds (meaning that a vaccine could return people back to normal).

    Interestingly, the humans had some modern conveniences to fight the invasion with, e.g., prescription drugs, Mountain Dew, cell phones, and the Internet. For example, Nicole Kidmans' Google searches yielded a lot of helpful hits. She should have checked Wikipedia too. :) Funny how despite all of the resources at her disposal, she still knocked on people's car windows screaming for help--I guess every Body Snatchers movie needs this obligatory traffic scene. :)

    The pod peoples' behaviors actually struck me as inconsistent (how's that for an oxymoron). When humans outnumbered them, it made sense to me that they feigned normalcy, spiked drinks, and staged a quarantine. When they outnumbered humans, it made sense to me that they sprinted and vomited at them a la "28 Days Later". But it made no sense to me when on three separate occasions, they politely reasoned with Nicole Kidman to join them instead of just swarming over her.

    Also, I hate that confusing direction technique where the clips keep toggling between a present and future scene. I remember "Homicide: Life on the Street" used to do that. Rating: 6

    Top 5 favorite travel spots from 2002-2007

    Bryce Canyon National Park
    A vivid nature preserve in Utah where you can gaze upon such curiosities as hoodoos (disproportionate rock pinnacles). Much less boring than Yosemite or the Grand Canyon, IMHO. :) If you wait long enough, maybe you can catch Wile E. Coyote chasing the Road Runner. By the way--if you hike along the trails, take care not to fall in the mud or plummet to your doom. :)
    Badlands National Park
    If Hell froze over and then the ice melted, the landscape would probably resemble this ugly, ugly mountain range. The earth looks wrinkled, ravaged, and disfigured. Eerily quiet too; an almost deafening silence. Worth passing through if you're driving through South Dakota. Free admission!
    San Antonio Riverwalk
    Instead of the Alamo. explore this idyllic marvel downstairs from the ordinary streets of San Antonio. The scenery resembles Venice or some kind of "Lord of the Rings" village: a winding, greenish canal flanked by shops, foliage, and artistic landscapes.
    Winchester Mystery House
    A tourist attraction right here in San Jose. The only place where you can see stairs ascending into the ceiling, slim steps for arthritic legs, and doors that open to walls and second story drops. Much more interesting than Hearst Castle, IMHO. :) Rather than reserving the overcrowded flashlight tour, I'd recommend visiting Winchester Mystery House in the daytime so that you can admire the bizarre interior design better. Don't forget a refreshing slush puppie from the courtyard cafe.
    Flight 93 National Memorial
    An inspirational memorial in Pennsylvania where you can pay your respects to the ordinary citizens that saved our nation's capitol. A rather unique spot in that you cannot easily reach it from any airports, highways, or hotels--kind of an adventure trying to find it. One request: if you take photos here, please don't pose in them with a big smile. :)

    #4 least favorite movie of 2002-2007: "Irréversible" (2003)

    Possibly the most nauseating movie ever--the only movie that I ever considered walking out of. I regretted scoffing at the cashier's warning sign about the graphic violence. In retrospect, the sign should have instead forewarned us about the depraved, ten-minute sexual assault because I probably would have heeded a warning like that. Audience members walked out of this movie in droves. Hard to believe that it only ranked #4 on my list...it means that I actually found three movies worse than this one! But I'll give the director credit for making his point about violence (similar to Cronenberg's point in "A History of Violence"). He intentionally wanted to sicken the audience and make us feel helpless--and he succeeded. How horrific to show a bystander ignoring Monica Bellucci's cries for help. I'd like to think that this movie at least made me a better samaritan.

    #4 favorite movie of 2002-2007: "Ratatouille" (2007)

    My favorite Pixar movie of all time (and arguably, the most poignant). Through the magic of director Brad Bird, this film moved me in a few different ways:

  • It helped me understand why people enjoy fine food--an appreciation that I personally lack.
  • Remy's passion for cooking inspired me as well (not to cook, of course--but to follow one's dream).
  • I admired Remy's recoveries from setbacks and human prejudice.
  • I found the Grinch/"Christmas Carol" climax touching.

    • The human prejudice in the film runs pretty deep--especially when the rats congregated together. :) Although I laughed about it (I could picture my colleagues and I reacting the same way to the sight of rats), I also appreciated the deeper meaning behind Remy's crusade. He wanted to prove that "anyone can cook"--even if it meant challenging society's deep-seated beliefs.

    Oh yeah, and the rats harbored strong convictions against us humans as well. Guess they took our mousetraps and rat poisons personally. :) So talk about divided loyalties for Remy.

    #5 favorite and least favorite movie of 2002-2007
    08/15/07 10:16 PM PDT

    #4 worst event that happened to Steve 2002-2007: Airline frustrations (2006)

    I seriously believe that airlines make gas stations look like amateurs. My advice to you: if you ever book a flight, always buy the cancellation waiver. Otherwise, you stand to lose $50 plus fees for every flight that you cancel!

    So after cancelling a flight to Minnesota in 2006, I took a big loss from applying the credits toward another flight. To recap:

    Of course, the highway robbery didn't end there. On the week of August 8, 2006, I stood to lose hundreds of dollars instead of just $30 because applying the Minnesota airline credits exempted me from a cancellation waiver. Hulk Hogan had hurt his knee, and that jeopardized the SummerSlam trip. Thankfully, he made the commitment and everything ended semi-happily. But the stress over this situation tormented me for many days.

    #3 best event that happened to Steve 2002-2007: Career spike (2003)

    If I had to pinpoint where my career gained momentum at IBM, I'd pick the end of 2002 when I unexpectedly received my first outstanding appraisal. That kicked off a period where I received my best raises and awards, including a promotion to staff.

    #5 least favorite movie of 2002-2007: "Alone in the Dark" (2005)

    One of the worst video game adaptations ever--an unintelligible disgrace to H.P. Lovecraft and to one of my favorite video games growing up. Interestingly, at the time I didn't even know that Uwe Boll directed it. When I found out, I resolved never to watch a Uwe Boll film again. This guy turns gold into lead. No, wait--this guy turns gold into manure.

    #5 favorite movie of 2002-2007: "Spirited Away" (2002)

    In my view, Hayao Miyazaki's "Spirited Away" represents the best of Japanese animation. Granted, a lot of animated movies showcase rich, amazing art--but when it comes to fine detail, Miyazaki breaks from the pack. For instance, I had to rewind the movie a lot to admire all of the amusing hijinks, such as the mouse enjoying a snack and the No Face eating a slice of cake.

    The most important detail surfaced in Sen's expressions. I could tell whenever she felt fascinated, depressed, or bewildered. I could tell that she felt frightened and homesick in this strange land. So I felt happy for her whenever she befriended a new ally or rose in status. I genuinely wanted her to succeed and reunite with her parents. Dorothy and Alice, on the other hand, struck me as stiffs. :) In "The Wizard of Oz" and "Alice in Wonderland", I never felt like they convincingly reacted to the perils and curiosities around them.

    Another important detail appeared in the dramatic timing. Hollywood movies tend to overlook this by jumping from scene to scene without giving the audience enough time to absorb the experience. "Spirited Away", for example, featured a great unspoken scene between Sen and a bipedal elephant creature. These two vastly different characters just waited in an elevator, staring at each other sideways. I grinned to myself and thought, "how true".

    #6 favorite and least favorite movie of 2002-2007
    08/13/07 6:52 PM PDT

    Top 10 favorite photographs of 2002-2007

    10. My friends and I in "South Park" clothes at the Rockefeller Center in Manhattan, 1/20/2004

    9. A particularly beautiful day for our road trip as we ventured through Wyoming toward the Rocky Mountains, 4/6/2006

    8. The Badlands in South Dakota; like hades without the fire, 4/4/2006

    7. Me and Bruce Campbell at his book signing & movie screening in Campbell; I don't understand his pose, 6/13/2005

    6. My favorite group photo; we look like the original Blue Man Group, 3/31/2003

    5. Hulk Hogan, the ultimate sports entertainer, pumping up the crowd at Raw Backlash 2005, 5/1/2005

    4. Managed to photograph Apolo Anton Ohno during his trademarked yawn, 2/25/2007

    3. Finale of the Tables, Ladders and Chairs Match at Raw Unforgiven 2006; I consider this my best WWE action photograph, 9/17/2006

    2. Despite the blurriness, I can brag that I met Julianne Hogue before she and Ohno skyrocketed into Dancing With the Stars stardom, 2/22/2007

    1. Behold one of the rare celebrity photos that I actually like. We don't look blurry or grainy ("Phantasm" directory Don Coscarelli took the picture for us), and I actually look happy. Even Angus Scrimm (the sinister Tall Man in the "Phantasm" movies) smiled. Wonder if the Tall Man could use a protégé. :) 8/3/2002

    #6 least favorite movie of 2002-2007: "Stay Alive" (2006)

    I remember finding this movie so awful that I wrote the stupidities in it before it even finished. Rather than re-list them, just refer to my original review.

    #6 favorite movie of 2002-2007: "The Matrix Reloaded" (2003)

    The coolest action movie of all time until I see something better. A visually mind-blowing masterpiece that epitomizes what I mean by "matrix fu". Some people might tire of watching Neo mindlessly combat the swarm of Mr. Smiths, but not me. :) Nor do I ever tire of that thrilling highway chase.

    Too bad that the Matrix trilogy didn't end here. :)

    Watched movie: "Rush Hour 3" (2007)
    Too corny and sophomoric for my taste. I don't remember "Rush Hour 2" making me cringe this badly. Also wished that they just stuck to comedy instead of these lame attempts at serious drama. Rating: 4

    P.S. After seeing "Sunshine" again, I raised my rating to a 9 (and appended three other observations to my original review).

    #7 favorite and least favorite movie of 2002-2007
    08/09/07 6:15 PM PDT

    #5 worst event that happened to Steve 2002-2007: The eBay feud (2006)

    This nasty feud single-handedly disillusioned me to eBay. Even though we mutually withdrew our negative feedbacks, my usage of eBay dramatically tapered down to zero as a result. Furthermore, I'm sure it will stay that way until eBay enforces a policy against retaliatory negative feedback. As it stands now, if you leave negative feedback about someone who cheated you, then they can turn around and vandalize your feedback record with impunity. In my case, it ruined my 100+ perfect feedback rating.

    My anger over this deadbeat bidder basically resembled "road rage". Hard to stay diplomatic when the person who cheated you keeps lying to you and slandering you. The escalating feud actually dragged on for several days, which you can read about in my blog. In retrospect, I did personalize the feud and deliberately bypassed chances to take the higher road. But you know what--if I had to do it all over again, I wouldn't change a thing. :) So I pretty much learned nothing from this experience except that those who use eBay use it at their own risk.

    #4 best event that happened to Steve 2002-2007: New car (2003)

    On September 21, 2003, I bought my first new car: a Toyota Corolla 2004 (silver 4-door LE sedan). At the time, the purchase only ranked third in my "best of 2003" list. Since then, roughly four years and 90,000 miles have passed. Unlike my previous used Corolla, this one has never seen an accident, traffic ticket, or car trouble. The main malfunctions thus far:

    So #3 in my best of 2002-2007 list: my ownership of a predominantly problem-free car.

    #7 least favorite movie of 2002-2007: "House of 1000 Corpses" (2003)

    Not sure why anyone would like this irritating, brain-cell killing movie. Not only did I find it distastefully obscene, it literally hurt my head. Just skip to its sequel, "The Devil's Rejects".

    #7 favorite movie of 2002-2007: "Wicker Park" (2004)

    When I think of heartache, I think "Wicker Park". In my humble opinion, no other movie captures that gut-wrenching feeling better. Personally, I don't see love as a fairy tale where Mr. Perfect marries Miss Perfect and they live happily ever after. I see love more like a "progression of misfires" wherein feelings mismatch and people miscommunicate. Not to say that we all can't find that right someone. I'm just saying that it comes with a price: work, sacrifice, torment, and risk. :) And in the case of this movie, collateral damage.

    Anyway, I remember walking into "Wicker Park" expecting a real downer. The trailer suggested to me that some psycho probably murdered Josh Hartnett's girlfriend and took her place. So imagine my surprise when one scene showed Diane Kruger, his long-lost love, alive and well. Pretty much none of my predictions came true during this movie.

    The mystery in "Wicker Park" gradually unfolds through flashbacks, with each flashback filling in a new piece to the puzzle. First, the plot introduces us to Josh Hartnett's character, an up-and-coming ad executive in Chicago. His life looks destined for greatness: a promising career and a nice fiancé. But then out of nowhere, he overhears the voice of a long-lost love (Diane Kruger) and jeopardizes everything to look for her. Enter Rose Byrne, a woman by the same name ("Lisa") whom Josh Hartnett initially mistakes for Diane Kruger. Rose Byrne seems normal enough until you see her first flashback. After that first flashback, I remember thinking: what the heck is going on.

    By the way, I felt that Rose Byrne played this role perfectly. Her expressions: priceless. As a result, it made her one of my favorite actresses. Although she and Diane Kruger co-starred in "Troy", I only remembered them subconsciously. Side note: You have to appreciate the irony of that coincidence--in "Troy", Rose Byrne ended up with Brad Pitt and Diane Kruger ended up with a cowardly Orlando Bloom.

    Anyway, I've heard "Wicker Park" called a suspense thriller. I reason that the suspense comes from Josh Hartnett throwing his life away for such a longshot obsession--basically a girl whom he might never find who might not even deserve his affection. I kept thinking, Dang it fool, she better be worth it. I've also heard "Wicker Park" described as Hitchockian, and that's probably in reference to "Vertigo".

    So I would've ranked "Wicker Park" higher on my list, except that it remade a 1996 French movie titled "L'Appartement" pretty closely. Normally I frown at remakes--but fortunately I hated that original French version. I felt that "Wicker Park" showcased much better acting, plot choices, and music. I even own both "Wicker Park" soundtracks and still listen to certain tracks occasionally.

    "Wicker Park" also inspired me to visit the real-life park in Chicago. I didn't see the spot where Matthew waited for Lisa though. :)

    #8 favorite and least favorite movie of 2002-2007
    08/07/07 6:56 PM PDT

    Top 10 favorite screenshots of 2002-2007

    10. ECW One Night Stand 2006

    9. WWE Royal Rumble 2007

    8. ECW December to Dismember 2006

    7. WWE SummerSlam 2006, brother

    6. SmackDown! The Great American Bash 2006; this image appears a lot in WWE commercials

    5. Dancing With the Stars season premiere, 3/19/2007

    4. Raw Backlash 2005

    3. ECW One Night Stand 2006

    2. NBC Today Show, 1/22/2004

    1. During the opening shots on the ECW One Night Stand 2006 DVD, you can spot me chanting "E-C-Dub!" with the crowd. I felt immortalized on what I consider the last best show of the ECW brand.

    #8 least favorite movie of 2002-2007: "The Fog" (2005)

    Didn't understand the pirates' powers in this film, and didn't care. You know, I used to find fog scary until this movie.

    #8 favorite movie of 2002-2007: "Napoleon Dynamite" (2004)

    One word for this friggin' sweet comedy: ge-ni-us.

    I think that in order to appreciate Napoleon Dynamite, you have to contrast his candor with our everyday social courtesies. How many times have we acted phony because we wanted to impress or persuade someone, spare their feelings, or avoid making waves? How many times have we held back what we really wanted to say? This is why Napoleon Dynamite amuses me so much: he keeps it real.

    The best example of this contrast occurred during a scene where Napoleon's Uncle Rico showed he and his brother Kip an amateur football video:

    Uncle Rico: "So, what do you think?"
    Kip: "It's pretty cool, I guess."
    Napoleon Dynamite: "This is pretty much the worst video ever made."

    Too funny, man. I could recite Napoleon Dynamite lines all day.

    I also appreciated the underdog theme of this flick. I remember it came out when such comedies began resurging, e.g. "Shrek" and "Monk". In "Napoleon Dynamite", Napoleon and his friends stood up to snobbish popular kids and a class bully--eventually culminating into Napoleon's "big moment" where his self-taught dance skills saved Pedro's campaign.

    #9 favorite and least favorite movie of 2002-2007
    08/05/07 11:14 PM PDT

    I decided to list my #3 worst experience before my #5 and #4 worst experiences because my #5 best experience corresponds.

    #3 worst event that happened to Steve 2002-2007: Missing WrestleMania 21 (2005)

    I partially blame myself for this one because I ignored all of the red flags in my head. After all, originally-priced front row tickets and backstage passes to WrestleMania seemed too good to be true...and it was. WWE rescinded the tickets because a basketball player scalped them. In all honesty, I didn't really mind driving to Los Angeles and missing the event. Ok, so maybe I missed my only chance to see Akebono sumo-wrestle--but I could live with that. However, the days that followed infuriated me.

    My first shock occurred when I checked the results of WrestleMania 21, and saw this photo (I felt like the guy on the other end of that boot). If Hulk Hogan had retired after that, then I would've regretted it for the rest of my life. Fortunately, I got to see him about a month later in a much more entertaining match.

    The other irritation developed when the seller kept lying about refunding my $1624. Despite my threats of legal action, I began to resign myself to the likelihood that I'd never see that money again. The lack of closure on it made me stew in the shower for at least 40 days. I even considered filing a small claims lawsuit in Oregon.

    To my surprise, I eventually received a refund check in the mail. Turned out that one of my formal complaints actually bore fruit; in a July letter, the Oregon Dept. of Justice (Civil Enforcement Division) notified me that they pressured the seller to refund my money.

    So all in all, this terrible experience only ranked #3 on my list because a) it had a happy ending, b) it didn't blindside me as I suspected "too good to be true" from the start, and c) it happened in L.A. instead of somewhere out-of-state where I would've lost beaucoup bucks on a flight fare.

    #5 best event that happened to Steve 2002-2007: Unexpectedly receiving the WrestleMania 21 refund (2005)

    This moment freed me from 40 days of suffering. Needless to say, I deposited that check immediately. :)

    #9 least favorite movie of 2002-2007: "Running Scared" (2006)

    Three thoughts ran through my mind during this overdone, ridiculous film: a) "where's child services when you need them", b) "please sedate these people", and c) "I will never watch a Paul Walker movie again".

    #9 favorite movie of 2002-2007: "Brokeback Mountain" (2005)

    In my experience, people either favor "Brokeback Mountain" or "Crash". I remember debating these movies at work during the Academy Awards race. Half of us liked "Brokeback Mountain" better; half of us liked "Crash" better. Frankly, it disappointed me that "Crash" won the Oscar. For me, "Crash" just retreaded the same racial issues that I've seen over and over again--to the point where I'd hardly call this movie groundbreaking. "Brokeback Mountain", on the other hand, opened my eyes to an issue that I've never seen before: the torment of those who repress homosexuality their whole life because of the prejudice against it. And man, talk about socially relevant. That prejudice still exists today. Just when I thought America progressed on civil rights, I heard about Bush's idea to amend the Constitution against gay marriage.

    But enough politics. :) For me, the emotion of this movie came from all of the dramatic confrontations that happened in the cowboys' later years--that's when the true extent of their suffering unfolded. The two Thanksgiving dinner fights exemplified this best in that they showed: a) Heath Ledger's shame and paranoia about getting outed, and b) the lack of respect from Jake Gyllenhaal's in-laws. Also, I felt that the argument at the end perfectly epitomized the underlying conflict between the two cowboys' ideologies.

    The Heath Ledger character struck me as particularly tragic because during his later years, you can see how a lifetime of self-imposed discipline basically crippled his life. Hence, I think that people tend to overlook the significance of that last scene. When he agreed to walk his daughter down the aisle, I felt that it showed his overdue effort to become a better, less guarded person.

    So all in all, if the subject matter bothers you, then at least fast-forward to the dramatic poignancy of the cowboys' later years. :)

    #10 favorite and least favorite movie of 2002-2007
    08/02/07 6:46 PM PDT

    To commemorate the fifth year anniversary of my blog on August 29, I'm going to count down my favorites and least favorites of 2002-2007 throughout the month of August (starting with songs, below). Revisit this blog on August 29 when I announce the #1 movies and experiences.

    Favorite songs of 2002-2007 Least favorite songs of 2002-2007
    1. "Room of Angel" Akira Yamaoka (2007)
    2. "Bring Me to Life" Evanescence (2003)
    3. "The Reason" Hoobastank (2004)
    4. "Here (In Your Arms)" hellogoodbye (2006)
    5. "Lucky" Lucky Twice (2006)
    6. "Unwritten" Natasha Bedingfield (2005)
    7. "One Word" Kelly Osbourne (2005)
    8. "Can't Get You Out of My Head" Kylie Minogue (2002)
    9. "Boomerang" Cirrus (2002)
    10. "Running" No Doubt (2003)
    Honorable mentions: "White Houses" Vanessa Carlton (2004) and "Forbidden Love" Madonna (2005)
    1. "Good Times (I Get High)" Styles (2002)
    2. "Oh Boy" Cam'ron featuring Juelz Santana (2002)
    3. "Your Body" Pretty Ricky (2005)
    4. "On The Hotline" Pretty Ricky (2006)
    5. "Oops (Oh My)" Tweety (2002)
    6. "1 Thing" Amerie (2005)
    7. "Boyz" M.I.A. (2007)
    8. "Let Me Hold You" Bow Wow featuring Omarian (2005)
    9. "Say I" Christinia Milian f/ Young Jeezy (2006)
    10. "My Boo" Usher and Alicia Keys (2004)

    #10 least favorite movie of 2002-2007: "Freedomland" (2006)

    You'd have to give me a lobotomy before I'd watch this movie again. Whenever I think "painfully lame", I think of the mind-numbing discourses between Samuel L. Jackson and Julianne Moore.

    #10 favorite movie of 2002-2007: "Spider-Man 2" (2004)

    I really had a tough time picking my tenth favorite movie of 2002-2007. In the end, I finally decided on "Spider-Man 2".

    In retrospect, I could compare "Spider-Man 2" to "The Pursuit of Happyness" because thanks to Spider-Man, Peter Parker just couldn't catch a break: broke, unable to hold a job, smeared in the press, failing school, hated by his best friend, and a disappointment to Mary Jane. To top it off--on a night where all of Peter's frustrations came to a head--he couldn't even grab a single hors d’œuvre. I think one of his reflections stated it best: "Am I not supposed to have what I want?"

    That's the beauty of a comic book movie if you do it right--you can reinvent all of the serial's best storylines regardless of when they happened chronologically. You can also remake the stories that the comic book squandered, i.e., Spider-Man's ruination of Peter's social life, Peter's desire to give up Spider-Man, and the discoveries of Spider-Man's secret identity (in the comic book, Mary Jane and Harry Osborn discovered Spider-Man's identity in very anticlimactic ways). Come to think of it, I don't even remember Peter courting Mary Jane in the comic book.

    Sam Raimi definitely filmed this movie right. In my view, he managed to build all of these powerful emotions into two big payoffs: a) Peter inspiring Dr. Octopus to die as a hero, and b) Mary Jane relieving Peter from the burden of his secret identity (to my admiration, telling Peter off that she can decide for herself). To quote Mary Jane's line to Peter: "Isn't it about time somebody saved your life?" Side note: I wish she stayed that supportive of him in "Spider-Man 3". :)

    New REM activity
    08/01/07 1:34 PM PDT

    For some reason, my REM activity spiked in the last past four days: all nightmares. The nightmares varied between new and "classic":

    "I know it when I see it"
    07/29/07 6:18 PM PDT

    I finally found the soundtrack song that themed "28 Weeks Later", resembled the "Sunshine" music, and intensified the "Death Sentence" trailer. John Murphy originally composed it for "28 Days Later". It's called "In the House - In a Heartbeat" (check it out on iTunes). Recently, I've been listening to it on continuous play. :)

    Speaking of music, I tabulated the latest top 30 music videos for 1H 2007. A lot of ranking contrasts on this one.

    It amuses me whenever MTV censors a rap video so much that it chops up most of the lyrics. It piqued my curiosity even more when MTV censored an entire lyric out of that gentle-sounding song, "Beautiful Girls" by Sean Kingston. So I looked it up. :) Here's what they redacted:

    "You're way too beautiful girl
    That's why it'll never work
    You'll have me suicidal, suicidal
    When you say it's over"

    I can't help thinking that the Benoit tragedy had something to do with it.

    Watched movie: "The Simpsons Movie" (2007)
    A pinnacle for eighteen years of irreverent Simpsons comedy. Despite my distaste for slapstick, crude humor, or Albert Brooks, this movie's fifteen or so writers crammed in such a broad smorgasbord of gags that I couldn't help but laugh repeatedly. Mmmm...smorgasbord. The movie also threw in a couple of "very special episode" type plots which the series touched upon occasionally. Side note: Weird that when I describe this movie to co-workers, I always end up fixating on the two vulgar scenes that really pushed the PG-13 rating. Side note #2: Minor jokes occurred during and after the credits. Rating: 7
    Watched movie: "I Know Who Killed Me" (2007)
    Tastelessly cruel. So sad to see a former Disney sweetheart strip-dancing, having recreational sex, and getting tortured. Also didn't think much for the movie's mystery. Like a cross between a bad X-Files episode and a bad De Palma movie. I'll at least give the movie credit for shocking me, as I never expected the killer to disfigure Lindsay Lohan in such a gruesome way. The mutilation of her fingers still haunts me. My only other compliment of this movie: its San Luis Obispo filming locations, including one scene outside of the historic Fremont Theater. Hopefully jail and rehab will reform Lindsay Lohan from making this kind of movie again. Rating: 3
    Cloudy with a chance of sun
    07/24/07 12:57 PM PDT

    Last week, I found it amusing that a colleague called me cynical for suggesting that his girlfriend might have tested his affection. Haha, my cynicism about love could fill a regular news column. For example, I once called it a progression of misfires (more on that in a future blog entry). I also challenged the probability of ever meeting one's soul mate within a human lifetime.

    Well, look on the bright side: such cynicism gives us the luxury of minimizing disappointments and maximizing pleasant surprises. :)

    Recently, I toyed with the idea of reading "Half-Blood Prince" and "Deathly Hallows" to avoid any more Harry Potter spoilers. Before watching "Order of the Phoenix", I accidentally read a big spoiler. Additionally, some dumb movie theater nerds spoiled a plot development in "Half-Blood Prince" before I managed to plug my ears. It got to the point where I had to dash around my car because a Harry Potter commercial aired on the gas pump monitor.

    Caution: Minor spoilers follow

    Watched movie: "Evan Almighty" (2007)
    Pretty mild for a premise based on such a cataclysmic biblical event. I liked the movie but expected more from it--specifically:
    • A more epic, destructive flood a la "The Day After Tomorrow". I liked the flood in "Evan Almighty", but the PG rating tamed it I think. I didn't think "Woah!" or anything. I guess the director wanted to stick with the same benevolent God from "Bruce Almighty" rather than some wrathful deity.
    • More grandstanding from Evan. You know, kind of like when Gandalf boomed "You shall not pass!" to the Balrog. Instead, that Evan acted more like a mental patient than a leader. Also would've been cool for Morgan Freeman to bestow some supernatural powers on Evan.
    • Deeper truths instead of all that cheap comedy. I actually found "Bruce Almighty" rather profound. This movie--not so much. When Morgan Freeman spelled out the moral of the story, I rolled my eyes.
    Rating: 6
    Watched movie: "Sunshine" (2007)
    When I drive all the way to San Francisco to watch a movie, that shows how eager I am to see it. This one particularly excited me because: a) the trailer rocked; b) I felt starved for a good spaceship quest; and c) Danny Boyle directed it (in retrospect, it definitely showcased his style). All in all, I enjoyed the movie despite certain frustrations with it. For instance:
    • I could not reconcile the crew's pecking order. That took the fun out of me guessing the crew's specialties and importances. Why did Mace volunteer their least expendable crew member for that dangerous repair mission--and why did the Captain volunteer himself? Also, how shortsighted to staff only one payload specialist for a mission that relied so heavily on a payload specialist.
    • I felt like the movie deflated after Kaneda's awesomely enthralling death.
    • I found it unforgiveable for Capa to confront their saboteur alone without notifying anyone. Also disliked the saboteur's camera effects.
    Now for what I liked about the film:
    • The unique spaceship design--all premised on the concept of "shade" because one ray of sunlight could incinerate them.
    • The great cast--I found everyone likeable except for one guy. You know, I finally pinpointed what fascinates me about Rose Byrne: her spellbinding frown. Unlike actresses who charm me with their smile, Rose Byrne actually charms me with her sour expressions. So if you ever happen to catch "Troy" or "Wicker Park", watch Rose Byrne's face. :)
    • The intriguingly tough choices--everything from Capa's pivotol decision to deciding the most expendable crew members.
    • The music which sounded strikingly similar to the intense "28 Weeks Later" music.
    And finally, what I found amusing during the film:
    • The way that they stared at the sun for entertainment, which I equate to guffawing at a bug zapper.
    • The contrast between Kaneda's dramatic death and the "blip" that toasted Harvey.
    • The so-called suicide watch.
    Update 8/13/2007: Upon seeing this movie again, I noticed three other things:
    • Flashes from the damaged communication tower into the oxygen garden.
    • Sunburn and skin peeling off Dr. Searle's face! I'm surprised that no one pointed it out.
    • Illogical physics inside of the falling bomb.
    Rating: 10
    Watched movie: "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" (2007)
    Best Harry Potter movie since "Prisoner of Azkaban", IMHO. My two biggest compliments for this latest installment:
    • Harry didn't take any crap this time. Except for lashing out at Ron and Hermione, I liked this angrier Harry Potter--a "rebel with a cause". For instance, I pumped my fist when he stepped up to disrespectful punks, defied Dolores Umbridge (best villain in a long time), and shouted at Dumbledore. Say what you will about Voldemort--at least he never patronizes Harry ad nauseum. :)
    • Harry's background allies finally pulled their weight. This movie finally resolved my biggest complaint about Dumbledore: that he never helped Harry enough. The best example occurred during "Chamber of Secrets" when Harry miraculously rescued Ginny Weasley from the Basilisk. My two gripes about this example: a) I never understood why Dumbledore sent a bird instead of helping Harry himself--does he care so little for Harry's safety? and b) I felt like Harry saved a useless ally because I saw no indication that Ginny ever appreciated it (for example, she could have tried to defend Harry's name whenever other students besmirched him). But this movie changed my opinion because Ginny, Dumbledore, Snape, Sirius, and the Weasley twins all made me proud. :)

    In retrospect, I considered "Prisoner of Azkaban" the turning point in Harry's character development. He finally stood up for himself more, and acquired a mentor and a father figure--both of whom vanished in "Goblet of Fire", which to this day I consider the most pointless year of Harry's life. To my elation, "Order of the Phoenix" progressed full-steam where "Prisoner of Azkaban" left off--earning more respect for Harry and even leadership opportunities.

    My only criticism of this movie: I disliked Harry's love interest. :) I think that new character Luna matches him better. After all, it impressed me how her valuable insight inspired him to reconcile with his friends. Rating: 8

    Watched DVD: "The Illusionist" (2006)
    I found the plot predictable and the magic tricks totally implausible. Conjuring holograms, anchoring a sword, and making a plant grow oranges? Come on, man. I also couldn't believe that their scheme succeeded without a single snag. I liked "The Prestige" much better. Rating: 5
    Winchester Mystery House - Flashlight Tour
    07/14/07 9:15 PM PDT

    Not much changed since I last toured the Winchester Mystery House as a kid. Same bizarre enigmas, i.e., the stairs into the ceiling and the doors that open to walls and second story drops. Same ergonomic perks, i.e., the slim steps for arthritic legs. Same abandoned projects, i.e., the earthquake-damaged rooms and incomplete construction.

    Same everything except for the lighting, i.e., the bad illumination from our souvenir flashlights. Admittedly, I did enjoy aiming the flashlight like an X-Files agent in search of paranormal activity. Too bad my overcrowded (and often rowdy) tour group kept ruining the mystique. It's like you just can't get away from idiots trying to startle their girlfriends. Sometimes I fantasized about ditching the group to explore the house alone--but I didn't want to fall to my death somewhere. :) Sociological note: at one room in the tour, everyone inexplicably turned their flashlights off and just listened to the tour guide in pitch black darkness. Weird.

    Our tour guide weakly attempted to scare us with ghost stories. Unfortunately, the hints of sarcasm in her voice made it difficult to take her seriously. Also, ending ghost stories with a sarcastic "OoOoh!" doesn't help.

    One person joked that the twisted architecture could confuse zombies. This comment escaped me until I remembered the "Resident Evil" mansion. Man, how could I forget my most favorite video game of all time: exploring elegant rooms with a shotgun and blowing up zombie heads with a point-blank blast. :) If I ever had infinite wealth, I'd probably build a replica of that cool "Resident Evil" mansion. Might make a good theme park, too--I still remember that chilling interior of the Nostromo spaceship during Walt Disney World's Great Movie Ride.

    Don't forget to tour the gardens because I missed that during my first visit (or possibly just forgot about it). The outdoors landscape reminded me of the "Resident Evil" game more than anything else.

    I think that the indoor tour dried out my throat. So an orange slush puppie from their courtyard cafe really hit the spot. In fact, that brain-freezing drink probably highlighted my whole visit. :) Rating: 7

    Irreversible
    07/12/07 8:38 PM PDT

    Ever since Comcast lured me into replacing my cable box with that new DVR cable box, I noticed that I can no longer record any On Demand programs. Makes sense to me that they would block movie recordings, but why trailers and music videos? "Superior digital quality" indeed. My local channels look marginally better, but now those discolored security stripes have ruined my On Demand picture quality. ABC.com did something similar awhile back where they secretly enhanced the security on their "better quality" episode player. Not that I care since I can just record the shows from my local cable service--but the security did thwart me from screen-capturing a supersized version of my "Dancing With the Stars" cameo. :)

    I decided on what to write about for the fifth anniversary of my blog next month (August 29): a countdown for my best and worst of 2002-2007:

    By past five years, I mean cumulative. Meaning, my countdown could actually skip years where nothing significant happened. So if all my best experiences, movies, and songs came from 2003 (for example), then that will dominate the countdown.

    Similarly, my worst experiences (for instance) would re-sort themselves in context with each other. For example, circumstances could change after a devastating event. Time could heal it, or in hindsight I might conclude that it actually made me a better person. So I'd have to look at criteria like:

    Looks like for 2007, I'll have to rely on my unfinished annual review. :)

    Tomorrow, I visit the Winchester Mystery House by flashlight.

    The New 7 Wonders of the World
    07/07/07 11:33 PM PDT

    Online voting concluded for the New 7 Wonders campaign. Results of that global election a.k.a. The New 7 Wonders of the World, announced in Lisbon on 7/7/07:

    Meh.

    Haywire
    07/04/07 5:54 PM PDT

    Embarked on my traditional Suncoast run during the Fourth of July vacation. That's when I drive to every Suncoast Motion Picture Company from here to L.A. browsing for clearance bargains. I encountered a lot of boarded-up stores--those Suncoasts keep blinking out.

    Why does Paris Hilton receive so much media attention? Her release from jail practically monopolized the news. I've never seen an ex-convict so glorified. I would think that a celebrity in her situation would suffer some kind of shame or ill repute from the ordeal, not this "triumph". Maybe in general, people felt that the judge sentenced her parole violation too harshly?

    I don't get this iPhone craze either. :)

    Watched movie: "Live Free or Die Hard" (2007)
    I know that McClane defied the odds in every "Die Hard" movie--but never, in my recollection, to such a ridiculous degree. I challenge anyone to name a movie with more implausible coincidences than this one. You know what would have helped this movie: payoffs for every time that McClane cheated death. For example, replace that boring villain with someone like Murdoc (the nemesis from MacGyver). Then whenever McClane reappeared alive on the Web cam, have the villain shout, "McCllaaaannnneeee!!!"

    I did like the scenes where the villain turned America's technology against McClane in widespread synchrony (reminiscent of "The Truman Show"). Also enjoyed the amusing partnership between computer-illiterate McClane and young hacker Justin Long. Rating: 6

    Watched movie: "Ratatouille" (2007)
    Three words for Brad Bird's latest Pixar-animated movie: inspirational, touching, and laugh-out-loud. I consider Brad Bird a comedic genius. Nobody animates expressions like he does. I enjoyed his previous works, "Family Dog" and "The Incredibles" as well. His latest animation brilliantly humanized a rat who longed to cook fine food in a world prejudiced against rats. Amusingly, he could only communicate to the humans with gestures (his English only sounded like squeaking to them)--and had to escape whenever a human spotted him. Naturally, humans found the congregation of he and his buddies rather upsetting. :)

    Funny to overhear women calling the rat "cute" because at the IBM offices, women shriek at the sight of mice--to the point where nowadays when I hear a scream outside my door, I just ignore it. Why do women find squirrels cute but panic at the sight of mice? When I advise my female co-workers to imagine the mice as cute little squirrels, they tell me, "They're not squirrels!!" Admittedly, it does startle me when a mouse darts past my feet faster than my eyes can follow. Also, one time I finally caught two field mice in one of IBM's humane mousetraps (much like the one in this movie), and recoiled at how dirty their fur looked. Totally saturated with brown dirt. But who knows, one of these dirty furballs could've been the next Remy. :) Rating: 9

    Watched movie: "Transformers" (2007)
    All the makings of a cheesy monster movie: gigantic robots fighting as the puny (and annoying) humans gawk at the destruction of their city. Sometimes I found the movie cool to watch like "Voltron"--quite a compliment because any learned cartoon fan can tell you that the "Voltron" with the lions showcased the best robot animation ever. Other times, I found the movie lame like "Power Rangers" (particularly when the Autobots spoke). And most of the time, I just felt confused trying to tell the Autobots and Decepticons apart during their melees.

    The character development simply sucked. Who cares that Megan Fox hid a juvenile record? More importantly, why on earth would Shia LaBeouf care?? I mean, seriously--look at them on an attractiveness scale and ask yourself: why would he care. My advice: if you can't develop characters with any meaningful depth, then don't even bother with it. Overall, I felt like they wasted too much time with Shia LaBeouf's parents and the inept government agent.

    Side note: Nothing happens after the credits but if you want a brief laugh, then watch the product placements scroll by. Rating: 6

    Creature comforts
    06/29/07 10:57 AM PDT

    Comcast advertised a new Digital Simulcast that broadcasts all channels (even the local analog ones) in digital quality. This convinced me to exchange my old cable box for a new DVR box. Offhand, I discerned no noteworthy difference in picture quality. I did, however, appreciate the dramatically faster On Demand menu. Not sure when I'd ever use the DVR function though--it can't archive to discs like my two HDD/DVD recorders can. A backup recorder, maybe.

    That Comcast On Demand service fits into my vision of the future. I foresee this service replacing video/DVD rentals and retail outlets.

    I watched one particular On Demand clip to learn that hip-hop dance, the two-step. Afterward, co-workers doubted my reenactment of the dance. "I've never seen anyone do that at a party," remarked one. They just hatin'. :) Seriously though, I know nothing about the two-step. I could've been dancing the white guy version for all I know. Also, I never verified whether men and women dance the two-step differently.

    WWE recently announced new WrestleMania 24 travel packages. However...instead of rushing to order the best platinum package, I decided to pass this year. Not because of the Benoit tragedy or the sensationalist speculation about it, and not because I began disliking WrestleMania or anything (I enjoyed WrestleMania 22 and 23)--I just resented paying such big money for what amounted to fifth row seats. Specifically, fifth row seats behind all those empty seats that the WWE probably reserved for celebrities and wrestlers' families & friends. So I only foresee more disappointment at WrestleMania's next venue, the Citrus Bowl--not to mention all the misery I'd suffer from sitting outdoors in muggy Orlando weather. Yup, WrestleMania 24 will take place outdoors.

    Watched movie: "Once" (2007)
    Pretty platonic for a love story. That girl's aloof behavior made me think of her more like a buddy or muse rather than a love interest. Maybe I mistakenly expected something formulaic akin to a Hollywood romance. My lingering questions:
    • Did the guy and girl love each other?
    • Why did this movie receive such high reviews?
    • What neighborhood did the girl live in where she could just walk alone at night like that?
    • Did the director purposely lace the dialogue with casual expletives to earn an R rating? Otherwise, I seriously think that the film could've passed with a G rating. It contained neither sexuality nor violence, and yet it received the same rating as a "Hostel" movie.
    I could picture this movie on Broadway as a musical. Rating: 6
    Watched movie: "Papurika" (2006) a.k.a. "Paprika" (2007)
    Imaginative, surreal Japanese animation flick from Satoshi Kon--based on stolen headsets that allow therapists to enter patients' dreams. The premise opened the door to one of my favorite formulas: repressed characters indulging in some well-deserved fun (especially that hilariously demure police captain). Unfortunately, the premise also opened the door to one of my least favorite formulas: lecherous sexual fantasy (side note: what was up with that unsettling molting scene a la "Candyman"?). But I cut this movie some slack because realistically, people do lose their inhibitions within dreams. I can't really fault them for that. I can only fault the therapists for invading the dreamers' privacy in the first place. Rating: 7
    Watched movie: "1408" (2007)
    Mostly just disjointed theatrics rather than anything scary. I don't know why I keep watching these PG-13 horror movies. Rating: 4
    Chris Benoit 1967-2007
    06/25/07 5:45 PM PDT

    Man--here I griped about last night's WWE pay-per-view because Chris Benoit (one of the most respected pro-wrestlers ever) missed his championship match due to a family emergency. I predicted that he'd win the title this time, and really looked forward to watching that match on TV. Unlike many of those new wrestlers, I considered Chris Benoit long overdue for a title run.

    Anyway, I just read that authorities found Chris Benoit, his wife, and his son dead in their home! I don't even know how to reconcile something that scary: one minute flying home for a family emergency; the next the whole family ending up dead?! I hate to speculate, but was it murder-suicide?

    Here's a photo of when I met him at the 2005 Royal Rumble. The photo's rare because I almost never shake hands with celebrities on camera. Goes to show how much that I respected the guy.

    Update 6/26/2006: I'm in total shock. Of all people, I never would have expected Benoit to murder his family. Can't believe I shook the hand of a double-murderer.

    Update 6/27/2006: Still in disbelief over this Benoit tragedy. Often you hear about wrestlers losing their temper, abusing drugs, or annoying other wrestlers with their ego--but not in Benoit's case. Fans and the wrestling community looked up to him as a role model; "the one guy that you could always count on". I felt that one wrestler analogized it best when he compared the news to a hypothetical scenario where Rocky Balboa murders his family. It simply defies comprehension.

    Timeline
    06/17/07 3:18 PM PDT

    Yesss...Lord of the Dance will tour California at the end of this year, including a November 13 performance at Cal Poly! Now I can cross that goal from my list too. So by my count, I completed fours goals in 1H 2007 and plan to complete three more by the end of the year:

    After watching that movie "Day Watch" again, I raised my rating to an 8. Kudos to whoever thought up the chalk of fate (the chalk that lets you re-write one of your past choices). I could not conceive of a more perfect premise for that setting. It compelled me to brainstorm what I would use the chalk on for my own life. Hard to decide because in retrospect, my regrets taught me valuable lessons. For example--if I erased the choices that turned me cynical, then I could end up naive or gullible. I'd have to pick a humiliation that only detrimented my character, such as a crucial sports blunder or my accidental erasure of a momentous recording, e.g., fourth worst event that happened to Steve in 2005. Hmm...

    Similarly, I sometimes wonder which memory that I'd erase if I could employ the service in "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind". Offhand, I wouldn't mind forgetting that paper cut scene in "Jackass".

    On Thursday, I attended a San Francisco Independent Film Festival (sf indiefest) called the 4th Annual Another Hole in the Head. They screen rare sci-fi and horror movies. Bad enough to endure downtown San Francisco's congested traffic, lack of parking, and litter--but then I forever lost $21 on the following two movies:

    Watched movie: "Ido" (2005) a.k.a. "Id" (2007)
    Worst Japanese movie that I've ever seen. Revolting and perverted. Tastelessly riddled with vomit, child abuse, painfully idiotic behavior, and crude Jack Benny-like tomfoolery. Totally worthless garbage. Rating: 1
    Watched movie: "Automaton Transfusion" (2006)
    Unremarkable, low-budget zombie flick. At times, the teenagers lacked sensibility (deciding strategies reminiscent of "Shaun of the Dead"). In many scenes, the characters acted with total cheese. Example dialogue:
    "They were...EATEN ALIVE!"
    "Who?"
    <long pause as he collects himself>
    "E-V-E-R-Y-O-N-E!"
    Made me wonder whether I was supposed to take the movie seriously or not. Unfortunately, I'm thinking yes. Rating: 5

    Needless to say, no more San Francisco film festivals for me.

    On Friday, the optometrist checked my eyes during my annual exam. Exact same diagnosis every year: a slightly farsighted eye and one small callous that never changes. That's why eye check-ups depress me. Nothing to hope for since my eyes either stay the same or worsen. Maybe someday my optometrist will stun me with news that my callous inexplicably vanished.

    Something bizarre happened to my milk: it globbed onto my cereal in lumps. Neither the smell nor expiration date indicated anything amiss--it somehow congealed into yogurt within the span of one week.

    Watched movie: "Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer" (2007)
    I almost skipped this movie because to tell you the truth, I always considered that Silver Surfer character a bit of a bore. Too serious. Fortunately, the Fantastic Four team provided enough comic relief to keep the film entertaining. I'm still unsure why they dolled up Jessica Alba to look like a mannequin. Not like she needed such an unnatural makeover--they already exercised creative license by making the Alicia character black. Rating: 6
    Watched movie: "DOA: Dead or Alive" (2007)
    Shallow yet fun mix of matrix fu, comedy, and sex appeal. Deviated from the usual fighting tournament movie cliches, i.e., dark revenge angles and lopsided character development. Not really any kills or bad sportsmanship either. More like an adaptation of "Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball" than anything else. Rating: 6
    Watched movie: "11:14" (2003)
    Intriguing point-of-view crime drama that follows what each character did in the minutes around a hit-and-run accident. Coincidently, each character spent their minutes covering up some crime--often in styles befitting the "World's Dumbest Criminals". Also, the characters' arcs often crossed either directly or indirectly. Example: near the beginning of the movie, one character tripped over a bowling ball in the middle of a cemetery--thus begging the question: how and why did a bowling ball end up there? Interestingly, the answer finally unfolded in another character arc. Rating: 8
    Absence makes the heart grow fonder
    06/11/07 5:33 PM PDT

    What makes a romance plot great? Chemistry? Well, yeah. A happy ending? Maybe.

    Personally, I believe that the absence of romance makes a romance plot great. Specifically, I find the romance much more moving when outside influences force the couple apart. Consider, for example, what separated the couples in some of my favorite romance movies:

    Watched movie: "Dnevnoy dozor" (2006) a.k.a. "Day Watch" (2007)
    Another relentless, mind-bending whirlwind of matrix fu. Fortunately, I rode this roller coaster before, i.e., "Night Watch", and knew what to expect. For example, the crazy subtitles didn't bother me this time around. I'm also glad that I remembered most of the "Night Watch" characters--because they all returned in full force without much regard for anyone's bearings. Interestingly, the harbinger from part one became Anton's love interest in part two (I had to confirm my suspicion in wikipedia). To understand the gravity of that romance, see this movie--but make sure to brush up on "Night Watch" first. Rating: 8
    Watched movie: "Waitress" (2007)
    Cute movie except that I hated watching anyone mistreat Felicity. Having no power to intervene, I had to just sit there in the theater hoping that everything would work out for her. Guess that was the point of the movie. I like that Keri Russell. May she never cut her hair again. :)

    Also loved that spunky Southern wisdom. Felt like they told it like it was. "Are you happy?" "Happy enough. I don't expect much, give much. I don't get much." Rating: 6

    Jacksonville
    06/06/07 5:45 PM PDT

    On Friday evening and Tuesday morning, a bird at the IBM security gate swooped down and clipped my head. I don't like it.

    Last weekend, I visited Florida for a third time. Still as muggy as ever there. The humidity motivated me to stay indoors even though my hotel bordered the Jacksonville Riverwalk.

    For the first (and probably the last) time, I dined at the expensive Morton's Steakhouse in Jacksonville. Roughly $40 a plate there if you exclude salad, dessert, and wine:

    Possibly fancier than any other restaurant I've ever eaten at. Before handing me a menu, the maitre d' actually exhibited a cart of vegetables and raw cuts of meat. He carefully explained how each choice would compliment my dinner. Then he presented me with a round loaf of bread. I sat there blankly before realizing that I had to slice it myself. So after butchering the loaf during my struggle to saw through its spongy core, the maitre d' nonchalantly squeegeed every crumb from the tablecloth. Pretty fancy, huh?

    The maitre d' also asked if their chef could butterfly the steak. "What does that mean?" I replied, thinking that the chef intended to lather butter over it. Turned out that "butterflying a steak" meant to cut it in half to minimize charring. Hmm...my filet mignon still tasted charred though. Maybe charring's an unavoidable side-effect of cooking a steak medium well. Probably didn't help that I chewed it so methodically. Don't get me wrong--the steak tasted good, but not $36 good. I'd go so far to say that I enjoyed a White Castle hamburger just as much, if not more.

    Later that evening, I attended the real reason for my trip: a live WWE event comprised only of gimmick matches, i.e., a tables match, ladder match, steel cage match, and falls count anywhere match to name a few. Such rare stipulations--I couldn't resist. :) Occasionally I regret ending up at lackluster WWE events, but I felt I got my money's worth on this one. Even pawned the souvenir chair off (albeit for $30).

    On Monday, my connecting flight from IAD to SFO fared poorly. First, I had to re-schedule it because the plane arrived an hour late to IAD (the pilot alleged a weather hazard, but the skies sure looked clear when we landed). Second, my nose began to bleed with no tissue in sight. Planes have no privacy in this regard, and I felt really embarrassed when the stewardess came by with the beverage cart. Finally, I dropped my monthly planner somewhere in the plane (probably under my seat). Actually, I might not even report it. I only used that planner to pencil in appointments and movie release dates. I keep another planner safe at home to permanently record life events.

    Hostel: Parts I & II
    05/31/07 8:56 PM PDT

    Eli Roth (the writer and director of "Hostel") hosted a free advance screening of his new movie, "Hostel: Part II", at the AMC Metreon in San Francisco last night. I really enjoy events like this. The last screening that I attended allowed me to meet Bruce Campbell.

    Eli Roth personally introduced the movie, and answered audience questions about it afterward. To me, he looked like Sylar from "Heroes" (I don't watch the series, but caught the season finale) except that he used a lot more expletives. He seemed very passionate and intellectual. Highlights from the Q&A:

    Side note: As the first audience to see "Hostel: Part II", Eli wanted to observe our reactions. Pretty weird feeling when the director watches you watch his film.

    Watched movie: "Hostel: Part II" (2007)
    First, let me synopsize what I liked and disliked about Part I. Then I'll segue into Part II.

    Likes in Part I:

    • Attention to detail. For me, Part I wasn't just about torture--it was about the business of torture: a fully-staffed, well-oiled enterprise that catered to high-end customers. The employees included con artists to seduce the backpackers (complete with scripted routines), security personnel, janitors, disposal workers for the bodies (and their valuables), and customer representatives. They even priced the victims based on their country of origin, with Americans costing the most. :)
    • The thrilling third act. I found it particularly suspenseful when the torturer couldn't decide which tool to use (presumably due to the high-value on Americans), finally culminating in that alarming sound of the chainsaw revving up. :)

    Dislikes about Part I:

    • The tiresome first act. As I alluded to in my original review, the neverending part where lecherous buttheads tried to get laid wasted my time.
    • Deus ex machina closures. I found it really contrived how everything worked out in the end. If you haven't seen it, I won't give it away.

    In general, Part II explored more of what I liked and less of what I didn't. It filmed much of the movie from the employees' and clients' perspective, and walked us through the entire customer experience (from the opulent waiting room to the colorful costume chamber). My two favorite scenes along these lines: a) the ingenious split-screen bidding frenzy over the American girls and b) one refreshing, gripping scene where a client actually suffered remorse.

    Part II also struck me as more emotional than Part I, for a couple of reasons: a) some terrific actors, and b) the cruelty of the betrayals. In Part I, I thought that it served the buttheads right for getting seduced so shamelessly. In Part II, it seemed to require a lot more emotional investment to earn the girls' trust--making the betrayals all the more personal. That probably disturbed me more than anything else in the film.

    Rating: 7
    Memorial Day malarkey
    05/28/07 4:05 PM PDT

    My friends drove up to San Jose on Saturday. We attended the following events:

    Watched movie: "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" (2007)
    It's becoming a trend where I like the third movie better than the first but not the second. Maybe again because a lot of concluding character arcs have to compete for the screen time. This installment did a decent job, but no particular scene stood out for me. Generally, I liked all of the bargaining, gambits, and Survivor-like betrayals. Side note: important plot point if you stay after the credits. Rating: 5
    Attended concert: "PLAY! A Video Game Symphony"
    Don't you just hate it when a group plays new stuff instead of their popular oldies? Based on the program schedule, I anxiously looked forward to some haunting orchestral selections from "Silent Hill". Instead, three world premieres cut it out of the schedule (along with the "Final Fantasy" suite). B.S. man. Also had to suffer through a pet peeve of mine: when people run their mouths about what they're watching. In particular, I hate it when geeks loudly deride things with that air of arrogance about them. I don't even care if they composed one of the video game melodies (a guest composer and his obnoxious friend sat behind us). Just keep your voice down, or put that editorial on some Web site so I don't have to listen to any of it. Rating: 4

    I wrote down the medleys that the orchestra played. I only recognized about three of them (nostalgic of when Nintendo and Sega first came out). Maybe I'm getting behind the times.

    1. Super Mario Bros. (one nice touch: they played the original melodies of Mario underwater and underground)
    2. Shenmue
    3. Sonic the Hedgehog
    4. World of Warcraft
    5. Metal Gear Solid
    6. Lair (overbearingly long world premiere with guest composer)
    7. Kingdom Hearts
    8. The Darkness (world premiere)
    9. Chrono Cross & Chrono Trigger
    10. Oblivion
    11. Halo
    12. Blue Dragon (world premiere)
    13. The Legend of Zelda
    14. Encore: One-Winged Angel

    Today I still have a headache from last night's movie:

    Watched movie: "Bug" (2007)
    A most unpleasant film from the director of "The Exorcist". This one delved into the disturbing world of mental hygiene--or rather, the lack of it. Talk about schizophrenic overload. The characters' delusions hurt my head (literally) and turned my stomach. In fact, if I had to nominate the most gruesome scenes ever, then this movie's tooth segment would qualify (other nominees: "Three Extremes" and the torture scene in "Syriana").

    In retrospect, it did seem to parallel "The Exorcist" in a few ways: a) mostly took place in one room, b) the guy bounced on the bed like Regan, and c) the characters deteriorated similarly. I also saw parallels to Cronenberg's "The Fly".

    All in all, I left the theater with certain questions:

    • What attracted Ashley Judd to that weirdo and why did she share his delusions? Folie à deux?
    • What caused my headache?
    • Why did I see so many couples in the audience, given what the preview showed? I wouldn't exactly call it a date movie.

    Rating: 3
    The real American idol
    05/23/07 11:21 AM PDT

    Congratulations Apolo & Julianne!

    Man that was cool.

    Ohno he didn't?
    05/22/07 4:51 PM PDT

    My co-workers and I debated last night's Dancing With the Stars finals. Funny how we each crusaded for a different winner. In my opinion, if Apolo doesn't win then that show's rigged. :) We also analyzed one of Apolo's comments during the show: "I thought we won before we even came here and performed tonight." At first I thought: how arrogant. But my co-workers interpreted the comment as a personal victory, not some boast about already winning the competition. Sure enough, he subtly clarified himself in a post-show interview (emphasized that he meant the former).

    I'm looking forward to Vancouver 2010, so I sure hope that fame doesn't inflate Apolo's head, i.e., seduces him into becoming a D-celebrity. I remember that he worried about that after the 2002 Winter Olympics. As a result, he grounded himself and monastically trained for the 2006 Winter Olympics. Now he has nothing to prove athletically. If he wanted to star in movies instead of competing at the 2010 Winter Olympics, he could. I guess time will tell.

    Props to Apolo's and Julianne's final freestyle dance. I forgot that Apolo knew how to break dance.

    Amusingly, a site called DialIdol.com monitors the progress of each contestant's votes by measuring busy signals. Apolo's ahead.

    In other news, I wrote my congressman --er, congresswoman last week. Why? Well, currently that's the only way to reserve a tour of the White House. I'm planning to visit Washington, D.C. this year. Looks like Congress modernized the time-honored tradition. I simply clicked a button on Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren's Web site (she represents my zip code), and e-mailed her my request. One of her aides answered this week. In the same e-mail, I requested a tour of the Pentagon--but am less optimistic about that because the congressional guidebook classified Pentagon tours as exclusive to educational institutions (middle schools/high schools/colleges), churches, government agencies, or military organizations. We'll see what happens.

    Seattle's best
    05/20/07 4:06 PM PDT

    Dancing With the Stars finals this Monday (with the winner announced on Tuesday). If you want to vote for Apolo and Julianne (hint hint), you can vote up to five times by calling 1-800-868-3411 or by voting online. In all honesty, I'm sure that Apolo's screaming female fans will overload the server and keep the phone-line busy. Good timing that I got to watch him race before he became such a celebrity. He keeps shattering my expectations. In an earlier blog, I scoffed at his decision to compete on a dancing show. Now that he's primed to win said contest, I'm not scoffing anymore.

    By the way, I found out from a Larry King interview that the dancers can recommend songs, but not decide them (except for the finale, I think). I always wondered why Apolo and Julianne got stuck with "Jesse's Girl" for their fast-motion tango. Larry King also probed whether the dancers connected intimately. Apolo and Julianne emphasized that they're just friends. Since I read a lot of Internet speculation about this, I take it that Apolo's and Julianne's significant others aren't common knowledge. My two cents: it'd really disappoint me if Apolo hooked up with Julianne. I find his current girlfriend much more appealing.

    Finally found a hot drink at Starbucks that I actually like: the orange mocha. I sipped it so fast that the whip cream had no time to melt. Guess that stands to reason since I like the taste of chocolate, oranges, and chocolate oranges. Also tried another new Starbucks drink, the "Orange Crème Frappuccino blended crème", which basically tasted like an inferior version of the "Orange Dream Machine" from Jamba Juice. Given that these two franchises neighbor each other near IBM, that makes my choice for orange smoothie pretty clear.

    I actually abhor Starbucks coffee--or more accurately, I abhor their mochas. For that matter, I abhor the taste of coffee in general unless it's mixed into chocolate or ice cream. My favorite coffee drink of all time? The rich, classic mocha from Seattle's Best Coffee. I first tasted it at Yosemite National Park, and it highlighted my whole trip there. Nowadays, I'd rather drive a few extra miles to a Borders bookstore than to stop at any one of many conveniently-located Starbucks outlets.

    Watched movie: "Shrek the Third" (2007)
    I liked it better than the first but not the second. To my disappointment, it lacked an exciting showdown and huge dance number at the end. Ended more like a "South Park" episode. It did feature some hilarious sequences involving Shrek as a substitute king, Shrek as a dad, Shrek as a visitor to a medieval high school (complete with obnoxious teenagers), and Shrek as a mentor. Rating: 7

    Interestingly, many theaters started showing "Shrek the Third" at 10pm on the night before its release date. A way to inflate opening weekend numbers, perhaps?

    Mens rea
    05/14/07 3:04 PM PDT

    Pretty interesting season for reality game shows...I went from feeling inspired, i.e., the paso doble by Apolo and Julianne, to feeling utterly disgusted, i.e., last night's tribal council where Dreamz reneged on his deal with Yau-Man. I've condoned a lot of deplorable acts in "Survivor", but that one took the cake. I'll concede the gullibility of Yau-Man to trust him in the first place, but man--at least give the car back or admit wrong. That lack of remorse bothered me the most.

    Personally, I can never forgive someone who feels no regret for what they did. I truly feel that an apology goes a long way, and can respect anyone with the humility to extend one. Believe me, I still carry lifelong grudges to prove it. :)

    Watched movie: "28 Weeks Later" (2007)
    Barely exhaled the entire time. Even more stressful than "28 Days Later", for the following reasons:
    • Higher body count. The plot followed the early stages of outbreak instead of just bypassing the first 28 days of it.
    • Scarier "fight of flight" moments. Many a time, the movie quickly jumped from serenity to a sudden onslaught of panic, mayhem, and gut-wrenching carnage--which often cornered the characters into desperate choices. The opening sequence exemplified this perfectly. Somehow, I don't recall this much panic in the first movie--maybe because the intense scenes usually came with a forewarning of infected humans running or howling.
    • More emotional scarring. Let's just say that the opening sequence set up an interesting character arc.
    • Careless quarantine measures (minor spoiler alert). In summary, I couldn't reconcile why these fools kept gambling with human extinction. First, who conceived the dumb idea to re-populate London. I don't care if it's 28 weeks later or 28 years later--don't trifle with a virus that could potentially destroy the whole human race! Second, by what logic would anyone want to protect a rage-virus carrier? "Oh, because I want to destroy the whole human race"?! Third, what genius thought up the "selective targeting" countermeasure? Lock that idiot up in a room full of selectively infected people and see what he thinks then.
    Basically, I just rooted for Rose Byrne to survive. BTW, thumbs up to the tense infrared scope scene and thumbs down to the ridiculous "Grindhouse"-like scene. Rating: 7
    Before they were famous
    05/09/07 12:35 PM PDT

    Best "Dancing With the Stars" episode yet! Ok, so I'm sheepishly hooked on the show now. I might even vote for Apolo and Julianne to foil a co-worker who's been voting for Laila Ali. Apolo and Julianne finally performed one my favorites dances to watch, the tango. Unfortunately, they had to tango to "Jesse's Girl" which made them flail around as if someone had pressed the fast-forward button on my remote. What good's a tango without the da-dun-dun-dun...da-dun-dun-dun? :)

    As for the paso doble that Apolo and Julianne performed... WOAH! Machismo incarnate.

    Hehe. When I first showed off the picture of me and Julianne, I suspect that people exaggerated their interest having never seen Julianne on TV. Now I can boast about conversing with her. :) Or crow about how I saw Ohno acknowledge her in the stands. In all honesty, I probably just spoke to her TV image--and vice-versa. After all--once her camerman trained his lens on us, we had to turn on our best "looking-glass" personalities. :) Funny thing, television. In person, it looked out-of-place whenever she spoke to the camera as if it embodied a living person. But later on TV, the scene looked completely natural and cute.

    Sometimes I speculate about what kind of advice that image consultants give to TV personalities. Whenever I watch sober celebrities on TV, they sure exude similar behaviors:

    Somehow I feel like I have a knack for recognizing "looking-glass" personalities. I've seen a lot of convincing ones--but given enough time and patience, the true self emerges (assuming that it even differs). :)

    Five movies later...
    05/07/07 1:20 PM PDT

    Had to see "Spider-Man 3" in Arroyo Grande. On opening night in Santa Maria, all evening times (10:15, 10:45, 11:15) sold out!

    Watched movie: "The Condemned" (2007)
    Literal version of "Survivor" where ten death row inmates fight on an island until the last one alive wins a full pardon. No immunity idols or tribal merges, but oddly enough some inmates do form alliances. Although I considered it one of the better WWE movies, I felt that the filmmakers tried too hard to polarize the hero and villain (my criticism applies to WWE TV shows as well). The villain doesn't need to ceaselessly brutalize someone to garner the audience's hatred, and the hero doesn't need a backstory beyond reproach to be likeable. I suspect that the audience would've rooted for Stone Cold Steve Austin even if he deserved his death row sentence. It also kind of insulted my intelligence when the movie tacked on a morale to the story: "perhaps it is we who are the condemned". Oh brother. At least the Internet show's producer seemed realistic (because a character like that exists in real life: Vince McMahon). :) Rating: 6
    Watched movie: "Disturbia" (2007)
    Less like "Rear Window" and more like a Scooby gang adventure. I say that because of how the adult tried to scare off and discredit the insolent teenage sleuths. "I would've gotten away with it too if it hadn't been for those darn kids!" Also, the character development left something to be desired. Nothing came of the scarred Shia LaBeouf character (no catharsis, nothing) even though his prelude showed great emotional promise. His love interest (a dead ringer for Kate Hudson) acted more like a guy's fantasy of a girl than an actual girl (unless it's normal for a girl to find voyeurism cute). And don't get me started on the lascivious Asian butthead. Rating: 6
    Watched movie: "Hot Fuzz" (2007)
    Bloody brilliant. Way better than any of the action cop dramas that the movie tried to satirize. Almost seemed to incorporate elements of "The Untouchables", "Cop Land", "The Truman Show", and John Woo flicks. Props to the chemistry between the supercop and his naive partner. I won't give away how the final showdown unfolded, but let's just say that it paid off big-time. I also enjoyed the director's kinetic style. It inspired me to check out his earlier film, "Shaun of the Dead". Rating: 8
    Watched movie: "Spider-Man 3" (2007)
    Overall, "Spider-Man 3" lived up to my high expectations. It impressed me visually, evolved the characters--and most importantly, delivered emotionally. I continued to enjoy Tobey Maguire's comedic touches (like his dorky marriage proposal rehearsal and the way he indulged on cookies).

    That being said, certain creative decisions alienated me. This led me to derive two constructive criticisms for Sam Raimi and co. (minor spoiler alert):

    • Criticism #1 (in fact, my biggest criticism of the whole movie): Tobey Maguire's hair. Whenever Tobey tousled his hair to signify the "bad boy" image, I groaned. I wanted to see "gangsta Spidey", not "wankster kid". Actually, the hair just epitomized one of my deeper issues with the movie: lapses in subtlety. I didn't need a blatant hairstyle to recognize "evil Parker"--his behavioral shift more than sufficed. Nor did the movie need that weak scene where Harry coerced Mary Jane into dumping Peter. A natural break-up would fueled their emotional arc much better, and would have made perfect sense given Peter's insensitivity and Mary's Jane's high maintenance. :)
    • Criticism #2: Too many storylines. I criticized "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" for this as well: too many arcs competing for screen time. If I had to pick one character to delete from "Spider-Man 3", I would've picked the Sandman. Don't get me wrong--I loved how they resolved his arc, but ultimately I felt that Raimi needlessly tampered with a sacred backstory: Ben Parker's murder. In my opinion, the movie featured more than enough revenge plots without another supervillain stretching my suspense of disbelief. Also, I questioned the unremarkable introduction of two poignant characters from Spider-Man's past: Gwen Stacy and Captain Stacy. I felt that their lack of screen time didn't do these two beloved characters justice. Sad how they just used Gwen Stacy to make Mary Jane jealous.

    All in all, I considered "Spider-Man 2" virtually perfect and almost impossible to follow. Still--I have to give Sam Raimi credit for risking character directions that dared to disenchant the audience. Quite frankly, I thought that this installment demasculated Peter and amplified Mary Jane's insecurities (almost to the point where I didn't want Spidey to rescue her). So did these new character flaws disappoint me? Yes. But did I find the movie more meaningful as a result? Certainly.

    P.S. Whatever happened to the tingling Spidey sense? Rating: 8

    Watched DVD: "Shaun of the Dead" (2004)
    Rather satirical zombie flick where the survivors battle them ineptly, e.g., hurl lawn furniture, vinyl records, and darts at them--even trying to beat one up with pool cues! Ee-diots. Hilariously unconventional though. Rating: 7
    Fate
    04/28/07 6:38 PM PDT

    Ever since I missed that "PLAY! A Video Game Symphony" in Connecticut due to its cancellation, I didn't expect to cross off that goal off my list for awhile--at least not until 2008 following their world tour. Lo and behold, a new tour date of May 26, 2007 appeared on their Web site. The venue: San Jose Center for the Performing Arts--less than 10 minutes from my apartment! Excellent.

    Wonder why the police needed seven squad cars just to arrest one Woods tenant. I passed them on my way out of the parking lot, and only saw one perp in handcuffs.

    In other news, my toilet bowl overflowed. My thoughts on that? Well, if I ever listed my worst nightmares come to life, then "toilet bowl overflow" would rank high on that list. A horrific sight to behold: watching the water rise higher and higher--my eyes widening as it spilled over the rim, snaking its way toward my floor mats and bathroom doorway. Instead of tightening the valve on the spot like I should have, I instinctively rescued the floor mats first. This diversion gave the water time to pool around the valve--meaning, my bare feet had to touch toilet water for me to stop the overflow. By the time I overcame that hesitation, toilet water had flooded the entire bathroom. Clear toilet water, at least--but toilet water nonetheless. It probably took me like a half-hour to mop the floor; probably another half-hour to drown every inch of that bathroom floor with Clorox. Potent fumes, man.

    Watched movie: "Vacancy" (2007)
    Decently thrilling suspense movie, but rather contrived how the villains kept toying with the couple so carelessly. Why forewarn them about the snuff films? Why disregard Kate Beckinsale's cell phone? Why leave an apple in the bathroom? I also couldn't reconcile why the couple kept trapping themselves in the motel room. My instinct would've been to panic and run like never before. :)

    Side note: Kate Beckinsale's character reminded me of a 1996 movie called "Daylight", where Amy Brenneman played a brave female lead opposite Sylvester Stallone. Well in one of the final scenes, Amy suddenly fell apart in a disappointing, selfish diatribe that just ruined the whole movie for me. Anyway, that reminded me of Kate Beckinsale's predominantly helpless "Vacany" character because I'm so used to seeing her as the bad-ass heroine in "Underworld".

    Rating: 6
    Watched movie: "Next" (2007)
    Methinks that this movie tried to explore both the pros and cons of seeing two minutes into your own future. However, as I watched Nicholas Cage showcase this ability, a quote from Napoleon Dynamite came to mind: "LUCKY!" A two-minute foresight strikes me as the coolest power ever. I totally want it. Just look at how Nicholas Cage used it (minor spoiler alert):
    • He discreetly accrued winnings in Las Vegas.
    • He thwarted criminal acts within reason (without any responsibility to "save the world" thanks to the limitations of his foresight).
    • He smoothly dodged any attempts to capture, harm, embarrass, or assassinate him. It especially amused me whenever he defied ridiculously improbable odds, like crouching in the exact spot where an avalanche would happen to miss.
    • He avoided boring or unfavorable conversations.
    • He pre-tested pick-up lines on the girl of his dreams.
    If nothing else, this power could have averted my toilet bowl disaster. :) Rating: 8
    "If it bleeds, it leads"
    04/19/07 1:18 PM PDT

    Now I remember why I stopped watching the news. I tired of how they sensationalized scandal and crime. NBC played right into the killer's hands by airing his pathetic rants. I even question whether he really meant them because of the monotonous way that he recited them--almost like a rehearsal for one of his screenplays. Well, news outlets not only aired them, but recycled them ad nauseam (even dignifying them by having experts analyze them in all seriousness). At least just post it on a Web site somewhere instead of relentlessly force-feeding it to us (and the victims, especially) over the TV.

    I wish that the news instead reported why he premeditated the first dorm shooting. I think that would lead to his real motive, not the one that he wanted us to believe in his "press releases". When I think through it, he would have to have tailgated into that dorm and then walked up three flights of stairs to reach Emily Hilscher's room. Why target her?

    Macabre
    04/16/07 8:45 PM PDT

    First Columbine, now this Virginia Tech Massacre. The media's macabre fascination with spree shootings continues... I can't really judge, though. Tragedies like this glue me to the TV and news sites. Just last week I watched a documentary about Columbine where investigators walked through the shooters' plot. The details that alarmed me:

    Interestingly, CNN.com lets eyewitnesses contribute photos and videos about the Virginia Tech Massacre--almost like a news wiki where citizens serve as the reporters.

    Hmm...the news sites haven't disclosed the gunman's nationality. Nor should they--it doesn't matter. But if you're morbidly curious, watch Erin Sheehan's eyewitness account of the gunman.

    Update 4/17/2007: Gunman identified as Cho Seung-Hui, a 23-year-old English major from South Korea. Media appears to be going after the university police on this one. Are we going to see metal detectors in colleges now?

    Update 4/18/2007: The gun law debate...you know, I like Japan's approach to gun control: they ban all of their guns. I guess America can't follow suit because of the second amendment. My two cents on that: if America can't ban all of its guns, then it should ban all of its bullets (or just allow rubber bullets). The irony would be priceless. :)

    Update 4/18/2007: D'oh! Just as coverage finally started to wane, NBC began releasing self-portraits right out the gunman's fantasies a.k.a. inspiration for the next generation of spree killers. Man, what if they misinterpret all of this media attention as an invitation to break his record?

    Watched movie: "The Lookout" (2007)
    Absorbing character study wherein the lead actor from "Brick" irresponsibly crashes a car full of friends, and must cope with tragic consequences--most notably, an inability to sequence ordinary mental patterns. For example, he must use a notebook and stickers just to remember which order to perform his chores in. It reminded me of "Memento" in that both main characters struggled for meaning and self-respect in their ruined lives. Not sure what's scarier: being pitied all the time, or knowing that you only have an undistinguished life to look forward to. Heck, even the guy's role in the caper sounded patronizing: "The Lookout". I would've rated this movie higher except that I dislike the cliche where the protagonist behaves so disappointingly that nothing in my mind can redeem it. Rating: 6
    Gimp n' grind
    04/11/07 6:25 PM PDT

    Coincidentally after last night's "House", I awoke in agony as a cramp petrified my leg. Felt like my calf tried to implode. I'm tempted to call it my worst cramp ever because today marked the first time that I ever had to limp to work. Man, I hope no one saw me. Either the episode affected me psychosomatically, or I need more bananas in my diet. :) If I had to rank my worst physical pain ever, I'd cite the time when I strained my neck throwing a stunt dummy. That hurt worse than when I tore a ligament or broke my ankle--because the pain persisted 24/7 without relief.

    Apolo Ohno's waltz really impressed me the other night. I'm skeptic that I could ever dance that well--so many inhibitions for me to overcome (such as self-consciousness about looking effeminate). One time Ohno explained in an interview that dancing often required him to smile happily (in contrast to his serious speedskating face). It reminded me of my own struggles in the tap dancing workshop, when the instructor wanted us to exaggerate our flairs. If you audition for a dancing role and look enthusiastic enough, she explained, then the casting director will think you have potential. Feigning fun...definitely not one of my strong suits.

    Watched movie: "Grindhouse" (2007)
    Over three hours of gratuitously violent, shamelessly sexual, shockingly gross, ridiculously cheesy entertainment. Yes, I felt that Rodriguez and Tarantino successfully epitomized the phrase, "guilty pleasure". :) Best to see in a crowded theater because rowdy audience reactions make the movie more fun. To further simulate the grind house experience, the directors even faked defects in the film thread, missing reels, and hilariously over-the-top trailers. Each phony trailer spoofed a different type of exploitation film:
    • Machete directed by Robert Rodriguez (Mexican exploitation)
    • Werewolf Women of the S.S. directed by Rob Zombie (Nazisploitation)
    • Don't directed by Edgar Wright (Britsploitation)
    • Thanksgiving directed by Eli Roth (slasher film)
    I originally rated the movie a 6, but raised it to a 7 because of the trailers. "Death Proof" required some patience. It started out slow, but finally developed into a thrilling car duel. Rating: 7
    WrestleMania 23: No mo' Motor City
    04/04/07 3:18 PM PDT

    Nothing like California. I didn't care for Detroit too much. No place to park there, and the parking garages all charged outrageous prices. Cars kept tailgating me, and the one-way streets wound around unpredictably. At one point, Victor and I ended up on a one-way road to Canada. We had to cut against traffic to escape!

    Also, no more hamburgers or clam chowder for me--at least not for awhile. I got sick of White Castle hamburgers on my fifth slider, and the drunkard at O'Hare kind of ruined my appetite for chowder.

    Thankfully, my Dad repaired the headlight and CD player during my leave. Plus no traffic ticket in the mail (yet?).

    Bacon, Bagels & Biceps Brunch
    I woke up early for this WWE event expecting good food and lackluster stars. To my surprise, one my all-time favorite wrestlers Mick Foley showed up! He addressed the crowd (out-of-character) on a microphone, and interviewed the Make-A-Wish kids in the room. Pretty witty guy, that Foley. Coincidentally, I had just finished reading his latest autobiography during my flights to Detroit. Although the book often digressed into tangents that I skipped over, I enjoyed the rhetoric.

    WrestleMania 23
    Although I didn't leave the show beaming like after last year's WrestleMania 22, I definitely felt that the show earned my money (especially thanks to three outstanding matches). WrestleMania actually energizes me somewhat in that I can't think of any other company where the employees feel so passionate about their job. They hate the travel, but feel such pride in putting food on their family's table and entertaining the fans. WrestleMania weekend, in particular, seems to stir the most powerful emotions in them. I almost think that my own workplace needs a WrestleMania. Imagine closing out each business year with a climactic, knock-down drag-out melee with your greatest rival. :) Like an annual catharsis of sorts.

    I give Vince McMahon a lot of credit for letting Donald Trump shave his head bald. That's what I call dedication. Although Vince could easily collect paychecks from a desk, he still chooses to wrestle and humiliate himself for the good of the business. I respect higher-ups who lead by example.

    Fortunately, most of the pictures in this roll came out. Roughly three negative strips jammed in the CVS photo machine, and I lost 13 pictures from the "Battle of the Billionares" match. The clerk had the nerve to speculate that perhaps I loaded old film into the camera. I, on the other hand, have a much more explicit theory.

    To my surprise, Victor and I made it on TV. We sat four rows behind Miss Universe, Miss USA, and Miss Teen USA (all supporting Trump from the front row). Funny how the fans allowed the beauty queens to stand up with impunity, but mercilessly screamed at every other man, woman, and child who dared to stand up. Fortunately, most of the fans in front of me had the courtesy to stay seated. Nary an annoying sign bearer either.

    The vendors at WrestleMania 23 all wore neon yellow caps! I might have to change my cap color if this continues.

    Right before the main event, a fan jumped over the barricade and tried to streak in the ring. Security dragged him out. That's live TV for you.

    WWE security totally foiled my beautiful WrestleMania exit stratagem. I had plotted the caper like so:

    As I basked in my ingenuity (I think I tapped my temple and boasted, "smart"), anal WWE security guards screened the chair holders in front of us. Meaning, fans could not exit the arena with their chairs without showing marked floor tickets. Hence, Victor and I felt obligated to locate the fans whom we sold the chairs to. I found mine because the security guard confiscated his chair at a nearby door. When I lied that I gave the chair to him, she saw through our inconsistent stories and informed me that selling a WWE chair was illegal. Never heard of a law like that. Anyway, I refunded his money. We never found Victor's customer. By the time we gave up and returned to the car, total gridlock! Yes, I know now that we should have sold our chairs outside of the arena. I own no time machine to correct this unforeseen tragedy. Not that I would waste a trip on that. :)

    Motor City, Day 2: Spirit in Detroit
    03/31/07 10:54 PM PDT

    Recap of today's events:

    Mid-day Madness
    Autograph and photo session where fans get to meet the pro-wrestlers out-of-character. For example, Kane politely greeted me and Victor. Sabu munched on a cookie. Rob Van Dam gazed at his action figure. Randy Orton...well, he still acted cocky. P.S. It kind of bugged me that Todd Grisham autographed my program upside-down. :)

    Jefferson & Woodward statues
    The bronze "Spirit of Detroit" statue looked gigantic in real-life. Same for the controversial Joe Louis Memorial (a pyramid with Joe Louis' severed fist suspended in it).
    General Motors Global Headquarters (Renaissance Center)
    Neat circular tower with circular levels that intersect with the Marriott. Shops lined the floors, and the ground level showcased vintage General Motors cars.
    WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony 2007
    The speeches impressed me again this year. I could listen to that charismatic Dusty Rhodes all day. Too bad that the USA channel broadcast edited out most of it, because I felt that Cody Runnels, Wade Boggs, and Rob Van Dam deserved props for their thoughtfully moving induction speeches. When William Shatner got up there and just read from a paper, it renewed my confusion as to why the WWE picked him to induct Jerry "The King" Lawler.

    White Castle
    Self-explanatory.

    Remind me never to eat asparagus again.

    Motor City, Day 1: Detroit Marriott Floor 49
    03/30/07 8:48 PM PDT

    It happened again. I awoke to find that my plane hadn't taken off yet. Apparently, our gas tank needed a refuel. Oh well. Better to delay on the last connecting flight than the first connecting flight.

    Also skinned my pinky toe when I accidentally scooted a chair leg over it this morning. Dang I feel inept. My shoes still sport the dirt from yesterday's nose dive.

    Tomorrow's events: a WWE autograph session and the WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony.

    New Haven-style white clam apizza
    03/29/07 8:41 PM PDT

    My description of white clam apizza from Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana: thin, tough crust generously smothered in garlic and clams. It possibly had other ingredients like white sauce or olive oil, but the garlic and clams overpowered any other flavor. When the crust kept resisting my knife, I ended up tearing it with my hands and teeth. Also, some bites tasted bitter--probably from the areas that the coal fire oven scorched. Good all in all--but less good when I sampled the tastier tomato and pepperoni version. Rating: 6

    Also toured Mark Twain's three-story house, which showcased stencilled wallpaper and extravagent furnishings. Probably more fascinating to antique collectors. :)

    Invader
    03/29/07 9:55 AM PDT

    I bit the dust while jogging through a vacant field here in Windsor Locks. My foot caught on a pipe. Anyway, I completed the mission of renting a car (a Ford Taurus). Due to inconvenient shuttle hours last night, Victor and I pretty much walked from Bradley International Airport to Days Inn. Long story.

    At Chicago O'Hare, a lucid but drunken stranger invaded our lunch. He kept talking to me in the lunch line--even punching my arm asking where I planned to fly. "Where are you flyin', Tokyo?" Despite our visible discomfort, he plopped his tray on our table (spilling chowder over it) and talked to us non-stop. Chowder spattered out of his mouth and accumulated on his hands. One spittle sailed onto my arm. Some chowder ended up on Victor's jacket. The guy also seemed oblivious to a tomato that landed on his lap. To my chagrin, he even imposed on Victor to get us napkins.

    Occasionally, he cracked a lame joke and shook my hand in a "jive" way. After one particularly un-funny joke, he raised his hand toward me expecting a high-five. His hand just waited there.

    He also bragged that his wristwatch could tell time in all of the time zones, and wanted my opinion on it. 6am. "That can't be the right time," I observed.

    We tried to stay courteous despite his loud monologues. Eventually, my stoicism unnerved him. He asked if we wanted him to leave. "Only if you want to," I replied politely. "Do you want me to leave?" he asked Victor. "Only if you want to," he echoed. And so he did.

    Perhaps my cynicm spawned a double-standard. I previously mentioned that it saddened me whenever someone burned bridges with an introvert. But I stated nothing about burning bridges with an extrovert. :) Probably because whenever someone approaches me in an overly-friendly way, I immediately suspect a hidden agenda (even though this guy never asked for anything).

    Magnanimania
    03/27/07 3:56 PM PDT

    This probably sounds funny to people with natural social graces, but my mind races whenever I need to wish someone well. For instance, a colleague e-mailed me about going on maternity leave. I almost replied, "Good luck." Good luck?! From what? Complications in the pregnancy? Ee-diot! Anyway, I resorted to consulting female co-workers about the etiquette, and decided upon: "Enjoy your time off." Hopefully, that won't come across as sarcastic.

    I also don't wish people good luck before a speech or presentation. If you think about it, people get nervous before a speech or presentation because they fear something going awry. "Good luck" only adds to that uncertainty. Maybe that's why well-wishers tell actors to "break a leg"?

    Speaking of social graces, I hated that "Survivor: Fiji" episode where the new "burly man" tribe relegated their one nerd to campground duties. Point taken that he could have asserted himself more, but what nerve to stigmatize him like that on national TV. You know, it saddens me whenever people burn bridges with introverts; dismiss them as aloof just because they talk sparingly, keep to themselves, or can't be read. Both introverts and extroverts can have a lot to offer, given the chance.

    In other news, I'm suffering a bit of bad luck with my Corolla. First, a flash startled me as I drove through a yellow light near the Capitola mall. One of those "photo enabled" stoplights. Grrr, I ran a yellow light! Yelllloww! Second, my left headlight seems to have burned out. Never noticed it until a parking lot worker told me. Heck, It could've burned out months ago for all I know. So that's just great--no CD music, self-conscious night driving, and probably a traffic ticket waiting for me when I return from WrestleMania.

    Ah, WrestleMania 23 in 6 days. The "Super Bowl" of pro-wrestling; insanely difficult to acquire tickets for. The tickets literally sell out in mere minutes. Nowadays, I reserve my spot through WWE's insanely expensive platinum travel package. Purchased it about nine months ago without any clue about who would appear. WWE pays for the suite, tickets to all of the events, and a high-class breakfast buffet (last year, I enjoyed the breakfast a lot more than the pro-wrestling guests). WrestleMania itself will feature celebrities like Donald Trump (for the Hair vs. Hair Match), Aretha Franklin, and Ludacris.

    Fall Out Boy finally released a song that I like. Had a heck of a time figuring out its name though. The chorus line sounded like: "This is serious." However, the back of their latest CD showed no such song. Finally, their music video played on mun2, and the chorus completely differed from what I thought: "This ain't a scene it's a... dam arms race." I mistook the <bleep> for a pause. Good song (and video). My favorite of 2007 unless something better comes along.

    Watched movie: "The Last Mimzy" (2007)
    A lot like "E.T.", but high on shrooms. Who wrote this illogical plot, a 5-year-old kid? If I looked up the screenwriter on imdb.com, would the profile indicate "born in 2001"? I followed up to make sure. Nope, two grown men. Could've fooled me. Rating: 4
    DWTS timecode 1:53:20
    03/21/07 10:31 AM PDT

    After enduring 113 minutes and 20 seconds of the "Dancing With the Stars" premiere on ABC, I successfully freeze-framed my riveting half-second cameo. Click the screenshot to enlarge my thrilled expression. :)

    Watched movie: "The Number 23" (2007)
    This movie read my mind, man. While watching it, I couldn't quite decide whether to rate it a 2 or a 3. It reminded me of "A Beautiful Mind" but without the beautiful mind. I don't even feel like joking about my blog's coincidental title. Rating: 2
    Watched movie: "Premonition" (2007)
    I guess after "The Lake House", Sandra Bullock decided to approach the space-time continuum more responsibly because her lack of effort in this movie stymied me. As you probably gleaned from the previews, Sandra endures a week where every day occurs out of order. And although a car accident kills her husband on Wednesday, she inexplicably squanders each day on secondary priorities. Example: funeral arrangements! My top questions:
    • When Sandra first woke up on Thursday, didn't she wonder what happened to Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday?
    • If Sandra experienced a predetermined destiny, then why did her daughter look fine on Thursday?
    • Why couldn't Sandra have just sabotaged her husband's car on Tuesday?
    • When Sandra woke up on Sunday, why didn't she affix stickers then?
    Innovative premise; disappointing execution. Rating: 6
    Counterpoint
    03/14/07 2:17 PM PDT

    "PLAY! A Video Game Symphony" cancelled! A scheduling conflict, they said. Unbelievable. Now what will we do in Connecticut (too expensive now to fly straight to Detroit). Speaking of...

    Sometimes my favorite TV shows cross over, but how strange to see "The Apprentice" cross over to WWE. Similar themes of people getting smacked down, I guess. :) Donald Trump challenged Vince McMahon to a televised bet where the loser must shave his head bald at WrestleMania. I'm certain that WWE rigged it so that Trump would win the bet, but I'm impressed that Vince would humiliate himself like that. Guess I'll see them both live on April 1.

    As a result of my office mate working from home, I move back to my own office next week. I still remember when I first lost my own office about six years ago. I vowed to someday regain that privilege. In the years that followed, much occurred:

    Eventually, I grew accustomed to a window office and even passed up a couple of opportunities to relocate. Now the Steven gets his own office again.

    Hmm...clerical tax error. After drafting my first 1040 form, I owed the IRS $4667 because I overlooked calculating the capital gain. I hate death and taxes.

    Watched DVD: "Gwoemul" (2006) a.k.a. "The Host" (2007)
    Tongue-in-cheek Korean flick about an amphibious monster that devours and abducts people. As governments, infectious disease agencies, and activist groups clash in a political quagmire, one inept family sets out to rescue their kidnapped little girl. I'd consider the movie decently entertaining so long as you don't take it seriously. For me, the monster's first special effects rampage highlighted the whole film. Rating: 6
    Watched movie: "300" (2007)
    Ridiculously violent onslaught of carnage and testosterone. Bloodlust and macho slogans galore. Also, suspiciously xenophobic undertones if you compare how freakish that the invaders looked next to the "gallant" Spartans. Tell me--was anyone perturbed by how the Spartans treated their defective babies?? Rating: 6
    Watched movie: "Das Leben der Anderen" a.k.a. "The Lives of Others" (2006)
    Socialist spin on "The Conversation" wherein an East German surveillance agent starts to admire the subjects of his ministry's investigation. I liked how the main character realistically grew into a better person--from impassive professional to inspired human being. Because the movie clearly developed who to love and hate, I sheepishly longed for more payoff. In other words--if I had watched the movie during a test screening, then I would've suggested a couple more scenes. But I guess the director knew what he was doing since the movie beat "Pan's Labyrinth" for the foreign language Oscar. Rating: 7
    Minutia
    03/04/07 7:21 PM PST

    My mom and I compared notes on Copperfield's show. She confirmed that he scrawled "SA" on his arm before "transporting" to Perth, Australia--same initials that he scrawled during my show. So that validates my theory that he prerecorded the Perth footage.

    Congratulations to Martin Scorsese for finally winning the Oscar. I still don't understand all of the acclaim for "The Departed", but oh well. Maybe the Hong Kong version biased me.

    Someone local won my eBay auction for the WWE chairs. I personally delivered both of them to the guy's house. Free of the curse at last! Want to know how much I sold them for? $5 each.

    My car's CD player broke. At first my CDs began skipping; then pausing awhile. Finally--despite my cleaning efforts--the player stopped accepting CDs altogether. The dealership quoted me around $620 for a brand-new player. Yeah, I didn't believe it either.

    Justin Timberlake released a new 9 min. 22 sec. music video starring him and Scarlett Johansson. I don't like it. Usually, I can fit 30 music videos on one DVD-R--but videos like this throw everything off.

    I posted the rest of my short track pictures in the earlier blog entries. Aside from a Japanese-American background, Ohno and I have little in common. He won five Olympic gold medals; I helped make a corporation richer. He inspires; I prefer reclusion. He appeared on a Wheaties box; I ate from a Wheaties box (as a substitute for Product 19). Not that I regret any of that. It's just that sometimes I fantasize about the euphoria of training hard for a goal and accomplishing it against overwhelming odds, i.e., Ohno coming back to win that gold medal (in his worst race) with all those people counting on him. I've accomplished goals against unfavorable odds before, but not overwhelming odds (and nothing close to a gold medal). :)

    Watched movie: "Zodiac" (2007)
    Meticulous, tightly wound crime drama about the real-life Zodiac murders. David Fincher (the director of "Seven" and "Fight Club") seemed to film this one like a cross between "Manhunter" and "JFK". I liked three things about the movie:
    • The formidably of the case. First, the detectives had no access to modern forensics--so forget about solving the case in under 45 minutes like the investigators in "CSI" or "Law & Order". :) The police stations didn't even have faxes yet! Second, the detectives faced tons of red herrings, e.g,, copycats, false tips, ambiguous evidence, and especially disinformation from the Zodiac Killer (including taking credit for murders that he never committed). Third, the detectives' patience faded as the case grew cold. Actually, that last point conveys why I didn't rate the movie higher--the 2 hours and 38 minutes tested my patience as well. :)
    • The horror of the murders. David Fincher mixed slow-motion and realism just right to make the murders appear very disturbing. Kind of reminded me of "Full Metal Jacket".
    • Wry humor. Many of the characters talked amusingly fast and dryly, especially the Robert Downey Jr. reporter.
    I had to keep reminding myself when this story took place because the lack of resources frustrated me. For example, what did the FBI do during all this? Why couldn't Graysmith *69 the anonymous caller (duh, no *69 back then--but couldn't they pull the LUDs)?. I can see why this case would drive an investigator mad. :) The tagline stated it best: "There's more than one way to lose your life to a killer." Rating: 7
    Flawless
    02/25/07 3:53 PM PST

    Ohno's too good. I'm starting to wonder whether he just showed off today. :) After winning the 1000M final, he breezed from seventh place to first place in the very last lap of the grueling 3000M super final. Didn't even look tired afterward. I read online that he accrued so many points that he would have won the U.S. championship regardless of today's performance.

    Also, props to Allison Baver for winning her first women's U.S. championship.

    Some of the intermediate guys seemed to joke around in their 3000M final. They sprinted all fast at the beginning, but eventually tired out and deteriorated into the back.

    Guess that completes my short track goal. I missed out on the relays because a weather hazard stranded the other racers. Too bad. Then again, "exhibition" relays don't interest me too much. Team vs. team relays make more sense in world competitions, in my opinion.

    By the way, driving in Cleveland frustrates me. I know I say that a lot, but I know of no other city that duplicates so many street names. All of the construction work didn't help either. :)

    Fortunately, Cleveland weather posed little danger for my car (except for some alarming patches of black ice).

    Gotta love their kung fu start poses. The referee declared this a false start when a camera flash went off. The announcer rebuked, "What part of no flash photography do you not understand?!"

    Still reeling about how Ohno passed 6-7 guys in the final lap.

    On high in Ohio
    02/24/07 11:46 PM PST

    In my last blog entry, I wisecracked that I'd rather see Apolo Ohno skate than "dance with the stars". For those of you who missed the news, Apolo Ohno will compete in next season's Dancing With the Stars on ABC. I actually met Ohno's dance partner, Julianne Hough, during the 500M sprints. A camerman followed her around, and a BBC agent had me sign a release form because of where I sat. Then when I took a picture with Julianne (during an intermission), the cameraman hovered with his lens. I asked her if her Delta flight crashed last Sunday. She was like, yeah--it was scary.

    "Slid off the runway, huh?"
    "Yeah--it was scary."

    Forgot what else we small-talked about. I have so little in common with TV personalities. :)

    I lamented not having a digital or disposable camera on-hand. Bystanders never seem to work my Canon Sureshot properly. Focus, people.

    Another good day for Ohno...first place in the 500M.

    My only picture of Ohno winning the 500M race. Due to the speed of these heats, I didn't dare risk an accidental flash. The announcer kept warning us that such a distraction could lead to serious injury for the racers.

    What a bad break for the womens' frontrunner, Kimberly Derrick (a top Olympic athlete). She slipped into third place during a semi-final (I missed the slip while watching a racer careen into the boards). Then she fell in the B-final. Allison Baver won first place, and now leads in the championship standings.

    On a more boring note, I visited the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum earlier in the day. Left within 15 minutes. :) Too bad I still had to pay the $8 parking fee. Side note: FYE sold rock and roll merchandise at the museum.

    After Saturday's activities, I ended my day with White Castle hamburgers Ex-cel-lent. :)

    Ohno in Ohio
    02/24/07 2:36 PM PST

    My co-workers forewarned me that I plotted an ambitious itinerary for Friday:

    6:20am - 9:50am: Fly from San Jose to Denver
    35 min. layover
    10:25am - 3:15pm: Fly from Denver to Akron, Ohio
    3:15pm - 6:00pm: Taxi to the gate, rent a car, and drive an hour to the 2007 U.S. National Short Track Championships at 6pm

    Happily, almost all of the planets aligned--specifically:

    So my one mishap: I got lost. The I-271 "express lanes" prevented me from exiting where I needed. Reminded me of that Penna Turnpike that extended for miles without a single exit. Anyway, I ended up wandering Cleveland Heights for a couple of hours.

    Pretty cool watching Apolo Anton Ohno race live (cooler than watching him "dance with the stars", IMHO). He smoked the competition in Friday's 1500M race. Somehow I expected more fanfare for Ohno. The audience cheered, but not hysterically. Adults in the VIP section even left before the Olympic racers received their medals! Guess they only came to watch their kids skate.

    Short track races still bend my mind. On TV, the racers seem to skate in a line. But from my live perspective, their paths seemed to expland, converge, and skew like a continuous slingshot.

    Other observations:

    Talk about a photofinish...I timed this snapshot right when Ohno's skate touched the finish line. Given how fast that the racers move, I could not have asked for a more perfect picture. :)

    Wow...White Castle food chains galore here in Cleveland.

    No Way Out...unless you're David Copperfield
    02/22/07 1:12 PM PST

    For the most part, I completed last Sunday's WWE No Way Out trip in one day:

    11am - noon: Flew to L.A
    5pm - 8pm: Attended the wrestling event
    1am - 3am: Slept
    6am - 7am: Flew back to San Jose

    American Eagle now shuttles LAX travellers to a remote terminal which extends gate 44. Fortunately, I always arrived early enough to avoid any anxiety during both of these shuttle bus rides. Can't imagine how I'd react to a close connecting flight though.

    I found the wrestling event ok even though they cancelled the ladder match that I really wanted to see.

    To my chagrin, I still received a free commemorative WWE chair even though I sat way back in the sixth row. Fortunately, I managed to peddle it near the exit door for a $50 profit. Ironic, huh? These chairs sell so well at the event--yet I can't even give away the chairs that I kept. Maybe I should try to peddle my old chairs at a WWE taping or something.

    On Tuesday, I attended a live David Copperfield magic act at the Flint Center in Cupertino. Back when I watched his TV specials as a kid, I remember marveling at his grand illusions, e.g., walking through the Great Wall of China; flying; reattaching himself after a buzzsaw "mishap". Now that I've grown up, I unfortunately found his magic show rather corny (especially those cheap gags and sentimental narratives that used to entertain me as a kid). On the other hand, I still found him charismatic despite his noticeably older visage (which might explain why he stopped performing on national TV six years ago). I just prayed that his frisbees and inflated balls would bypass me so that he couldn't humiliate me on the stage. :) I tell you though, it sure seemed rehearsed when Copperfield mocked weird audience members and hecklers. Almost like they intentionally set him up.

    The audience participation segues into my next thought--how the heck did Copperfield pull off some of those illusions? In one act, he flung a frisbee across the auditorium. Whenever an audience members caught it, they shouted random lottery numbers (and embarrassing info at his behest), and tossed the frisbee to the next person. I doubt that Copperfield could have premeditated who caught the frisbee each time. After writing everything down, the audience members unlocked a chest that contained three "predictions"; each of which Copperfied had allegedly sealed prior to the show:

    I speculated that maybe Copperfield's assistants wrote up the banner and stamped the license plates backstage. I could not reconcile the audio tape. Then a co-worker asked me, "Did he enunciate the numbers aloud as he wrote them down?" Ahhhh...

    I'm also wondering whether he pre-recorded a "live feed" from Perth, Australia. In that illusion, he "transported" himself, an assistant, and some unique identifiers (a polaroid and fresh initials on his arm) to a sunny beach there. A co-worker suggested green screen, but the camera followed the assistant as she lapped through the water. If they managed to fabricate an entire sunny beach on some backstage set, then I'm impressed. :) My mom will attend Copperfield's show in Santa Barbara, so perhaps I'll compare notes with her. Rating: 7

    Time to make some predictions of my own; Oscar predictions for 2006:

    Also this weekend: the 2007 U.S. National Short Track Championships in Cleveland Heights, Ohio. Hope that the weather permits. :)

    On High in Blue Tomorrows
    02/16/07 4:38 PM PST

    About six years ago, I discontinued my renter's insurance. Why, you ask? Well, I rationalized a very slim probability that my apartment would catch fire twice in one lifetime (even slimmer that my apartment would catch fire again after my office mate's apartment caught fire). Reason #2: Without that renter's insurance, I bet you that I already saved enough money to buy all of my possessions over again. Reason #3: It did not cover earthquakes, which I would consider a way more likely threat. Reason #4: If an earthquake destroyed my home and the President declared a state of emergency, then the government would pay my losses anyway. :)

    Busy schedule for me next week:

    Sunday: "WWE No Way Out" in Los Angeles, California (one day trip)
    Tuesday: David Copperfield at the Flint Center in Cupertino, California
    Friday - Sunday: 2007 U.S. National Short Track Championships in Cleveland Heights, Ohio (on my goals list; Apolo Anton Ohno and his girlfriend will compete)

    Watched movie: "Inland Empire" (2007)
    Possibly David Lynch's weirdest flick yet. Whenever co-workers ask me what this movie is about, I pause--then reply, "I don't know." Maybe Lynch regretted that "Mulholland Drive" made too much sense, and decided to film an even stranger satire about Hollywood. I say "satire" hesitantly because you never know with Lynch, but I couldn't help but to detect sarcasm whenever Laura Dern frowned at the shallow chatter around her. Then again, maybe Lynch just writes these "stream-of-consciousness" screenplays as an ode to schizophrenia. Funny how I always rush out to see them though--maybe because my left brain welcomes the vacation. :) Side note: Lynch can still film terrifying scenes like no other director. Rating: 5
    Watching TV series: "Day Break"
    Finally caught up on all of the new "Day Break" episodes at abc.com. The storylines and attention to detail really impressed me. At first, I thought that the day kept changing because of careless screenwriters--but gradually, I began catching the subtleties that kept certain characters alive (for example, I initially never understood why a hitman only killed Rita in the first two days; well, 11 episodes later, I finally deduced what had inadvertently kept her alive: Det. Hopper's daily routine of swiping her cell phone battery). The show also mixed in a few interesting plot points:
    • A catharsis for another key character (remember, catharses carry over to the next day).
    • A funny recurring day where Hopper kept botching a conversation, and had to fly to the West Coast repeatedly.
    • An unsettling point where Hopper stopped caring and began living each day irresponsibly.
    • Another unsettling development wherein Rita went to bed mad at Hopper, and then woke up the next morning still mad at him (yikes)!
    Final thirteenth episode available on abc.com this Monday. Rating: 8
    Watched movie: "Hannibal Rising" (2007)
    Vanilla revenge movie, if you ask me. I found Hannibal Lecter a lot more intriguing when I didn't understand why he ate people. I'd recommend skipping this one and watching "The Silence of the Lambs" instead. Rating: 3
    Curses
    02/08/07 2:52 PM PST

    Wow. Yesterday, a four-alarm fire burned down Santa Teresa Apartments--leaving my office mate homeless. Pretty eerie flashback of what happened to me about eight years ago. Once again, the American Red Cross helped relocate the 150 displaced tenants. See why I respect the Red Cross (or at least, the San Jose branch)? I don't care how bad that their PR gets--I can attest to something much more meaningful: their results.

    On a much more minor note, I finally resolved to get rid of my Royal Rumble commemorative chairs. While carrying the Royal Rumble 2007 chair from the arena, I accidentally scraped it along the street. It looked like someone had keyed it. I interpreted this mishap as a sign to rid my closet of these useless chairs once and for all. They each weigh 17 lbs. and 14 oz. And at 40" tall, shipping them costs more than selling them. Thus, I implemented the following action plan:

    Watched movie: "Man cheng jin dai huang jin jia" a.k.a. "Curse of the Golden Flower" (2006)
    Matrix fu movie (from the director of "Hero" and "House of Flying Daggers") about machinations in a decadent Chinese dynasty. Talk about ornate. I would describe this film as a "Shakespearean acid trip"--rich in ceremony and ripe with scandal. Countless servants (oblivious to the drama within the royal family) tended to the palace in perfect unison--even regimenting little details like poetically declaring the time, and announcing a family member's entry into a room. The plot started brilliantly where the Emperor (Chow Yun Fat), weary of the Empress' obstinance, decided to poison her medicine with mental inhibitors. Usually I don't care for Chow Yun Fat, but in this movie I felt that he and Gong Li stole the show with their masterfully razor-sharp performances. Rating: 8
    Watched movie: "The Messengers" (2007)
    I still can't get used to Westernized Asian horror. In my opinion, the American cliches ruin the genre. Instead of creepy human-like ghosts, the directors overused makeup and special effects to confuse the audience with fast-motion monsters. Made-you-jump scares overshadowed any attempt at a creepy ambiance. The protagonist even quipped a one-liner at the end (I think). I did notice that the protagonist kept investigating dangerously haunted areas, which I wasn't used to seeing. In a traditional American horror flick, such a character would die violently and add another tally mark to the body count. :) Side note: For a scarier flick by these same directors, watch "The Eye". Rating: 5
    The Lone Star State
    01/31/07 11:32 AM PST

    Although I consider myself unassuming, I occasionally admit to certain misconceptions. For example, I failed to recognize the Queen's husband in that movie "The Queen". I never heard of a "King Philip", so I had pegged the Queen as either single or widowed.

    Similarly, I pictured Texas as a dirt landscape full of tumbleweeds, rattlesnakes, cactuses, cowboys, and pickup trucks with shotguns in the back. But I saw none of these stereotypes. Austin, in particular, looked rather modernized.

    My old college roommate recommended that I buy a house in Austin, but how would I utilize six bedrooms? I suppose I could equip each bedroom with its own VCR. When MTV Cribs comes over, I'll be like, "I'm so stylin' that I equipped a VCR in each bedroom." But in reality, I'd have the VCRs disconnected because my HDD/DVD recorder obsoleted them.

    You know, I concluded that I hate driving in San Antonio--possibly more so than any other city. Remember those lanes in Toronto that reversed direction depending on which signal lit up? San Antonio adopted that craziness as well. Also, my roadmap proved useless because the highway signs displayed multiple numbers. For instance, if I-35 N crossed I-10 W, US-81 N, and US-87 N, then the sign listed all four highways (in no discernable order) rather than the highway that I was driving on! For this reason, I failed to reach the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema before it closed (the no-kid theater where you can order food from your seat), and then lost a couple of hours trying to circle back to my motel.

    Other attractions:

    River Walk
    San Antonio looks like any other dull city--but when you walk downstairs, a whole new world unfolds: a winding, greenish canal flanked by shops, foliage, and artistic landscapes. Kind of like Venice but with clumsy tour boats instead of gondolas. I'd highly recommend visiting here at least once in your lifetime. I found the experience...idyllic.
    The Alamo
    I would describe the Alamo as brown and stark (especially compared to the River Walk). The Texas defenders probably would've gaped at how commercialized their fort became. Soda machines next to canon exhibits; one building converted into a souvenir shop.
    Royal Rumble 2007
    This WWE event charted some new territory for me:
    • First time sitting next to a WWE entrance ramp. Definitely one of the best seats in the house. Clear view of the ring; no distracting TitanTron; and a front-row seat to the wrestlers' entrances. I also noticed something. Whenever the cameramen converge on a spot, a big stunt or plot point ensues there. Kind of like that movie "The Eye". :)
    • First time that I fully appeared in a WWE photograph.
    • First time that I attended a Rumble similar to 1991 where the ring kept filling up with wrestlers until it became more like a battle royale (with the big action occurring in the final two). That's not a compliment though. :)
    • First time that entry #30 won the Royal Rumble Match. Also first time that two WWE legends of this caliber ended the match.

    By the way, I gave away my Royal Rumble commemorative chair for free. More on that later. :)

    Post-catharsis; pre-rumble
    01/27/07 12:47 AM PST

    Typically during a week, my most pensive thoughts formulate during a couple of routines: taking a shower and driving in my Corolla. For the most part, these routines trigger constructive ideas, things to do, and/or epiphanies. But once in awhile, I can't help but to stew about something that bugged me. I hate those showers.

    On an unrelated note, last Tuesday I lay in bed with the covers over my head while contractors finished painting my door. Despite my subtle hint about wanting to sleep, they cursed and bantered over deep thoughts such as "what is a door jamb?" As they left the door ajar to dry, cold air and the odors of paint, thinner, and other chemicals offended my nose. Forget leaving the apartment or taking a shower though--that would've invited thieves or even the contractors themselves to walk off with my electronics. I would've missed the DVD recorders the most. If the thieves had taken off with my WWE commemorative chairs, I probably would've thought, "Good." I probably could've chased them, even; those chairs weigh a ton.

    My flight to Austin leaves in a few hours.

    Watched movie: "Letters from Iwo Jima" (2006)
    Morbid WWII drama that basically humanized the Japanese defenders at Iwo Jima. Clint Eastwood somehow directed an entire film in Japanese (subtitled in English). Man, this movie dragged. Not my idea of a good time--watching Japanese soldiers gun down Americans and commit suicide en masse. Why did the Academy nominate this one--not enough Oscars for Clint? :) Rating: 4
    Watched movie: "Little Children" (2006)
    Cleverly satirized everything that frightens me about suburban life. Painfully mindless routines, superficial conversations, and repressed desires. :) At times, I felt so embarrassed by the characters' disgraceful acts that I wanted to bury my head in the sand. Props to the evocative and unpredictable plot points though. Usually I dislike these "American Beauty" type movies, but this one explored some interesting issues. For example:
    • Why husbands cheat on wives that look like supermodels. I mean, how could anyone cheat on Jennifer Connelly?? This movie answered that.
    • Whether "Megan's Law" tactics unfairly stigmatize convicted sex offenders. Don't worry--no children molested in the movie, but it did humanize a sexual deviant (I think).
    • Whether the pursuit of happiness outweighs the responsibilities demanded by society.
    At one time or another, I really felt for the three primary characters. Those times were: a) when Kate Winslet cried at the sight of Patrick Wilson's perfect life (call me crazy, but I found her breakdown cute); b) when Patrick Wilson scored the winning touchdown and saw Kate Winslet rejoicing (means a lot to a guy); and c) when the sexual deviant read his mother's profound, one-line note. Now if the movie had just omitted the narration and the disturbing fornication scenes, then I would've rated it higher. Rating: 7
    Postmortems
    01/21/07 12:42 AM PST

    In the last episode of "24", the U.S. government and CTU (the agency that counters terrorism) failed to prevent a nuclear bomb from detonating in Los Angeles. Having watched the show for five years, I felt compelled to list the mistakes that happen again and again every season. Call it a "24" postmortem, if you will.

    Ordinarily, that show "The Office" cracks me up. But last Thursday, I began personalizing the episode and my smile faded. Similarly, I watched "The Queen" (a future Oscar nominee) on Friday. The movie amused me until, unfortunately, I started to identify with the characters. Then my smile faded again.

    Here's a hypothetical for you: how would you console someone who lost the World Cup by one point?

    1. "Pick yourself up, and win the World Cup next time."
    2. "Feel honored that you even made it to the World Cup."
    3. "Geez, it's just a game."

    Answer: Beats me. It's an awkward situation.

    Ironically, some disappointments never bothered me. In high school, I ruined my 4.0 average with a B in Spanish--consequently, I graduated as salutatorian instead of valedictorian. When the horrified Spanish teacher apologized to me, I shrugged. I was genuinely happy to graduate as salutatorian. In college, I flunked a course with a D one time: chemistry. I shrugged that one off too.

    The disappointments that really bothered me all had a pattern: emotional attachment, i.e., I let my guard down, allow myself to feel proud or inspired about something, and get sucker-punched. One time about 10 years ago, I wrote an essay in college. It got a C. I visited the professor's office, and asked him to justify the grade. As our conversation progressed, the emotion on my face began to puzzle him. It's just a paper, he likely thought. Little did he know how much the paper meant to me; how much time, effort, and heart that I had invested into it. I guess it was my fault for personalizing it.

    Emotional attachment. The root of a lot of problems, if you ask me. :)

    Watched movie: "The Queen" (2006)
    Curiously intriguing dramatization about royalty and government in the United Kingdom. Specifically, the movie chronicled the escalating political crisis sparked by Lady Di's death--eventually forcing Prime Minister Tony Blair to mediate between the Royal Family and an unruly public. Pretty neat example of how sensationalism can sway public opinion. Rating: 7
    Shogun
    01/17/07 5:49 PM PST

    Read book: "Shogun" (1975) by James Clavell

    After three years, I finally completed my goal of finishing James Clavell's "Shogun" . On some days, I struggled through every page because I found the boredom excruciating. I really didn't care about ancient historical backplots or side characters like villagers, concubines, prostitutes, business people, and priests. Sometimes I would claw out of a rough patch; then groan because a flashback (one of many in the book) would drag me back down. On other days, the book redeemed itself with page-turning developments about self-sacrifice, passion, and guile. The Blackthorne and Toranaga characters interested me the most.

    What I liked about the book (minor spoiler alert):

    What I disliked about the book:

    Book vs. mini-series. I enjoyed the mini-series more than the book in that the American adaptation pretty much trimmed out the side plots. The mini-series also avoided obscenities and cultural norms that would no doubt alienate the U.S. audiences (for example, Mariko urging Blackthorne to sleep with other women besides her). For the most part, the mini-series followed my favorite character, Blackthorne. However, the book did surpass the mini-series in describing the characters' thoughts. For example, the book explained what constituted rude conduct (some punishable by death, apparently), innuendos (for example, "your mother is viewing the cherry blossoms," meant your mother is my guest but I am secretly using her as a hostage), and ulterior motives. Toranaga, in particular, seemed to plot a gazillion moves ahead. :) I liked how the book ended by disclosing all of Toranaga's true feelings, secrets, plans, and visions of the future.

    Rating: 7

    Moderation
    01/13/07 10:12 PM PST

    In my last blog entry, you might have detected some sarcasm when I mentioned interface designers. Actually, I respect good interface designers. In fact, if you asked me what I considered the greatest invention of all time, I would answer: the graphical user interface (GUI)--today known as Windows. Why the GUI? What about fire? Fire was discovered, not invented. What about the wheel? Revolutionary--but if someone else in history could have thought it up, then I snub it as the greatest invention of all time.

    Thus, I meant to direct my sarcasm toward cosmetic interface designers. Designers who experiment with radical, untested novelties; capriciously change a GUI like some kind of flower arrangement; overlook the screen reader guidelines that enable blind people to read the panels; or rearrange the layout to make the English prettier at the detriment of the other languages. In other words, I direct my sarcasm toward designers who overemphasize aesthetics over usability.

    The best GUIs in my opinion: Windows XP and the DVD menu for "Phantasm IV". The scene selections GUI in "Phantasm IV" resembles an airport walkway--you can either jog scene by scene or oscillate to the next four scenes without losing momentum. Best fictional GUI in my opinion: the futuristic computer display in "Minority Report" that lets you brush away and zoom in on documents using physical gestures. None of these would win a beauty pageant, but they certainly get the job done.

    Lady luck smiled upon me yesterday. At lunch, the cashier asked me for $6.38. I reached into my pocket, and lo and behold: one quarter, one dime, and three pennies--exactly 38 cents. I figure that the odds of that happening at least exceeded 100 to 1. I actually live each day trying to minimize the loose change in my pocket. If I have two pennies, then I buy a tall mocha ($2.87) from our coffee cafe to get a nickel and dime back. Usually with a nickel and dime, I can buy a Jamba juice size that gets me one or more quarters back. Quarters work well for parking meters, vending machines, and movie theaters. I store them in an empty film container (or if I happen upon a shiny new state quarter, then I save it in my collection book).

    Sometimes I wonder whether my routines indicate any type of aberrance. For example, once in awhile people stare at me when I eat french fries with a fork. Yes, I eat french fries with a fork. It keeps the grease off my fingers. Other people seem astonished that I only keep one fork and one spoon in my whole apartment. The reason's simple: I only need one spoon to eat my Product 19, and one fork to eat everything else. It minimizes the chore of washing dishes--a chore which I loathe more than any other chore in life. I don't mind laundry; I don't mind scrubbing the toilet (got my technique down and everything); but when it comes to dirty dishes, I embody the male stereotype. :)

    After "Pan's Labyrinth" impressed me, I decided to check out the latest movies from two other acclaimed Mexican directors: Alejandro González Iñárritu (director of "21 Grams") and Alfonso Cuarón (director of "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban").

    Watched movie: "Babel" (2006)
    Despite my disdain for lewd, irresponsible, or shameful behavior, I enjoyed this movie. It reminded me of "Traffic" (alternated between Morrocco, Mexico, and Japan) except that instead of drugs, I interpreted the common theme as poor judgement. Just goes to show that stupidity knows no culture, language, or disability. :) Yes--comforting that even deaf Japanese teenagers can act just as idiotically as America's teens (when you see how the Japanese teens style their hair and high-five each other, you'll know what I mean). The film featured some long, drawn out sequences that today's Hollywood cinema seems to lack. For example--instead of just synopsizing a traditional Mexican wedding or a Japanese rave, the director prolonged the scenes to communicate the whole sensory experience. It felt like I actually visited these events. :) Rating: 7
    Watched movie: "Children of Men" (2006)
    Now that's what I call powerful filmmaking. Long, continuous takes that at times felt like a tram ride through the end of the world. In my opinion, this movie epitomized the importance of context. Meaning, if you're a director and want to emote the miracle of childbirth, then you build up an antithetical backdrop for it: the eve of human extinction. I gotta tell you, that payoff where all soldiers in the warzone ceased fire to marvel at the newborn baby really moved me. I felt like I had left the movie theater with a deeper appreciation for life. Side note: Props to the innovative scene where Clive Owen and friends fled in cars that wouldn't start. Rating: 8

    I had to update my "best movies of 2006" list again. "Pan's Labyrinth" and "Children of Men" knocked off "Match Point" and "Monster House".

    New Year's Revolution 2007
    01/10/07 8:39 PM PST

    After days of frustration, I finally solved a mind-bending defect at work. It reminded me of one of those mystery illnesses on "House" wherein the symptoms showed no rhyme or reason. Basically, the interface failed in Japanese and Chinese (only working on singular kanji characters) but succeeded in Korean. That never happened in my experience. Asian languages all use double-byte characters, and thus exhibit identical behavior. The fact that one succeeded while the rest failed...totally illogical. Anyway, that wasn't the real problem. The real problem was that I could not reproduce the defect on my own machine. In "House", the doctors occasionally try to trigger their patient's symptoms in order to deduce the illness. Well for the life of me, I could not trigger those oddball symptoms. But finally, after days of dead-ends, I experimented with a longshot cocktail and rejoiced as each Asian language failed one by one. Have you ever seen that "House" episode where in the very last scene, House literally held the solution in the palm of his hand? That's the rush that I felt. :)

    Update: I forgot to mention another oddity about this Asian character problem: that the Asian characters even had a problem at all. Typically, Asian characters rarely give me grief except in cases where clueless interface designers decide to shrink the font size on the panel. Do you know what happens when kanji characters shrink? They start to look like morse code. Side anecdote: one time a Czech sentence bled off the panel because the English designer hemmed the margins too much. This led to a standoff between me and the Czech tester. The Czech tester wanted me to enlarge the panel, and I wanted the Czech tester to re-translate the sentence to use less words. In retrospect, our debate probably sounded really frivolous and bizarre, e.g., "Bigger panel." "No, less words." Ultimately, I ended up backing down. :)

    Last weekend, I flew to another WWE event: New Year's Revolution in Kansas City--which begs the question: how long do I plan to attend these WWE events? Well, probably not so much in 2007. I only have four WWE goals left to checkmark, and those matches happen very rarely. Admittedly, sometimes I complete a goal more than once to ensure the "full experience". For example, last weekend I wanted to watch a more "daredevil" steel cage match (where the wrestlers risk dangerous aerial maneuvers from within the cage) as opposed to the "psychological" cage match that I witnessed at Taboo Tuesday 2005. Just like at Taboo Tuesday, the winner escaped the cage by bursting out of the door--so I still feel that padlocking the thing would make the match more plausible. :)

    I still plan to attend Wrestlemania 23 on April 1 (reserved the tickets last June). Also--my favorite event of the year, the Royal Rumble, occurs in San Antonio on January 28. With a poster like this, how can anyone resist? :)

    Looks like I'll have another Royal Rumble commemorative folding chair for my closet. K-Mart sells a plastic Martha Stewart garment bag that zips up perfectly around the chair. The curved shoulder top and rectangular bottom match the contour of the chair exactly. Maybe someday I can appear on Martha Stewart's show to endorse the art of preserving WWE chairs. :)

    Holiday movie marathon 2006
    01/05/07 3:53 PM PST

    My car insurance finally dropped from $730 a year down to $342 a year thanks to the reinstatement of my California Good Driver and Driving Safety Record Rate Level 1 reductions. Three and a half years ago on July 2003, a fender bender had dropped me to the bottom of the ladder (I had assumed that the car in front of me had driven ahead once the cross-traffic stopped--I assumed wrong--now I glance thrice during a right turn). I clearly felt at fault, and accepted responsibility for it. However, in the last possible day before the expiration period, the other driver decided that the 5 mph collision gave her whiplash and filed a claim against me. This "injury-causing" car accident assassinated my California Good Driver status, plummeted my driving safety record, and skyrocketed my insurance rates so high that I had to limit my coverage to just liability for the next three and a half years (if I had totalled my car in that time, I would've been out of luck). So all in all, I feel conflicted about hitting-and-running from a fender bender. I consider it a scummy thing to do--but in this litigious society that we live in, I can understand why people would do it. :)

    Cool--Santa Clara County paid me $17.38 for my jury service. They quantified my boredom to $2.17 an hour. :)

    Results for the 2H 2006 music video results are now available.

    'Tis the time of year when I catch up on the winter movies:

    Watched movie: "Rocky Balboa" (2006)
    Much as I enjoy Sylvester Stallone's deep thoughts and cornball speeches, this movie meant nothing to me. What was the point of it? What did Rocky try to prove? What does "stuff in the basement" really mean? My friends and I tried to figure out the moral of the story, but kept getting stuck. "When life knocks you down, you uhhh..." Rating: 6
    Watched movie: "Casino Royale" (2006)
    I like this more "human" James Bond. Less smug and less cardboard; actually making mistakes like a real person. Also made perfect sense that he would fall for the woman without a "tell". "Casino Royale"--definitely a movie that a cynic like me can relate to. :) P.S. Did this Bond really precede Sean Connery? M mentioned 9/11, and Bond roamed the "Bodies" exhibit--both indicative of current events! To avoid a giant spoiler paragraph, I posted more of my reflections below (minor spoiler alert). Rating: 7
    Watched movie: "Black Christmas" (2006)
    Wow, what a lackluster slasher flick. What inspired this tripe, "See No Evil"? To think that this director co-created such classics as "Tooms" (from "X-Files") and "Final Destination". Guess his creativity ran out. Bah--now I have to bump "The Fountain" off of my "worst movies of 2006" list. Side note: the preview clips mismatched the movie--not that I care, but what gives? Rating: 3
    Watched movie: "Happy Feet" (2006)
    Tap dancing penguins. Cool. Also, props to the neat "Close Encounters" type moments (a.k.a. using music to communicate). Rating: 7
    Watched movie: "Eragon" (2006)
    One part "Lord of the Rings", one part "Star Wars", and three parts cheese. Kids would like it I suppose. I have two parts constructive criticism for this movie: a) mute out the dragon's dialogue, and b) mute out everyone else's dialogue. :) Rating: 4
    Watched movie: "The Good Shepherd" (2006)
    A "white and nerdy" version of "The Godfather". Actually, this movie reminded me more of another Coppola movie called "The Conversation", i.e., banal main characters, shadow conspiracies, and even a central recording that they analyzed over and over again. All in all, I'd consider "The Good Shepherd" one of the most boring spy movies ever made. I cared less about the plot and more about how someone that banal could attract Angelina Jolie. Rating: 5
    Watched DVD: "Following" (1998)
    Christopher Nolan's first feature film: a Hitchcockian black-and-white noir (Nolan directed "Memento" and "Batman Begins"). It starts out where a bored writer decides to shadow strangers at random in London; then befriends a diabolical grifter who playfully breaks into peoples' homes. For the most part, the movie followed three points in time (similar to "21 Grams" but in chronological order). Not too sure what Nolan gained by using this technique, but it did make the movie more intriguing. Rating: 7
    Watched movie: "El Laberinto del Fauno" a.k.a. "Pan's Labyrinth" (2006)
    Kind of like "Life is Beautiful" except that the girl explored much more vivid fantasies--and similarly, hid from much more graphic cruelties. To give you a sense of the violence: some of the scenes in the adult reality made the audience squirm, cover their eyes, or exclaim comments such as "WTF!" and "What kind of movie is this?" Haha, guess they expected a "Harry Potter" or "Neverending Story" type experience. Kids would probably turn pale and roll up into a ball. :) Admittedly, I occasionally felt tempted to avert my eyes until the girl's fantasy returned. I wonder if anything will get spliced out before the film's general release. Anyway--overall, I found the movie imaginative and would recommend it. You will need to read subtitles, but the Spanish made the dialogue sound muy cool. Rating: 7

    More reflections on "Casino Royale" (minor spoiler alert): During the poker game, I found it laughable that the villain unconsciously touched his own eye during a bluff. How could someone play poker well enough to calculate the exact probabilities of their opponent's hand, yet unknowingly telegraph such an obvious "tell"?

    It also amused me how Bond and Vesper could read each other so well. "You see, by the way you ignored the quip about your parents, I'm going to have to go with orphan." Orphaned rather than estranged? How could he possibly know that? See, I'm not convinced that a person can draw meaningful conclusions from one encounter. For instance, I place minimal value in job interviews, first dates, or other tests of character where people try extra hard to make a good impression.

    The real test requires patient observation. For example, is a person still friendly to you after you gave them what they wanted? Do they acknowledge you later? Do they ever reciprocate if you need a similar favor from them? Do they overuse flattery? Do they do anything hypocritical? How do they respond to stress or not getting their way? How do they treat other people when you're around and when you're not around?

    Of course, "patient observation" relies on the premise that a person can't maintain the same facade forever. Occasionally, I have trusted some folks as genuine (or conditionally genuine). So if you can deceive a cynic like me, then consider yourself a master. :)

    On a side note, a job applicant probably wouldn't want someone like me conducting the interview. I would simply pick a qualification on the applicant's resume to elaborate on--and if they beat around the bush, then I'll know that they embellished. :) Ironically, some of the worst employees that I've worked with would probably interview stronger than the best employees that I've worked with.

    2006 Year in Review
    12/22/06 4:02 PM PST
    Best of 2006 Worst of 2006
    Events that happened to Steve
    1. That highly inspirational moment when I watched Apolo Anton Ohno overcome all odds to win the gold medal at Torino 2006.
    2. Andrea Bocelli in Concert, most notably "Con Te Partirò".
    3. Riverdance.
    4. (tie) Exceptional WWE events: Royal Rumble 2006, Wrestlemania 22, ECW One Night Stand 2006, watching Hulkamania run wild at SummerSlam 2006, Unforgiven 2006, and Survivor Series 2006.
    5. Road trip highlights: dining at the Iron Skillet and recovering my eyedrop pouch at a South Dakota rest area.
    1. Losing money, time, and patience in the months following my cancelled Minnesota flight.
    2. Suffering through this year's torturous heat wave and the three blackouts.
    3. Feeling disillusioned with eBay after feuding with that deadbeat bidder.
    4. Road trip torments: enduring the sickening landing at Chicago O'Hare International Airport, seeing nothing but eyesore billboards while driving all day across the I-90 in South Dakota, and falling in the mud at Bryce Canyon.
    5. Staying in that lousy hotel in that unsafe Toronto district.
    Movies
    1. "United 93"
      "Cathartic."
      "...the most profound and thrilling disaster movie of all time."
    2. "Children of Men"
      "Now that's what I call powerful filmmaking."
    3. "The Lake House"
      "Charming love story..."
    4. "Brick"
      "Amusing Noir-style mystery..."
    5. "The Prestige"
      "...one heck of a good feud."
    6. "Curse of the Golden Flower"
      "...Shakespearean acid trip..."
    7. "Cache"
      "Masterfully unsettling..."
    8. "Pan's Labyrinth"
      "...imaginative..."
    9. "Little Miss Sunshine"
      "Meaningful offbeat 'road trip' comedy..."
    10. "Joyeux Noel"
      "Inspirational 'world peace' Christmas tale..."
    1. "Stay Alive"
      "...decided to write down the stupidities..."
    2. "Running Scared"
      "...characters needed a serious sedative."
    3. "Freedomland"
      "This is torture, just torture."
    4. "Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World"
      "...deflated pathetically."
    5. "Black Christmas"
      "...what a lackluster slasher flick."
    6. "An American Haunting"
      "After the first few minutes, I groaned..."
    7. "The Black Dahlia"
      "...noir gone bad."
    8. "See No Evil"
      "Crude, shallow, and perverse..."
    9. "The Da Vinci Code"
      "...corny, overrated treasure hunt."
    10. "Lady in the Water"
      "...completely preposterous..."
    Songs
    1. "Here (In Your Arms)" hellogoodbye
    2. "The Only One" Evanescence
    3. "Lucky" Lucky Twice
    4. "Into The Ocean" Blue October
    5. "This Never Happened Before" Paul McCartney
    6. "Say It Right" Nelly Furtado
    7. "Crazy" Gnarls Barkley
    8. "Wind It Up" Gwen Stefani
    1. "Say I" Christinia Milian f/ Young Jeezy
    2. "Ridin'" Chamillionaire f/ Krayzie Bone
    3. "What You Know" T.I.
    4. "Stupid Girls" Pink
    5. "Miss Murder" AFI
    Music video "White And Nerdy" Weird Al Yankovic "Here (In Your Arms)" hellogoodbye
    TV series "House" (runner-up: "The Office") "ECW on Sci Fi"
    Commercial Burger King chicken fries commercial where two chickens heckle another chicken for hanging out with french fries, i.e., "Maybe you wanna be a french fry." (tie) Pizza Hut commercial where Jessica Simpson sings about cheesy bites pizza (talk about selling out), and a corny Miller Genuine Draft commercial where a grocery cashier commends a man's beer purchase over the intercom.
    Soda Aruba Jam Sprite Remix (until it got discontinued, grrr) 7UP PLUS Island Fruit

    I travelled to more places in 2006 alone than I have in all my previous years combined. Milestones in 2006:

    Watched movie: "Turistas" (2006)
    Lamer, more "humane" version of "Hostel". The fights totally confused me because they primarily occurred in darkness. I still don't understand what happened in the underwater caverns, for instance. I did think that the film would make a good "scared straight" video to show naive tourists what could happen if you neglect your passport, skimp on travel services, or get drunk among strangers. Rating: 4
    Forgive and forget?
    12/19/06 2:59 PM PST

    Everyday, I discipline myself to approach work and life professionally. If something minor annoys me (like discourtesy), then I try to shrug it off. If something major annoys me (like blatant disrespect), then I try to resolve it assertively without losing my temper. Same goes for crises. If the fan in my mini-fridge begins rattling (like a fork dancing in a garbage disposal) and I stab it with a paper clip and something cracks and water begins gushing out uncontrollably (picture Scrat in "Ice Age"), then I try not to panic (this happened just last week, by the way).

    For this reason, people seem astonished whenever I take something personally. I guess it's hard to process--like Smokey the Bear tossing a cigarette in a forest. Sometimes my week just sucked and one more spark could set me off. Sometimes someone asked me the exact same question twice already and I'm just waiting for them to ask me one more time so that I won't feed guilty about losing my patience. In any case, I took this past eBay feud personally. I could have handled it more maturely, but I chose not to. I was mad. This eBay'er continuously changed stories, constantly lied, addressed me rudely, and never once took responsibility for anything. Hard to forgive someone when they never come clean. I wanted this eBay'er to suffer.

    That's why I had to choke down a lot of malice and a lot of ill will to send that eBay'er a mutual feedback withdrawal request. A mutual feedback withdrawal request leaves the negative comments but simultaneously erases the -1 point for both parties. The eBay'er thought about it for awhile and finally consented. Although the outcome did not erase the malfeasance, it at least restored both of our perfect feedback scores. Interestingly, I felt better afterward. It gave me a sense of closure, and allowed me to move on with my life.

    This segues into my next topic: Survivor: Cook Islands a.k.a. the season criticized for dividing the tribes by ethnicity. I must say that I enjoyed the season a lot. It finally broke the tired "all-caucasian characters with token minorities" formula. It casted some charismatic intellectuals instead of just "Real World" characters which I'd brutally characterize as promiscuous, immature, soap opera-ish, shallow, or all of the above. :) (Speaking of "Real World", that fool "The Miz" now wrestles on my WWE SmackDown! program; I suppose that's a fitting career choice.) Anyway--although this season did have certain formulaic characters (one moment that stands out: the flirtatious blonde girl kissing the spikey-haired jock), those characters got voted out. :)

    My favorite "charismatic intellectuals" from the cast: Yul Kwon (the winner) and Jonathan Penner. They actually articulated my sentiment about sore losers perfectly:

    Hear hear. In my opinion, the players who understand this sentiment fare better. This revisits the point I made earlier about taking something personal. The players who personalize everything, lose their temper, exclaim "You betrayed me!"; only socialize with the people they like--well, they end up burning bridges and wondering what went wrong when a conspiracy votes them out. Take Yul, for example. Even though Jonathan completely jeopardized his tribe by mutinying to another alliance, Yul stayed level-headed and managed to persuade Jonathan back for one heck of a pivotal vote (side note: I liked Yul's argument about how Jonathan would've gotten voted out within the next two rounds).

    I respected Yul more than any other player. I agreed with his quote: "...I think the key to winning the game is, you know, maximizing the good luck and mitigating the bad luck." I also identified with his embarrassment when two naked drunkards flirted in the same hot tub that he was lounging in. :)

    The only player I that consider better than Yul: Tom Westman, the charismatic New York firefighter. Tom inspired such loyalty in his fellow players that they felt sick voting for him (one player even forfeited an immunity challenge out of respect for him), and did not even roll their eyes when he BS'ed them with a line about "knowing you was more reward than any million dollars would bring". Unfortunately, I noticed jurors rolling their eyes at Yul's speeches. :)

    Watched mini-series: "The Lost Room" (2006)
    Inventive Sci-Fi channel series about objects from a missing 1961 motel room that imbue special powers upon their owners (for example, a comb that momentarily stops time and scissors that can rotate things). The objects cannot be damaged (thus posing an interesting "curse" for the mythical, original occupant of the motel room), and in 46 years inspired various secret societies, businesses, collectors, and experimenters. In the series, the main character (on a quest for his missing daughter) owned a key to that motel room and could access any door in the world a la the Keymaker in "The Matrix Reloaded". Pretty cool. Reminded me of that video game that I enjoyed so much, "Silent Hill 4: The Room". Rating: 8
    Watched movie: "The Fountain" (2006)
    What kind of whack movie is this. Like a cross between "Solaris", the final episode of "Star Trek: The Next Generation", and Salvador Dalí. Also, I expected a film about immortality--not mortality. I spent much of the film frowning. Rating: 4

    Nooo! ABC is cancelling "Day Break". I hope they conclude the storyline at least.

    Hall of Justice
    12/12/06 6:32 PM PST

    Now I know why courtroom dramas like "Law & Order" rarely ever show voir dire. It's b-o-r-i-n-g. Even though the court clerk never called me into the jury box, I still had to endure the entire proceeding for one-and-a-half days. Here's what I had to listen to:

    Tip #2: Please return to the courtroom on time. We actually had to wait around because one potential juror took a late lunch. The judge scolded him big-time as he hung his head in shame.

    Aside from the boredom, I did find entertainment in predicting which juror would get dismissed. I actually picked a couple of them wrong: #1) the park ranger who graduated the academy and knew the force diagram, and #2) the ex-juror who served in a grand jury about police corruption. Neither lawyer challenged them.

    Watching TV series: "Day Break"
    Sometimes this show reminds me of "Quantum Leap" because in every episode, the detective attempts to put right what once went wrong. He typically fixates on one clue or character. Then when he befriends a character long enough, they grant him a lead to follow for the next episode. He also saves the same characters over and over again because he never knows when the day will stop repeating. Oddly, catharsis seems to carry over--i.e., when the detective helped save his partner's lover from suicide, the partner woke up "reborn" in the next morning and changed her actions.
    Watched movie: "Déjà Vu" (2006)
    Decidedly stirring time-travel thriller. To the filmmakers' credit, they did a good job developing Denzel Washington into a helpless "knight in shining armor"--hence I actually rooted for him to succeed (see, sometimes I shrug about who lives or dies in these time-travel plots). I also liked how the scientific boundaries made their detective work more challenging. Specifically--despite unlimited access to present crime scenes, their viewscreen could only film one spot at a time (with no second chances). The only loophole that I noted came from one particularly huge anomaly: the washed-up corpse. Somebody explain to me how that can co-exist with the evidence in that woman's residence. Rating: 7
    Nach dem Spiel ist vor dem Spiel
    12/10/06 10:00 PM PST

    Sometimes my life feels like a casino. For example, I listen to debates at work, and picture a pachinko ball ricocheting back and forth between the pegs. A puddle delays my flight, and I imagine a horse race. I feud with someone on eBay, and picture a poker showdown. I attend jury duty, and envision a keno board where I gamble on which juror will get dismissed.

    I don't really fancy poker, but if you're cynical like me then everywhere you look you see poker faces--some people wearing them more so than others. Some look happy but feel unhappy inside. Some act sincere but harbor hidden agendas. Some feel insecure about something and want no one to know. Some act indifferent but in actuality, want to know whether someone will pass the test that they secretly laid out for them. Some even mastered subterfuge so well that I can't read them at all. Others give themselves away with a "tell"--the most common of them (aside from body language and inconsistencies) being acting guilty, defensive, or evasive.

    How do I play poker as a metaphor for life? Well, here's some examples:

    As you can tell by my introductory paragraph, this past week kind of drained me. Here's why:

    Monday's flight delay
    My U.S. Airways flight back sure contrasted the relaxing, first-class Delta flight. As I sat in the economy cabin at 5:30am in the morning, the captain announced a puddle under one of the engines. A puddle?!?! It will only take 5 minutes to investigate, he assured. Thirty minutes later, we finally took off. The stewardess didn't bother announcing our connecting flights--she knew that we would all miss them. Then at the Phoenix airport, my new boarding pass noted a departure time 2.5 hours later than my original flight. I had to call into working saying that I'd show up 3 hours late. Could've been worse, I suppose.
    The eBay fued
    Someone finally ruined my perfect feedback on eBay. They left me retaliatory negative feedback in response to negative feedback I left to them. Sadly, eBay provides no policy against retaliatory feedback. Meaning--even if you leave purely factual feedback about someone, then they can simply vandalize your feedback record with random insults. Way to go, eBay. In any case, I resolved to leave negative feedback regardless. The bidder's dishonesty and rudeness simply rubbed me the wrong way. Specifically:
    • The bidder won the item (an ECW ticket) in the last five seconds--then after a couple of my reminders, alleged that a car accident crippled her. The other bidders shunned me and due to the time-sensitivity of the ticket, I knew that I could no longer re-auction the ticket in time. I could have left negative feedback then--but instead decided to throw a "second chance" curve ball: I sent her the ticket anyway to see if she would be despicable enough to use it. I suppose the show "World's Dumbest Criminals" inspired me.
    • To my disgust, she did indeed use the ticket. Car accident, huh? So I courteously reminded her to pay via eBay messaging, and received some rude replies: a) that she never received the ticket (stupid considering I was holding the return receipt that she had signed); and b) ok, she did receive the ticket and her daughter used it (another lie, but beside the point because she basically confessed to her own malfeasance).

    In any case, we now both have negative feedbacks and that's tragic. But I'm not losing sleep over it. Personally, I don't see how she can sleep well at all knowing what she did--and if that's not bad enough--knowing that she upset some complete stranger who now knows what she looks like. I know that would unnerve me.

    Jury duty
    This one's a whole blog entry in itself. I'll discuss it in my next blog. :)
    December to Dismember
    12/04/06 1:01 AM PST

    Welcome to Atlanta where the players play...unless you're sitting here at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Airport with nothing to do but surf the Internet. :) My flight leaves in about two hours, and nothing is open.

    The ECW pay-per-view show really disappointed me for the following reasons:

    On the bright side, I can cross "Elimination Chamber Match" off my list.

    The highlight of my trip actually occurred by accident, prior to the pay-per-view event: Expedia unexpectedly booked me a first class seat for my Delta flight to Georgia (maybe because the economy cabin sold out?). In any case, I can finally cross that goal off my list too.

    No question about it: first class rocks, and it will pain me to fly economy again. Some of the perks that I enjoyed:

    Regretfully, I dozed off and missed the hot towels. I can't remember that last time I felt that recharged and tranquil. If I ever book a long international flight, I need to consider upgrading it to first-class--that's all there is to it. :)

    Pennsylvania, Day 3: Jobbed
    11/29/06 7:41 PM PST

    I returned from Pennsylvania the other night, and developed my photos.

    Now I ask you...what is wrong with this picture?

    Answer: The proud Rocky statue--once perched on top of the steps in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art (overlooking the city)--now stands relegated to a grassy area off to the right of the museum. Jobbed...

    Pennsylvania, Day 2 (cont'd.): Survivor Series 2006
    11/26/06 11:16 PM PST

    I figured out the Penna Turnpike. The empty toll booths at the onramp actually spit out a yellow ticket. This ticket indicates where you entered the turnpike. The further you drive, the more that you pay. So from Somerset back to Philadelphia, I paid about $11. Now I don't feel screwed anymore--just ripped-off. :)

    My "karma" forecast looked bad today. After meandering through Somerset County for two hours longer than I would have liked, some sort of I-76 gridlock halted all of the eastbound cars for 30 minutes. So a lot of us just killed time by wandering roadside.

    Then at the WWE Survivor Series, the Wachovia Center reversed all of the seat numbers so that I landed in the seat farthest from the ramp. Fortunately, I had a plan B: a backup floor ticket much closer to the ring--in a spot that the Undertaker happened to frequent! Somehow, the universe manages to balance itself out. :) Maybe I should write best practices for appearing on WWE TV. For starters, I would advise:

    Also, I executed an ingenious plan for the commemorative chair: I left it behind. Why didn't I think of that before? With no chair to hold me back, I tore out of the arena and beat the post-show traffic.

    As for the show, I don't think that I could've asked for better Survivor Series elimination matches. Creative combinations galore! In my humble opinion, 2006 represented a banner year for WWE pay-per-views.

    One more sight to see tomorrow: a landmark restored to its original spot. Here's a hint: "Remember when we was on ice skates and I thought you was supposed to be great."

    Pennsylvania, Day 2: Flight 93 National Memorial
    11/26/06 3:41 PM PST

    Travelling alone comes with another perk (perk #1 being the absence of shame for booking a bad hotel). Perk #2 = the absence of shame for getting totally lost. Despite driving directions from the National Park Service Web site, I wasted a whole hour ineptly searching for the Flight 93 National Memorial. For one thing, I veered east instead of west on the Penna Turnpike, and vented for half-an-hour because I couldn't turn around anywhere.

    Anyway, I finally found the memorial amidst a county of backroads, idyllic towns, and rural fields. A truly unique site, this Flight 93 Memorial. Because of its unnatural, unplanned origins, no hotels, airports, or major highways exist anywhere near it. Nothing here to fuel my cynicism either--no lines, concession stands, memorabilia shops, or smiling tourists. Not even an overemphasis on any one person or legacy. Just heartfelt tributes from reverent Americans: benches engraved with the passengers' names, flags, trinkets, poems, memorials, pictures--you name it.

    Is it worth driving four hours for? Hard to say. It's not like you can see any trace of the plane crash. But for me, personally--this site might signify the only place on Earth where I honestly felt no cynicism. In fact, I thought up the perfect antonym of cynicism: inspiration.

    Pennsylvania, Day 1
    11/25/06 9:37 PM PST

    Flew in from SFO to Philadelphia today. I guess the airports relaxed their ban on liquids, gels, and aerosols. Now they allow a quart-size ziploc bag of travel-size toiletries.

    This time I purchased my Philly cheese steak from Geno's Steaks (a rival of Pat's King of Steaks from across the street). I ordered a "Whiz, wit," (translation: a steak sandwich with cheeze whiz and onions). It seemed to have less meat than Pat's, but still delicious. I don't know why cheese steaks taste better in Philly than in Califonia. As for the freedom fries, they tasted funny--like the wavy, defrosted ones that I remember eating as a kid.

    I'd like to think of myself as a consumer-conscious person, but somehow I got screwed today...twice.

    Specifically, somehow I ended up paying twice as much for the rental car that I reserved. "We're out of economy cars," the clerk alleged. After convincing me to upgrade, buy basic insurance, and pre-pay for the gas, my online estimate doubled (I'm kicking myself for not challenging it at the time). Then he showed me to my car: a silver PT Cruiser. It looked like an SUV from the 1950s. Even with a full tank, I had to refuel during the four-hour drive to Somerset. What kind of freakish car is this? Side note: I liked the service plazas on the I-76--like mini-mall rest stops.

    Then as I pulled up to a toll booth on the Somerset off-ramp, the cashier asked for my ticket.

    "What ticket?" I replied blankly.
    "The one on the turnpike, from the yellow box."
    "What?"
    "Without a ticket, you owe $17.75."
    "$17.75??"

    After a futile exchange, I begrudgingly paid the highway robber his $17.75--unable to reconcile what just happened.

    Anyway, I figured that I should get that off my chest before I visit the Flight 93 National Memorial tomorrow. In that context, my gripes would sound petty. :)

    CSI: Cake Scene Investigation, Part II
    11/17/06 2:55 PM PST

    The key eyewitness in the case of the missing birthday cake returned to work this week, and he did not take the news about the empty box well. Here's why:

    Man oh man. What kind of sick person would slice through the tape on a bakery box, ignore the words "Happy Birthday Steve" on the frosting, steal the cake anyway, re-tape the box, and return the empty box to the fridge? That's disturbing--like "Black Dahlia" disturbing. Because why even bother to re-tape the box? Why not just return the empty box to the fridge without any new tape? I just can't reconcile that illogical act.

    Unfortunately, this travesty will likely go unsolved and unpunished. The culprit needed a) means (a way to sneak off with a three layer cake), b) motive (a reason to steal the cake and flaunt what they did), and c) opportunity (access to the fridge). I hate to even suggest it, but I'd be interested to know which janitor was on duty that Thursday night, should I choose to pursue this. However, I'm letting the individual who suffered the most follow up on it (the poor guy in our department lottery who went above and beyond to deliver a personalized three layer cake).

    In other news, a couple of people asked me what I did on my 30th birthday last Sunday. Well--I did a couple of things, actually: jack and squat. I do have two trips planned for Thanksgiving weekend and the weekend after though. After Thanksgiving Day, I plan to re-visit Philadelphia for a pro-wrestling event called "Survivor Series". A Survivor Series Match pits one team of wrestlers (typically five) against another in an elimination tag team match. When written creatively, these matches can unfold in a thrilling manner (kind of like soccer penalty shootouts if you like soccer). While in the area, I also plan to drive four hours to the Flight 93 National Memorial, re-photograph the Rocky statue, and eat a Philly cheesesteak.

    Then next weekend, I plan to fly to Augusta, Georgia to complete the other goal on my pro-wrestling list: the Elimination Chamber Match. In this type of match, a steel cage with four locked chambers surrounds the ring (each containing a wrestler). Two wrestlers start out. At regular intervals, a chamber randomly opens so that a new wrestler can enter the fray. Elimination occurs by pinfall or submission until the last wrestler standing wins.

    Watched TV episode: "Day Break" pilot
    A cross between "Groundhog Day" and "24", where the main character relives the same day over and over (starting at 6:18am sharp). Unfortunately for this guy, it's one of those bad Jack Bauer days: framed for murder; loved ones in danger; partner under investigation. Usually I trivialize the gravity of these plots with a "video game" mentality: better luck next time. But the show added one intriguing premise: the guy's health carries over to the next day. Example: during a gunfight, he suffered a bullet wound which continued to bleed out the day after. Meaning--he can't try anything too reckless. Now I would think that he'd want to convalesce after a bullet wound (given that his health won't reset), but for some reason he opted to escape the hospital. :( Rating: ++1/2
    30 to life
    11/12/06 1:47 AM PST

    November 12, 2006: my 30th birthday. During my lifetime, I've been characterized in many ways: cynical; unassuming; stoic; quiet; conflicted; "a man of two worlds". I guess my life does sport a lot of contradictions: raised as a Buddhist, yet expected to succeed in a capitalistic society; both a liberal and a conservative; a fan of opera and pro-wrestling, owner of a music collection that includes both Enya and Rob Zombie.

    Anyway, one could philosophize that certain pivotal events in my life defined who I am today. Allow me to share the top five chronologically:

    My first lesson in humility
    In grade school, I used to dominate the math races. It went to my head. One day I felt particularly cocky, and purposely let a girl catch up to me so that I could smoke her in the final round. Well, thanks to that momentum and a newfound confidence, she ended up defeating me in the final round. As soon as the class realized that I could be beaten, other students began to surpass me as well. Fortunately, this humiliation taught me a valuable Buddhist principle that I would never ever forget: the dangers of ego. Sometimes people wonder why I have such patience with imposing people; why I occasionally perform tasks that some would consider "beneath" me; or why I'm quick to credit my colleagues so methodically. These actions represent my ongoing effort to keep my ego in check. I don't always succeed, mind you--and it doesn't help that some aspects of my profession require a certain degree of ego--but I try. :)
    My personality change
    Sometime around the sixth grade, my personality altered. I transformed from a complete extrovert into a complete introvert--from one of the most outgoing kids in school to one of the most reclusive kids in school--as if some switch had activated in my brain. To this day, I don't know what happened. Nowadays, I can control the switch better--toggling between extrovert and introvert depending on what the situation needs--but at the end of day, I prefer to unwind alone. To tell you the truth, I can't remember the last time that I ever felt lonely either.
    My first encounter with racism
    At around ten-years-old, I still hadn't grown up past five feet. My parents enrolled me in a summer school full of burly caucasian jocks. Unfortunately, one particular bully liked to harass Asians relentlessly. He traumatized me with racist slurs such as "I'm going to kill you American style." I remember crying and begging my parents to withdraw me from the school. My mother actually visited the campus, and spoke with the bully directly (against my better judgement). To my shock, she concluded that I provoked him, and refused to remove me from the school. To think--my parents believed an Aryan maniac over their own son. Well, his reign of terror continued even worse. I'm no psychologist, but my cynicism about human nature probably started here. I used to have much more tolerance toward intimidation. I could shrug it off with mild-mannered indifference. But now I'm more inclined toward the viewpoint that men and women need to stand up for themselves (assertively at first; aggressively if provoked). If they let the intimidation continue--or expect someone else to stand up for them--then they'll get picked on all their life. Interestingly, I've never gotten into a physical altercation. I've lost my temper before and started yelling--even asked a couple of people to repeat what they said with my fist ready to follow--but usually I've always managed to settle my disputes assertively. :)
    My first lovesickness
    To understand why this experience changed me, you have to contrast it with the scarcity of my crushes. In 30 years, I've fallen in love maybe twice. Possibly more if you round up. :) I've basically had to accept the cold reality that I lack emotion--be it happiness, loneliness, or love. Fortunately (or unfortunately), lovesickness did afflict me in high school. While paging through my yearbook, my eyes fixated on one particular girl in one particular group photo. I had spoken to her uneventfully before, but this time my head began to swim. My heart started to seize up. Then one day, I gazed upon her in person. My vision blurred into a white haze; my heartbeat accelerated. As days passed, the symptoms worsened: insomnia; loss of appetite; inability to concentrate. Well--I finally mustered the courage to ask her out. She agreed, and I felt like the king of the world--that is, until she stipulated that we could never, ever be more than friends. My ego deflated like a flat tire. Those romance movies from Hollywood are so full of crap, I lamented. :) However, at least she saved me from a lifetime of wondering what could have been--and more importantly, she proved that I could feel love. Unfortunately, she also proved that I feel love very rarely. That's why I no longer accept blind dates--the chance of me falling for someone I've never met...minimal. :)
    The apartment #103 fire
    May 25, 1999: The day when I walked home to discover that the plumber burned down my bathroom. Due to biohazard quarantine of apartment #103, I lived in an empty apartment for over a month--relieved of meaningless material possessions (arguably my closest encounter with enlightenment). Also, this incident promoted the Red Cross to my #1 charity of choice.
    Watched movie: "The Return" (2006)
    Decently intriguing cross between "X-Files" and "The Ring". Sarah Michelle Gellar's living nightmares kept me guessing between repressed memory, past life, and spiritual medium. In the end, I failed to predict the solution (but that's not necessarily a compliment). :) Rating: 6
    CSI: Cake Scene Investigation
    11/10/06 3:35 PM PST

    My co-workers gathered in my office to honor my upcoming 30th birthday. When my office mate opened a bakery box to cut my birthday cake, she exclaimed in horror that the cake vanished! We immediately started to sleuth for clues, each clue more bizarre than the next:

    Clue #1: The missing eyewitness. The co-worker who bought my cake took today off. Yesterday he brought in the box, wrote his last name on the side, and stacked plates on top of the lid. He then stored the box in a fridge on the floor above us. The box stayed there overnight. This missing co-worker represents a missing puzzle piece. I want to ask him whether the box felt light to him when he stuck it in the fridge.
    Clue #2: The re-taped box. Somebody tampered with the original scotch tape on the box. It appeared to be cut and re-taped. When my office mate retrieved the box from the fridge, the stacked plates still covered the lid. Meaning--if somebody stole the cake from the fridge, then they'd had to have deliberately re-taped the empty box, re-stacked the plates on top of it, and returned the box to the original spot. I could not reconcile why a burglar would go that extra mile. If you're stealing someone's cake, why even re-tape the box; much less return the box?
    Clue #3: Cake remnants. I doubt that the bakery made a mistake in packaging the cake because a) the inside of the box showed traces of frosting and smelled of strawberries (so at some point, the cake occupied the box), and b) somebody tampered with the original scotch tape on the box.
    Clue #4: Walkthrough of the crime scene. Another co-worker snooped through trash cans on the same floor as the fridge, looking for evidence of frosting or used plates. No trace. However, she did spot a gathering in a cubicle room across from the fridge, where loud employees loitered around a table of food. No sign of cake though... My reasoning: if a burglar was diabolical enough to return crime evidence to the fridge (an empty box), then the burglar was probably clever enough to dump the rest of the evidence where no one could find it.

    To be continued...

    Sin City II
    11/09/06 7:58 PM PST

    Bad enough that Election 2006 news coverage scrolled underneath this week's "House" episode...but then Fox had the nerve to pre-empt part of the episode so that Pelosi could brag about how the Democrats retook Congress. Arrrrgghhh!! This is why I detest politics and broadcast news. They waste my time with sensationalism and spin.

    Man. Computer problems at the McCarran Airport delayed my parents' flight from Las Vegas for six hours. So they ended up waiting there for about eight hours! Ironically, I drove from Las Vegas to Anaheim to Santa Maria, and almost beat them home (they arrived at 3am and I arrived at 3:30am).

    Las Vegas hardly changed since the last time that I visited there (other than Danny Gans replacing Siegfried & Roy in the Mirage marquee). I guess I never cared for the gambling, drinking, smoking, exhibitionism, or other hedonistic vices prevalent in Vegas--not because I morally object, but because I simply never understood their appeal. Alcoholic beverages, for example, taste bitter and disgusting to my tongue.

    Stayed at hotel: Mirage Hotel and Casino
    Overpriced beyond belief. Five dollars for a cup of tea; twelve dollars for one slice of tuna sashimi! I mean--it tasted good but not twelve dollars good. Japanese-French fusion food, man.

    The white tiger cracked me up. Must've been bored in that habitat. First it slept with its back to us; then it gnawed on a rock; then it gnawed on its foot; then it marked its territory.
    Visited casino: Caesars Palace Resort Hotel and Casino
    Odd how my friends and I missed this casino last time. Caesars Palace showcased some interesting escalator stairwells, and fountains that sprouted talking statues every hour (by talking, I mean animatronic gesturing with pre-recorded voiceovers). One fountain even blasted flames during the show.
    Attended Celine Dion concert: "A New Day..."
    Probably more like "Groundhog Day" given that Celine Dion agreed to perform this same show nightly from 2003 to 2007. :) Both my parents and I enjoyed it. I'd describe the experience as "Celine Dion singing inside of a holodeck built by Cirque du Soleil". The illusions staged a neat effect where Celine's voice and mood appeared to harness the weather. Eerily, a lot of suspended people and objects floated across the stage (for example, lampposts and men carrying a broken piano in slow motion). Unlike other concerts, my favorite song came on second ("The Power of Love")--thus sparing me from anticipating it all night. Everyone else probably held their breath for "My Heart Will Go On". Meh. Rating: 8
    Attended Blue Man Group concert: "How To Be A Megastar Tour 2.0"
    Entertaining as always. This show focused more on their CD music, with Tracy Bonham singing most of the lyrics (best known for her 1996 hit "Mother Mother", which she opened the show with). Most of the interlude skits hilariously satirized today's rock industry (for example, concentrating on ones' image rather than the quality of the music). Other skits carried over from their original show, or attempted to convey a profound message about "The Complex". And of course, the Blue Men periodically walked into the crowd to unnerve audience members (including one funny skit where the Blue Men tried to order an expensive rock manual from an informercial, and ended up rummaging through a couple's purse and wallet for a credit card)! Rating: 8
    Watched movie: "Saw III" (2006)
    Continued right where "Saw II" left off, starting with an impressively badass escape by Det. Matthews. This might sound like a funny criticism, but I felt that this third movie contained too many pointless deaths. Specifically, it disappointed me that all of the reprised characters (and the judge) died so anti-climactically. Imagine if Batman died in an unfair death trap, or if Robin shot the Joker dead. Not only pointless, but a waste of dramatic potential. Rating: 5
    Are you significant?
    10/23/06 5:52 PM PDT

    The concept of the "wiki" has deeply fascinated me this year. Not just because I moderate one at work, but because of the deeper philosophy behind what a wiki truly means. Take Wikipedia.com, for example. They have to assess wikis based on bias, contradiction, vandalism, and significance. Pause there--they have to objectively qualify significance! So...if I crusaded for a wiki titled "Steven Aoki" on Wikipedia.com, would they thwart me because I'm not "significant" enough? If so, what would make me significant enough for my own wiki article? Publishing a book? Acting in a movie? Reaching executive status in my company? Of course--I dare not experiment because at best, my ego would artificially inflate from appearing in Wikipedia; and at worst, my ego would suffer from feeling insignificant. But if any of you try it, let me know what happens. :) Based on my research of Wikipedia.com, I predict that one of the following outcomes would result:

    In two weeks, my Dad celebrates his 80th birthday in Las Vegas--not that he likes Vegas. My family surprised him with Celine Dion tickets. So I'll be in Las Vegas that Saturday, and in Anaheim that Sunday. The Blue Man Group will play in Anaheim during their How To Be A Megastar Tour 2.0.

    Watched movie: "La Science des rêves" a.k.a. "The Science of Sleep" (2006)
    Another offbeat reality-bender from the director of "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind"--complete with similarly zany antics and a disharmonious look at love. This director certainly seems to disfavor the formulaic Hollywood romance. The movie sort of reminded me of a "Calvin and Hobbes" comic strip because of how a) the inventor's imagination kept distorting reality (for example, his one-second time machine somehow managed to work), and b) the characters behaved with the same maturity. :) Rating: 7
    Watching TV series: "Survivor: Cook Islands"
    The latest episode amused me because one of the more colorful players, Cao Boi (pronounced "Cow Boy"), masterminded a diabolical gambit called "Plan Voodoo". The plan: in order to expose the secretly immune player, 3 conspirators vote for one suspect while 3 conspirators vote for the other suspect. I admired the plan's bravery because it resembled my own "odd-even stratagem" where a majority votes for the immune player while a minority votes for the person that they actually want to eliminate (I dismissed "Survivor" players as too shortsighted to even consider this stratagem). Anyway, I detected three flaws in "Plan Voodoo":
    • The secretly immune player would have to lose the tiebreaker for the plan to succeed.
    • Neither suspect even had the secret immunity--Cao Boi's confidante did.
    • Cao Boi failed to anticipate that the tribe would vote him out instead. :)
    Watched movie: "The Grudge 2" (2006)
    Better than "Ju-on: The Grudge 2" (if that's any consolation). This horror director Takashi Shimizu reminds me of a recording artist. First he remixed the best scenes from Ju-on into a "greatest hits" compilation a.k.a. "The Grudge". Then he remixed some leftover B-tracks (and added a couple of bonus tracks) to make "The Grudge 2". Although I found the "three stories come together" format intriguing, this latest retread into the cursed house hardly offered anything new. At best, it only clarified a couple of mysteries: a) why Kayako lived on as a ghost, and b) why Kayako emits that "a-a-a-a-a-a-ah" sound. Rating: 6
    Watched movie: "The Prestige" (2006)
    Less emotional than previous Nolan films, but certainly more intriguing. I say "less emotional" for a couple of reasons: a) I could never quite tell what the two magicians truly felt (too much pretense and misdirection about them), and b) their cold-blooded hatred made them hard to like. :) Admittedly, their hatred fueled one heck of a good feud. Orchestrating ways to ruin each other; wondering "does he know that I know that he knows?" All in all, I rated it highly but would've rated it higher if Nolan omitted the whole absurd part about Tesla's machine. Rating: 8
    Night terror
    10/14/06 5:42 PM PDT

    What a night. While sleeping in my bed, I suddenly craned forward to see a car coming straight for me. Instinctively, I sprung off the bed and crashed into five boxes and a table. The impact flattened one box and knocked all of my neatly stacked collections onto the floor. Eventually, I groggily crawled back into bed and slept through the rest of the night.

    How much of that did I dream, you ask? Well--when I woke up this morning, I scanned my apartment panoramically: one flattened box, two overturned boxes, and a disaster area of DVDs, papers, pens, napkins, and remote controls. D'OH! Amazingly though, my body suffered no apparent injury. I wonder if "Jackass" needs another stunt man.

    I haven't experienced a hallucination that vivid since the 90's. While sleeping in my bed, I saw a spider descending on my face and tore out of the room. No ordinary spider, mind you--a big sucker like one of those facehuggers in "Alien". As I loitered outside of my bedroom with a plastic bag, it eventually dawned on me that I probably dreamt the whole thing.

    My parents once told me that sometime in the 80's, I sleepwalked into the living room and just stood around. Of course, I don't remember that.

    Watched DVD series: "House, M.D." - Season Two
    Probably my last blog entry about "House" for awhile. I'm all caught up now having finished season two this week. My favorite episode: "Safe" where House's team raced to diagnose a dying clean room girl. In the personal arc, House kept playing pranks on his friend Wilson--one of the only times that I've ever seen House forget his own misery. Another hilarious example of House's mischief: in one episode, House kept borrowing higher and higher amounts of money from Wilson. When Wilson finally confronted him, House confessed that he never needed the money--he just wanted to scientifically measure their friendship using the dollars as an objective scale. Hahaha, I love it.

    Reasons why I identify with Dr. House:

    • House assumes the worst in people until proven otherwise. I, too, think cynically--particularly about celebrities, politicians, journalists, businesspeople, and teenagers. :) Also, I think House prefers suffering over happiness (possibly because happiness bores him).
    • House disparages pretense and hypocrisy, as do I.
    • House troubleshoots problems with deductive logic, and feels euphoric after solving them.

    Reasons why I do not identify with Dr. House:

    • House lacks courtesy and tact--instead deriding people with a sarcasm and candor that I would never dare to emulate. :)
    • I trust and/or respect some people, whereas House would even question the intentions of a cancer kid (I considered House a real jerk in that episode, by the way).
    • In many ways, House's crippled leg defines him.

    Strange bonus feature: alternate takes where Cuddy and Cameron reenact their scenes as valley girls?? Rating: +++

    Record recession, refrigerators, and remakes
    10/08/06 6:40 PM PDT

    Au revoir Tower Records. I drove to six different stores around the Bay Area this weekend. They all advertised 10-30% discounts, and displayed posters such as "Going Out of Business" and "Everything Must Go!"

    I unplugged the refrigerator that came with my apartment. It kept waking me up at night; chugging loudly in a pathetic struggle to keep my items cold. The maintenance guys kept repairing it; the noise kept returning. So I finally purchased a mini-fridge from Best Buy as a replacement. To avoid a puddle of water under my old refrigerator, I gradually lowered its thermostat to zero (smart, huh?). But I overlooked one rule of causality: when a fridge defrosts with the doors tightly sealed, mildew and a musty odor start to result. In summary, I had to swing the refrigerator doors open and air out my apartment. At least it smelled better than that time I forgot to dry the wet clothes that I had zipped up in a gym bag for about a week. Or that time when I forgot about a corn-on-the-cob in my office (we later thought that a rat had died in the ventilation shafts).

    Watched movie: "The Departed" (2006)
    Needlessly explicit remake of "Infernal Affairs" (cop mole vs. gang mole). Scorsese filmed it less like a thriller and more like a sequel to "GoodFellas". Rating: 5
    Watched movie: "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning" (2006)
    Virtually identical to the first remake of "Texas Chainsaw Massacre"--thus I rated them the same. I found it particularly unoriginal how Leatherface killed three of the victims in the exact same way: impaling them with his chainsaw. But I guess a chainsaw-wielding maniac can only offer so much novelty. :) Again--if you really want to get spooked, see the original low-budget 1974 version. Rating: 4
    Watched DVD series: "House, M.D." - Season One
    I finally finished my "House" season one marathon. One drawn-out plot kept me glued to the point where I ended up watching 8 consecutive episodes in one day. It particularly annoyed me whenever House announced some bombshell from the previous episode, and then whimsically changed the subject to their current patient.

    Lessons learned from observing the deathly ill patients on "House":

    • Don't get sick. :)
    • Tell Dr. House everything no matter how private or trivial. Otherwise, your will suffer from organ failures, violent allergic reactions, or other nasty symptoms until Dr. House sleuths your secret in the last 10 minutes of the episode. :)
    • Rejoice at a new symptom because it will give Dr. House another clue to your illness.

    My favorite episodes showcased House's talent for logical reasoning, e.g., Occam's razor, multiple Venn diagrams, a binary search algorithim (he was time-constrained in this one), and of course--process of elimination (followed by the process of revisiting a fallacious premise). It alarmed me somewhat that House and his team kept misdiagnosing the patients, but I guess that's scientific method.

    Before "House", I never even knew what a biopsy or MRI entailed. But now whenever someone on House starts choking, I think "uh-oh, time to intubate stat".

    Also--whenever I came to work the next day after watching "House" all night, I had to keep stopping myself from addressing my colleagues sarcastically. In "House", everyone speaks that way all the time and I love it. But in real-life, people consider that obnoxious. :)

    Rating: +++
    The tragedy of the commons
    10/02/06 2:20 PM PDT

    In my previous blog entry, I ranted about the experience of starting a corporate workgroup. In today's entry, I'd like to rant about my experience with starting a corporate wiki site. If you don't know what a wiki is, visit wikipedia.org or click Help from this page to launch the wiki site that Allan hosts for blog.flup.org. :) I strongly believe in wikis. Given enough professionalism, I consider them the ultimate knowledge base. They do have one drawback, however. I think a co-worker once summarized it best with the phrase: "a tragedy of the commons".

    Wikipedia defines the tragedy of the commons as a class of phenomena that involve a conflict for resources between individual interests and the common good. In simpler terms, this refers to people arbitrarily revising stuff without respecting the bigger picture. Wikipedia categorizes these revisions in several ways: contradictions, vandalism, bias...I've only encountered one category during this experience, though, and Wikipedia never mentioned it: schizophrenia. That is, some authors wrote Shakespeare--complete with acts and soliloquies--whereas others wrote topics suitable for the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

    All in all, I still think that wikis rule. Despite the inconsistency, the site definitely exceeded my expectations.

    Results for the 1H 2006 music videos are ready.

    I am also writing a blog entry to commemorate my 30th birthday, wherein I reflect on the events in my life that defined who I am today (including when I started thinking cynically). Look for this mini-autobiography on November 12, 2006.

    Watched movie: "Huo Yuan Jia" a.k.a. Jet Li's "Fearless" (2006)
    These martial art movies that preach self-restraint try my patience. I paid to see kung fu, not soul-searching. :) Rating: 5
    Watching DVD series: "House, M.D." - Season One
    A colleague lent me the DVDs for the first season. In the earlier episodes, Gregory House sure behaved with less "charm"--but the pilot did help me understand why I like his character so much: he cuts through all of the pretense. Whenever someone lies, harbors an ulterior motive, or tries to save face, House gets to the bottom of it. Basically, he can read people and insult their character in a witty, cynical way. :) Rating: +++
    Step up
    09/23/06 4:08 PM PDT

    I finally watched a 1957 movie called "The Bridge on the River Kwai". I enjoyed the contrast of leadership styles between Colonel Saito and Colonel Nicholson. The former threatened the prisoners to build the bridge while the latter inspired the prisoners to build it. Of course, the latter one prevailed (except that the movie never explained why the men respected him so much).

    In any case, I related to this dichotomy because of the corporate workgroup that I lead. For better or for worse, I stuck to three main leadership approaches this year:

    So all in all, no one can dispute that the workgroup delivered results. However, how well did I do as the leader? I'm actually not sure. Amidst all the people to heed, targets to track, and moving parts to manage, reading each person became extremely challenging. This realization made me regret all of the times when I dropped hints to my boss, expecting he or she to figure out on their own that they slighted me. I find that expectation laughable now. :) I guess I should ask everyone for feedback, and brace myself for criticism.

    Watched movie: "The Bridge on the River Kwai" (1957)
    This movie explored some interesting themes about leadership, loyalty, and self-actualization. I really didn't know what to make of that bridge. In my mind, it symbolized the best and worst of humanity: teamwork, productivity, ambition, pride, treason. Perhaps the movie intended this ambivalence. In any case, I would've rated the movie higher if it hadn't dragged so much. Rating: 7
    Toronto, Ontario
    09/19/06 7:18 PM PDT

    I returned from Canada yesterday. My lessons learned from the experience:

    Splurge on a hotel next time (in a better neighborhood). I did not mind the monastic accommodations or the public shower. However, the commotion outside my second-story window (during all hours of the night) stood my hair on end. Examples:

    I frowned when one tourist brought his wife to this hotel. Thankfully, I travelled alone on this one–because if I were him, only hara kiri would have cleansed my unbearable shame.

    Print my boarding pass early. United Airlines advertised this but I shrugged it off, figuring I'd simply print my boarding pass at the kiosk. Well, Toronto's Pearson Airport provided no self check-in that I could see; and I lucked out finding an open kiosk at SFO. The lines at the counters staggered me.

    Beware of international roads and traffic laws. In Toronto, some lanes merge together with no warning whatsoever. Also, some two-way streets turn into one-way streets at night. Imagine my surprise when I drove the wrong way and saw 4 lanes of oncoming cars!

    CN Tower

    During my "Total Tower Experience", I visited the following CN Tower attractions:

    360 Restaurant (~115th floor)
    Although fog obscured my view, I had to avert my eyes from the windows to avoid motion sickness. I guess I don't fancy the revolving restaurants. Anyway, my smoked salmon quiche tasted decent, except that I hate that side-effect from asparagus. I think I'll quit it for good. :) In addition to the lunch menu, the restaurant devoted an entirely separate menu to Canadian cheese. Given my uneasiness though, I chickened out.
    Look Out Level (~114th floor)
    Even though the fog cleared, the view did not impress me. I guess once you've seen one panoramic view of a city, you've seen 'em all. :)
    Glass Floor Level (~113th floor)
    More like a glass floor "patch", but decently interesting. The highlight of the tower, in my opinion. I even purchased the professional photograph of me eclipsing the ground (a real photo, not some green screen).
    Skypod Level (~147th floor)
    I waited 90 minutes to visit this cramped level a.k.a. "the highest observatory in the world". I left within five minutes.
    Motion simulator ride: "Lego Racers"
    Cartoonishly entertaining 10 minute ride. The third-person camera shots kept interrupting the flow of the animation--perhaps to minimize motion sickness. Definitely more mild than the Luxor ride (the one that whitened my knuckles).
    Movie: "The Height of Excellence: The Construction of the CN Tower"
    An intriguing, 15-minute documentary about how architects "grew" the CN Tower. I say "grew" because the cement structure literally rose from the earth like a glass filling with milkshake.

    WWE Unforgiven 2006

    Highlights from the WWE pay-per-view that I attended in Toronto:

    Armando Alejandro Estrada
    A really entertaining wrestling manager that talks like a Cuban gangster. I enjoyed finally hearing his promo live.
    Hell in a Cell Match
    WWE engineered a larger steel cage with less give to it. Pretty good spectacle. Man, I hope the sledgehammer breaking on Vince McMahon was planned! I think it was... :)
    Trish Stratus' final match
    Unprecedented. I have never seen a retiring wrestler win a championship belt in their last match (with a sharpshooter, no less)! Vince considers it a "time-honored tradition" to lose the belt--a "passing of the torch", if you will. When Bret Hart defied that tradition back in 1997, it sparked arguably the most infamous controversy in WWE history.
    TLC Match
    This made the whole trip worthwhile: a spectacle of crazy, dangerous stunts; wrestlers falling from ladders through tables. WWE continues to amaze me this year.
    Tables Ladders and Chairs Oh my

    Side note: When I stood for the national anthem, it caught me off-guard that the ring announcer sang "O Canada".

    True North
    09/17/06 11:24 AM PDT

    I began my trip to Canada wandering around SFO International, looking for my gate. I finally found it in the domestic section. Canada = domestic? Anyway, I passed through customs without any trouble--but did smile hesitantly when the agent asked why I came to Canada. "The CN Tower," I replied, "...and a wrestling event." "Ok," she shrugged, stamping my clean passport.

    Canada pretty much resembles the United States, except for the little differences:

    Niagra Falls (Canadian side)
    I came at night when bright lights illuminated the waterfalls. Nobody warned me about the perpetual "rain" a.k.a. spray from the falls. I basically dashed in, snapped some misty pictures, and dashed out (soaking wet, of course).

    My residence reminds me of my old college dorm: small with central bathrooms and showers. You know, I should force myself to splurge on a hotel now and then. But it's hard to justify when I barely spend any time here.

    In my next blog entry, I'll reflect on the CN Tower.

    Watched movie: "The Black Dahlia" (2006)
    Perhaps De Palma should consider retirement. I would headline his latest debacle as "noir gone bad". I mean really bad; like B-movie bad. Rating: 3
    Television: The good, bad, and the ugly
    09/13/06 4:31 PM PDT

    What was up with the gory detail in that "House" episode last night??? If you're squeamish, don't read the following spoilers:

    Anyway, I still enjoyed House's witty smart-alecky comments. "She was being metaphorical. She's trying to sound like me. I have no idea what you meant, but I could smell what the Rock was cooking," (and with that, he raised an eyebrow a la The Rock). I guess House watches WWE.

    By the way, I overlooked an important question during my Q&A in a previous blog entry:

    Q. Why do you like pro-wrestling?
    A. I would date it back to a scholarship dinner in 1994. Following a speech that I delivered to the Chamber of Commerce, they treated us all to a holiday Melodrama program. The audience booed the villain (think of the mustached goon that ties women to railroad tracks) and cheered the hero. I consider it one of the most entertaining shows that I have ever seen. Pro-wrestling follows a similar psychology. As long as you humor the "sports entertainment" premise, then the gimmicks, vignettes, and wrestling movements convey a melodramatic story.

    By the way, last Monday I changed the channel to WWE after tiring of the "fifth anniversary" news coverage regarding 9/11. Instead of anything remotely insightful, the correspondents sensationalized 9/11 with sappy human interest stories and cardboard sentiments about how the event changed our lives. Sometimes I wonder whether news outlets care more about their public image than the tragedies that they report on. I felt similarly disgusted when a news broadcast exploited Steve Irwin's death with the headline: "Do animal reality shows go too far?"

    Passport paranoia
    09/12/06 6:45 PM PDT

    I can exhale now. My passport arrived today via USPS Express Mail on the sixth business day since I expedited the application. I felt like kissing it: a little blue book with blank pages for collecting visas (slightly bent thanks to the mailman jamming it into my mailbox). The parcel included my birth certificate and passport photo too. As an illustration of my neurosis, let me explain what I did for the past week:

    Of course, all of this drama could have been avoided if I had just applied for the passport earlier. But what fun would that be.

    T minus 4 days until I need that passport
    09/11/06 6:57 PM PDT

    Today marks the fifth anniversary of 9/11. Man, what a surreal day that was. Now that five years have passed, I feel that I can speak more freely about the subject. Namely:

    Things that still disturb me about 9/11:

    Things that still inspire me about 9/11:

    I still recommend the movie "United 93" which recently came out on DVD. It wove a big picture of 9/11 that I found insightful, riveting, and cathartic. Compared to real-life, movies like "Independence Day" and "War of the Worlds" seem meaningless to me now.

    Watched movie: "Tom yum goong" (2005) a.k.a. "The Protector" (2006)
    Retread of "Ong-bak" except that this time, the evil mobsters stole elephants from the Thai village rather than a Buddha head. Why do martial art flicks even bother with these cheesy, threadbare plots?? I paid to see fighting, not flimsy character development. Anyway--if you enjoy ultimate fighting or video game combat, this movie delivers:
    • Muay thai (complete with gratuitously sickening sound effects).
    • Capoeira (think "dance fighting").
    • Swashbuckling.
    • Wrestling.
    • Disjointed Jackie Chan type stunts. By "disjointed", I mean that some of the stunts flowed together poorly. For example, at one point I had to speculate that Jaa deflected some boats into a helicopter because the jump-cuts flickered by too fast. I remember about 11 years ago (when my friends and I filmed a kung fu satire), we had to splice in some "glue" footage to make the stunts flow better. Perhaps the Thai filmmakers could learn from us. Eh, yeah. :)
    • One long, uncut sequence where the camera follows Jaa up a winding stairwell as he dispatched thug after thug (like a level in my "Resident Evil 4" game).
    Watch for a cameo from a Jackie Chan look-a-like. Maybe someday they'll try a Tony Jaa vs. Jackie Chan project (like "Freddy vs. Jason"). Rating: 6
    T minus 8 days until I need that passport
    09/07/06 6:07 PM PDT

    I hesitated at the IBM shipping dock yesterday. While attempting to mail a windshirt and a 3-in-1 bottle to IBM England, the clerk began interrogating me: "What's in the box? A bottle? What's in the bottle?" My reaction: "Ah...eh...er...nothing! It's...ehhh...like a thermos. Empty." How articulate of me. I suppose I could have jokingly replied "moonshine", but didn't want to risk security gunning me down. Anyway, the customs paperwork kept me busy for awhile.

    Also, my hair finally grew back to the point where I needed another cut. The stylist looked at my head in disgust. "Who cut your hair last time?? It all uneven now! Like mohawk!! Mohawk doesn't look good on you!" As she clipped my hair, she kept coaching me to stop the next stylist from shaving my whole head like that ever again. Apparently, electric razors make hair uneven.

    Passport pressure
    09/05/06 9:50 AM PDT

    In my 29 years of life, I have never left the United States. That will all change on September 16 when I fly to Toronto, Canada. I plan to check off two goals there: CN Tower and TLC match. Basically, I've been letting WWE events dictate my travel destinations--gives me an excuse to book trips that I'd normally procrastinate on. :)

    As such, I expedited a U.S. passport application through the Santa Maria county clerk recorder for $141.40. A rush order inflates the fee; but otherwise, I'd have to wait up to 6 weeks. Nowadays, U.S. passports require the following materials:

    Needless to say, I'll be sweating for the next 7-10 business days waiting for my passport to arrive. "You should have applied for the passport earlier," my mom scolded. Thanks for that sage advice.

    Hmm...I seem to have misplaced my immunization record. Well, I'll presume that I won't need shots for Canada. :)

    Now to answer some questions:

    Q. What is a TLC match?
    A. TLC stands for Tables Ladders & Chairs. It is possibly the most dangerous match in WWE history, and the company has only hosted five of them until now. During a TLC match, a title belt hangs over the ring; and the wrestlers utilize tables, ladders, and chairs to reach it. Typically, wrestlers fall from the ladders through the tables (don't try this at home). Somehow, I again lucked out with a dead center seat.

    Q. What is your favorite kind of match?
    A. Without a doubt, the annual Royal Rumble.

    Q. Why do you keep attending these events?
    A. Two reasons: a) Gives me a good excuse to sightsee, and b) Pro-wrestlers typically retire early due to the physical tolls on their bodies; I'm trying to see my favorite wrestlers at their best before they retire permanently.

    Q. Why do you keep trying to appear on camera at these events?
    A. I like posting visual proof whenever I complete a goal, and screenshots provide the best evidence that I was there. :)

    Q. Do you know that pro-wrestling is fake?
    A. Yes...but no more fake than a play, action movie, TV sitcom, or stunt show. Just like any other melodrama, you're supposed to suspend disbelief. In fact, I'd argue that boxing deserves the bigger stigma--those guys legitimately injure each other.

    Watched movie: "The Wicker Man" (2006)
    Mildly intriguing remake about a policeman (Nicolas Cage) who seeks a missing child on an island where matriarchal cultists breed bees and...well, more matriarchal cultists. Amusingly, I found Nicolas Cage's undiplomatic behavior more peculiar than the cultists'. Guess they never taught sensitivity training at his academy. :) Overall, the following questions perplexed me:
    • What did the car crash have to do with anything?
    • Why did Nicolas Cage hang around bees despite his life-threatening allergy to them?
    • Why orchestrate so many Goldberg-like ruses?
    The ending greatly disappointed me. Possibly because a fan of the original movie raised my expectations for it. :) Rating: 4
    Watched movie: "The Quiet" (2005)
    More like the disquiet because of how the characters' behaviors made me cringe (like how I cringed during "American Beauty"). Similarly, whenever they inexplicably whispered their darkest secrets to the deaf-dumb girl a.k.a. "Dot", I felt like muting them out as well. In fact, I began fantasizing about what it'd be like to mute out anyone that I wanted. I wouldn't have to endure the shallow chit-chat of teenage movie patrons anymore--or anyone else, for that matter. :) I guess I have a lot in common with Dot. To tell you the truth, I did find her curiously alluring: gifted; modest; reclusive; nonjudgemental; enigmatic...atypical from the exalted Hollywood leading lady. Well, in conclusion--don't expect a payoff where the characters realize that they underestimated Dot. She really disappointed me, actually. Otherwise, I would've rated the movie higher. Rating: 4
    Watched movie: "Little Miss Sunshine" (2006)
    Meaningful offbeat "road trip" comedy about struggling family members who set aside their deep "adult" problems to drive their cherubic little girl to a state beauty pageant. Of course, hilarious challenges ensue that band them closer together. Steve Carell stands out as an articulate, renowned Proust scholar who humors their oddly altruistic mission. He and the Nietzsche teenager posed some intriguing philosophies:
    • School and work are really just beauty pageants?
    • Suffering builds more character than happiness?
    The film also exemplified some of my own thoughts about life:
    • Sometimes we take our personal issues too seriously.
    • Life has its ups and downs; and if you're feeling down now, take comfort that it will get better.
    • Misfortunes and misadventures end up making good anecdotes.
    Rating: 7
    Changing a flat tire
    08/31/06 5:19 PM PDT

    While listening to my peers' narratives about how they change a flat tire, I began noticing a trend. To loosen the lug nuts on the flat tire, they lodged the lug wrench into a 9 o'clock angle and stood on top of it! Dangerous. The best trick that I can advise came directly from my Corolla's operating manual: lodge the lug wrench into a 4 o'clock angle, brace your knees, and pull the wrench up against gravity. Seems counter-intuitive, but let me tell you: out of the half-dozen flat tires that I've changed over my lifetime, that one trick gave me the best leverage. Frankly, I don't know how I managed to flatten so many tires over my lifetime. Maybe because when something surprises me on the road, I instinctively keep the wheel straight instead of swerving.

    Watched airplane movie: "Akeelah and the Bee" (2006)
    Decently inspirational, but very contrived compared to "Spellbound". Corny too. I half-expected the "Rocky" theme to play when the community banded together to help train Akeelah for the spelling bee. For a more insightful movie, see "Spellbound" instead. Rating: 5
    Tap dancing workshop #2
    08/25/06 1:43 PM PDT

    Last night's tap dance workshop demoralized me. I still could not time step, or even tap basic moves such as the shuffle, flap, or ball change. Without these fundamental steps, the combos became impossible. I stumbled around with two left feet while my classmates tapped circles around me. Maybe I just don't have the dexterity for this.

    Last night was the last workshop. I'll mark my "tap dancing" goal as "incomplete" until I decide whether to pick it up later.

    Beantown
    08/25/06 1:41 PM PDT

    After arriving at the airports really early, we ended up just breezing through the metal detectors. Hardly any lines for carry-on baggage at all. I did notice staggeringly long lines at the check-in counters though. It looked like most passengers just decided to check their baggage in. Good thing I used e-tickets.

    Loved that Boston accent. While re-purchasing my toiletries at a CVS Pharmacy, the cashier asked me for fah-teen dah-lahs. "What?" I replied. "Fah-teen dah-lahs." (she pointed to a screen that read $14).

    Hated driving in Boston. The "cahs" kept tailgating each other; weaving and hedging between lanes. Maniac NASCAR wah-nabes.

    Boston itself seemed like a city unstuck in time. Some parts looked colonial, some looked modern, and others looked international (like Italy, for instance). I noted a lot of brick-layden structures, especially at the Hah-vard University. Other observations:

    Dunkin' Donuts
    Dunkin' Donuts struck me as the Starbucks of the East Coast--locations everywhere. Because of their convenient hours, we ate there for breakfast (microwaved croissant sandwiches) and dinner. By dinner, I mean doughnuts. We also tried tasty super-cold drinks called Coolattas. Even slow sips caused brain freezes.
    Freedom Trail
    Wear comfortable shoes. This is basically a 2-brick line (or in some spots, a painted red line) that connects historically significant colonial sites such as the Paul Revere House, state houses, churches, burying grounds, and monuments. We had trouble locating the site of the Boston Massacre and the Old Corner Bookstore (finally I read that Ultra Diamonds moved into the building). As for the U.S.S. Constitution, we needed "constitution" to walk all the way out there in the muggy/rainy heat. Maybe save yourself the trouble and drive to that one. The Bunker Hill Monument was closed for renovation until November 1, 2006. Not that I cared, given how fatigued that I felt by that point. We hailed a taxi back.
    Boston clam chowder & Boston cream pie
    I liked the Boston clam chowder even though it hardly tasted different from the one at IBM. The Boston cream pie sandwiched white cream between white cake with chocolate, whipped cream, and a mint leaf on top. Not bad at all. We ate these at McCormick & Schmick's Seatfood Restaurant, by the way. Rating of Boston cream pie: 6
    SummerSlam
    As usual, Hulk Hogan highlighted the evening. His knee didn't even seem to hinder him (despite his legs sporting two bionic knee braces). Finally witnessed his famous 10-punch and leg drop. I'm fairly certain that he'll retire soon, so I'm stoked about watching him wrestle for possibly his final match. Rating: 7

    Man, I had a scare at the arena when my ticket failed to scan. The guy tried again and again; then punched the numbers in to no avail. As I stood there turning pale, he punched the numbers in one more time and nodded me in.

    Watched movie: "Pulse" (2006)
    American PG-13 re-make of the Japanese horror movie "Kario". "Pulse" differed from "Kairo" in the following ways:
    • More "made-you-jump" scares, less scary ghosts. Although the albino phantoms in "Pulse" often startled me with their in-your-face jolts, the film's overusage of the "ghost in the machine" special effects didn't work for me. I found the slow motion zombies in "Kairo" less formulaic and much more chilling.
    • Rational scientific explanations. Why do American films have to rationalize the plot's unexplained phenomena with some kind of logical explanation? Can't ghosts behave illogically? Admittedly, I criticized "Kairo" for making no sense but at least it didn't spoon feed me canned explanations.
    Rating: 5
    Tap dancing workshop #1
    08/17/06 11:49 PM PDT

    My first tap dancing workshop started today in the small town of Woodside (40 minutes from Silicon Valley). A co-worker recommended it to me: two workshops for $10; no tap shoes required. Afterward, they encourage the participants to audition for a community play called "Anything Goes". I doubt I'd do that unless my part called for minimal rehearsals.

    Except for a couple of guys, females comprised the entire class--some of them middle-aged, but most of them under ten years old. Is that typical? Come to think of it, most people seemed incredulous of the fact that I put "tap dancing" on my goals list. I guess I don't look the type.

    After today's lesson, I resolved to leave "tap dancing" unchecked until a) I master the time step; and b) I actually dance at least one musical routine in tap shoes. In a "time step", your feet must stomp-forward, hop, stomp-back, flap, tap back, tap forward, and then repeat. If I remember correctly, Natalie Portman demonstrated this maneuver in "Garden State". It embodies tap. I keep stumbling halfway through it. :(

    My next workshop occurs next Thursday. Darn it, I think those shuffle moves have begun wearing a hole in my sneaker.

    Terror Alert: Code Orange
    08/11/06 4:34 PM PDT

    Perhaps I showed undue pessimism when I concluded that my entire week would suck based on a couple of misfortunes. After all, my quantum double in the National Nuclear Security Administration, Steven Aoki, probably has his hands full right now as the Deputy Administrator for Counterterrorism. The world has much bigger problems than Hulk Hogan's knee. Speaking of which, I wonder if I can carry eyedrops onto my flight to Boston. Check out my airline's new security policy for carry-on baggage:

    "All Flights Within The United States AND International Flights To/From The United States

    No liquids or gels of any kind will be permitted to pass security checkpoints or in carry-on baggage. This includes all beverages, shampoo, suntan lotion, creams, tooth paste, hair gel, perfumes and other items of similar consistency.

    All liquid and gel items must be placed in checked baggage only. Customers may carry-on approved electronic devices such as personal computers, electronic games, and cell phones, except when traveling from or through the United Kingdom.

    Exception: Baby formula or breast milk if a baby or small child is traveling; prescription medicine with a name that matches the passenger's ticket; and insulin and essential other non-prescription medicines."

    Watched movie: "World Trade Center" (2006)
    Long human interest story about two real-life policemen that were trapped in the World Trade Center rubble. Decent; but much less insightful and climactic than "United 93". First of all, the movie only followed the perspectives of the two policemen and their families--meaning, no plane crash scenes (in fact, they didn't even know that a plane hit the second tower). Secondly, the plot primarily chronicled the aftermath of 9/11--so the movie pretty much stagnated after the intense "ground zero" sequence. If you like human interest, see "World Trade Center"--but if you want the definitive 9/11 movie, see "United 93". Rating: 6
    Maybe I overreacted - Wednesday
    08/10/06 6:59 PM PDT

    Luck; karma; are these just superstitions? A way for the brain to reconcile meaningless coincidences? Consider, if you will, the latest developments from Steven's week:

    Hulk Hogan vowed to wrestle in Boston despite his knee injury. Great news, I reasoned. But on the same day, somebody stole my favorite chair. Well technically, they borrowed it without asking and never returned it--which I call stealing. Anyway, I believe I had this chair for over five years. It had a long back that I could rest my head on. I searched my wing for either the guy and the chair, but found neither.

    Bad week - Tuesday
    08/09/06 10:40 AM PDT

    My bad week continues. A stylist butchered my hair last night. She practically buzzed it all off before I could stop her. I look like I joined the military. The cashier must have sensed my displeasure because she started arguing with my stylist in Chinese. When the stylist washed my hair, the water dribbled over my nearly-bald head and down my face. Then later the stylist picked up the razor again and I ducked, trying to save what little hair I had left. On my way out, the next customer's parents looked at my head in horror. I heard the father whisper to the mother, "Go over there to make sure she does it right," followed by the customer saying, "I just want a trim."

    Bad week - Monday
    08/08/06 4:01 PM PDT

    This week has not started out well. Last week, my friend and I felt excited about an upcoming trip to Boston where Hulk Hogan would come out of retirement for possibly his last match. When I booked the flight, Expedia warned me that I could not apply for a cancellation waiver because of the airline credits that I had used. Fine, I conceded, as I felt entirely confident about making this flight. Did I mention that Expedia sucks?

    Anyway, Hulk Hogan (being the old guy that he is), managed to tear his knee while sitting on the couch--thereby jeopardizing his match in Boston. Because my friend no longer wants to go if Hogan withdraws, I'd have no more reason to drive to LAX, and now stand to lose $100 in penalties for every flight that I change (roundtrips count as two flights). If Expedia hadn't talked me out of the waiver, I'd have only lost $30. You can see why I'm more than a little angry right now.

    Neverending possessions
    08/06/06 8:08 PM PDT

    Finally an end to the inferno outside. Just as Buddhism says that it takes the presence of death to truly appreciate life, I say that it takes the presence of an unbearable heat wave to truly appreciate cool weather.

    Speaking of Buddhism, my friends and I visited the San Luis Obispo Obon festival to eat barbeque chicken. Call me cynical, but while growing up in the religion, I never felt closer to "enlightenment" from any of the traditions or rituals. In fact, I'd contend that my closest encounter with enlightenment occurred on May 25, 1999, when I gazed at my burnt apartment and considered the possibility that I had lost everything that I owned. Oddly, I felt relieved. Relieved of the responsibility of hoarding meaningless material possessions. Eh, but look at me now: countless DVDs, CD-ROMs, and video tapes; three WWE commemorative chairs and other pointless memorabilia. Sometimes I daydream of returning to that old monastic lifestyle (the month after the fire when I lived simple in a bare studio). But I'd compare my possessions to winning the lottery: even though I don't want the money, it'd pose too big of a seduction to simply donate away (hence I never buy lottery tickets).

    Speaking of meaningless material possessions, I finally received the two rare movie soundtracks that I ordered from the Comic-Con: "The NeverEnding Story" and "Dawn of the Dead". Ah yes, the Neverending Story--I remember watching that movie as a kid, rooting for Atreyu and his luck dragon, Falkor, as they searched for their Empress' name to thwart The Nothing. Yeah, probably 1% of you know what I'm talking about. The "Dawn of the Dead" soundtrack brought back memories of Ken Foree dodging zombies and one particularly memorable scene where he euthanized them along a creepy, pulsating beat. Dun-dun, dun-dun, dun-dun. Probably .1% of you know what I'm talking about now. :)

    Also, my four boxes of Product 19 cereal arrived from Amazon.com. I'm rationing my consumption of it. Still puzzled why none of the supermarkets here sell it anymore. Side note: Ever eat cereal with water because you ran out of milk? Don't try it. Unless you like the image of eating fish food. :)

    Watched movie: "The Descent" (2006)
    Claustrophobic horror flick with a decent assortment of shocking and visceral scenes...if you have the patience to wait for them. My thoughts flowed in this type of chronology: "zzzzz" --> "oh sh—, that's whack" --> "zzzzz" --> "!" --> "zzzzz" --> "remind me never to spelunk" --> "still no monsters" --> "zzzzz" --> "woah, sick" --> "woah, monsters" --> "woah, violent". Actually, different shades of this movie reminded me of "Wolf Creek", (the accents and realism), "Alien" (the monsters stalking bad-ass women), and even "Carrie" (the uneasy female comradery). Rating: 5
    Watched movie: "Lady in the Water" (2006)
    M. Night Shyamalan finally fell off the deep end (no pun intended). From beginning to end, I found the storyline completely preposterous--and it perturbed me that the tenants suspended their disbelief so readily. Man--even as I think back to the movie now, my face crinkles up. Rating: 4
    The Hoosier State
    07/25/06 6:17 PM PDT

    Wasn't happy about the 111 F degree heat yesterday; but I felt even unhappier about the three blackouts at my apartment complex last night that shut down all breezes from my fan. Not to mention that my battery backup for the DVD recorders only lasted about five minutes (at least the cable still came through for those five minutes). The heat gave me insomnia so I basically just sat there sweating in the dark (in case my TV came back on as I was trying to record something).

    In other news, my weekend turned into a dichotomy of good and bad luck again. Cases in point:

    Event Good luck Bad luck
    The Tonight Show with Jay Leno The tickets admitted us to the most convenient taping in our schedule, and we did end up on TV. By just missing the first thirty in line, we forever missed a prominent spot in the "audience asks questions" segment. Oh well.
    San Diego Comic-Con International After years of missing one famous celebrity after another, I accidentally ran into my two favorite "Star Trek: Voyager" characters: The Doctor and Ensign Harry Kim. This year's event turned out more overcrowded than ever before. Registration lines extended all the way outside into 100+ degrees of unshaded heat. This might be the last year that I attend this event.
    The Great American Bash in Indianapolis Due to another clerical error, I ended up with the best seat in the entire arena. The ticket placed me in the center of row 6. In the Conseco Fieldhouse, row 6 actually meant row 1. Woah! I stored a backpack underneath my seat. Somebody must have kicked their drink onto it because the backpack and everything in it felt wet. Additionally, some kind of blackout deleted my timer recording for the event.


    Watched movie: "Monster House" (2006)
    Pretty zany animation that showcased the same performance capture as "The Polar Express". Sometimes the humor reminded me of "The Goonies" (in other words, sophomoric). But other times, the cooky characters really cracked me up (in particular, "Bones" and "Chowder") . Rating: 7
    The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
    07/21/06 8:31 PM PDT

    Small planes, man. During my brief flight from San Jose to LAX, I noted the following observations within United Express' 13-row fuselage:

    Yesterday, my car's thermometer read 104 degrees Fahrenheit. Some choice: freeze to death in a refrigerated office or burst into flames outside. Then today (according to Jay Leno's monologue), we had been waiting outside of NBC Studios in 109 degree heat. Good thing an outcropping shaded the line. Also, NBC Studios really chilled their set (which looked smaller and phonier in person, by the way).

    Speaking of "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno", we just returned from today's taping (4pm to 5pm) Pacific time. My notes about the experience:

    Tickets were free. I mailed a letter to NBC Studios a few months back requesting three tickets for one preferred date and three alternative dates. Around July 5, they sent me three tickets for July 21. I still don't know how to appear in the front row chairs to shake Jay's hand though. It wasn't first come, first serve.

    First thirty people in line likely received the best seats. Lucky me. I ended up #31 in the line. We showed up a little before 1pm, and watched the first thirty people go in early. The ushers seated most of them in the center of the right section, and seemed to fill up the remaining seats in a spotty fashion. Oddly, one guy about 10 people behind us ended up prominently on camera. Luck of the draw I guess.

    Seats on the rightmost stands most likely show up on TV. When audience members (including Kevin Smith) asked Jay questions, the camera fixated on the righthand section. I'll likely show up as a speck at the beginning of the show. I wore a bright neon cap, and sat in the middle section over the big TV near John Melendez.

    Boring guests. I didn't find Tina Fey and the NFL sportscasters (Chris Collinsworth & Jerome Bettis) too interesting. I felt an urge to change the channel, but couldn't. Never heard of the band (MercyMe), but their song sounded pretty decent. Spoiler: Tina Fey will announce that she's leaving Saturday Night Live for "30 Rock".

    Update 12/1/2008: During the taping, I could've sworn that I saw a scar on Tina Fey's face. Now I found proof.

    What you didn't see...

    Watched movie: "A Scanner Darkly" (2006)
    A rather trippy experience. Because my brain began to process the animated images as real, I started to identify with the drug addicts' surreal perceptions. Even their drivel started to make sense once I realized that I should not take anything that Robert Downey, Jr. said seriously. Rating: 7

    No water
    07/10/06 1:41 PM PDT

    Due to a PG&E; power outage, the IBM lab has no water until 7pm today. Of course, that didn't stop me from working. It's an endurance test, you see: how much work can Steve finish before he needs to rush offsite? :) The site set up portable toilets in the dock, but forget that! I'm just going to hold out. :)

    Soccer SmackDown
    07/09/06 9:45 PM PDT

    After ignoring World Cup soccer all month, I happened to catch the final game this afternoon. That retired French captain, Zinedine Zidane, oughta try out for pro-wrestling next. What a terrific headbutt! That Italian player dropped like a stone.

    Almost tossed out a letter from our state controller, Steve Westly. The envelope contained a check from the State of California for $300.31. Apparently, I grossly overpaid my state income tax (reason code TC): "You incorrectly computed the tax amount on your return. A change in the tax amount could affect the computation of your schedules." Well--instead of feeling elated like some normal person, I felt upset about committing such an egregious error (picture that TV detective, Monk). After all, this year I calculated my state tax by hand instead of by tax software. I also couldn't remember whether I ever tossed out this guy's letters in the past--because they sure look like political spam to me.

    Speaking of "Monk", props to a scene in the season premiere where he anguished over a speck of glitter that wouldn't come off of his hand. Hahaha, I can't stand that stuff either. When it sticks to my skin, I have a heck of a time brushing it off too. And don't get me started on those greeting cards that overuse the stuff.

    I'm probably setting a new personal record this year for the number of travels outside of California. I travel to Indianapolis this month, and Boston next month. Incidentally, I'll be crossing off yet another goal this year: attend a late night talk show. Yup: three tickets to the Tonight Show with Jay Leno at the NBC Studios in Burbank.

    Watched DVD: "Spellbound" (2002)
    Curiously suspenseful documentary about eight juvenile national spelling bee contestants. My brother sagaciously compared the movie to "Ten Little Indians" in that the contestants' pictures faded away after every elimination. Funny how such a tiny little bell could generate such tension. We didn't have bells at my spelling bee--instead, personal judges raised their hands to annunciate the misspeller's failure. I'll never forget the word that I misspelled (I doubt that any spelling bee contestant ever does): goddess...G-O-D-E-S-S followed by the shame of you mispelled THAT word?? But I've suffered worse childhood experiences. The next time that someone calls a spelling bee abusive, smack a dodgeball into their face or have racist bullies harass them; then see what they think. Anyway, I digress. Good movie. :) Rating: 7
    Watched movie: "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" (2006)
    Arrr, like a pirate's version of Empire Strikes Back, it be. Better than I thought, considering that I didn't like the first movie. Carried over many of the same characters (some of whom I vaguely recalled)--even the cursed monkey from the first movie's epilogue. Same ridiculous action scenes too. I did feel pleasantly surprised that one rather unpromising storyline paid off in the end (I be despisin' that Johnny Depp character). Stay after the credits (again). Rating: 6
    Do cars dream of electric sheep?
    07/05/06 4:47 PM PDT

    While staying at my parents' house over the Fourth of July weekend, I had an odd dream about magic edomame. It worked like a remote control--but for human beings instead of TVs (like that movie "Click"). The effects varied depending on the bean that I squeezed:

    I forgot what the other beans did. In any case, this dream contrasted from my other dreams in that I retained all of my inhibitions. So I felt indecisive about how to use this enormous power. I think right before I woke up, I resolved to expand my goals list by sneaking into inaccessible places like movie sets or backstage areas. :)

    Watched movie: "The Lake House" (2006)
    Charming love story between an architect in 2004 and a doctor in 2006 who can inexplicably write to each other through their lake house mailbox. If you're confused, think of that movie "Frequency"--same type of premise. Amusingly, "The Lake House" simply shrugged off the dangerous, paradoxical implications of altering the future. For example, in one scene a tree appeared next to Sandra Bullock in 2006 right when Keanu planted it in 2004. Aside from the improbability of such a coincidence, can you imagine the "butterfly effect" that such an action should have caused? :) Afterward, Keanu wrote something romantic like, "I want to take care of you even when I'm not there," and the women in the audience sighed, "awwww." I, on the other hand, wondered why Keanu's actions hadn't destroyed the space-time continuum. :) Admittedly though, once I accepted the movie's disregard for scientific detail, I found the premise rather fun. One question: Why didn't Sandra Bullock ever try to figure out what happened to Keanu in her own time? Rating: 8
    Watched movie: "Cars" (2006)
    This Pixar movie disconcerted me for a couple of reasons: a) sensory overload from the commercialization scenes, and b) the enigma about whether these cars have souls. If they lose their engine or shell, would they die? How were they born? What about baby cars? Where did the housefly cars come from? Anyway--aside from the creepy premise, I liked the characters and the messages in the movie. Stay after the credits. Rating: 7
    Watched movie: "Superman Returns" (2006)
    If you want to watch something emotional and gripping, see "Batman Begins". If you want to watch a cardboard superhero pine for an ex-girlfriend, stir up tongue-in-cheek laughs, and save the day without a single casualty, then see "Superman Returns". Admittedly, I enjoyed the stylish visuals and Kevin Spacey's portrayal of Lex Luthor--but all in all, I felt that the movie fell short of its dramatic potential. Rating: 6
    Watched movie: "Nacho Libre" (2006)
    An even stranger comedy from the director of "Napoleon Dynamite". At times, it made as much sense as a Salvador Dali movie. Half of the time I laughed; half of the time I cringed; and half of the time I went "What?" from the illogical absurdities. Rating: 5
    ECW One Night Stand 2006 and...WTC etiquette?
    06/14/06 10:45 PM PDT

    For those of you who never heard of Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), it's a pro-wrestling circuit where the performers stun the audience with mind-blowing stunts. Kind of like backyard wrestling, I suppose. Many of the matches involve tables, ladders, chairs, singapore canes, barbed wire, garbage cans, etc., etc. Also, the fans chant very vocally in an unruly manner (one of my initial reservations about going).

    ECW audiences chant "E-C-Dub!" throughout the show. They also chant a lot of obscenities that would justify washing their mouths out with soap. :)

    Who's that obnoxious guy holding an arrow sign so close to the camera? :) I'm standing next to Sabu a.k.a. "the homicidal, suicidal, genocidal, death-defying maniac". Later in the night, he crashed through a table. :)

    Hardcore legend Mick Foley...later in the night, a shot from a flaming 2x4 wrapped in barbed wire knocked him through a board of barbed wire. "E-C-Dub! E-C-Dub!" Kids, don't try that at home. :)

    The narrow entrance aisle allowed me to high-five wrestlers or pat them on the back as they walked by.

    Yes, that sudden flurry of singapore canes startled me. :)

    All in all, I enjoyed the show and felt impressed by the stunts that I witnessed. If I had one complaint, it would that security allowed the fans to stand on chairs and lean over the railings. Despite my unexpectedly great seat, these standing fans often blocked half of my view. Oh--and to my disappointment, I received another free commemorative steel chair. More of a curse than a gift. UPS wanted to charge me around $170 to ship it to myself, so I said "forget it," and carried that heavy thing across Manhattan (my arms still feel dead). Amazingly, between the Web and my cell phone, I actually found a buyer for the chair (making me $50 richer rather than $170 poorer). Fortune really smiled on me in New York --to summarize:

    Manhattan seemed hotter, dirtier, and more impoverished than I last remembered. I guess its mayor doesn't share Rudy Giuliani's philosophy about focusing on the details (such as keeping a homeless person off the street). The bold drivers and pedestrians didn't change at least. :)

    Ate at White Castle for the first-time. I don't understand those tiny hamburgers. Pretty tasty though.

    The World Trade Center site had a few changes from when I last visited in 2004:

    The site teemed with visitors. Maybe I'm overreacting, but I find it disrespectful when tourists photograph themselves at the WTC viewing wall with big smiles like they're posing in front of the Grand Canyon. To me, that's like modeling for pictures in front of a coffin at a funeral. At least show a solemn expression or something.

    Andrea Bocelli in Concert
    06/11/06 2:34 AM PDT

    If you died without hearing Andrea Bocelli perform "Con Te Partirò" live (a.k.a. "Time to Say Goodbye"), then you did not truly live. I've listened to this emotional masterpiece on the radio and in the car commercial, but never live with Andrea only a few feet in front of me. Methinks that he intentionally saved it for the very last encore to catch the audience off guard. Don't get me wrong--I enjoyed the first two encores before it (a stirring rendition of "Can't Help Falling in Love" and "Because We Believe"), but without "Time to Say Goodbye", I would've left the HP Pavilion disappointed. :)

    Yup, the HP Pavilion--this concert took place in the San Jose's own Shark Tank, complete with beer and nacho vendors. Can you picture it: formally dressed opera fans eating nachos and sitting on folding chairs.

    I told myself that I wouldn't checkmark my "Italian opera" goal if Andrea just sang pop songs. Fortunately, Italian opera monopolized the program. Big-time classics, no less (such as "Funiculi, Funicula")--the kind that I only could only remember hearing from animated satires. Boy, Andrea (and his baritone and soprano buddies) can sure belt those notes out. Sometimes I feared that their frequencies would blow out my eardrums. :) Also, bravo to the conductor Steven Mercurio for an awesome rendition of the "Scent of a Woman" tango. Side note: the conductor futilely signalled the audience to sing along with "Can't Help Falling in Love"; sing along with Andrea, are you kidding me??

    Grazie mille, Andrea--I rate your concert a 10.

    It'll be hard readjusting to American music again after tasting the "filet mignon" of Italian opera. As I walked out of the HP Pavilion, my nose crinkled from the sound of a passing car's subwoofer-enhanced hip hop.

    Ironically, I fly to Manhattan in about four hours to watch a live Extreme Championship Wrestling event.

    Watched On Demand movie: "Saam gaang" (2002) a.k.a. "Three Extremes II" (2006)
    Three horror episodes by three famous directors from Korea, Thailand, and China respectively. That episode from the first movie, "Dumplings", set the benchmark too high. This entire sequel felt completely lackluster by comparison, and could have easily earned a PG-13 rating (whereas the first movie made me speculate whether countries would ban it). :)
    • First episode: "Memories". Started out scary but really waned by the end. The disconnect between the husband and wife reminded me of the "Silent Hill" movie.
    • Second episode: "The Wheel". The Thai equivalent of a B-movie.
    • Third episode: "Going Home". More like a Twilight Zone episode than anything scary or horrific.
    Rating: 3
    Poignant images
    06/09/06 10:00 PM PDT

    I wish I had my camera yesterday--I could've won a Pulitzer. :) While driving through the Bailey on-ramp, I passed by a highway patrolman changing a flat tire on his cruiser. As I watched him in my rear view mirror, I mused: Guess they're human after all. In hindsight, perhaps I should've lent a hand but he appeared to have the situation under control. :)

    This led me to reflect on other poignant images in my lifetime. One sight that I'll never forget: the x-ray of my own skull. I still detest the dental technician for airing that in my face. It was like a mirror image of my future self: dead and buried six feet under with all of the flesh on my face disintegrated. Similarly, when I look at a real mirror, I can't help but gaze upon the single strand of gray hair on the crown of my head. A reminder of my own mortality. And I know that if I pull it out, ten more will spring up in its place. :) I wish I had enough conviction to wholeheartedly believe in an afterlife, but the scientist in me keeps tormenting me with the possibility that my consciousness would simply cease to exist upon death. :)

    Things that suck, redux
    06/07/06 10:06 AM PDT

    On average, I would like to think that I appreciate life; that I would never take it for granted by fixating on minor grievances in it. But today, I can't help ranting about some things that suck.

    Things that suck:

    Rising gas prices. Not because of the fact that I have to pay $35+ for one tank of gas. Rather, because of the fact that I'm forced to conserve gas by patronizing the theater next to my apartment instead of driving to my favorite theaters in Campbell. Although the theater has improved, I still resent its teenage pest problem and occasionally burnt popcorn. :)

    Caffeine immunity. Every afternoon, I drink one tall single-shot mocha from our IBM coffee bar. Now I feel inert. My body no longer responds to a spot of tea, a shot of espresso, or a can of Mountain Dew. I have no choice but to suffer though it. I can't drink more than one can of Mountain Dew because I fear diabetes. I can't drink more than one shot of espresso because I fear caffeine withdrawl headaches. I also remember what happened to Ellen Burstyn in "Requiem for a Dream" when she chose to swallow two stimulants instead of one--the choice signified the beginning of her drug addiction. :)

    Travel agencies. Remember my cancelled flight to Minnesota? Well, I finally applied the $338 credit toward another, cheaper $92 flight. "By the way, you'll notice some extra fees on your credit card," the agent casually explained:

    Plus $47 in nonrefundable taxes and booking charges. I mean, why did they even stop there? Why not fine me the rest of the $49 to complete the highway robbery??

    The Burger King at 4040 Monterey Highway. Ever since I boycotted that place for making me wait in the parking lot (so they could cheat to win their "Fastest drive thru in the nation" award), I heard that they now trick their timer by making the cars back up a few feet. I also heard that they've won multiple speed awards since nobody has ever blown the whistle on them. Man I hate that place.

    Preventative maintenance. That's what my ghetto apartment complex called it. My kitchen sink used to work perfectly fine--but after the crew performed some kind of "preventative maintenance" on it, the thing began leaking. That night, I recoiled from stepping on a big puddle of brown water.

    End of rant. :)

    Watched movie: "The Break-Up" (2006)
    I walked into this movie expecting to laugh at the differences between men and women (for instance, props to that classic quote in the preview: "I want you to want to do the dishes"). Instead, I kept cringing at Vince Vaughn's awful treatment of Jennifer Aniston. The filmmakers made Aniston too sympathetic--consistently taking the high road over Vaughn's immature behavior. At worst, Aniston exhibited poor judgement on three occasions: a) falling in love with a lunatic, b) playing emotional games with a lunatic, and c) testing a lunatic with "if he really cares about me, then he'll react to my subtle hints in the following way". I barely sided with Vaughn at all (except maybe when he requested 20 minutes of quiet time). :) I guess that segues into my main complaint about this movie: that all of the women behaved so graciously while the men acted like total dipsticks. Rating: 4

    Apparently, old people can get as loud as teenagers. That "dishes" scene in the movie sparked an argument between the elderly couple behind me. It started with the wife telling her husband, "Yeah, just like you!"

    One time a "courting incident" sparked a big debate among my IBM colleagues: a male co-worker gave a pink rose to his date, and she replied, "Thanks, but I prefer red." While the women in our circle saw nothing wrong with this "constructive criticism", we men could not believe that she'd have the nerve to look a gift horse in the mouth like that. "She should feel happy to get any rose at all," we rationalized.

    Another amusing debate centered around what men like to do to unwind. Interestingly, the women could not comprehend the male ritual of "doing nothing on a weekend" (well, doing nothing constructive anyway).

    Memorial Day movie marathon
    05/29/06 7:49 PM PDT

    I bought the greatest hits of Twelve Girls Band at Tower Records. They're like the Chinese equivalent of Bond. After listening to disc 1, I popped disc 2 into my CD player. Bewilderment began to creep over my face. Odd, I thought. Disc 2 sure sounds like disc 1. I ejected the CD: "disc 1". I flipped the case open: "disc 1". Noooooo...! Two disc 1s!! Why? Why?!?!

    "Law & Order"
    So 15 minutes into this normal-seeming episode, the criminals kidnapped one of the prosecutors--which I shrugged off as the prelude to a thrilling recovery operation. Well, they recovered her all right--beaten to death and dumped in the trunk of a car. Messed up! Two weeks ago, a detective fired his gun for the first time in 369 episodes, and now this. Rating: ++1/2
    "ER"
    A gunfight inside of the hospital...de ja vu. Rating: ++
    "24"
    The first 20 minutes kept me glued. I had to pick up my parents from the San Jose airport, but couldn't pull myself from the TV until the commercial break. The rest of the finale waned somewhat. Rating: ++
    "Alias" (series finale)
    Decent ending. A bit confusing since I don't follow this show, but I liked the closures. Rating: ++
    "House"
    I don't watch this show too often, but I like this guy "House". Strikes me as a cerebral Dirty Harry. He'd make a good "Law & Order" character. Rating: +++
    "Lost"
    Good, but--I'm still confused. This show is staring to remind me of that British series, "The Prisoner". :) Rating: ++1/2
    Watched movie: "See No Evil" (2006)
    Crude, shallow, and perverse--but enough about the audience, let's talk about the movie (same review: crude, shallow, and perverse). :). That's what happens when WWE draws its wrestling fans (the kind whom I cork my ears against at the WWE events) into the theaters: you get an audience full of loud degenerates lauding the cheap humor and lowbrow violence. Well, I at least enjoyed one gag in the movie: the part when the obnoxious girl's annoying cell phone got her killed. :) Rating: 4
    Watched On Demand movie: "Saam gaang yi" (2004) a.k.a. "Three... Extremes" (2005)
    Three horror episodes by three famous directors from China, Korea, and Japan respectively. I would not describe any of the episodes as scary. Rather, I would describe them as really screwed up. In particular, that first episode made the second two episodes look tame by comparison.
    • First episode: "Dumplings". One of the most revolting premises ever, complete with gristly sound effects. Well-directed, but bleggghh! Anyway, the MPAA warning gave a clue about the secret ingredient: Rated R for strong disturbing violent content, some involving abortion and torture.... You won't see that on Iron Chef.
    • Second episode: "Cut". Familiar plot of the cooky, maniacal villain mentally torturing a tied up protagonist (I think). Decent, but the first episode totally stole its thunder.
    • Third episode: "Box". Some kind of weird psychological artistry. I didn't get it. Definitely the weakest of the three, in my opinion.
    Rating: 6
    Watched movie: "The Da Vinci Code" (2006)
    Maybe I'm just a killjoy, but this entire story struck me as a corny, overrated treasure hunt. In fact, it irked me to think that Da Vinci and his colleagues would jeopardize such an important historical truth by hiding it in paintings, riddles, anagrams, and other guessing games. I mean, they could've just written the secret in plain words on a piece of paper, and hidden the paper somewhere. But nooooo, they had to lock the secret in a device that could wipe out the truth forever with a sudden jolt. In any case, ancient history tends to bore me--and the snazzy flashbacks in this movie failed to change my disposition on the matter. Rating: 4
    Watched movie: "X-Men: The Last Stand" (2006)
    A complete travesty that lacked the quality of the first two X-Men movies. I blame two factors: a) the new director, and b) the Phoenix storyline. This movie had such potential for emotional impact: the poignancy of "curing" an entire mutant race; the conflicted friendship between Xavier and Magneto; Angel's desire for his father's love; the Beast and Rogue longing for humanity; the love triangle with Cyclops and Wolverine; Storm's new leadership role; the bad blood between Iceman and Pyro--all wasted so that this new director could focus on sophomoric one-liners and that pointless Phoenix storyline. I mean, what a waste for Xavier and Magneto--the two most charismatic characters--to debate over the Phoenix instead of dueling ideologies over the mutant cure. Man, I would've loved to hear Patrick Stewart going off on that topic with his charming English rhetoric. In short, he got "jobbed"--along with Cyclops, Angel, Mystique, and Rogue. Honestly, I wished that this whole plot never even happened (like a dream or some alternate reality). Except admittedly, it did amuse me that they killed off the ubiquitous team leader of the X-Men, Cyclops, so pointlessly. Definitely stay after the credits. Otherwise, you'll miss this scene: Moira's comatose patient greeting her in Patrick Stewart's voice. Did you pay attention during Xavier's ethics lecture? :) Rating: 5
    Watched movie: "Over the Hedge" (2006)
    Amusing animated flick comparable to "Toy Story". My favorite gags involved how the animals' hijinks affected the planet Earth (even causing a blip in the galaxy, at one point). It also continued to amaze me how well that the animals' expressions matched their real-life counterparts. Stay after the credits (and look for Sean and Lee from "The Apprentice" in the rolling cast). Rating: 7
    Whippersnappers
    05/17/06 11:07 AM PDT

    Couldn't help but laugh at this proverb in my fortune cookie: "When you squeeze an orange, orange juice comes out--because that's what's inside." How profound.

    I made the mistake of watching a horror movie on a Saturday night at one of those mall theaters. Noisy teenagers galore. The rowdy kind with no class. The kind that show no respect when you shush them. The kind that hoot at the actresses on-screen (oddly, both the men and women do it). The kind that share their stupid, shallow comments with the whole audience. I guess I should feel thankful that I didn't see "United 93" with them. Given the emotion of that movie, I could just picture myself yelling "Show some respect, you rotten kids!" like some crotchety geezer.

    Too bad theaters can't enforce some kind of zero tolerance policy, complete with bouncers and black lists. Yeah, the criteria should be:

    Anyway, later that evening I stopped by a Best Buy to purchase a video game (the kind encased in a security box). The cashier happened to be a teenager, unfortunately. Instead of walking over to the employee with the key, he decided to flick the box to the employee like a frisbee. The box clattered on the ground, and the other employee picked it up all nonchalantly. To their shock, I turned into a real jerk about it and demanded a refund. "I don't want it anymore after you throw it on the ground like that!" Ok, perhaps I overreacted. I'd like to think that his actions set me off, rather than some pent up anger toward teenagers. :)

    Watched movie: "Ice Age: The Meltdown" (2006)
    Liked this sequel slightly better than the first movie. The Ray Romano mammoth still lacked humor; but I did find the Scrat's Wile E. Coyote hijinks entertaining this time around. Amusing how it also served a pivotal role in framing the animals' peril. Rating: 7
    Watched movie: "An American Haunting" (2006)
    After the first few minutes, I groaned that the entire film would take place in the early 1800's. I hate movies set in colonial times. Then I groaned again when a skeptic attempted to disprove the haunting (despite the prevailing 1800's wisdom that witches or the devil cause poltergeists). He reminded me of Scully, and I half-expected she or Mulder to voice over their explanation of the twist at the end. Yeah, too bad the filmmakers couldn't air this as an "X-Files" episode--then I would've gotten an hour and ten dollars back. Rating: 3
    Watched movie: "Poseidon" (2006)
    Above average disaster movie. I liked how this one: a) minimized the personal drama, and b) defied a couple of my predictions about who would live and die (though if they really wanted to impress me, they would've killed the boy off). Also liked a couple of scenes: 1) when Nelson had to shake off a cruise ship employee, and 2) when Ramsey began drowning while panicking over which button to push. I wish that the movie had explored more of the "upside-down" scenery premise, but I guess that ceilings can only offer so much novelty. I haven't seen the original "Poseidon Adventure", so am unsure about how this latest remake compares. Rating: 6
    Watched movie: "Mission: Impossible III" (2006)
    A spy trying to live a normal personal life? A rambling computer technician? This latest installment felt more like an episode of "Alias" than "Mission: Impossible". At least the suspense enthralled me more than the silly action from "Mission: Impossible 2". I also found it refreshing that Monaghan saved the day instead of Tom Cruise--a smart plot choice reminiscent of the later seasons of "Buffy: The Vampire Slayer". Rating: 6
    Thin end of the wedge
    05/04/06 6:47 PM PDT

    Wow, a first in the original Law & Order series . For 16 years, no detective has ever discharged their firearm on the job--until last night's episode.

    So my mind-blowing, groundbreaking, revolutionary, paradigm-shifting discovery has kicked off...at a snail's pace. Actually, a snail could probably outrace it. Which is to be expected, I suppose. I recall that no one believed that computers would end up in peoples' homes, but it eventually happened with the right marketing and the right business politicking (none of which I'd consider myself a guru at). That's why I'd pick Steve Jobs as my career mentor. I credit him with shifting the paradigm thrice: the home computer (Apple //), the Windows interface (Macintosh), and the iPod. Although he invented none of these devices, I respect him for understanding the customer and knowing exactly how to push the product.

    Anyway, maybe I can salvage a minor victory from this discovery, or at least plot a master plan for next year. That's another parallel that I see between business, short track speedskating, and pro-wrestling:

    I heard a really cool metaphor recently; used to characterize a strategy for persuading many reluctant people into eventually supporting your project: "the thin edge of the wedge". Meaning, you keep pushing little by little until your project becomes more and more accepted. It kind of goes along with a couple of other proverbs that I've adopted:

    Watched movie: "Lucky Number Slevin" (2006)
    Remember that Rube Goldberg-style board game called "Mouse Trap", where a marble would roll down a staircase, bounce across some drums, and trigger a bowling bowl to catapult a diver into a bucket that would drop a cage onto an unsuspecting mouse? Well, imagine the impracticality of trying to catch a real-life mouse in this fashion, and that's how I'd describe "Lucky Number Slevin". I did like the wry dialogue at least. Rating: 5
    United 93
    04/30/06 2:01 AM PDT
    Watched DVD: "The Killing" (1956)
    Excellent film-noir directed by Stanley Kubrick of all people. I love these caper plots where unexpected setbacks keep jeopardizing the plan. Particularly, I cracked up when the policeman drove away from a woman who needed help--and when the sniper, after purposely driving off a parking attendant with a racial slur, ironically blew out a tire on the attendant's horseshoe. Other highlights of the movie: the mastermind's clever scheme (even though I noted some holes in it) and a deplorable, silver-tongued vixen. Rating: 8
    Watched movie: "United 93" (2006)
    I know that I told people that I'd likely skip this movie, but my obsession with controversy overcame me. Was this film disturbing? Yes. Was it graphic? To a limited extent, yes; but nothing really overt. Was it heart wrenching? Yes.

    Was it worth watching? Yes.

    Given the sensitivity of the subject matter, I felt that the director depicted the events in an appropriate, realistic way. Although the film initially started slow like a disaster movie (I grew uneasily restless waiting for the crashes to occur), it employed none of the cliches such as personal sub-plots, catch phrases, or summaries of the situation. The film basically followed the disarray among the air traffic employees, military personnel, and Flight 93 passengers in torturous real-time. I began to feel ashamed that I had slept through all of this on the morning of 9/11.

    In conclusion, brace yourself for this film's final sequence--oh man. The intensity and emotion of it. Every muscle in my body tightened up.

    Update: I raised my rating of the film because days have passed and I still feel inspired by it. One review captured my sentiment of the movie perfectly: "cathartic".

    Rating: 10
    I scry with my little eye
    04/27/06 7:33 PM PDT

    April 27, 2006: The day that I discovered something so mind-blowing, so groundbreaking that it could revolutionize my entire corporate community. While I cannot divulge this discovery (IBM confidentiality and what not), let's just say that it resembles the simplicity of a light switch, and could potentially foreshadow an entire paradigm shift. Strangely, I didn't feel like the caveman who first discovered fire. Rather, I felt more like evil Kirk when he discovered the device that could blip his enemies out of existence. I don't really have enemies here at IBM (not like the kind of enemies that I had in school anyway)--but I do know of colleagues that would, for example, blatantly accept credit for a patent that I invented.

    On another subject, I committed to leading a technical workgroup across IBM this year. In previous years, I never felt ready--after all, what gave me the right to tell fellow colleagues what to do (some no doubt being smarter than me)? It all comes down to self-confidence and arguably, the size of one's "ego". The ego to say: "I am qualified to lead them"--even if it requires deciding issues with little or no information, or standing up to criticism and poor performance.

    #$%@! it all!!! Sprite discontinued my favorite soda AGAIN: Aruba Jam Sprite Remix. The supermarket continues to take away my most cherished products. First it was Tropical Sprite Remix; then it was Product 19. Hmm...this is funny: Amazon.com still sells Product 19. I wonder how they'd react if I ordered say, ten boxes? :)

    Watched movie: "The Sentinel" (2006)
    Suspenseful but rather contrived thriller about a plot to assassinate the President. I guess if you could overlook the amazing coincidence that a mole infiltrated the Secret Service at the same time that Regan's wounded bodyguard infiltrated the First Lady, then you can suspense disbelief. It stars Michael Douglas and Jack Bauer--I mean Kiefer Sutherland. Rating: 6
    Watched movie: "Silent Hill" (2006)
    Schizophrenic rendition of the first three "Silent Hill" video games. I found it laughable how closely that the film mimicked the gameplay (even using the exact same music from all three games). I could almost feel the controller in my hands. But too bad that the games' great psychological horror failed to carry over. Instead, the film resorted to gruesome special effects for shock value. Rating: 4
    The deeper meaning behind pro-wrestling
    04/20/06 2:24 PM PDT

    We have a hilariously cynical co-worker at IBM; a curmudgeonly Chinese guy that visits my office from time to time to complain about the stupidities of society and corporate life. One time, it insulted him that I liked to order teriyaki chicken at Japanese restaurants. He reasoned that a real Japanese person would not enjoy that dish. So instead of referring to me as "Steven", he began calling me "Teriyaki Chicken" (example: "Hey Teriyaki Chicken, get back to work!"). I finally had to shush him out of fear that passing bystanders would interpret his comments as racist. Anyway, it recently disgusted him to learn that I attended Wrestlemania 22 in Chicago. So now he calls me "Wrestlemania" (example: "Hey Wrestlemania, get back to work!"). That inspired the topic for today's blog entry: why I like World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE).

    To my amusement, the WWE metaphorically mirrors the business world--only more physically in that the employees hit each other with chairs. :) I actually discerned many parallels to corporate life, in particular:

    Jobbing
    Behind-the-scenes, WWE writers must pre-determine who wins a match (getting "pushed") and who loses a match (getting "jobbed"). Every wrestler must cope with the reality that at some point or another, they must lose a match. Even though this means losing face, all wrestlers must learn to accept what is best for the business. Well, some wrestlers have ego problems and think that they should win every match. Unless they're vested, then they don't last long in the company. This is how I see the corporate world as well. Even top employees must "job" and swallow their pride.
    Novelty
    Let's face it. Plain mat wrestling can get boring. That's why more and more, you see wrestlers starring in movies, signing record deals, and publicizing non-wrestling-related gimmicks. WWE pushes this the most, so I know that I can tune in every week to something new and different. Well, the same could be said for business. An employee won't advance far by just repeating the same kind of work from year to year without trying anything creative.
    Risk
    The most memorable matches in the WWE showcase some element of risk--whether it be jumping from a 20-foot ladder or crashing through a flaming table (the stunts that I applauded at Wrestlemania). Similarly, business demands big risk for big success. Again, an employee won't advance far by just repeating the same kind of work from year to year without trying anything risky.
    More about this topic of risk in a future blog entry...

    Watched movie: "Brick" (2006)
    Amusing Noir-style mystery set in a high school of all places. It reminded me of "The Big Sleep" because it required a lot of concentration to follow the plot and the sleuth's slang-laced swordplay. For example, the sleuth would say, "the ape blows or I clam," which my mind eventually interpreted as: "I'll only talk when your bodyguard leaves." But by that time, the sleuth had moved onto more lightning quips. Rating: 8
    Watched movie: "Slither" (2006)
    Decent tongue-in-cheek horror flick where smitten, parasitic slugs invade a small town. Admittedly, I found the characters' "redneck perspectives" entertaining. Props to the strong female characters. Stay after the credits. Rating: 6
    Watched movie: "Inside Man" (2006)
    Struck me as a caper film more than anything else because the bank robbers reminded me of an IMF team from "Mission: Impossible" (misdirecting the authorities with minimal violence). Also found the mastermind more likeable than all of the other main characters. I would've rated it higher if Spike Lee hadn't muted the "thriller" element with his hackneyed social statements (including a tacked-on scene about video game violence). Rating: 6
    Road trip FAQ
    04/13/06 1:11 PM PDT

    Update to my goals list: Crossed four items off, attached photos to them, and colored each section according to the Trivial Pursuit pie pieces.

    Also answered a number of questions about my road trip below:

    Q. Do you have any pictures?
    A. Yes, I developed 13 rolls of film and posted the more interesting photos below in the blog entries, including what I looked like after the accidental mud bath.
    Q. What impressed you the most?
    A. Wrestlemania and Bryce Canyon.
    Q. What unexpectedly impressed you the most?
    A. Wrestlemania, the Badlands, and the Iron Skillet restaurant.
    Q. What did you enjoy the least?
    A. Wall Drug and Wind Cave.
    Q. What disappointed you the most?
    A. Deep dish pizza, Wall Drug, and the Grand Canyon.
    Q. What souvenirs did you buy?
    A. One Grand Canyon coaster and six bookmarks. It thrilled me finally find one coaster instead of the 3-packs, 5-packs, or 10-packs.
    Q. Would I ever do it again, or re-visit anyplace?
    A. No. At least not for a long while. :)

    What a Web cam of our road trip would look like:

    HOURS LATER...

    Road trip day #10 (final entry): Back in the City of Angels
    04/09/06 8:03 PM PDT

    Our current location: Los Angeles, California
    Time travelled today: 5 hours, 45 minutes
    Time travelled in all: 7 days
    Distance travelled in all (final): 3136 miles

    Our road trip ended today in Los Angeles. Before returning the rental car, we dropped all of our baggage off in Pasadena. We accumulated much more than what we started with. We must have looked out-of-place riding LAX's long-term-parking shuttle without carrying any luggage. :)

    My Corolla felt like a mini cooper after driving that SUV for so long.

    I decided upon three reflections about this road trip:

    Road trip day #9: Back to Cali
    04/09/06 1:38 AM PDT

    Our current location: Needles, California
    Time travelled today: 11 hours
    Distance travelled in all: 2850 miles

    The Quality Inn washing machine managed to clean all that mud from my clothes. I decided to dump the camera bag though.

    Grand Canyon National Park
    Ok, I'm convinced that the Grand Canyon is more than just a crack in the ground. After observing it from several angles, I upgraded my perception of it to: "a huge landscape comprised mostly of boring rock formations". I guess that the Badlands and Bryce stole the show. Also, what's up with all the pesky bugs?

    Finally...back in California at the Days Inn & Suites--Needles. We crossed the Colorado River on the I-40, which I believe is an interstate formerly known as Route 66. Fitting way to conclude a road trip. Next and final stop: Los Angeles.

    Road trip day #8: Bryce Canyon National Park
    04/08/06 2:39 AM PDT

    Our current location: Page, Arizona
    Time travelled today: 12 hours, 20 minutes (2 hours, 20 minutes spent hiking)
    Distance travelled in all: 2468 miles

    Bryce Canyon...home of the disproportionate rock pinnacles called "hoodoos". I felt that these curious formations distinguished the park from say, more run-of-the-mill nature preserves like Yosemite. Same dead silence though.

    Much of the park appeared frozen over despite the warm sun. Glad I wore my ski clothes because the wind and snow proved rather cold. Sometimes I'd step on a snow bank, and my leg would sink right down to the knee!

    In my opinion, if Bryce Canyon had one failing--it would have to be its muddy trails. My friends and I decided to hike across the Navajo Loop (we ended up spending 2 hours and 20 minutes walking due to the trail closures, in fact). Well, the mud kept sucking on our boots like molasses; splashing on our pants, and caking up.

    But that all paled to the tragedy that befell me...

    While descending a harrowing zig-zagged trail called "Wall Street", I slipped on a patch of ice. After crash-landing flat on my back, wet mud splashed all over my jacket, pants, and camera bag. I looked like a chocolate creamcicle afterward. On the bright side, it freed me from my aversion to getting dirty (for instance, I no longer had to tip-toe around puddles). On the negative side, passing hikers kept staring and smiling at me like some kind of walk of shame. Yes, I fell down into a pool of mud, ok?--leave me alone.

    Man, I still can't believe that hikers brought their kids along these hazardous trails. Seemed like one misstep could easily plummet someone to their doom.

    Tonight, we collapsed into a Quality Inn room in Page, Arizona (the altitude and steep slopes hit us hard). Not sure what time it is since for some reason, Arizona doesn't observe Daylight Savings Time. Next stop: Grand Canyon, followed by the final leg of the road trip!

    Road trip day #7: Steven's sense of snow
    04/07/06 1:14 AM PDT

    Our current location: Beaver, Utah
    Time travelled today: 10 hours, 45 minutes
    Distance travelled in all: 2207 miles

    Well, today marked the first time that I've ever driven through snowfall. From the Rocky Mountains to Salt Lake City, our SUV braved a relentless onslaught of snow, rain, and sleet. Craziness.

    Iron Skillet
    If you ever pass through Laramie, WY on the I-80, then stop by this trucker restaurant. Mighty tasty food--all served on metal skillets (even the salad buffet). I suspect that the cooks opted against draining any grease out, because my steak and shrimp scampi tasted awesome. I recommend the bacon too. Just don't eat there everyday, if you know what I mean. :)
    Utah
    Towering red rocks flanked the I-80, completely powdered with snow. A lot more interesting to look at than eyesore billboards.

    Tonight, we holed up at a Super 8 Motel within Beaver, Utah. Next stop: Bryce Canyon National Park.

    Road trip day #6: Detour!
    04/06/06 1:03 AM PDT

    Our current location: Laramie, Wyoming
    Time travelled today: 11 hours, 15 minutes
    Distance travelled in all: 1632 miles

    Due to winter snow conditions, Yellowstone closed all roads into the park except for the North Entrance. No tours or Old Faithful access either--hardly worth risking an icy, 6-hour detour into Montana just for Mammoth Hot Springs. Hence, we opted to bypass Yellowstone altogether. Instead, we backtracked to the Wind Cave National Park. See the revised route.

    Wind Cave National Park
    We toured an underground cavern called the Garden of Eden. Hard to see anything in the dim light. Eh--not much to see anyway, besides funny rock formations.

    Tonight we're staying at the AmeriHost Inn & Suites in Laramie, Wyoming. Next stop: Salt Lake City and then Bryce Canyon.

    Road trip day #5: From dawn till dusk
    04/04/06 11:49 PM PDT

    Our current location: Gillette, Wyoming
    Time travelled today: 13 hours, 40 minutes
    Distance travelled in all: 1170 miles

    As you can probably deduce from our travel time, I'm beat. Today we raced along the I-90 in order to photograph both Mt. Rushmore and Crazy Horse before sunset. You know, sometimes we have good days; sometimes we have bad days. Well, I have to say that today it was a good day. Reasons:

    South Dakota turned into a loooong drive. Miles, miles, miles of brown fields and repetitive billboards--most notably "Wall Drug", which I explain below. In total, we visited the following sites today:

    Badlands National Park
    This mountain range fascinated me because I could not fathom how something so ugly came into existence. The earth looked wrinkled and ravaged--like the face of a pug. How did such a disfigurement manage to stay localized in this one isolated region? Also, I haven't experienced such an eerie quiet in my entire life. My ears began to ring from the silence. Worth passing through if you're driving through South Dakota.
    Wall Drug
    I swear that we must've seen over 100 of this drugstore's billboards. We had no choice but to stop there, to reconcile what warranted such an overwhelming advertising blitz. Well, the drugstore simply contained an overabundance of novelties and Western memorabilia. According to their literature, the place became famous by intentionally over-advertising its gimmicks. Sheesh. Additionally, Wall Drug has no relation to Pink Floyd. The drugstore picked up its name from the town: Wall, South Dakota.
    Mount Rushmore National Memorial
    We rolled in free at about 5:10pm (Mountain Standard Time), and photographed ourselves with the monument in the background (we even posed like the Presidents). I'll have to post the picture on my goals list upon my eventual return to San Jose. I have to say--this type of art impresses me.
    Crazy Horse Memorial
    A couple of people back in California asked me to report the progress of this unfinished mountain sculpture. Well, I saw:
    • Crazy Horse's head
    • The hole for his armpit
    • The ear of Crazy Horse's horse
    Seeing as the work for this sculpture began in 1948, perhaps the project manager should consider scoping down this effort to something less ambitious--such as: "Bust of Crazy Horse". :)
    Black Hills National Forest
    This forest had a whole lot of burnt trees and a whole lot of deer (we even had to wait for about five of them to cross the road in front of our SUV). I kept thinking "Bambi".

    On a side note, I've yet to hear anyone speak with a dialect. Maybe I'm not north enough?

    We're currently staying at a suite in the Comfort Inn in Gillette, Wyoming. Next stop: Yellowstone National Park. Except that I heard that they closed most of the roads. :( We'll see.

    Road trip day #4: The first leg
    04/04/06 12:01 AM PDT

    Our current location: Sioux Falls, South Dakota
    Time travelled today: 11 hours
    Distance travelled in all: 589 miles

    Chilly winds assailed our SUV as we journeyed across three separate states today. Thankfully, the sun smiled upon us. We basically stayed on the I-90 the entire time, swapping drivers about every three hours. The SUV also required periodic re-fueling to keep up that whopping pace of 19 miles per gallon.

    After travelling the I-90 for awhile, I noticed some differences from the 101--little differences, if you will. Examples:

    Additionally, I noted the following observations for each state:

    Illinois
    This state tolls the most roads that I have ever seen. They even toll offramps!
    Wisconsin
    Mostly rural with the occasional "CHEESE" signs and cow herds. I'm talking holstein cows (white with black splotches), not those brown ones near IBM SVL.
    Minnesota
    After crossing the Mississippi River, we must have seen at least five huge billboards advertising the SPAM Museum; followed by a series of arrow signs leading up to the place (a satire about spamming on the information highway, perhaps?). Regrettably, the museum closes every Monday (we also missed the store hours). So we just photographed the outside, took some literature, and continued on.
    South Dakota
    We're staying at the Kelly Inn here. Next stop: Mount Rushmore National Memorial.

    We began noticing patches of frost along the road--possibly foreshadowing the snowy conditions to come.

    P.S. I appended a couple of updates to my previous blog entry. I guess you can call them "afterthoughts".

    Road trip day #3 (continued): Big Time (WrestleMania 22)
    04/02/06 11:11 PM PDT
    Chicago-style hot dog
    My friends and I all ordered the Superdawg from their drive-in. Lots of green on the frankfurter--mostly from all that relish. The peppers exploded in my mouth like grubs. In my opinion, it didn't taste all that different from say, a Wienerschnitzel hot dog. It sure felt different though, when it cramped my stomach later in the day. Rating: 5

    Update: I decided to lay off anything greasy for the next few days to purge myself of that unsettling Chicago food.

    The Art Institute of Chicago
    Borrriiinng. Sorry--art exhibits simply don't interest me. Guess I prefer "pugilism" over "impressionism". :) The famous paintings that I saw:
    • A Sunday on La Grande Jatte: Seurat's dots reminded me of a Graphic Communication principle called "halftone". It's an illusion that printers use to show color photographs. Hey, my Bachelor's Degree finally came in handy.
    • American Gothic: Like an idiot, I puzzled over a minuature farmer and his wife until someone pointed out some text next to it that read:
      "Grant Wood's American Gothic, normally on view in this gallery, is currently on loan to the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., for an exhibition on the artist. It will return to the Art Institute by mid-June 2006."
      D'oh!
    • Nighthawks: Ah, the famous painting of a New York diner. Next...

    Update: To my surprise, this museum lets you photograph paintings as long as you don't use flash. Man they're trusting...

    WrestleMania 22
    Now that's what I call art. Just kidding. My first ever WrestleMania attendance, and man what a show. I got to see some of my all-time favorite WWE personalities--Mick Foley, Undertaker, and Vince McMahon--in their best matches. Edge and Foley crashed through a flaming table (a stunt that I've never seen the WWE employ before); and Shawn Michaels elbow-dropped Vince through a table from a staggering high ladder. Rating: 8

    Afterward, a boy on crutches and his mother offered to buy the souvenir ring chair from me for $110. When I accepted, the boy paid out of his own wallet. Man, I thought that the mother would pay for him. So even though his cash fell short by $36, I let him have the chair. Actually, I felt bad accepting any money from a boy who resembled Tiny Tim--but as I left, I started to speculate whether they pulled a fast one on me. Oh well. I'd rather that some boy have it than an adult dealer.

    Road trip day #3: Biceps brunch
    04/02/06 10:09 AM PDT

    Drizzling here in Chicago. I keep forgetting that this city falls under Central Standard Time. Daylight Savings Time didn't help matters.

    Just came back from a WWE brunch where a panel of jobbers fielded fan questions. Which reminds me--I wanted to praise one Hall of Fame inductee last night for his exemplary attitude: Tony Atlas. I once caught a documentary where Tony struggled to find work after the WWE. He even resorted to "shoot wrestling" where a boxer continuously punched him for the audience's entertainment. I remember really pitying the guy. Last night, I felt even sorrier for him when he talked about growing up poor and ending up homeless. But then he moved me by shrugging all that off, and saying: "I still feel truly blessed." "It doesn't matter whether you live in a mansion, or grow up dirt poor--we live in the greatest country in the world." Although the last part sounded a little corny, I sincerely felt inspired by his ability to appreciate life despite losing everything. I think Sheryl Crow sang it best with the lyric: "It's not having what you want; it's wanting what you've got."

    Road trip day #2: Wicker Park
    04/01/06 11:34 PM PST

    Misty 45 degrees F today. I don't get this place, Chicago. No hot dog stands in sight--did they all migrate? Also, hardly anything open on a Saturday afternoon in downtown, including Morton's Steakhouse. We'll try again tomorrow, I guess.

    Mid-day Madness
    Autograph and photo session with various WWE personalities. Funny how normally that they behave in person.
    Wicker Park
    I searched for the spot where Josh Hartnett waited for Diane Kruger, but no success. No hot dog stand or camera shop either. Neat looking park though: chessboards, a fountain, playground, basketball court, and a special area just for dogs. I also liked the brick-laid houses in that neighborhood.
    Sears Tower
    Visited the Skydeck on the 103rd floor. Didn't discern much difference from the Empire State Building though (aside from the Chicago scenery).
    Stuffed pizza
    Tried a pepperoni and mushroom stuffed pizza at Giordano's. Enjoyed it much more than the deep dish. I think that they used string cheese. Rating: 6
    WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony
    Bret Hart seemed cordial toward the WWE and Vince, and extended the program with anecdote after anecdote (I think a crewman even signalled him to wrap it up). Not much controversy--I even spotted Shawn Michaels in the audience. Afterward, we received some kind of pewter medallion.
    Road trip day #1: The Windy City
    03/31/06 6:31 PM PST

    My vacation began with a rocky start. After three hours of sleep, Rene, Victor, and I caught a 6am flight from LAX to ORD. During our descent, the Chicago winds blew our plane up and down. Well--that was according to our pilot to excuse his crappy roller coaster of a landing. I suspect that he dropped out of NASA, because the descent reminded me of a weightless flight simulation.

    After that sickening ride, our next stop didn't help me feel any better: Pizzeria Uno, the birthplace of the Chicago-style deep dish pizza. First of all, the place was tiny (which probably explains that Pizzaria Due extension down the street), and required about a 50 minute wait to get in. Then the waitress crammed us into a booth so small that our legs tangled up under the table (remind me to show you a funny picture of this). I would characterize their deep dish pizza as "cheesecake topped with tomato sauce". After one-and-a-half slices, I couldn't take anymore. Rating: 3

    For our road trip, we ended up renting a small SVU from Budget: a silver Hyundai Santa Fe. Quite a bargain, actually (by bargain, I mean the only one-way rental priced under $1000). Traffic on the I-90 sucked; bumper-to-bumper even during off-peak hours. In addition to the high winds, it rained and rained. Thankfully, the weather didn't seem too cold (about 60 degrees F).

    For the weekend, we're staying at the Hyatt Regency O'Hare executive wing. I can tell it's fancy because our mini-fridge contains alcohol. Too bad that none of us drink.

    Parked at ChicaGO
    03/28/06 6:51 PM PST

    About to leave San Jose en route to Los Angeles. The rental car awaits at Chicago O'Hare International Airport. Expect that car to start moving across the map on Monday. That's why today's blog title contains a hidden Monopoly reference.

    Watched movie: "Stay Alive" (2006)
    Sucked so badly that I expected to see "Directed by Uwe Boll" at the end of it. It seriously felt like a sequel to "House of the Dead"--right down to the video game-rendered attackers! Seeing as I had a pen and paper in my pocket with absolutely nothing better to do, I decided to write down the stupidities in the order that they occurred (hardly any spoiler tags because the movie contained little worth spoiling):
    1. A vibrating noise (the same one that a dual shock controller makes) signaled the presence of the ghost. Yes, who needs scary music when you can terrify the audience with the sound of a vibrating controller.
    2. The lead character tipped his boss on how to beat "Silent Hill 4": dump the hyper blaster before the stairs, and the final boss will die on her own. First of all, that's "Silent Hill 1", not "Silent Hill 4". Secondly, you only win the hyper blaster by beating the game twice--so why would the boss even need any advice!
    3. While photographing mourners at a funeral, the female lead photographed the lead character "There are so many crying faces at this funeral and you seem to be the saddest, but you weren't crying so I took a picture." Then I'm pretty sure that they flirted (after which she gave him her phone number). I don't know about you, but that seems awfully inconsiderate to me.
    4. Apparently, the police like to post their investigations on the Internet because the lead character viewed their gory crime scene photos from a library terminal.
    5. Bad enough that the teenagers kept splitting up for no reason (these morons made a good case for sterilization), but at one point (to the audience's dismay), the lead characters began kissing despite all of the danger and lack of time.
    Man oh man. Rating: 2
    Watched video: "Ice Age" (2002)
    I finally watched this in preparation for the sequel coming out this Friday. Alright, I guess. The ugly sloth cracked me up. Those other creatures (including Scrat the acorn hunter) bored me. It disappointed me that they wasted Ray Romano's dry wit on such a humorless mammoth. Rating: 6
    No Ohno
    03/19/06 11:51 PM PST

    Thanks to the laws of physics, I had to cancel my trip to the World Short Track Speed Skating Championships. How inconvenient that I cannot co-exist in two places at the same time. Otherwise, I could watch the speed skating race and register for Wrestlemania 22 weekend simultaneously. Oh well. Ohno decided not to race, so I considered it a no-brainer. Anyway, Expedia let me cancel my flight for a $30 fee and a $50 airline fee for refunding my ticket as credit toward another flight. Plus I lose $40 on the speed skating ticket unless I can pawn it on eBay.

    Wherever possible, I'll try to update my blog during each leg of my road trip. I'm not bringing my laptop, so hopefully the motels will have computers for me to access the Internet.

    In IBM news, my new manager restructured our department and appointed me to the technical lead position. As a result, the team's Lotus Notes databases fell under my jurisdiction. My initial reaction: apathy. However, as I began redesigning the database interface, a rush of megalomania surged through me. I could basically create or remove any graphical control that I wanted, e.g., a recycle bin or a button to broadcast to the department. I even considered a big red button labelled with: "Don't push me" to mess with my co-workers' minds. But I decided not to abuse my authority. Instead, I installed that button on my home page. :)

    Speaking of my Web site, I posted the new music video results for 2H 2005. To my chagrin, I discovered an ongoing clerical error with tiebreaking rule #3 (the tiebreaker where I discard the highest and lowest rankings). I mistakenly weighted the larger averages more than the lower averages (a lower ranking should have counted as a better score). Good thing I don't judge Olympic figure skating. :) Being the perfectionist that I am, I decided to audit every spreadsheet from 1997 to 2005, and corrected six clerical errors. Yup, expect to see this incident somewhere my "worst events of 2006" list--not because I made six mistakes, but because I allowed my neurosis to correct them. :) On another trivial note, I found the one and only tie (in the 2001 music spreadsheet) that forced me to invent tiebreaking rule #4. The tie occurred between 112 and Madonna, believe it or not.

    Watched movie: "The Hills Have Eyes" (2006)
    Another "Deliverance"/"Wrong Turn" type horror flick; arguably more unsettling than either movie though. Unsettling because the men in this movie acted so witlessly--especially in that scene where they just dilly-dallied while the mutants raped and murdered their women! Heck, even the dog proved more effectual than them. Admittedly, the mens' incompetence gave the film more character for me. I doubt that many guys in real-life that can perform like Steven Seagal in such a panicky situation. Rating: 6
    Watched movie: "Joyeux Noël" (2005) a.k.a. "Merry Christmas" (2006)
    Inspirational "world peace" Christmas tale (supposedly based on a true story) where three rival WWI units (German, French, and Scottish) decide to emerge from their trenches and fraternize in the battlefield. I had trouble reconciling that sight--kept thinking to myself, "das crazy". I also couldn't believe that the Germans would allow Diane Kruger to join the front lines, but oh well--dramatic license, maybe. This film probably wouldn't beat "Gandhi" in an Oscar race, but I found it moving nonetheless (especially the scene when the bagpipe players played "Silent Night" for the German tenor). I wish they had shown this one in high school instead of that confounding "Dr. Zhivago" flick. Rating: 7
    Watched movie: "V for Vendetta" (2006)
    Corny comic book flick with some provocative political undertones. Provocative in that the movie basically humanized a violent (albeit chivalrous) terrorist. Also--what is this guy, some kind of anarchist? Why did he martyr himself without ensuring that the next government went right? I could just picture George Washington dueling it out with the King of England. Also, that was cold to shave Natalie Portman's head bald. :) Rating: 5
    Ghost in the machine
    03/06/06 7:48 PM PST

    How's this for a TV movie: Steve vs. the automated calling machine. That infernal device has called my apartment 1-2 times a day for the past two weeks--most often at 4pm and 8am! "This is an automated message [for Pablo]...call L.A. Interstate at..." Well, I called that place twice already--told them I didn't know this "Pablo" person--and twice they claimed to take me off the list. The calls continued. I mashed all the phone buttons simultaneously trying to confuse the machine. The calls continued. I disconnected my phone for awhile. No more calls. I plugged my phone back in. The calls continued.

    Coincidentally, this year's World Short Track Speed Skating Championships take place in the United States (Minneapolis, Minnesota) starting on Friday, March 31. Seeing as I visit Chicago that weekend, it gives me the perfect opportunity to cross the goal off on my list and to watch Ohno skate his potentially last competition (he hasn't decided whether he'd retire yet, having achieved the "perfect race" and all). So to summarize my end-of-March weekend: Friday=short track, Saturday=WWE Hall of Fame; Sunday=Wrestlemania 22; Monday-Sunday=road trip from Chicago to L.A. in a rental car.

    Man, Suncoast and Sam Goody continue to close down their outlets. Now I have to drive 45 minutes for the nearest store.

    I lost a bet with a colleague on last night's Academy Awards. She bet me a latte that both Ang Lee and "Crash" would win Oscars. "The odds go against that," I lectured. "If the director wins an Oscar, typically their movie wins too. Plus the movie with the most nominations, i.e., 'Brokeback Mountain', almost always wins." Well, guess I owe someone a latte now.

    Watched movie: "Running Scared" (2006)
    I spoke too soon. I found a better candidate for "lamest movie of the year" right here. First of all, talk about unacceptable parenting. Where's child services when you need them? Secondly, the characters needed a serious sedative. Paul Walker, in particular, acted like a rage-a-holic who overdosed on coffee. After that painfully ridiculous performance, I resolved to boycott all of his future movies. Rating: 3
    Watched movie: "Ultraviolet" (2006)
    Visually captivating but awesomely corny flick of the future. I enjoyed the colors and the slick, fluidic action; especially the sequences where Milla defied time and gravity. I did not enjoy Milla's cheesy acting and dialogue. Did this movie borrow from "Elektra" or something? Rating: 6
    Watched movie: "16 Blocks" (2006)
    Disappointing execution of a promising premise. Why didn't Richard Donner film this in real-time? The plot contained too many "huh?" moments to bother counting. Also, Mos Def's speech-impaired ramblings tested my sanity. At best, I understood about 5% of his dialogue--like a cross between Marlon Brando and Truman Capote. Rating: 4
    Olympic Winter Games XX--Return of the Ohno
    02/26/06 5:43 PM PST

    Man, I haven't felt this ecstatic in a long time. If I had to identify just one role model, I'd probably pick my quantum universe double: Apolo Anton Ohno--not just because of his Japanese American roots, but because he works hard, thinks right, and charms all the ladies. :) Also, look at all of the obstacles that he overcame: South Korean death threats over his disputed 1500M win, a 1000M pile-up, a 500M disqualification, injury, a 1500M slip, and a bad track record going into last night's 500M race. To tell you the truth, I virtually ruled him out of that race. :)

    So after the suspenseful quarter-final and the harrowing semi-final (where Ohno slipped from last place to second), I remember thinking: he'll need to skate his best race ever to even entertain the idea of a medal. Then the final came around: one false-start. Two false-starts. Nerve-racking! Finally, I hopped up and down in disbelief as he led the entire race. Man, what a perfect way to close out the XX Olympic Winter Games.

    In conclusion, I would rank the top five 2006 Olympic moments as follows:

    1. Apolo Anton Ohno finally crossing the finish line first--in his worst event, no less--to win his long-deserved gold medal.
    2. Seth Wescott narrowly winning the gold medal in a thrilling snowboard cross.
    3. Lindsey Jacobellis losing the gold medal in the snowboard cross due to a showboating trick. I found that lesson profound; a classic dramatization of "The Tortoise and the Hare" fable.
    4. (tie) Ted Ligety and Julia Mancuso unexpectedly winning gold medals in alpiine skiing.
    5. Shani Davis winning the speedskating gold medal, as I felt that it redeemed his non-participation in the team pursuit.
    Watched movie: "Freedomland" (2006)
    Painfully lame. I seriously began rubbing my head like Truman Capote, thinking to myself: "This is torture, just torture." Only Edie Falco's character saved the movie (she ran an efficient volunteer group for sleuthing the recovery of missing children). The Samuel L. Jackson and Julianne Moore characters made me long for a lobotomy to end the pain. Rating: 3
    Watched movie: "Nochnoi Dozor" (2004) a.k.a. "Night Watch" (2006)
    "Bladerunner" on crack. The scenes jumped around to the point of sensory overload. I not only had to chase the whirlwind plot (no pun intended)--I had to chase the subtitles too (they hovered around with a life of their own). Rating: 5
    Riverdance - The Tenth Anniversary
    02/20/06 8:00 PM PST

    These exciting Winter Olympics inspired me to add another event to watch on my goals list: an Olympic event. I guess a logical choice would be an indoor event at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada. Tickets go on sale starting early in 2009. :) In case you wondered where the future Olympics will take place:

    Maybe Apolo Anton Ohno will skate the short track and finally beat those South Koreans. Or maybe his girlfriend, Allison Baver, will realize her dream of qualifying for an Olympic short track final. At the risk of sounding sardonic, I'll stop there. :)

    Crossed another goal from my list; details below.

    Attended performance: "Riverdance"
    Overall, I enjoyed the show but wanted more toe-tapping and less of the variety (as in the poetry, instrumental music, opera, ballet, flamenco, and folk dancing). One particularly fun skit blew me away: a dance-off between Irish Riverdancers and two American tap dancers (especially one part where they mocked each others' dance styles). Until I see something better, this dance-off would qualify as the best skit that I have ever seen. Other honorable mentions include the Russian dervishes and the thunderous, foot-pounding "stormtroopers". I tell you, that lead male dancer stomps like nothing else. A human stallion, he is. Rating: 8
    Watched movie: "Final Destination 3" (2006)
    As a big fan of the "Final Destination" series, this third installment kept me entertained but lacked novelty. For instance, the first movie explored "safety measures" for thwarting death; and the second movie innovated new ways to misdirect the audience. Although the third movie introduced a new photographic concept for interpreting clues, the plot offered little else in the way of surprises. I also began to tire of the dramatic interludes between the deaths. :) Rating: 7
    Olympic Winter Games XX--The Empire Strikes Back + Oscars 2006
    02/13/06 5:45 PM PST

    To my "dismay", over 75% of our top USA Olympic competitors disappointed me last night. Michelle Kwan withdrew from figure skating; Bode Miller and Daron Rahlves biffed their alpine downhill skiing after switching to new skiis at the last minute (!); and Apolo Anton Ohno swerved into last place during an easy 1500 M short track semifinal. At least that teenage mutant ninja turtle snowboarder secured the halfpipe gold medal. :)

    Admittedly, the Ohno mishap seemed like karma to me. He angered the Koreans four years ago with that disqualification win in the 1500 M, and now the Koreans swept first and second this year. Frankly, I would've felt scared for Ohno's safety if he had won the 1500 M again--also, I would've worried about that Korean skater committing ritual suicide. :)

    I'm impressed by how well that the Olympics reformed the figure skating scoring system since that pairs figure skating scandal. When I read a record book of the judges' past Olympic scores, their blatant partisan bias disgusted me. So now, in the new scoring system:

    The one drawback to this new scoring system: it now favors the best skaters (meaning, no more gold medals for USA). :)

    Now that I've seen all five "best picture" Oscar nominees for the first time ever, I can attempt some "educated" Oscar predictions for 2005:

    Watched movie: "Good Night, and Good Luck" (2005)
    Intelligent, eloquent, and bo-o-o-o-ring. Despite Edward R. Murrow's astute rhetoric and witty banter (what a cool Robert Stack-like voice), I found the whole movie rather monotonous (especially all of the droning stock footage). In my estimation, George Clooney just dramatized pre-existing newscasts and spliced in drab real-life clips. Rating: 4
    Watched movie: "When a Stranger Calls" (2006)
    Standard issue PG-13 slasher flick, complete with all of the classic cliches: the "cat-made-you-jump" scare, the "omnipresent-slasher-turns-incompetent" chase, and the "helpless-girl-becomes-rambo" finale. I at least found the real-time format relatively suspenseful, given that the PG-13 rating took all the fun out of it. :) Rating: 4
    Watched movie: "Firewall" (2006)
    Strikingly similar to a first season plot from "24"--even co-starred the actress who plays Chloe. I'd call it decently thrilling. My two main criticisms: a) Paul Bettany played a villain that I found bland, and b) the loose ends; for instance, I'm curious about how Harrison Ford explained himself out of that mess. Rating: 6
    Watched movie: "Curious George" (2006)
    I watched this one while waiting for my car alignment to finish. I presume that the animators found the original childrens' book too thin, and decided to flesh it out with wackier characters, sillier action scenes, a love interest for the man with the yellow hat, and a contrived plot. Props to the depiction of Curious George--in addition to capturing his mischievous personality, the animators developed a touching bond between him and the man with the yellow hat. This differed from the book in that the man with the yellow hat (if I remember the story correctly) brought George to the city against his will. :) Rating: 6
    Correction to my last blog entry
    02/03/06 11:14 AM PST
    I had to edit my last blog entry because I mistakenly used the word "dismay" to describe my team's reaction to the new manager. According to my colleague and Webster's dictionary, "dismay" denoted a negative reaction: a "sudden disappointment". Hence, my colleague asked me why I dissed a new manager that the team seemed stoked about. DOH! "Surprise", I meant "surprise".
    Buenvenidos a Miami
    02/02/06 4:30 PM PST

    Eventful times at IBM...last week, the divisional director introduced our new manager--to our surprise, the guy who formerly managed our product installation team. What a contrast--it's like replacing a politician with an engineer. For instance: during my first meeting with him, we discussed installing an online help system and I ended up commenting, "But why am I explaining this to you--you led the programmers that developed the framework for it." My ex-manager, in contrast, tended to struggle with anything remotely technical.

    Also last week, IBM filed my patent and awarded me with an "Invention Achievement Award". Sort of. While announcing my award, the presenter called out the wrong name--at which point, the guy accepted my patent award and everyone applauded him! This completely stunned me. I blurted aloud, "Patent infringment!" and everyone stared at me. Afterward, the presenter criticized the guy for not saying anything, and he just smiled sheepishly.

    This Monday I returned from the Royal Rumble 2006 in Miami. My impressions of Miami:

    I must say, I'm a genius sometimes. I drew a sign that guaranteed my visibility in the Royal Rumble audience. See the screenshots below.

    Playing video game: "Resident Evil 4" (PSX2)
    Identical to the Game Cube version except for the slower loading times. Features five new missions for Ada that parallel Leon's timeline (you can even catch glimpses of Leon throughout the game). Amusingly, the game provides additional costumes for Leon and Ashley: Leon sports a roaring twenties gangster outfit a la "Smooth Criminal"--you can even make him pop like Michael! Rating: 8
    Watched movie: "Caché" (2005) a.k.a. "Hidden" (2006)
    Masterfully unsettling French flick. Most of the camera shots fixated on one spot in real-time (sometimes with absolutely nothing happening in the scene), as if filmed from a stalker's point-of-view. In fact, the stalker often left videotapes of these scenes on the main family's doorstep. I found this realism much scarier, tenser, and more suspenseful than most of the horror movies out there. For instance, those "oh sh--" moments--well, let's just say that they really caught me off guard. I would've rated the flick higher except for some boring spots and a frustrating main character. I did appreciate one of the final scenes that clarified why the Majid boy ended up so psychologically damaged--because when Georges explained it, I still didn't grasp the gravity of it. Also, I think that Majid and his son sent the videotapes because what other stalker(s) would send a bloody chicken head drawing and a videotape of the confrontation? Rating: 7
    Watched movie: "Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World" (2006)
    Before Al Brooks looks for comedy in the Muslim world, he should look for comedy in the American world first because this movie hardly made me laugh. Particularly, his stand-up comedy act made me cringe--one train wreck after another. Admittedly, I smiled at some of his Woody Allen-type sarcasm, and cracked up during a couple of the gags. But after awhile, the movie just deflated pathetically. Rating: 3
    Watched movie: "Capote" (2005)
    Like the movie "Shine", I'd contend that one's enjoyment of this film hinges on one singular, crucial factor: whether you like how Capote talks. Personally, I found his method of expression rather annoying. I did like one of his quotes: "It's torture; they're torturing me," as that summarized the movie for me. Also, death penalty stories tend to disinterest me. For some reason, I have no opinion on that issue--just apathy. Rating: 4
    Sunday, January 22 2006 10:41 PM PST
    01/22/06 10:41 PM PST

    As I sit here typing, random questions pop in my mind:

    Last week, my longest-lasting IBM manager of five-and-a-half years announced her promotion out of the department--which I consider unfortunate as I learned a lot from her. Without her advocacy and pressure to improve, I question whether I could've succeeded in IBM to the extent that I did. In closing--thanks for the good run, and best of luck in your new job.

    This begs the question that I'm sure everyone's had to ask themselves time and time again: what now? Should I continue waiting for opportunities to come to me, or should I grab hold of the wheel and make my own opportunities? Ehhh...I think for now, I'll just fly to Miami and watch pro-wrestlers hit each other with steel chairs.

    Watched movie: "Hostel" (2006)
    Lewd, sadistic, and thrilling. In other words: before the thrilling third act, you have to endure the lewd first act and the sadistic second act.
    • First act: lecherous buttheads trying to get laid.
    • Second act: mostly suggestive, but cruel, torture scenes. For example, the paying client would pick up a drill, you'd hear screams, and then you'd see the guy with holes in him.
    • Third act: edge-of-the-seat suspense where the protagonist escapes and pays back the sadists a la "deus ex machina". Except I'm amazed that neither he nor the girl went into shock.
    The movie turned out better than I thought. I would've rated it higher except that I found one particularly gory scene (when the guy snips off the girl's eye) in really bad taste. Also, if the trailer made you uncomfortable, then you should probably pass on this movie. Personally, it surprises me that Lions Gate generated such a fan base. For both this movie and "Saw II", the theaters looked packed. Rating: 5
    Watched movie: "Match Point" (2006)
    A serious movie by Woody Allen; similar to "Double Indemnity" but more philosophical and ironic. Superb usage of foreshadowing: at the beginning, a tennis ball glances off the net tape, and the main character muses that sometimes life comes down to a single 50/50 moment where fortune either helps or hurts you. Interesting, but...I found the "match point" analogy flawed because in tennis, a player can only win by two points. Then again, maybe Woody Allen accounted for that as he seems like a nerdy enough guy. Character-wise, I had trouble sympathizing with the main character. I wanted to strangle him, actually. Maybe because it disappointed me that such an eloquent British gentleman engineered such a stupid predicament for himself. Granted, not as stupid as that friend in "Sideways"--but pretty close. Rating: 7
    Watched movie: "Underworld: Evolution" (2006)
    Absorbing sequel that stayed faithful to the sleek, monochromatic style of the first "Underworld". I'm mostly happy that Selene's love interest Michael made himself useful. As a long-time "Buffy: The Vampire Slayer" fan, it always disappointed me whenever Buffy's gallant boyfriend Angel provided only hapless assistance. In further retrospect, I noted a number of other similarities between "Buffy" and "Underworld: Evolution"--such as the manner in which the deceased characters reprised their roles in flashback.

    In regards to "Underworld" versus "Underworld: Evolution", I'd contend that the sequel delivered payoffs which the first movie never cashed in on: a) the death of that traitorous Kraven, which would have meant more in the first movie because I'll bet that the audience forgot about what a jerk he was; and b) a first-time love scene between Selene and Michael. I don't think they even kissed in the first movie. If you plan to see "Underworld: Evolution", I recommend brushing up on the first movie because this one certainly hit the ground running. Rating: 7

    Holiday movie marathon 2005
    01/04/06 11:20 AM PST

    The construction of the new Bailey Avenue overpass finished. Bailey Avenue now seamlessly bridges over Monterey Highway. This actually hurts my commute though. I now have to wait at a one-lane, left-hand turn signal in order to merge from Monterey onto Bailey. Someday I should time all of the quickest routes to IBM; maybe during the Winter Olympics next month. Yeah--sometimes I pretend that I'm Apolo Anton Ohno as I change lanes and pass other cars. :)

    Lot of movies that I wanted to see over the holiday break. I had to revise my "best movies of 2005" twice.

    Watched movie: "Aeon Flux" (2005)
    As expected, I found this movie inferior to the original MTV cartoon in every respect--everything from Aeon's hairdo to Trevor Goodchild's lips. Overall, I felt that the movie went wrong in the following ways:
    • Aeon's and Trevor's tamer characters. Perhaps casting Charlize Theron attributed to this, but both Aeon and Trevor showed way too much sentiment for my taste.
    • Aeon's love connection with Trevor. To my disappointment, the movie dismissed their classic love-hate feud.
    • Aeon's venus fly-trap eyelashes. Ehhh...no. If the director cut Aeon's hairdo because it looked too silly, he should've cut the clip where Aeon caught the fly in her eyelashes. :)
    All in all, I might've found the movie more imaginative had I not seen the cartoon first. But unfortunately, the cartoon set the bar pretty high. Rating: 6
    Watched movie: "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" (2005)
    My compliments to Disney for risking a more mature subject matter instead of some cornball formula. This one seemed inspired by "The Lord of the Rings" and "The Passion of the Christ". For the most part, I found the movie profound except for one dumbfounding element: the appearance of Santa Claus. What is Santa Claus doing in an allegory about Jesus?? Rating: 7
    Watched movie: "King Kong" (2005)
    Another impressive Peter Jackson project. At one point, I decided to just enjoy the action sequences rather than track all of the implausible ways that the characters defied death. I still can't reconcile how Naomi Watts survived all of that shaking though--nor how the crew managed to ship Kong to New York--but oh well. The sympathetic depiction of Kong blew me away. The expressions on his face; the realistic movements; the emotional connection with Naomi Watts...utterly amazing. Rating: 8
    Watched movie: "The Producers" (2005)
    Too outlandish for my taste, but amusing in certain spots. For some reason, musicals always sound better to me in a live theater. Props to the counterpoint though. Stay after the credits. Rating: 4
    Watched movie: "Munich" (2005)
    Provocative Spielberg movie about conflicted Israeli assassins. Not sure what message that the movie meant to convey, if any: the senselessness of violence, perhaps? Plot-wise, I'm still incredulous about how easily these guys accomplished each mission. They seemed too unprofessional and the targets seemed way too accessible. I guess that's not unusual for a Spielberg movie though. Rating: 6
    Watched movie: "Memoirs of a Geisha" (2005)
    This movie reinforced my cynicism of Japanese geisha. First of all, I never understood the appeal of those disturbing white faces. Second of all, their craft strikes me as a facade to manipulate men out of their money. I'm hoping that Japan has modernized significantly since then. All in all, despite the perturbing premise, I did take interest in the struggles, longings, and conniving plots of the female characters. Rating: 6
    Watched movie: "Wolf Creek" (2005)
    I'd call it a cross between "The Blair Witch Project" and "Deliverance", but inferior to both films. The first part of the plot did a good job exemplifying why I don't like visiting backwoods towns or driving to the middle of nowhere. The second part delved into that overused "woman turns resourceful" device. Rating: 4
    Watched movie: "Brokeback Mountain" (2005)
    Unexpectedly tearjerking love story between two cowboys. At first I cringed and thought, "Dude, scandalous!" but by the end of the movie, I felt deeply moved. Many of the scenes packed some powerful drama. In particular, one simplistic scene had the whole audience crying: when Ennis hugged Jack's jacket. Another good emotional scene: when Ennis blamed Jack for ruining his life. If this movie wins the Oscar, it's well-deserved. Rating: 9
    2005 Year in Review
    12/23/05 3:43 AM PST
    Best of 2005Worst of 2005
    Events that happened to Steve
    1. Receiving the $1624 refund check in the mail when I wasn't expecting it. My formal complaint actually bore fruit; in a July letter, I found out that the Oregon Dept. of Justice (Civil Enforcement Division) pressured the company to refund my money.
    2. Finally seeing Hulk Hogan at Backlash 2005.
    3. Meeting Bruce Campbell at a really inexpensive movie event.
    4. Releasing the Content Management information center and the DB2 Content Manager Standard information center.
    5. (tie) Royal Rumble 2005 and Taboo Tuesday 2005.

    1. Missing Wrestlemania 21, and then stewing for the next 40 days about my missing refund. I'll go further to say that the worst "moment" of 2005 was first seeing this picture of the surprise appearance that I missed out on.
    2. Flying with insomnia in the darkness for 5 hours on the red-eye from LAX to Philly.
    3. "Batman Begins" at IMAX.
    4. Losing 10% of my videos in from a HDD/DVD recorder crash.
    5. (tie) The post office really delaying a Father's day card and a $100+ Christmas present that I sent.

    Movies
    1. "Brokeback Mountain"
      "Unexpectedly tearjearking..."
      "...dramatic poignancy ..."
    2. "Infernal Affairs"
      "Intriguing Chinese cop thriller..."
    3. "Wallace & Gromit in The Curse of the Were-Rabbit"
      "...highly entertaining claymation."
    4. "Constantine"
      "Entertaining supernatural action..."
    5. "Batman Begins"
      "Definitely a cut above the rest of the 'Batman' movies."
    6. "Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith"
      "Strong finish..."
    7. "D.E.B.S."
      "Unexpectedly good..."
    8. "King Kong"
      "...utterly amazing."
    9. "Primer"
      "...cerebral, mind-bending..."
    10. "Sin City"
      "...masterfully reinvented the film noir genre."
    1. "Alone in the Dark"
      "...high-budget B-movie."
    2. "The Fog"
      "...took something scary like fog and made it into something un-scary."
    3. "Elektra"
      "Corny comic book flick..."
    4. "The Ring Two"
      "...should have billed it 'Darkness 2'..."
    5. "Doom"
      "...should have been billed "Dumb" instead of 'Doom'."
    6. "Dark Water"
      "...talk about disappointment."
    7. "Hostage"
      "...unimpressed me on all counts."
    8. "Assault on Precinct 13"
      "More violence and profanity than the original, but not much else."
    9. "The Skeleton Key"
      "...extremely thin and boring."
    10. "Derailed"
      "Frustrating..."
    Songs
    1. "Dare" Gorillaz
    2. "So Fly" NB Ridaz & Gemini
    3. "I'm Not Okay (I Promise)" My Chemical Romance
    4. "I Just Wanna Live" Good Charlotte
    5. "Since U Been Gone" Kelly Clarkson

    1. "1 Thing" Amerie
    2. "Let Me Hold You" Bow Wow featuring Omarian
    3. "Lighters Up" Lil' Kim
    4. "Your Body" Pretty Ricky
    5. "Testify" Common

    Music album D.E.B.S. (Soundtrack from the Motion Picture)
    Music video "Dare" Gorillaz "Someday (I Will Understand)" Britney Spears
    TV series "Lost" "Law & Order: Trial by Jury"
    Commercial XBox 360 "Jump in" commercial where various jump-ropers perform tricks in the same take. (tie) "Invasion of the Fantanas" and a Carls Jr. commercial where an unborn baby complains about hot peppers through a sonogram.
    Soda Sprite Remix Aruba Jam Mixed Berry 7UP Plus (I drank medicines that tasted better)
    The Ocean State; bocce ball assassins
    12/23/05 12:14 AM PST

    Our department tried bocce ball at a luncheon. Funny how the game started out laid back and polite. As it progressed, our strategy turned "gangsta": gun for and annihilate the other teams' balls. The shouts went from "Nice shot," into "Take them out!" All in all, a deceptively fun game.

    My lips finally healed from photographing the Penn Bridge at Narragansett Bay in Newport (the bridge that appears on the Rhode Island state quarter). Freezing winds kept blasting my face and hands as I worked to steady the camera.

    Booking this last flight inspired me to join the frequent flyer program for American Airlines (AAdvantage)--lately they've offered the cheapest flights. Unfortunately, I think they scaled back on in-flight movies to keep those prices low. None of the AA planes that I flew on had A/V equipment for watching TV.

    I guess on the bright side, I was able to progress on one of the goals in my list: reading "Shogun" by James Clavell. I am now on page 150 out of 1152. :) Not exactly a "page-turner" book. My three issues with it:

    Here's a sneak preview of the goals that I plan to check off in 2006:

    Riverdance (2/18/06)
    My mom, sister, and I have three tickets to the Tenth Anniversary show at the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood.Planned goals to complete: 1
    Road trip (3/30/06 - 4/10/06)
    After a one-way flight from LAX to Chicago, my friends and I plan to rent a car and drive approximately 2862 miles from Chicago to Los Angeles. Points of interest include Wrestlemania XXII, Mount Rushmore, Yellowstone National Park, Bryce Canyon, and the Grand Canyon. Planned goals to complete: 4

    Watched movie: "Syriana" (2005)
    A petroleum version of "Traffic" that I would consider socially relevant but still lackluster. If you're thinking of seeing it, I should forewarn you:
    • The movie kept jumping from one boring yawn (I mean "yarn") to the next. Imagine channel surfing on a TV that only shows C-SPAN.
    • It felt like I needed a political science degree to follow the plot.
    • The torture scene made "Reservoir Dogs" look like a slap on the wrist.
    Yeah, the third bullet caught me off guard as the preview didn't prepare me for it. Aside from that, the preview pretty much spoiled every action scene in the film. If you do see the movie, please explain to me why George Clooney flagged down Dr. Bashir at the end.Rating: 5
    Watched movie: "Kairo" (2001) a.k.a. "Pulse" (2005)
    Not so much scary as it is bizarre. I found the characters most illogical (for instance, why did the main guy follow the gas cap into the red-taped room--is he some kind of moron?). Heck, the whole premise confused me. Anime fans might find this movie reminiscent of "Lain". I wonder if the American version in March will make more sense. Rating: 6
    Tuesday, November 29 2005 7:35 PM PST
    11/29/05 7:35 PM PST

    The cost for shipping packages to overseas countries astounds me. Case in point: I auctioned off the commemorative steel chair that I received free from Taboo Tuesday. In the shipping section, I specified $40 domestic and $80 international. When the auction ended, I smiled to see a winning $51 bid. Well, it turned out that the bidder lived in Australia. Imagine my shock when UPS wanted to charge me $365 (minimum) to ship it!

    The post office initially quoted me $153--but through some fluke, I managed to ship it for $90. In any case, I nearly suffered a huge loss from that auction and have learned my lesson. In particular, I didn't care for the sour responses of each shipping employee when I asked them, "How much to send to Australia?" Behold some postal trivia that 99% of you would probably find useless (girth = the circumference of the package):

    Drivers beware in Santa Maria. While passing by Santa Maria High School, I noticed a cryptic message on the Ethel Pope Auditorium marquee (this is from memory):

    In Loving Memory of Our Lost Saints

    I followed up what precipitated this on the Web. Apparently, a teenager crashed his Camaro and killed the three SMHS students in his car. The whole school is in mourning. Articles: 1, 2, 3. Ironic how the driver always seems to survive the fatal car crashes. Also read that a Greyhound bus overturned on 101 near Santa Maria as well, killing 2 passengers and injuring 36 others. Crazy.

    Watched movie: "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" (2005)
    The first "Harry Potter" movie that made we wish that I'd read the book. This story confused me more than the others--probably a consequence of cramming so many pages into one 2-hour movie. Additionally, I felt that this movie lacked emotion--particularly in comparison to the touching "Prisoner of Azkaban". I did appreciate how familiar characters carried over from the previous films. However, I disliked how Harry's magic hardly improved from the previous films. One final complaint: how can Hogwarts keep jeopardizing students' lives like that?? Rating: 6
    Below average day
    11/18/05 4:35 PM PST

    Sometimes we have good days; sometimes we have bad days. Well, I'd call yesterday a "bad" day. First, my sunglasses cracked and a lens fell out. Second, my coffee tray flipped and splashed chai tea all over my passenger seat (that's what I get for neglecting the law of physics). Finally, my DVD hard drive crashed during my attempt to edit one of my videos. This de-stabilized every marker for every video after it.

    I'm still trying to recover what data that I can--but I potentially lost over 13% of my videos. For sure, I lost the ultra-rare "My Neck, My Back" music video by Khia. My neck...my back... But maybe that's not so bad--recently I heard some of the explicit version, and recoiled from the nasty lyrics.

    I'm just hoping that I can restore WWE's tribute show to the memory of Eddie Guerrero (he died suddenly from heart failure last Sunday). At first, I didn't think much of it--another pro-wrestler dying of drug abuse. But when I watched the wrestlers cry and eulogize about what he meant to them, I felt choked up. I especially felt bad for his long-time friend, Chris Benoit--he looked the most broken up out of all of them.

    Watched On Demand movie: "House of 1000 Corpses" (2003)
    An obscene, mind-numbing version of "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre". So painfully irritating that it gave me a headache. Rob Zombie should stick to music. Rating: 2
    Watched DVD: "The Devil's Rejects" (2005)
    Why did I watch this sequel to "House of 1000 Corpses", you ask? Well, it pleased me to discover that the police finally mobilized a task force against that perverted family, starting with a raid of that godawful house. But I had trouble watching this movie too. This one bore a striking resemblance to "A Clockwork Orange". I only felt entertained during the scenes of police brutality--in particular, whenever the sheriff killed or tortured one of those sickos. Heck man, I wanted that sheriff to go medieval on them. Rating: 4
    Watched movie: "Chicken Little" (2005)
    Disney dramatization of the "sky is falling" chicken--specifically, the troubled relationship with his skeptic father. I found that development touching. The rest of it came across as too silly for my taste. Rating: 5
    Watched movie: "Derailed" (2005)
    Frustrating Hitchcockian suspense yarn about a blackmailed businessman. It paid off decently in the end--but until then, I had to suffer though the guy's neverending lack of judgement (he struck me as an un-funny version of the inane car salesman in "Fargo"). Jennifer Aniston fans beware. I won't say why--but let's just say that at one point, I looked around the theater to see if anyone walked out of the movie (interestingly, no one did). Rating: 4
    Taboo Tuesday 2005
    11/06/05 9:41 PM PST

    This Tuesday I attended a WWE event in San Diego called Taboo Tuesday, where the fans vote on what matches that they want to see (perhaps inspired by next Tuesday's special California election). Can you spot me? I hadn't planned on it at first, but the show lured me in with a Mick Foley appearance (the fans got to choose which past persona for him to wrestle as).

    All in all, I left the show satisfied. I got to see Mick Foley wrestle as "Mankind", an appearance by three WWE legends, and a cage match. That marked the first time that I saw a steel cage in person. Was actually smaller than I thought (looks gigantic on TV). To me, the front door on that cage exemplifies just how phony that professional wrestling is. Cases in point: the rules state that a wrestler can exit through the front door to win (see screenshot). Yet more often than not, they attempt to climb out of the cage, or leap from the top of it to win by pinfall. Oh well. If wrestling ever became real, I'd probably stop watching it. :)

    Watched movie: "Saw II" (2005)
    More sick games from the "you must face death to truly appreciate life" killer--which actually resembles a Buddhist philosophy if you overlook the premeditated acts of horror. :) To give you a sense of the violence, the movie starts out with a victim who must surgically extract a key out of his face to unlock the iron maiden on his head. Yup, I tensed up into a ball for much of the film. If you liked "Saw" one, then you'll definitely like "Saw II"--same themes of gruesome booby traps, inept cops, and flawed protagonists. Teenagers must be the target audience because they took up almost every seat in the theater. P.S. Make sure to see "Saw" one first or you won't understand a scene near the end of the movie. Rating: 7
    Watched DVD: "Undead" (2005)
    Comedic (almost cartoonish) Australian zombie flick--like some "Creepshow" spin-off. The farmer in the movie picked off zombies like a John Woo action star, and the cops acted like "Reno 911" officers. The movie also featured aliens, even culminating into a scene reminiscent of "The End of Evangelion". It was all very silly. Rating: 5
    Watched movie: "Doom" (2005)
    What a mess. Where do I begin? The nonsensical "24th chromosome" plot? The corny team dissension a la "Platoon"? The live reenactment of "Doom's" first-person combat? Man, this should have been billed "Dumb" instead of "Doom". Rating: 3
    Monday, October 24 2005 10:29 AM PDT
    10/24/05 10:29 AM PDT

    Had a dream that my project manager dumped gasoline all over me. I recall getting mad, and yelling about how irresponsible that was. Wonder what that dream meant. Probably just a manifestation of my cynicism. I once heard an interesting theory that our dreams result from the left-brain attempting to process random activity from the right-brain.

    Man, Panasonic thought of everything. When my second HDD recorder responded to my first HDD recorder's remote control, the manual explained how I could alter the frequency. When I needed a third A/V input, the manual showed me a hidden one. And now that I know how to watch shows while they're still recording, my viewing habits changed as follows:

    Watched movie: "Lord of War" (2005)
    Reminded me of "Life Is Beautiful" in that the lead character (Nicholas Cage) kept making light of the appalling situations around him. But unlike Benigni, Cage used wit to rationalize his arms dealings. I had some major mixed feelings about the character. While his unapologetic disposition amused me, the ramifications of his actions under-the-surface disgusted me (for example, in one scene Cage casually exchanged guns for blood diamonds). In fact, when his wife and an Interpol agent told him off, I wanted to clap. So all in all, I credit the film for giving dimension to such a reprehensible character. My only complaint would be the lack of "payoff" in that Cage never redeemed himself or paid adequately for his crimes. Rating: 7
    Watched movie: "Wallace & Gromit in The Curse of the Were-Rabbit" (2005)
    I almost skipped this flick because of the cheesy previews (no pun intended). I'm glad that the Internet reviews convinced me otherwise. Big props to the creative plot and the highly entertaining claymation, especially these scenes:
    • Whenever Gromit (a pooch with no mouth) conveyed expressions such as concern, resignation, and horror.
    • Whenever the bunnies floated around weightlessly.
    • When the one rabbit impersonated Wallace, even though I found it messed up that they didn't change him back to normal. Come to think of it, brainwashing bunnies into hating vegetables seemed awfully messed up too. :)
    Rating: 8
    Watched movie: "The Fog" (2005)
    Unintelligible, uncreative disaster. It took something scary like fog and made it into something un-scary. Rating: 2
    Watched movie: "Stay" (2005)
    Another movie reminiscent of "Jacob's Ladder". During these films, I typically experience the following three reactions (in this order): curiosity --> impatience --> disappointment. Rating: 4
    Watched movie: "Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me" (1992)
    This prequel happened to show on my cable box, and brought back a lot of memories. I was 15 years old when I originally saw this movie in the theater (I still remember sinking in my seat from the disquieting parts). :) The TV series deeply perturbed me as well, yet I couldn't stop tuning it every week. So speaking as a fan of the series, I found the following cinematic scenes particularly moving:
    • When Leland, in a rare stretch of lucidity, talked apologetically to Laura.
    • When Mike (the crazed one-armed driver), tried to warn Laura and ultimately helped her die with dignity.
    • When the future Cooper helped Laura achieve a well-deserved catharsis in the Black Lodge.
    The movie also finally explained what the midget represents. :) Rating: 9
    Caulk n' Western
    10/08/05 5:02 PM PDT

    While my parents vacationed in Hawaii last weekend, I decided to surprise them by driving down to their house and fixing the moldy caulk around their bathtub. The project proved challenging, given that I have never caulked anything in my entire life. :) Those "home improvement" books leave out a lot of basic practices--for instance, how to avoid making a huge mess. I ended up staying in Santa Maria for three nights. Afterward, I chronicled the entire project in a Web page (complete with before and after photos): re-caulking a bathtub.

    My parents flew back from Hawaii last night. Coincidentally, my mom complained to my dad about the moldy lining around their bathtub. Looks like they're in for a surprise when they return home. I just told them to expect a "present" there, and didn't specify what.

    Before (yuck) After

    Western series
    Watched movie: "Wyatt Earp" (1994)
    Above average depiction of the real-life Earp family. I liked how Wyatt came across as a flawed, morally questionable character rather than just a shallow, heroic lawman. Since I didn't know how the Shootout at O.K. Corral ended, the showdown kept me in suspense. When I glimpsed the same feud again in "Tombstone", I wasn't as impressed. Special props to Dennis Quaid for his entertaining portrayal of Doc Holliday. Rating: 6
    Watched movie: "Unforgiven" (1992)
    Congratulations to Clint Eastwood for one heck of a good Western. This one had it all: emotion; humor; and fascinating, hard-boiled characters. No goody two-shoes in this one; just gritty human beings with strong convictions. Rating: 8
    Watched DVD: "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" (1966)
    Amusing Civil War yarn that lacked emotion, in my opinion. Maybe because I found those greedy, backstabbing main characters hard to like. Gotta love the music though. Rating: 5
    Watched DVD: "The Searchers" (1956)
    Interesting to see John Wayne playing a jerk instead of an easy-going cowboy. In this one, he partners with a brash young cowboy to rescue Natalie Wood from Indians. Entertaining chemistry but their slow, meandering journey started to bore me. Rating: 5

    Watched movie: "Serenity" (2005)
    A sci-fi space adventure that felt more like a Western than anything else. The captain sported a revolver and led a band of outlaw mercenaries (who all spoke in some kind of poetic Westerner dialect). And naturally, the mercenaries began thinking less about themselves and more about a greater good. I've never seen "Firefly"--but based on what I watched in "Serenity", the TV series probably has merit. Rating: 7
    Watched movie: "A History of Violence" (2005)
    Not for the squeamish. I guess the MPAA relaxed the "R" rating because I found the acts of violence and sex in this film rather unsettling. I'd still consider it Cronenberg's most normal movie to date, though. :) In its defense, I do feel that it conveyed a profound message about the horror of human violence. Rating: 5

    I'm starting to notice a pattern with these disturbingly graphic flicks. They typically show a scene near the beginning that foreshadows the rest of the movie. So if a movie starts out with an unnerving scene, and you're worried that the rest of the movie will follow suit, then my advice is: trust your instincts.

    Yosemite National Park
    09/25/05 8:47 PM PDT

    My friends and I took a Grand Tour of Yosemite on Monday; then drove around on Tuesday. We missed the Moonlight Tour by one day (they literally only offer that tour during a full moon). Highlights from the trip:

    Yosemite Falls
    A friend once told me that Yosemite Falls proved the existence of God, because only God could create something so beautiful. Ironically, I saw nothing there. Turns that Yosemite Falls dries up in the summer.
    El Capitan and Half Dome
    Boring hunks of rock. Whether I look at Half Dome from Glacier Point or Inspiration Point, the thing still looks like a rock from every angle.
    Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias
    I'd contend that the big thousand-year-old trees highlighted the whole trip. They put the world in perspective for me (and also reminded me of my own mortality). I think Crocodile Dundee phrased it best when he commented that us arguing over land is like fleas arguing over who owns the dog that they're living on.
    Wildlife
    Didn't run into any bears (not that I wanted to, unless they're friendly like that Yogi Bear). Saw coyotes, does, grouses, squirrels, blue birds, and a lizard. Coyotes amuse me in that they always seem to walk with purpose. The one in the IBM parking lot and the ones in Yosemite didn't stop for anything. The squirrels in Yosemite seemed ordinary until one of them climbed a rock and chirped like a bird. Mating call, perhaps? Who knows.
    Watched movie: "The Exorcism of Emily Rose" (2005)
    I always get suspicious of these "true story" court dramas that make the defendant look unjustly accused. In this instance, a lawyer defended a priest from charges that he criminally neglected a college student (by trying to exorcise her rather than seeking medical attention). Although the movie posed alternate scientific explanations (some of which creeped me out more than the spiritual ones), the supernatural forces that stalked the defense team certainly insinuated that the possession really happened. So unfortunately, I consider "true story" movies a double-edged sword: I find them more profound, but also expect the filmmakers to present the subject matter as even-handedly as possible. Rating: 5
    Watched movie: "The Constant Gardener" (2005)
    Socially conscientious thriller reminiscent of "The Interpreter" and those anti-tobacco company commercials. This one followed Ralph Fiennes' dangerous investigation of a villainous pharmaceutical conspiracy in Africa. I found that plot alright. The more interesting plot, in my opinion, centered around Fiennes' concern for his crusading wife (which eventually clarified the metaphor: "constant gardener", and why it can apply to the entire world). Rating: 6
    Watched movie: "Just Like Heaven" (2005)
    One of the better romantic comedies that I've seen. Cornball at times, but touching in others. Not so sure about the romantic chemistry between Reese Witherspoon and Mark Ruffalo, but props to their comedic chemistry. As for Jon Heder: when is he going to star in a "Napoleon Dynamite" sequel? :) Rating: 6
    Watched movie: "Cry Wolf" (2005)
    Unconventional mystery where a prep school liars' club plays a game reminiscent of "The Mole". The object of the game: to convincingly fabricate the existence of a serial killer. Consequently, each player's stratagem distracts them from the real killer in their midst. I appreciated what the filmmakers tried to do, but had two major problems with the storyline: a) the deceptions became really obvious to spot, and b) I found it farfetched that a killer could mastermind such a convoluted plot. Rating: 4
    Watched movie: "Flightplan" (2005)
    "Lady Vanishes" type premise where no one believes Jodie Foster's claims that her daughter disappeared onboard a 2-story airplane. I, on the other hand, could not believe that someone would contrive such an absurd plot. Rating: 4
    Disaster relief
    09/09/05 2:40 PM PDT

    So much media coverage on Hurricane Katrina. In my opinion, the moral of the story is: count on yourself, not the government, to help you out of a crisis. After all, a big earthquake can easily place California in the same predicament. Someone at work referred me to this Red Cross brochure that explains how to assemble a Disaster Supplies Kit.

    I favor the Red Cross charity because of how they helped me out 6 years ago. One of the workers had approached me after my apartment caught fire (I was staring at the rubble, dumbfounded). They paid for hotel accommodations and food vouchers with no strings attached.

    Interestingly, one of the firemen allowed me about a minute to grab anything "essential" from my burnt apartment. After immediately packing one bag of clothes, I had to choose one personal belonging to salvage. Hmm...which personal belonging did I prize the most? My photo album? My computer? My important documents? Answer: my compact disc collection. The fireman didn't like that very much. Well, tough--should've given me more time to think about it then! Nowadays, I store my most important possessions in a duffel bag in case that dilemma ever comes up again. :)

    Wednesday, September 7 2005 3:02 PM PDT
    09/07/05 3:02 PM PDT

    Baby pigeons hatched in a nest on the sidewalk near my office. Ugly, ugly babies. Picture rats with beaks. Not to mention all the bird poop on the sidewalk and railing, from when the parent pigeons "stood guard". I use "stood guard" loosely because the pigeons just ignored any humans that approached the nest. When my co-worker pretended to elbow drop on the eggs, the pigeons didn't move. Additionally, the pigeons would often leave those babies unattended for long periods of time. Maybe they figured that animals revolt pigeons just as much as humans do.

    The new music chart for 1H 2005 is ready. Looks like Green Day's "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" ranked pretty low even though it swept the MTV music video awards last week.

    Preparing for my Yosemite trip in two weeks. Most places were booked solid...but I discovered that Sunday nights free up vacancies. Of course, tents and cabins stay vacant--but forget that.

    Added the Seven Wonders of the Modern World to my goals list:

    I would add the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World too, if they still existed. :)

    Watched movie: "Broken Flowers" (2005)
    Hilariously deadpan comedy premised on one simple mystery: which of Bill Murray's ex-girlfriends conceived his alleged son? To me, the bigger mystery was how someone so melancholy could accrue so many ex-girlfriends. :) All in all, I found the movie curiously entertaining. I especially liked Bill Murray's friend, an "amateur sleuth" from Ethiopia. My theory on the solution: I suspect Jessica Lange of conceiving Bill Murray's son, based on the following clues:
    • First, I consider the letter genuine because I couldn't see what anyone would gain by manufacturing that.
    • I ruled out Sharon Stone because if she hated him enough to write that letter, then I doubt that she would've slept with him again. Also, the daughter's comment about siblings ("Do you think I need some?") implied to me that Sharon Stone had no other children.
    • Unlike the other women, Jessica Lange did not seem curious as to why Bill Murray visited her.
    • I figure that the other women behaved more sincerely toward Bill Murray because he gave them a bouquet of flowers. Meaning, I took their confusion over his visit at face value. Interestingly, Bill Murray forgot to give flowers to Jessica Lange.
    • Jessica Lange seemed to be hiding something; she didn't invite Bill Murray for dinner, and only admitted to having a "daughter" which I'd consider a logical cover story if she really had a son.
    • The basketball hoop looked really out-of-place for a clinic dedicated to animal therapy.
    I don't know which teenager was Bill Murray's son, but I figured that the director purposely left that open-ended. Rating: 7
    Watched movie: "Red Eye" (2005)
    Wes Craven thriller where an airline passenger extorts Rachel McAdams into aiding an assassination plot. For the most part, it played out in real-time--like the TV show "24" minus 22 hours. :) Contrary to what the first preview implied, this movie was not a horror flick (no, the villain did not sport a bloodshot eye). However, I did notice a couple of "slasher" cliches from Wes Craven's past movies: a.) the "woman-in-danger" premise, and b.) the rehearsed looking pursuit scene where the lead heroine resourcefully outmaneuvers the suddenly incompetent killer. Rating: 6
    Watched movie: "The Cave" (2005)
    "We have a few realities to face, people." The best quote since, "Not going anywhere for awhile?" (Snickers) to summarize a bad situation. Yep--one of the only highlights in the whole movie, next to the dude with the cool parasitic eyes. I didn't understand the plot that well...nor did I care. None of the cave divers died creatively (mostly just mauled by winged demons)...not that I cared about any of them either. :) Interesting sceneries, at least...if you like spelunking. Rating: 4
    Watched movie: "A Sound of Thunder" (2005)
    I found it hard to believe that time travelers would jeopardize all of human existence just to hunt dinosaurs. It also frustrated me that the characters walked so slowly under such urgent circumstances, i.e., an approaching time ripple destined to wipe out humanity. This would make a good Twilight Zone or Outer Limits episode. Rating: 5
    Watched DVD: "Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior" (2005)
    Hilariously cheesy martial arts stunt flick. The premise: a gangster a causes drought in a village by stealing the head of their Buddhist statue. Okaaaaay, so maybe the filmmakers confused Buddhism with "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" (even including a scene where a villager prayed to God to bring the Buddhist head back safely). Anyway, a Muay Thai expert sets out to retrieve the head as peacefully as possible. Meaning, he lets the punks goad him for awhile before finally kicking their asses. The action sequences turn so ridiculous that they become really amusing to watch. Somehow I doubt that a Thai taxi can tumble three stories into the air. Rating: 6
    Watched movie: "Transporter 2" (2005)
    Fun to watch, but loaded with absurdities (starting with the plot). Too many to even bother counting. Rating: 4
    Playing video game: "Resident Evil 4" (GC)
    Easily the most sophisticated game in the Resident Evil series. Although I don't find it scary at all, I do find it incredibly entertaining. I also feel sheepishly guilty about some of the game's more realistic elements:
    • You now shoot human beings, not zombies. Granted, they're "possessed" villagers, but they dodge and mob you just like real people.
    • You now control where to aim your gun. That is, you can shoot at the villagers' legs, arms, chests, or heads (and they react accordingly). At one point, you can buy a sniper scope and shoot them through the cross-hairs.
    • You can make the villagers blow up by hurling grenades, shooting loaded barrels, or sniping the dynamite in their hands.
    The goal is to rescue the U.S. President's daughter. I have a mixed reaction to her survival skills. She instinctively hides behind your character or ducks when he opens fire--which is good. But sometimes she just stands there and lets the enemies carry her away--which is bad. Rating: 10
    Tuesday, August 16 2005 6:27 PM PDT
    08/16/05 6:27 PM PDT
    Watched movie: "Sky High" (2005)
    Fun but sophomoric adolescence movie about a high school that trains future superheroes. At first, it appalled me how the school dichotomized its students into "hero" and "sidekick" classes. But then I thought back to my own high school, and decided that the concept had some truth to it. :) All in all, I found the movie decent--but felt that the "X-Men" and "Harry Potter" movies explored this premise much better. Rating: 5
    Watched movie: "Crónicas" (2005)
    Rather unpleasant drama about a prisoner in Ecuador who baits a TV reporter with information on a serial child-killer. While the movie didn't really detail anything graphic, I found it suggestive enough to disturb me. Rating: 4
    Watched movie: "The Skeleton Key" (2005)
    Enough content for a short "Twilight Zone" episode, but not for an entire movie. I liked the ending, but found the rest of the film extremely thin and boring. Could've sworn that I read a quote that compared this movie to "The Grudge". What a misperception. Rating: 4
    Watched movie: "The Wedding Crashers" (2005)
    Shameful romantic comedy/buddy movie where Owen Wilson and a manic Vince Vaughn sneak into weddings to sleep with women. Although a lot of the sordid behavior made me cringe, I did find the comedic duo funny and saw the female co-stars as a fitting match for them. Rating: 6
    The science of science
    07/31/05 3:33 PM PDT

    After about five months, a patent lawyer finally visited me at IBM to review my invention. Nothing major...I doubt that anyone would read my disclosure and think, "Man, I could sure use that." Whenever I read these patent disclosures, I think: who in their right mind would even understand these inventions, let alone apply them. Anyway, the patent lawyer explained that the patent office only cares about whether the invention has been done before. They do not care about the detailed merits of it, such as:

    During my presentation to the patent lawyer, I explained our business need for it and how the customers would benefit from it. He told me to turn off the sales pitch. He just wanted to know how it worked, and whether it's ever been done before. As I escorted him back to the lobby, I joked: "As a tech writer, I've never been asked to make something more complicated."

    Watched movie: "The Island" (2005)
    Thrilling cross between "The Fugitive", "Logan's Run", and "Minority Report". Opponents of stem cell research would cringe at this premise: a facility that socializes clones of rich people just to harvest their organs. The movie inspired me to compile a list of everything I liked and disliked about it.

    What I liked about the movie:

    • The harrowing chase sequences, except the ones that turned overblown and ridiculous, like when Ewan and Scarlett fell with a skyscraper logo, and happened to land in a net.
    • The comedic naivete of Ewan and Scarlett, which caused them to misunderstand cliches and marvel at everyday things. I would've enjoyed more gags like that.
    • The idea that each clone had a rich counterpart in the outside world. It would have really amused me to see famous personalities in the population, such as Donald Trump or Michael Jackson--but then again, I could foresee that kind of cameo as detrimental to a celebrity's image.
    What I disliked about the movie:
    • The gratuitous product placement, even though some of that technology looked really cool.
    • The lack of backplot for how such an unethical facility could come into existence. For instance, I groaned at the villain's explanation that keeping the clones mindless caused organ failure. Now if he had simply stated that regular diet and exercise produced healthier organs, I would have accepted it. :) All in all, even if the villain had kept the clones in a vegetative state, I still can't picture how the government would sanction that either.
    • All the contrivances in the plot. For example, Ewan slapping a band on his counterpart's wrist without Djimon noticing; Scarlett managing to smuggle a gun into such a high-security facility; the unbelievable coincidence that she and Ewan would reach the locked door at the same time.
    • Finally, if someone can tell me why Tom Lincoln's clone began sharing his memories, let me know because I don't get it.
    In conclusion, I felt that the movie could've used less action and more thought. Rating: 7

    Watched movie: "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" (2005)
    Tim Burton finally made a comedy that I found hysterically funny. I laughed at everything from those bratty children to Johnny Depp's neurotic character. Was it better than the original Willy Wonka movie, you ask? Well--to tell you the truth, I could never sit through the original version. The Oompa Loompas disturbed me so much. I remember Gene Wilder, oddball scenery, and sickening dance numbers, but that's about it. In this new version, the "post-modern" sets really fascinated me. I almost wish that someone would build a theme park out of them. Rating: 7
    Watched movie: "Stealth" (2005)
    Corny, yet entertaining "stealth fighter" version of "The Fast and the Furious". At times, the action had me gripping the seat; but at other times, I found the plot completely laughable. The best examples:
    • How nefarious terrorists kept jeopardizing the world during their training program.
    • How a lightning strike would make the computerized stealth fighter turn rogue. Actually, I would've found it more believable if they had just omitted the lightning strike altogether. Remember how the robots evolved in "I, Robot"?
    • How the pilots triggered multiple international disasters all in the same day, including Pakistan, Russia, and the "nefarious" North Korea.
    Note: Stay after the credits. Rating: 6
    Summer movies 2005
    07/10/05 5:10 PM PDT
    Watched DVD: "Vita è bella, La" (1997) a.k.a. "Life is Beautiful" (1998)
    Hard to believe that someone could film a comedy about the Holocaust, but Benigni made it work. Most of the time, I laughed nervously at his efforts to alleviate very morbid situations. Although I occasionally found such hijinks over-the-top (believe it or not, Benigni behaves like that in real-life), I felt that the overall sentiment made up for it. Rating: 8
    Watched movie: "War of the Worlds" (2005)
    Mesmerizing special effects extravaganza. The realism made the kids in the audience whimper ("hey kid, did you know that this was based on a true story?") I had two complaints though: 1. I found it farfetched how Tom Cruise kept defying death in one harrowing predicament after another, and 2. I didn't like the characters enough to pull for any of them (their behaviors annoyed me). At least I felt that Spielberg portrayed the human need for survival well, and how it forced people to compromise their morals. Rating: 7
    Watched movie: "Hauru no ugoku shiro" (2004) a.k.a. "Howl's Moving Castle" (2005)
    Another wondrous film by Hayao Miyazaki, the director of "Spirited Away". Although I felt that the film fell short of its emotional potential, I give Miyazaki props for living up to his trademark of incredible animation and colorful characters. Rating: 7
    Watched movie: "The Longest Yard" (2005)
    Decently funny prison football movie. I counted three pro-wrestlers in it; two of whom acted radically different from their ring characters. Rating: 6
    Watched movie: "Dark Water" (2005)
    A Japanese horror remake starring Jennifer Connelly sure sounded promising, but talk about disappointment. Incredibly boring and un-scary--like watching "The Ring Two" all over again. Rating: 3
    Watched movie: "Fantastic Four" (2005)
    More shallow and contrived than the average Marvel flick. The one character development that showed potential, "The Thing", fell flat. So for something meaningful, I would recommend the "Spider-Man" or "X-Men" movies instead. But having said that, I did enjoy the comedy in this movie--especially the gags where Johnny Storm antagonized Ben Grimm. Rating: 6
    Worst theatrical experience ever
    06/27/05 12:29 PM PDT

    "Batman Begins" at the Tech Museum's IMAX theater: gigantic panoramic dome screen...44 six-channel digital speakers...70mm film projector, and...the worst theatrical experience ever!! Here's why:

    Clearly, the IMAX works well for scenic, panoramic documentaries; but for theatrical releases, forget about it.

    Watched movie: "Batman Begins" (2005) at the Hackworth IMAX Dome Theater
    Definitely a cut above the rest of the "Batman" movies. Christopher Nolan introduced a deeper emotion into Gotham, ranging from Bruce Wayne's torment to Rachel's and Gordon's idealistic struggle against a decaying city. In fact, I found Batman's allies more gallant because they stood up for their convictions without any mask to protect them. I don't recall this type of character depth in any of the previous movies. Special props to Katie Holmes for smacking some sense into Bruce Wayne, and to Gary Oldman for making Jim Gordon more heroic. Rating: 8
    Watched DVD: "Freeze Frame" (2004)
    Paranoia flick about a murder suspect who films himself 24 hours a day to prevent conspirators from framing him again. I found a couple of elements interesting: 1. the suspect's list of tips for thwarting murder charges, and 2. the suspect's efforts to refute his enemies' accusations. Other than that, I'm not sure it's worth renting. Rating: 6
    Watched DVD: "Wu jian dao" (2002) a.k.a. "Infernal Affairs" (2004)
    Intriguing Chinese cop thriller where an undercover cop spies on a drug lord while one of his moles spies on the cop's department. Only the drug lord and the cop's superintendent know their moles' identities. The two moles feud with each other in a type of "chess match", all the while feeling conflicted by the lives that they lead. Definitely worth watching. Also look for a remake by Martin Scorsese in 2006. Rating: 8
    Watched movie: "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" (2005)
    Pretty funny. Brad Pitt showed some real comedic talent. As for Angelina--well, Jennifer Aniston should probably skip this one. Rating: 7
    Watched movie: "George A. Romero's Land of the Dead" (2005)
    Thirty-seven years after "Night of the Living Dead", George Romero finally filmed the fourth movie in the series. I liked this one better than "Day of the Dead" but not "Dawn of the Dead". I found the movie unique in that I rooted for the zombies instead of the annoying human characters (I didn't care for a single one). The plot continued Romero's ongoing theme that humans can sure be selfish jerks--so much so that in comparison, the zombies seem less monsterous. In fact, I equated these zombies to the oppressed revolutionaries in George Orwell's "Animal Farm".

    On another note, a couple of things still bother me about these zombie flicks:

    • I don't understand how zombies can last so long. Without food and water, wouldn't their bodies waste away?
    • Why do the protagonists always want to retire to some deserted land, where it'd be harder to feed themselves and fortify their safety?

    So if you like colorful characters, gratuitous gore scenes, social commentary, and a cameo by Tom Savini, then this is the movie for you. Rating: 6
    Groovy
    06/16/05 3:17 PM PDT

    Last Monday, I met one of my all-time favorite actors, Bruce Campbell, at the Camera 7 theater. Cult fans probably know him best as Ash in the "The Evil Dead" trilogy, or as "Autolycus the King of Thieves" in "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys". He signed copies of his new book, "Make Love the Bruce Campbell Way", and introduced his new movie, "Man with the Screaming Brain".

    In person, he seemed mild-mannered; but during the movie Q & A session, I couldn't stop laughing at his dry wit. I listed some of his funnier responses here:

    Q. Did you apply makeup that made you look chubbier?
    A. Well that's a dumb question. Next question.
    Q. Why did Ted Raimi's right hand look bigger than his left hand?
    A. Right hand bigger than his left hand? What are you talking about? Maybe he uses one hand more than the other. I don't know! You front-row people sure ask dumb questions. I'll take a question from the top row. Let's call you guys the "smart" row.
    Q. Ninjas or pirates?
    A. Huh? Ninjas or pirates? You belong down here in the front row with all your friends.
    Q. Why film in Bulgaria?
    A. The sci-fi network came up to me and said, "Let's film in Bulgaria."
    Q. How did Ted Raimi's rap come about?
    A. Ted Raimi came up to me and said, "I want to do a rap."
    I like working with Ted because he makes my acting look subtle. I asked him to fake blowing his nose, and he blew it for an hour, and all the film ran out, and I said, "Really great, Ted."
    Maybe when I film a sequel, his right ear will get bigger than his left ear.
    Q. What did you use for the diarrhea?
    A. I'm a method actor; I used real diarrhea. What do you think?

    Bruce also kept poking fun at himself for starring in the sci-fi channel's "Alien Apocalypse". I've never seen the movie.

    Watched movie: "Layer Cake" (2005)
    British crime drama that I probably would have liked more had I understood the dialogue. Heavy British slang + one already complicated plot = one really hard-to-follow movie. Rating: 6
    Watched movie: "Stalag 17" (1953)
    Absorbing drama where American WWII POWs attempt to figure out the spy among them. Includes hilarious hijinks from the two comic-relief characters. Rating: 9
    Watched movie: "Sorry, Wrong Number" (1948)
    Somewhat contrived film-noir drama about an obnoxious heiress who calls various people to unravel a murder plot. Flashbacks reveal a "Sunset Boulevard" type relationship with her husband, wherein he enjoys the wealth but feels oppressed. The premise sounded thrilling, but then I realized: "You know, a whole movie premised on a woman's phone calls is actually quite boring." Rating: 4
    Watched movie: "Haute tension" (2003) a.k.a. "High Tension" (2005)
    Disturbingly realistic French splatter flick, reminiscent of the old 1970s horror films. The director elevated the intensity by pacing the action in real-time, and pumping in disconcerting audio tones. I liked the suspense but found a lot of the graphic imagery distasteful. If you're at all squeamish, get ready to leave the theater within the first 10 minutes. P.S. If you make it to the conclusion of the film, get ready to say, "I don't get it." Rating: 5
    Watched movie: "Man With the Screaming Brain" (2005)
    Bruce Campbell warned the audience that the movie would be weird, and he was sure right. The main plot starts when an implanted piece of brain inside Bruce Campbell's head takes control of his left arm. Then it gets stranger. If you're a fan of cheesy physical comedy, then this is the movie for you. Rating: 4
    Memorial Day movies
    05/31/05 5:54 PM PDT
    Watched movie: "Mindhunters" (2005)
    Like a fun action movie version of "And Then There Were None...", where a band of FBI profilers (marooned on a deserted island) try to deduce the serial killer among them. Even though the killer kept forewarning the profilers precisely when the next booby traps would strike, each individual still fell victim at the predetermined intervals. I don't know about you, but I had trouble believing this--even after the explanations at the end. I especially scoffed at one booby trap where a whole bunch of dominoes and a ball activated a freezing gas tank, like some kind of Rube Goldberg device in "Tom & Jerry". But if you can overlook the contrivances, and keep yourself from taking the movie too seriously, then I think you'll find some entertainment in it. Rating: 7
    Watched DVD: "Malevolence" (2004)
    Just goes to show how bad that "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" and "Halloween" could have turned out if the writing and directing had sucked. This movie embarrassed the horror slasher genre in many respects:
    • The main characters' behaviors made no sense. For example, the bank robbers inexplicably had their masks off in front of bystanders; one robber inexplicably captured two hostages instead of fleeing the scene; one hostage inexplicably untied herself with the robber still in plain sight; I can go on and on.
    • The serial killer donned a pillowcase that made him difficult to spot. So whenever the "made-you-jump" music came on, I thought, "Huh?", rewound the movie, and squinted for the killer in the terrible lighting.
    • Whenever the characters managed to knock the killer unconscious, they left him alone long enough for him to start chasing them again! Ee-diots!
    I'd probably even consider the "Friday the 13th" movies better than this disaster. At least those movies featured more creative deaths. P.S. I revised my "worst 5 movies of 2004" accordingly. Rating: 2
    Watched movie: "Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith" (2005)
    Strong finish to the sluggish prequel trilogy--I didn't even notice that it lasted for about 2.5 hours. I think up to a point, I related more to Annakin. The Jedi sure dulled the movie for me. I mean, where was the emotion? Obi-Wan and Yoda disappointed me by acting so stoic to the Jedi massacre and Annakin's betrayal! It basically trivialized what happened. Then when Yoda told Annakin to accept death as a natural part of life--ok, that sounded very Buddhist. But Yoda's advice to distance himself from those he cared about made no sense to me. The Jedi seemed more like robots. The best part of the movie for me: when Obi-Wan and Yoda finally set out to kick some ass! Rating: 8
    Watched movie: "Madagascar" (2005)
    Too much tomfoolery for my taste. Crazy hyperactive animals. I couldn't tell whether they suffered from bipolar disorder, or whether someone spiked their water supply. Rating: 5
    Unbelievable
    05/15/05 1:49 PM PDT

    To my surprise, I received a cashier's check from the eBay backstage_passes ticket broker today. It refunded my full Wrestlemania 21 purchase. The check came 40 days late, but I was glad to get anything at all. Having given up hope on a refund, I had reported the broker to the IFCC. I had even requested a small claims form from the Multnomah County courthouse, so that I could drive 10 hours north to Portland, Oregon in order to sue the broker. You're probably thinking: would I have gone through with it? Considering that I had paid $1624 for the tickets, heck yeah I would have gone through with it. By the way, the Ticketmaster charges $750 for front-row Wrestlemania seats, in case you're wondering why I risked such an insane sum of money on an eBay auction. :)

    Watched movie: "House of Wax" (2005)
    Gruesome teenage slasher flick reminiscent of "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre". Although the teenagers made the same old dumb mistakes, e.g. "let's split up," I gave the film credit for showing some creativity. For example, the wax house underlined an interesting action sequence. Strangely, I could suspend disbelief for about everything in the movie except for how Elisha Cuthbert could act so stoic after losing a fingertip. :) Rating: 6
    Watched movie: "Crash" (2005)
    Provocative drama that made me fidget--every other line contained some kind of racist remark. Although I felt that the stories lacked coherence, I applauded some of the performers for evoking such visceral emotions. Rating: 5
    Watched TV series: "The Amazing Race 7"
    I watched this series for the first time this season. Rob and Amber (of "Survivor: All-Stars" fame) certainly made the races interesting. Although the most kind-hearted racers ended up winning, I didn't think that the best racers won. This brings me to what I really dislike about this show: the scheduled stops (such as airports) where all of the teams can catch up to each other. This "bunching-up" allows for flukes where slower teams can end up beating the consistently faster teams. For this reason, I probably won't watch the show again next season. Unfortunately, I'll likely watch Rob's and Amber's televised wedding on May 24. :( Rating: 6
    Watched DVD: "Primer" (2005)
    The most cerebral, mind-bending time-travel flick that I have ever seen. If you want to challenge your inner-geek, then this is the movie for you. I'll try to summarize the premise: two engineers invent a box that can "bookmark" a point in time. They can then enter this box sometime in the future, and travel backward to this point in time. Of course, this risks a causality paradox because of the possibility that they could run into their past selves, and change history. Interestingly, one engineer accounted for this by scrawling his "time-travel rules" on a notebook scrap:

    "Rules to Follow to Evade Causality Paradoxes or Generally Screwing Your Life Up:

    1. Do not disturb the box after you exit it. You or your double is in it.
    2. When re-experiencing time stay away from your double until he/she has started his/her journey backwards.
    3. Worry about yourself first. Now is the only moment that has to make sense.
    4. Don’t be too curious about your surroundings."

    If you see this movie and want to discuss it, feel free to drop me a note. :) Rating: 8
    Back from Backlash
    05/06/05 2:14 PM PDT

    I would summarize my New Hampshire trip in the following three bullets:

    Now that I've seen almost everything that I wanted to see in professional wrestling, I think I can lay off it for awhile. At least for the rest of this year (or unless the Rock comes back from his movie career--he's the one wrestler left that I haven't seen perform).

    Watched movie: "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" (2005)
    Decent adaptation of the Douglas Adams series. Since I read the first three books, I knew that I was in for a wildly absurd flick; and that's exactly what it was. In addition, the movie touched upon some humor and romance that I didn't remember from the original books. By the way, if you're curious about why the bowl of petunias thought: "Oh no, not again"--the reason is that it was the reincarnation of Arthur Dent's nemesis, whom he accidentally keeps killing over and over again (third book). :) Rating: 7
    Watched in-flight movie: "In Good Company" (2004)
    Meaningful generational comedy about an aging family man that has to contend with a lonely young boss. Featured a romance plot with Scarlett Johansson that I thought went nowhere. Certainly worth renting though. Rating: 5
    Watched movie: "The Interpreter" (2005)
    Complicated, but intriguing political thriller about a secret plot in the United Nations. If you plan to follow this storyline, make sure to keep your brain on at full power. To its credit, I couldn't find a single loophole (except perhaps, for the premise itself). Even if the storyline leaves you in the dust, at a minimum you can enjoy one masterfully suspenseful scene where all three suspects suddenly converge at the same spot. Rating: 7
    Sixth year anniversary at IBM -- building trust
    04/25/05 7:52 PM PDT

    Tomorrow marks my sixth year at IBM. Time sure flies. I contemplated some more about what I see as "best practices" in the business world. Here are three main rules that I try to follow in order to build trust with co-workers. One might consider them business ethics, but I see them more as strategies for building bridges to better opportunities.

    Three suggestions for "building trust" with others:

    Google's Director of Consumer Web Products, Marissa Mayer, gave a talk at IBM last Thursday. I don't know if you read Newsweek, but she appeared in the April 25 issue in the article: "Leaders of The Pack". She mentioned a couple of Google trivialities that I found interesting:

    Watched movie: "The Amityville Horror" (2005)
    Decently scary re-make of the 1979 flick. Highlighted by effective "made-you-jump" scares, one memorable oh s---- moment, and finely chilled acting by Ryan Reynolds. Certainly more intense than the original (which bored me so much that I changed the channel). Rating: 7
    Backlash
    04/16/05 4:38 PM PDT

    Lucked out...turns out that Hulk Hogan will come out of retirement for one more match in New Hampshire. Now I can redeem the missed opportunity to watch him perform in Los Angeles. Which is good, because I really think that the L.A. snafu would have ate away at me all year. I recently finished booking a hotel and flight to New Hampshire for the May 1 weekend--and having learned my lesson from before, I now have the tickets right here in my hand. Props to Expedia.com. By tinkering with the itinerary tool, I booked a trip that saved me $500.

    Words can't express how fed up I am with the backstages_passes eBay seller. They keep giving me suspicious excuses about why they can't refund my money yet. Since I no longer trust them, I hired SquareTrade to mediate with them. SquareTrade is the same company that helped resolve my dispute with another eBay seller awhile back. That seller shipped me a shrink-wrapped "Tomb Raider" game with nothing inside! To this day--out of 121 total eBay transactions, only two eBay'ers ripped me off (that's a 98.35% success rate). So I might lose the boatload of money that I spent on those Wrestlemania tickets, but it serves me right for ignoring that tiny voice in my head that warned me about "caveat emptor".

    Watched DVD: "The Fast and the Furious" (2001)
    Energetic but shallow street racing yarn about divided loyalties. Rating: 5
    Watched On Demand movie: "One Point O" (2004) a.k.a. "Paranoia 1.0" (2005)
    Unusual futuristic flick that reminded me of the movie "Pi". A programmer interacts with the various tenants in an apartment complex, trying to figure out who keeps leaving him empty packages. All the while, some weird contagion invades the computers, and makes everyone behave compulsively. Almost felt like a David Lynch film. Rating: 6
    Worst ticket broker ever
    04/10/05 4:39 PM PDT

    Well--I'm back from L.A., having completely missed Wrestlemania 21. As I stated earlier, my broker lost the front-row tickets due to a legal snafu. Then on the day of the event, the police arrested the broker for trespassing on Staples Center property. This basically tanked my opportunity for replacement tickets. The company offered skybox and upper-deck tickets, but I opted for a refund instead. Later, I winced in anguish to discover that Hulk Hogan performed in the ring during a surprise appearance.

    I can't even leave negative feedback or complain to eBay, because the auction expired after 60 days! So I'll resort to posting their eBay ID here, and hope that future buyers find this caveat through a Google search: don't trust backstage_passes!

    Anyway, turns out that this snafu has disturbed me so much that I find myself unable to enjoy TV wrestling anymore (because now the shows remind me of what I missed out on). In fact, I've resolved to de-program my VCR, and stop watching wrestling for a few months. If need be, I'll just read the episode synopses on the Web.

    Watched movie: "D.E.B.S." (2005)
    Unexpectedly good tongue-in-cheek film that I nearly dismissed as a dumb "Charlie's Angels" parody. The plot mainly focused on the starcrossed romance between a top government agent (Sara Foster) and a criminal mastermind (Jordana Brewster). Their chemistry impressed me so much that I'd probably even rank it up there with my other favorite romance movies, "Ghost" and "Ladyhawke". I especially liked the one scene where Jordana Brewster worked to win back Sara Foster to the tune of "A Little Respect" by Erasure. I've since bought the soundtrack. Rating: 8
    Watched movie: "Frank Miller's Sin City" (2005)
    Unexpectedly violent black-and-white stories about a depraved city infested with hard-boiled poets, corrupt authority figures, and bad-ass vixens. Each act plastered the screen with a macabre tapestry of grit and gore. Although I felt that the movie masterfully reinvented the film noir genre, I also cringed at what I considered an overemphasis on debauchery, murder, torture, dismemberment, toilet dunkings, and castration. :) Rating: 7
    Watched movie: "Steamboy" (2005)
    Another epic animation film from the director of "Akira", but with a lot less violence. This one philosophizes about the purpose of science in 1866 England, and exhibits many zany steam-powered contraptions that I don't recall reading in any history books. :) Most of the action scenes felt too contrived to me, but I gave the film credit for its wonderous animation and thought-provoking debates. Rating: 6
    Attended show: "WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony"
    I suppose the Wrestlemania weekend wasn't a complete wash, since I had the privilege of listening to legendary wrestlers talk earnestly about their careers. The Iron Sheik screamed a lot but hardly made any sense. Ric Flair told a bunch of aimless anecdotes about Roddy Piper. Hulk Hogan received so much fanfare that it must've been about 10 minutes passed before he could begin his speech. Rating: 8
    Attended concert: "Stomp"
    Second time I saw this concert...enjoyable as always. Rating: 10
    Monday, March 28 2005 2:20 PM PST
    03/28/05 2:20 PM PST

    Over one year in the making...IBM's new Content Management information center, now available to the public as of Friday. Man--I've been leading the project for so long, that it almost depresses me to finally release it.

    Bad news: my front-row Wrestlemania 21 tickets got invalidated. Apparently, a basketball player got caught scalping those tickets to my vendor. Now my vendor is offering me less palatable seats. Looks like I need a refund--but since they notified me so late, I can't possibly find any replacement tickets in time. I guess my vacation weekend will end early.

    Watched movie: "Hostage" (2005)
    Disquieting Bruce Willis movie that strove for thrills, suspense, and meaning...but unimpressed me on all counts. Maybe it was my imagination, but some of the death scenes seemed inspired by "The Passion of the Christ". Rating: 3
    Watched movie: "Les Choristes" (2004) a.k.a. "The Chorus" (2005)
    One of those "Lean on Me" type movies where an idealistic faculty member defies the school administration to inspire hard-case students. This one takes place at a boy's boarding school in 1948 France. If you're in the mood for a "feel-good" movie, check this one out. Rating: 7
    Watched movie: "The Ring Two" (2005)
    A sequel so dull that they could have billed it "Darkness 2" instead. Very disappointing--especially considering the scariness of the first movie. Rating: 3
    Watched DVD: "Gong fu" (2004) a.k.a. "Kung Fu Hustle" (2005)
    Another kung fu comedy by the "Shaolin Soccer" director. This one takes place in 1940's Shanghai, where martial artists from a slum community feud with gang-affiliated assassins. Pays homage to such classics as "The Untouchables" and "The Shining"(!). Although I found it more cringeworthy and disjointed than "Shaolin Soccer", it entertained me nonetheless. Rating: 7
    Playing video game: "Silent Hill 4: The Room" (PSX2)
    Once I got used to the new controls, I began liking this game more and more than the first three Silent Hills. To me, the innovations mimic human behavior more accurately:
    • Analog stick movement. The guy automatically rotates himself toward the enemy's direction. This makes him move like a boxer, and looks really cool. Compare this to the previous Silent Hills, where the character comically strafed left and right. Man--who moves like that in real life? Admittedly though, this gave my friends and I a good laugh.
    • Real-time item selection. The guy can now toggle between items on-the-fly, without pausing the game into a menu screen. After all, time doesn't stop in real life when you're juggling inventory.
    • Intelligent adjunct character. My biggest complaint about survival horror games has always been protecting inept secondary characters. For instance, they walk right into harm's way, just stand there while the enemies attack them, and/or squander all of their bullets. The secondary character in "Silent Hill 4" actually behaves competently. She runs away from approaching enemies, but also swings a mean handbag when the main guy needs help.

    Another cool feature: in first person mode, an "eye" icon appears to tell you that you should examine what's in front of you. It always taxed my patience to tap the "examine" button across every millimeter of a room.

    But my favorite feature of all: the guy's 1-bedroom apartment. After venturing into the Otherwords, I can ride a portal back to this apartment and regenerate my life there. The guy owns a notebook (the only save point in the whole game), a chest to store unused items, and a radio to hear what's going on in the world. It's like living as a Sim. I can watch the city outside the window, peek into my neighbor's room, or look out the peephole in my door. I even get mail under it. The one difference is that someone chained the guy's door up, and nobody on the outside can hear him no matter how hard he screams. That predicament cracks me up. Rating: 10

    I leave you with a screenshot of the final, wacky ending from the "Silent Hill 3" game:

    For those of you who follow the Silent Hill series: that's Harry Mason from "Silent Hill", James Sunderland from "Silent Hill 2", and Cheryl Mason from "Silent Hill 3".

    Where's Steven?
    03/07/05 6:15 PM PST

    IBM released its 2004 annual report today. If you look closely, you can spot me in the group photo at the Silicon Valley Laboratory.

    1. Launch the IBM Prospectus 2004 in a Web browser, and wait for the Flash movie to end.
    2. Click the LARGE button. A preview magnifier appears.
    3. Drag the magnifier directly upward until the top edge of the magnifier touches the bottom edge of the center building.
    4. Look for me in the middle of the magnified area. I'm wearing a backwards yellow cap.

    Watched movie: "The Jacket" (2005)
    Reminded me of "The Butterfly Effect", except that Adrien Brody mostly catapulted forward in time rather than backward. The movie had potential, but ended up dragging from the shallow character development. Not that I really cared what happened to the characters anyway. For a film that executes this premise better, see "Frequency" instead. Rating: 5
    The On-Demand Digital Future
    02/28/05 6:27 PM PST

    Behold...the On-Demand Digital Future as prophesized by Steve (in his Web site) is coming to pass. My cable provider released a new "ON DEMAND" menu. I can now play a limited selection of TV episodes, theaterical trailers, and music videos anytime I want. Now when I say limited, I do mean limited. But I still consider it a giant step toward the new paradigm. Hmmm...maybe I should remove that philosophy from my Web site. It no longer sounds "prophetic".

    Martin Scorsese lost the Oscar again! This time to Clint Eastwood, who already won for "Unforgiven". Two years ago it went to Roman Polanski, who can't even step foot in the United States without getting arrested. What gives.

    Watched movie: "Constantine" (2005)
    Entertaining supernatural action flick that reminded me of "The Prophecy", but with much cooler characters (with the exception of that annoying kid from "I, Robot"). I especially liked the hard-boiled attitude of Keanu Reeve's condemned character. It took me back to one of those film noir movies where the gritty private eye helps the damsel-in-distress. Stay after the credits. Rating: 8
    Watched movie: "Sideways" (2004)
    Another one of those movies where you just want to reach into the screen and smack around the characters for their display of such poor judgement. Sadly, I found that aspect of the movie more realistic than anything else. I can't count how many times that I've frowned at bad behavior but resisted passing judgement. As for the rest of the movie--wine tasters could probably relate to it. I couldn't. Props to the one Santa Maria "shout-out". It's good to be recognized for more than just the Michael Jackson trial. :) Rating: 7
    Watched movie: "Cursed" (2005)
    Tongue-in-cheek werewolf movie that fizzled where it should have popped. For more creative Wes Craven movies, I'd recommend the "Scream" trilogy instead. Rating: 4
    Watched DVD: "Cube Zero" (2005)
    Prequel to the "Cube" movie. I still don't understand what the cube means. Probably some social commentary about the government. In any case, I liked this one better than "Cube 2: Hypercube" but still consider the first "Cube" movie the best one. Rating: 6
    Wednesday, February 9 2005 3:22 PM PST
    02/09/05 3:22 PM PST

    All in all, I'd have to say that I enjoyed the Royal Rumble 2005 more than last year's, for the following reasons:

    I also met six of the wrestlers in a backstage meet & greet. Man, though, I could tell that some of them did NOT look happy to be there.

    UPS disappointed me. When I opened the triangular tube package that contained my "Resident Evil 4" game, I noticed that both the DVD case and the collector's umbrella appeared bent. So I compared the umbrella to the product Web site and confirmed that indeed, the umbrella is NOT supposed to bend like a straw. I inspected a taped-up tear a third of the way down the package, and concluded that UPS must have bent the package there and taped it up to look as if nothing happened. NICE TRY, JERKS!!

    And then...<choke>! I was watching the MTV Hits channel recently and saw TRL broadcasting on it. I HATE TRL. MTV's junk programming went from invading MTV-2 to invading their supposedly music video-only station!

    Played video game: "Silent Hill 3" (PSX2)
    Another creepy installment of the Silent Hill series, cast from the unique perspective of a spunky teenage girl. Amusingly, she often interprets the horror around her with a dry irreverence, e.g., "Well that sucks." Fun extras include an unlimited submachine gun and a Star Wars-type light saber! Rating: 7
    Watched movie: "Alone in the Dark" (2005)
    Like some kind of high-budget B-movie. This is what results when you mix high-end CGI and "Fangoria" moments with lots and lots of crap. The plot sucked so badly that I completely gave up trying to follow it. It's the second worst video game adaptation that I have ever seen, next to "House of the Dead" (2003). I probably could have made a better movie by just videotaping scenes from the actual computer game. Update: To my chagrin, I just discovered that guy who directed "Alone in the Dark" also directed "House of the Dead"! Wow, what a really bad director! Won't be seeing any more of his films. :) Rating: 1
    Watched movie: "Boogeyman" (2005)
    Definitely an improvement over "Alone in the Dark". The "scare' moments kept making me jump, until I inadvertently figured out why: the sudden blasts of sound. When they started to deafen me, I plugged my ears. As a result, the movie lost all of its scariness. So that's the secret to most horror movies! Pretty cheap, if you ask me. My favorite scene occurred near the beginning, when the camera explored how the main character guarded his apartment against the "boogeyman". For example, the guy unhinged all of his doors, installed a glass-door refrigerator, and flooded the place with lights. And according to a trivia slide, he slept on a floor mattress--but I didn't see this. I wish they had explored this angle more, i.e., ways to thwart the "boogeyman". As a side note, Lucy Lawless appeared in a cameo as the guy's mother--I didn't even recognize her. Stay after the credits. Rating: 4
    Monday, January 24 2005 4:23 PM PST
    01/24/05 4:23 PM PST

    Not cool. I found out that some hacker happened to name a virus after a C++ executable that I helped create for IBM. A co-worker here saw the program in his Windows services panel and mistook it for a virus. Fortunately, he figured out that it was mine before he reported it. Man, why me.

    On a lighter note, we here at IBM have been cheering a new Bailey Avenue exit on highway 101. You might notice this new exit as your travel south of San Jose near Coyote Valley. Well, it turns off smack-dab into the middle of nowhere--unless--you work for the IBM Silicon Valley Laboratory. See, if a bird looked down at Coyote Valley from the sky, it would observe one lone site surrounded my miles of oblivion. Apparently, Cisco Systems needed the exit ramp for a future plant site, but then cancelled their plan. I suppose that the city of San Jose still had the money to build the exit.

    I posted the new music video rankings for 2H 2004. Congratulations to Kanye West for both #1 song and #1 video.

    WWE issued a new "Best of 2004" magazine, which features high-resolution photographs from the year's best moments. So high-resolution, in fact, that I spotted my friends in the background of one of the photos (page 12):

    I bought a bright neon cap to improve my visibility for the Royal Rumble 2005 in Fresno this Sunday. We'll see how effective that is. :)

    Watched movie: "White Noise" (2005)
    Jumpy horror flick that expanded an "electronic voice" premise into a cheap version of "Minority Report". All of the unexplained phenomena led me to wonder whether the filmmakers invested much thought into the movie. For instance, if ghosts can consistently appear in TV snow, then why aren't accounts of it more widespread? All in all, despite the neglect on details, I gave the movie credit for its general spookiness. Rating: 4
    Watched DVD: "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" (2004)
    Inventive psychological journey where Jim Carrey explores his own mind as irresponsible technicians zap away memories of his ex-girlfriend. I felt that the abstractions (and editorials) in the movie completely nailed the perceptions between men, women, introverts, and extroverts. To me, the imagery exemplified how the subjective mind operates. The movie also succeeded in making the technicians' shameful antics funny to me (instead of offensive). Overall, I'd consider this one of the most meaningful "relationship" movies that I have ever seen. Rating: 8
    Watched movie: "Elektra" (2005)
    Corny comic book flick with a lot of build-up but not much follow-through. I initially found the villains promising until Jennifer Garner basically just flicked her finger to defeat each one--the worst example occurring when she rode a falling tree onto one of them. Admittedly though, I got a good chuckle when one of the ninjas killed himself by turning his head really fast. I'm thinking that Marvel should have just let the character be after "Daredevil". Rating: 3
    Watched movie: "Assault on Precinct 13" (2005)
    More violence and profanity than the original, but not much else. Repeated the same mistake as the first movie: the villains showered the outside of the precinct with bullets, but then hardly fired a single shot once inside (even with the targets right in front of them)! It felt more like a zombie flick because of how dumb they were. Maybe that's what the filmmakers were going for, because I can't remember the last time that I witnessed so many holes in peoples' heads. At least the first movie motivated the siege more creatively, i.e., gang members converged on the precinct because a vigilante there gunned one of them down. While this remake broke some cliches, it ultimately did not impress me. Rating: 3
    Wednesday, January 5 2005 1:40 PM PST
    01/05/05 1:40 PM PST

    Experienced a three-car pile-up, though I was in the back seat this time. A truck rear-ended a sedan who then rear-ended us. Quite a jolt--but on a side note, let me point out that I suffered no whiplash whatsoever (notice that I'm still bitter about the one driver who sued me). Anyway, the truck driver slyly suggested that we find a side street to pull over at, in which time he vanished. A hit-and-run felony, I believe. Admittedly, I half-expected some forensics team to examine the site of the accident to catch the guy a la the "CSI" show. But the highway patrolman shrugged that without a license plate, they couldn't pursue the matter.

    That marked the first time that I ever placed a 911 call, and I could sense the operator's frustrations to my detailed answers. I see in hindsight that he just wanted minimal facts.

    Watched movie: "Flight of the Phoenix" (2004)
    Pretty good survival movie about team dynamics. Showed an interesting contrast between the engineer and the rest of the survivors. I pretty much related to him during the entire movie, especially when he had to contend with the other survivors' irrational behaviors. I mean, their only pilot risks his own life twice plus the other guys waste a whole workday goofing around?? I actually thought that they behaved somewhat unrealistically given their dire situation. Rating: 7
    Watched movie: "Shi mian mai fu" a.k.a. "House of Flying Daggers" (2004)
    More visual poetry from the guy who directed "Hero". Once again, the characters defied the laws of physics in a fantastic, yet credible fashion. And just like the other movies of its kind, it continued to amuse me how the characters expressed their passions with such formality. Rating: 7
    Watched movie: "Darkness" (2004)
    A horror movie so painfully bad that I had to revise my "Worst movies of 2004" list to include it. Not sure that I can even call it a "horror movie" since nothing scary or gory happened in it. In fact... nothing happened in it, really. Days passed, and still nothing happened. What became of the characters? Died of boredom, probably. Rating: 2
    2004 Year in Review
    12/28/04 12:33 PM PST
    Best of 2004 Worst of 2004
    Events that happened to Steve
    1. Departure of a lame employee.
    2. New York/Philadelphia/Royal Rumble 2004 trip.
    3. Receiving a $200 reduction in my rent.
    4. Solving a big code defect that had blocked me for five days.
    5. Figuring out how to burn DVD-R discs so that they play on other systems.
    6. Earning the green spray in "Silent Hill 2".

    1. Wasting 5 hours driving and 1 hour (freezing in line) during a failed effort to buy a decent Royal Rumble 2005 ticket.
    2. Death of one of my cousins.
    3. Suffering through painful, metal-detector activating shoes during the whole New York/Philadelphia trip.
    4. Someone ransacking my car (and stealing my windex wipes)!
    5. Breaking my car's auxiliary box while trying to pry a receipt out of it.
    6. Losing $5 on that awful cocido meal.

    Movies
    1. "The Bourne Supremacy"
      "What a difference that a director makes."
      "A white knuckle thrill ride through Moscow..."
    2. "Ju-on: The Grudge"
      "One of the scariest movies that I've ever seen..."
      "...made me somewhat paranoid afterward."
    3. "Wicker Park"
      "Masterful suspense/romance/drama..."
      "When I think of heartache, I think 'Wicker Park'."
    4. "Napoleon Dynamite"
      "Hilarious 'underdog' comedy..."
      "One word for this friggin' sweet comedy: ge-ni-us."
    5. "Spider-Man 2"
      "...harvested some particularly excellent plots..."
      "Sam Raimi definitely filmed this movie right."
    6. "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban"
      "...well-suited to the cinema screen."
    7. "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind"
      "Inventive psychological journey..."
    8. "The Incredibles"
      "Another entertaining Pixar comedy."
    9. "Shrek 2"
      "...enjoyed rooting for the underdog to succeed."
    10. "Sideways"
      "Another one of those movies where you just want to reach into the screen and smack around the characters for their display of such poor judgement."
    1. "Darkness"
      "...nothing happened..."
    2. "Malevolence"
      "...embarrassed the horror slasher genre..."
    3. "Exorcist: The Beginning"
      "...cheap 'made-you-jump' moments..."
    4. "Enduring Love"
      "...spent the entire movie cringing."
    5. "Alien vs. Predator"
      "Mindless crossover ..."
    6. "Fahrenheit 9/11"
      "I say with some disappointment that the movie bored me."
    7. "Van Helsing"
      "...frowned at all of the contrived coincidences."
    8. "The Punisher"
      "Not bad, but too tongue-in-cheek for my taste."
    9. "Taking Lives"
      "Some of the twists worked for me--others didn't."
    10. "National Treasure"
      "Really contrived adventure movie..."
    Songs
    1. "The Reason" Hoobastank
    2. "White Houses" Vanessa Carlton
    3. "Nowhere Again" Secret Machines
    4. "Caught Up in the Rapture" Won-G f/ Gizelle
    5. "Jesus Walks" Kanye West

    1. "My Boo" Usher and Alicia Keys
    2. "Talk About Our Love" Brandy f/ Kanye West
    3. "Slow Motion" Juvenile
    4. "Flap Your Wings" Nelly
    5. "Breathe, Stretch, Shake" Mase

    Music album
    1. "Classified" Bond
    2. "Fired Up!" Various Artists
    3. "Fallen" Evanescence


    TV series "Lost" "Monk"
    Commercial
    1. Beer commercial where a guy's girlfriend asks him whether he found a nearby woman pretty, and he re-enacts three hypothetical responses: a. "Better looking than you!", b. Run away, c. "If you're into that kind of look, but no one's prettier than you, baby."
    2. Guy shuffles picture frames over himself for the "HP digital camera".
    3. Various dancers groove to another culture's music.

    		One of the workplace "Burger King" commercials where an employee proclaims, "I'm spicy!" and co-workers dignify his stupidity.
    One of two "joke" endings in "Silent Hill 2".
    Svishing in the Snow
    12/26/04 6:49 PM PST

    Recently returned from a week-long family vacation in Reno, Nevada. I can now cross out another goal from my checklist: parallel skiing. After taking one lesson and practicing on the bunny slopes, I felt cocky enough to tackle a blue-square slope. Just goes to show how mental that the sport can be. Despite my huge carving swaths, the skiis sped up so rapidly that I often crashed out of panic. At one point, I laid upside-down on the slope--slowly sliding downhill--trying to recollect my nerve. I finally had to swallow my fear, and throw myself down the hill in a kamikaze fashion to make it back. Thus ended my skiing adventure.

    Also, I guess it's true that higher altitudes make the air harder to breathe. Take my ski boots for example. Just pulling them on and off winded me! Skiing in them (especially on the intermediate slope) almost had me doubled over.

    The Atlantis Casino Resort (where I stayed) showcased non-smoking slot machines on the second floor. I grew temporarily addicted to video poker and blackjack. By addicted, I mean I spent one whole dollar on them. But in my mind, I came out ahead because the waitress gave me a free cookie and hot chocolate (around a $2 value, probably). I wonder if they cared that I only bet 5 cents at a time.

    Before the trip, I encountered one bad experience and one good experience. First the bad experience. Despite my co-workers' advice to purchase my Royal Rumble 2005 tickets online, I instead drove around 2.5 hours to Fresno to buy the tickets directly from the stadium (thinking that they'd sell better seats). After waiting in freezing cold weather for about an hour, the cashier informed me that all of the good seats sold out. Because I didn't want to leave empty-handed, I bought one lousy ticket for $85. Then during my 2.5 hour ride back, I kept kicking myself for buying that stupid non-refundable ticket. On a similar note, tire chains are also non-refundable (as I found out yesterday).

    Now the good experience. I finally figured out how to burn DVDs that other players can read. All I had to do was select the "finalize" option, and the recorder automatically burned my custom clips with scene selections in the menu. It also set bookmarks in about 5 minute intervals. This means that I can now show the 2H 2004 music videos in DVD-R format.

    Looks like it's about time to post my "best and worst of 2005" list. Interestingly, the last new "Law & Order" episode of the year featured a parolee that was jailed back in the first season. I guess I forgot that "Law & Order" has aired for 16 years , so defendants that they convicted in the first season could conceivably start getting out now!

    Watched movie: "Blade: Trinity" (2004)
    Seemed more shallow than the first two movies, but decently action-packed. I never understood why vampires keep charging at Blade with kung fu instead of just shooting at him. Stay after the credits--or better yet, leave during the credits since the final clip doesn't really show anything special. Rating: 6
    Monday, December 6 2004 1:08 AM PST
    12/06/04 1:08 AM PST

    Just returned from a car ride to Los Angeles this Friday. My whole family attended a funeral there for my cousin, who had died from a seizure after Thanksgiving. Although I didn't know him that well, the service started to choke me up. Particularly, when an undertaker handed a folded American flag to my aunt--a military tribute for his service in Vietnam. It occurred to me that I had taken his defense of our country for granted. I suppose that all in all, it took his death to truly appreciate how much he did for all of us.

    On a lighter note, last Thursday I tried a Chinese massage. I wanted to see if it could cure my headache. Don't know if I was overly-tense or just sensitive--but when the guy began poking his fingers into my spine, I almost screamed in agony. Didn't want to lose face though, so I just gritted my teeth. After enduring that torture, he began chopping, pinching, and slapping my back with excruciating force. Oh man, what a long ten minutes. Admittedly though, I felt pretty good later in the day (albeit very sore).

    Watched movie: "Enduring Love" (2004)
    Disquieting film about how a fatal balloon accident causes a bystander's life to deteriorate. I liked the camera work and thought-provoking philosophies, but pretty much spent the entire movie cringing. It pained me to witness the self-destruction of his relationship and the awkward encounters with his male stalker. If this showed on television, I'd probably change the channel to something less disconcerting. Rating: 3
    Watched movie: "National Treasure" (2004)
    Really contrived adventure movie about a treasure hunt based on an invisible-ink map on the back of the Declaration of Independence. I suppose U.S. history buffs would like it. I wonder whether the film crew required special permission to let Nicholas Cage run across the rooftop of Independence Hall. Rating: 5
    Tuesday, November 9 2004 7:11 PM PST
    11/09/04 7:11 PM PST
    Watched movie: "The Grudge" (2004)
    Like a "greatest hits" compilation that remakes the best scenes from past Ju-on movies (including a couple of new bonus scenes). Although I didn't care for the extra "character development", I did like how the American victims scared much less helplessly than the original Japanese ones (in the Japanese version, the victims just froze with terror). Much props to Sarah Michelle Gellar for finally trying to burn that accursed house down! All in all, I found "Ju-on: The Grudge" arguably scarier, but felt that this version decently reinvented the premise for American audiences. Rating: 7
    Watched movie: "Saw" (2004)
    Twisted horror movie where a serial killer subjects people to gruesome, life-threatening tests. I wondered whether the filmmakers ran this by test audiences because my audience grew very unruly whenever the lead characters squandered chances to shoot their antagonist. For that reason and a couple of others, I found the plot a little too contrived. I'd give it points for creativity and suspense though. Rating: 7
    Watched movie: "The Incredibles" (2004)
    Another entertaining Pixar comedy. This one explores how superheroes would cope with modern challenges; for example, litigation, family life, and middle-age. Features more groundbreaking computer animation from Pixar, including an expressive fashion designer and an impressive "speed-running" sequence. Rating: 8
    Thursday, October 21 2004 4:01 PM PDT
    10/21/04 4:01 PM PDT

    Ever felt so frustrated that you wanted to scream at the sky, but couldn't because your neighbor might hear? Well, I had a couple of those moments during my attempts to score a "perfect" ranking in the "Silent Hill 2" game. Unfortunately in "Silent Hill 2", a perfect ranking requires that I save two times or less. This means risking up to 1-2 hours without saving.

    In my first @#$*! moment, I made it all the way to the end before discovering that I had forgotten one crucial item near the start of the game. Three hours of gameplay...wasted!! @#$*!

    In my second @#$*! moment, a zombie nurse ambushed Maria, and I instinctively blasted my shotgun to save her. Oops. They both fell dead and ended my game again!! @#$*! @#$*! @#$*!

    I'd have to say though, that the pain was all worth it. A "perfect" ranking awarded me with an aerosol spray can--capable of instantly killing any monster. To my never-ending amusement, one whiff drops them like mosquitoes. The game also features many other entertaining extras, which I might post screenshots for soon.

    The American re-make of "The Grudge" comes out tomorrow; directed by the same guy who directed the Japanese version. Admittedly, that movie made me a little paranoid. One time at Software Etc., I heard a strange thumping noise on the floor--and suddenly a kid tore around the corner, crawling backwards. Totally alarmed me, thanks to that movie. Made me think about the top five scariest moments in my life:

    Scariest moment #5: After watching a marathon of the "Halloween" sequels, I walked to the cafeteria and jumped to see a guy in a Michael Myers mask.
    Scariest moment #4: During a rainy car trip to San Francisco, I was sleeping in the back seat; then awoke to the sound of "Stop stop stop!" and a blaring horn. Our driver had accidentally sped past a stop sign, and a semi-truck was crossing the intersection. We swerved around it and spun 180 degrees into the opposite direction.
    Scariest moment #3: A "Blair Witch" experience wherein at 2am in the morning, I lost my way bicycling and ended up on some desolate, foggy road in pitch-black darkness. Somehow I mustered the energy to inch my way back home despite the fatigue in my legs.
    Scariest moment #2: While whitewater rafting down the American River, the raft folded in half and the current sucked me out. I would compare the experience to sticking one's head into a washing machine. When the current kept me from surfacing for what felt like an eternity, thoughts of drowning actually crossed my mind.
    Scariest moment of all time: I was about five years old: my brother and sister took me to a "Haunted Gold Mine" at Fisherman's Wharf. The terror paralyzed me so badly that they had to drag me through the hall by my arms while I dug my heels in. Wasn't life-threatening, but funny how things seem scarier as a kid.

    Watching TV series: "Lost"
    I gave the pilot show a chance because for some odd reason, airplane crashes fascinate me (case in point, the movie "Fearless"). I've now started watching this series regularly. In short, a plane crash forces a sampling of passengers (all with different backgrounds and beliefs) to co-exist on the same island. Each episode tends to focus on one character's personal problems at a time; developing their emotional baggage in flashbacks a la "Kung Fu". The island also features a "mystical" quality where the characters' feelings seem to manifest themselves. So if you have nothing to watch at 8pm on Wednesdays, I'd recommend this one to you. Rating: ++1/2
    Friday, October 8 2004 5:03 PM PDT
    10/08/04 5:03 PM PDT

    Still playing through "Silent Hill 2". A new character (who resembles the main character's dead wife) has been following me around. Although she stays out of danger for the most part, I keep bumping into her and/or nearly blasting her (because she stands in the way or I mistake her for a deranged nurse). I also started realizing that my character often looks at her instead of the items that he's supposed to pick up, which impairs my ability to search a room.

    Watched movie: "The Forgotten" (2004)
    Like a "Twilight Zone" episode prolonged by chase sequences. To its credit, I practically hit the ceiling on a couple of those "surprise" moments. Haven't jumped like that since "What Lies Beneath". Rating: 6
    Watched movie: "Garden State" (2004)
    I unfortunately didn't discern much meaning from the film, other than the guy's struggle to care about something again. Enjoyed a lot of the gags though. Rating: 5
    Watched DVD: "Tomie: Re-birth" (2001)
    Twisted Japanese horror movie where a bubbly temptress keeps coming back to life despite the characters' attempts to murder her. I found it distasteful and depraved. Needless to say, I won't be watching the other four movies in the series. Rating: 3
    Watched movie: "Shark Tale" (2004)
    Decently funny, and amusing how the fishes' facial expressions matched the celebrities that voiced them. I perceived a couple of major weaknesses, though: a. whenever a scene started to get touching, some moronic outburst would ruin it; and b. the underwater city imitated Manhattan so mindlessly that even streets and stairways appeared there! Why would fish even need them? Rating: 6
    Thursday, September 23 2004 4:40 PM PDT
    09/23/04 4:40 PM PDT

    Saw an interview with Siegfried & Roy on Wednesday. I had trouble buying their explanation that the white tiger dragged off Roy to save him from a stroke. Seeing that the teeth punctured a couple of vital neck arteries, I would consider that a more plausible explanation for the stroke. Oh well.

    Returned from my jury summons today, once again disappointed that the court excused my entire group before we even entered the courtroom. It's as if the people who want to serve don't get picked. I spent most of the waiting room time reading an IBM manual. Also had a Gameboy SP on me, but felt too self-conscious to play it in front of the other jurors. :)

    Film-Noir series
    Watched video: "Strangers on a Train" (1951)
    Suspenseful "walls-closing-in" Hitchcock thriller. The premise: a psychopath offers to kill a tennis player's unfaithful wife if he later kills the psychopath's father. Unfortunately, the tennis player mistakes the offer as a joke, and ends up trapped between a murder investigation and the psychopath's blackmail. I found the predicament intriguing, and would possibly consider this Hitchock's best film. Rating: 8
    Watched video: "The Big Sleep" (1946)
    Convoluted private-eye mystery where Humphrey Bogart's brain seemed to operate in a completely different dimension. I could barely follow his verbal swordplay, much less the plot details. Props to his suave screen presence though. Rating: 5
    Watched video: "Sunset Boulevard" (1950)
    Film-Noir about a bankrupt screenwriter who humors an ex-actress' delusions about making movies again. Basically comments on the Hollywood film industry of that period. Bor-ring. Rating: 3
    Watched video: "Mildred Pierce" (1945)
    Unexpectedly good drama. Reminded of "Monster's Ball" where I kept thinking that their luck couldn't possibly get any worse, and then something worse would happen! Also liked how each character behaved in a melodramatic, yet realistic way. They all struck me as normal people with plausible shortcomings. Rating: 6
    Watched movie: "Resident Evil: Apocalypse" (2004)
    Decent action movie interpretation of "Resident Evil 3". I saw it for only a couple of dollars thanks to a coupon from my new "Resident Evil (Deluxe Edition)" DVD. Still don't know who this Alice character is. Rating: 7
    Watched movie: "Ju-on: The Grudge" (2003-2004)
    One of the scariest movies that I've ever seen! Filmed by the creators of "Ringu", and similar to "The Ring"--but decisively more terrifying. So much so that I'd prefer that curse over the "Ju-on" one. :) Because at least Samara afforded a seven-day reprieve. Imagine trying to stay sane with wide-eyed ghosts startling you all the time. :) Even as I left the theater, I could picture their unnerving stares. Rating: 9

    The director of this movie (Takashi Shimizu) also filmed four other "Ju-on" installments:

    • "Ju-on: The Curse" (2000) and "Ju-on: The Curse 2" (2000): Both direct video releases in Japan. I recently bought the DVDs from eBay and watched what I could (before the picture started freezing up). They're alright--paced much slower with a couple of decently horrific scenes. I enjoyed the theatrical version more, though.
    • "Ju-on: The Grudge 2": Theatrical sequel to "Ju-on: The Grudge", released only in Japan. This DVD came with my eBay purchase, and I didn't care for it at all. Not nearly as creative as the first movie.
    • "The Grudge" (2004): Upcoming U.S. re-make starring Sarah Michelle Gellar. Guess I'll watch this as well, even though the scenes from the preview look almost identical to the Japanese version.

    Watched DVD: "50 First Dates" (2003)
    Just as I didn't laugh at the "Dory" character in "Finding Nemo", I didn't laugh at this Drew Barrymore character--not out of some moral objection--but because I just find the humor sophomoric. So to me, the movie just seemed...sad. Rating: 4
    Watched video: "L'Appartement" (1996)
    Perhaps watching the "Wicker Park" re-make tainted me, but I did not like this original French version at all. I felt that "Wicker Park" showcased better acting, better plot choices, and better music (in fact, I own both "Wicker Park" soundtracks). Other than that, I found the two movies relatively identical. :) Rating: 4
    Wednesday, September 8 2004 7:36 PM PDT
    09/08/04 7:36 PM PDT

    Watching a lot of movies lately...anything to keep out of this heat, man.

    A new ending now appears after the end-credits of "Napoleon Dynamite". Basically concludes a wedding ceremony between Kip and LaFawnduh where Kip tries to sing, and Napoleon rides in horseback. Not worth seeing the movie over again, unless you're like me and enjoy re-watching it. :)

    Playing video game: "Silent Hill 2" (PSX2)
    Reminds me of my favorite novel, "And Then There Were None", in that each character (including your own) hides a dark secret from their past. The controls improve upon "Alone in the Dark" and "Resident Evil" in the following groundbreaking ways:
    • Your character can actually swing or shoot a weapon while walking or running. To me, a breakthrough in combat tactics.
    • Your character automatically fixates on items that you should pick up. Saves me from painstakingly searching every nook and cranny.
    • Your character can run all the time by setting a default in the options menu. Saves me from mashing that "run" button throughout the entire game.
    Rating: 10
    Watching TV series: "Scare Tactics"
    I consider this series a guilty pleasure because it's possibly the most unethical prank show that I've ever watched. So hilarious though. The actors and accomplices often subject the targets (usually young people) to deceptively life-threatening predicaments. For example, they plant a fake corpse in a bedroom and then when the person discovers it, block his escape with a phony axe murderer. Although I've seen one guy jump-kick a hole in the wall, and another girl turn catatonic with fright (!), the victims usually react with good sportsmanship. I'm still waiting for someone to get really angry though. :) Rating: +++
    Watched movie: "Ying xiong" (2002) a.k.a. "Hero" (2004)
    Visually mesmerizing kung-fu poetry.
    Hypnotize the mind
    Fly like the flow of water
    Suspend disbelief.
    Rating: 7
    Watched DVD: "Shaolin Soccer" (2004)
    For the most part, I found the U.S. theatrical (dubbed) version decent. Although they spliced numerous moments here and there, I didn't miss any of them except for a handful of funny ones, i.e., a retreaded door joke, a retreaded egg joke, and the re-visitation of a shoe joke. Maybe they figured that American audiences wouldn't laugh at slapstick repetition. All in all, I felt that this type of comedy lent itself to dubbing, as the subtitles kept distracting me from their amusing delivery. Other notable differences included:
    • English words in place of Chinese characters, like in the original "Neon Genesis Evangelion" DVD.
    • An extra out-of-place dance sequence (perhaps meant to spoof Michael Jackson's "Thriller"??).
    • Re-scored music and refurbished credits.
    Rating: 9
    Watched movie: "Wicker Park" (2004)
    Masterful suspense/romance/drama plot. If Hitchcock, Shakespeare, and Machiavelli ever collaborated on a movie, I think it'd come out something like this. :) Made me want to seek the original French version, "L'Appartement" (1996). Personally, the movie spoke to me in the following ways:
    • How love can make ordinary people do irrational and/or destructive things that they never would have imagined doing.
    • How the person in a relationship that cares the least has all the power.
    • How you can choose whether to allow love to keep tormenting you, or to just cope with its loss.
    • How love isn't easy. :)
    Admittedly, I'm a cynic about love so someone can probably make a counter-argument that the movie exemplifies how wonderful love can be. Probably depends on which character in the movie that you identify the most with. :) Rating: 9
    Tuesday, August 31 2004 11:04 PM PDT
    08/31/04 11:04 PM PDT

    Yet another interesting Summer Olympic games. In my opinion, I'd rank the top five most memorable moments as:

    1. Paul Hamm's all-around comeback. Basically, I changed the channel after watching Paul Hamm crash and burn on the vault (the commentators' reaction: "I wonder how Paul Hamm feels right now knowing his medal dream went up in smoke?") Later, when I tuned back in, I caught Hamm sticking a high bar dismount and winning the gold medal. What?!?! So I had to stay awake past dusk to watch how each gymnist before him blew their routines. Those commentators sure ate crow, man. Despite the controversy afterward, I considered that gold medal an inspirational comeback.
    2. Carly Patterson's gold medal performance. Not as dramatic as Paul Hamm's ordeal, but certainly kept me on the edge of my seat. Four scary chances to misstep (instead of just one). From the first vault to the final floor jump, I enjoyed how Patterson systematically tackled each challenge one step at a time. Bonus moment: One of the Chinese girl gymnists, after trying to beat Courtney Kupets' score on the uneven bars, walked over to the USA row and casually sat between Kupets and Patterson! Their bewildered expressions were priceless.
    3. Marathon spectator jumping Lima. Began with the leader in a marathon doing a double-take to something off-camera, and ended with a guy in a kilt pushing him all the way to the sideline (wherein bystanders started beating on the weirdo). A really bizarre sight.
    4. USA coach vs. the Spain coach. Sadly, more exciting than the actual men's basketball game. In short, the Spain coach started berating Larry Brown for allegedly calling a timeout when the USA team was winning. The two finally had to be separated. Of all the things to fight over...
    5. Klete Keller holding off the "Thorpedo". Suspensefully close 4x200m free relay where Michael Phelps and three others upset the favored Australian team by a fraction of a second. What made it interesting was how the USA team had to gain enough of a lead to hold off Ian Thorpe--the swimmers' equivalent of Michael Jordon. Man, I could almost hear the "Jaws" music as Thorpe creeped up on that American anchor swimmer.
    Watched movie: "Open Water" (2003-2004)
    Pseudo-home movie about two scuba divers left stranded in the ocean. Although the camcorder quality made it more realistic, I had trouble getting into the movie for the following reasons:
    • If you think about it, the divers would never be in any real danger until the end of the movie. Because if a shark ate either of them, then the drama would end too early. So until then, I considered boredom their worse enemy (and mine).
    • I felt that the divers coped with their predicament too well. If they had deteriorated more dramatically (a la "The Blair Witch Project"), then it would have countered my boredom better. At least they didn't overact though.
    • The sharks behaved more realistically than what you would see, for example, in the "Jaws" movies. In other words, in a much less terrifying manner.
    Rating: 6
    Watched movie: "Zatoichi" (2003-2004)
    Unique samurai flick that follows the deceptively-skilled blind swordsman, a mercenary ronin, two geishas, and two peasants during a village gang-war. Equally balances bloody CGI swordfights, rhythmic dance numbers, Japanese-style comic relief, and character flashbacks. Didn't care for the long periods of down-time (and the Scooby-doo twists), but did enjoy the formula where the characters kept underestimating Zatoichi's blindness. Also laughed a lot at the tomfoolery of the comic relief character. Rating: 7
    Watched movie: "What the #$*! Do We Know!?" (2004)
    Geeky, but thought-provoking exploration of how we perceive reality. Although all that quantum theory overloaded me, I did process one meaningful personal message from it: challenging our precepts about life. For example, our preoccupations with acquiring material possessions. That movie made we want to revisit my "goals" checklist and start crossing more of them off. Rating: 7
    Watched movie: "Alien vs. Predator" (2004)
    Mindless crossover that lacked the originality of both "Alien" and "Predator". Highlighted by a couple of good combat scenes at best. Given that this supposedly occurred in the year 2004, I'm also unclear about how this fits in with the other Alien movies. Rating: 3
    Watched movie: "Exorcist: The Beginning" (2004)
    Felt like a cross between "Indiana Jones" and "Evil Dead 2". Resorted to cheap "made-you-jump" moments instead of the realism that made the original "Exorcist" scary. Hollywood, man. Rating: 2
    Friday, August 6 2004 3:30 PM PDT
    08/06/04 3:30 PM PDT

    Humbled

    My department competed in another IBM sand castle contest at the Santa Cruz beach. We built a sizeable castle with towers, balconies, and a moat. I chiseled out stairwells, including one that spiraled into a back door. Admittedly, in my arrogance, I considered our castle a contender for first place. Then I strolled to the other side of the beach, and gazed upon a giant turtle so life-like that I knew without a doubt that it would win first place. Heck, even tourists came by to take snapshots with it! I know now how Salieri felt when he read Mozart's symphony.

    So we got schooled big-time. All in all, though, the giant turtle did inspire me. Because if anyone had suggested that idea on our team, we would have laughed. The other team, however, had the courage to attempt something risky--and ultimately succeeded at it. Much props for that.

    Recently contributed to an article on the IBM DeveloperWorks site: OnDemand Information Center: A closer look. Features a photo and blurb of me at the bottom. I also tabulated music rankings for 1H 2004.

    In other news, I recently sampled an entire platter of sushi, including octopus and squid. Very tasty. Now people look at me strangely when I say I'm starting to enjoy sushi (me being Japanese and all). :)

    Watched movie: "I, Robot" (2004)
    Intriguing depiction of Asimov's vision. Just think: in only thirty years we'll already have robotic assistants and automatic cars. :) But seriously, I initially expected the movie to sell out Asimov's prolific literature with cheap wise-cracks and pointlessly berserk robots. But now having seen the entire picture, I'd consider it decently intellectual. One thing I can't defend, though: their overuse of product placement (Will Smith boasting 2004 Converse shoes?!?!). Rating: 7
    Watched movie: "The Village" (2004)
    My friends and I disagreed sharply on this film. For the most part, I found it boring and sappy. Felt like a Twilight Zone episode written by Shakespeare. I probably would have panned the movie if it hadn't been for one particularly bold plot development. Rating: 6
    Sunday, July 11 2004 1:13 AM PDT
    07/11/04 1:13 AM PDT

    Tried tuna sashimi for the first time over the fourth of July weekend. Pretty good, actually.

    Watched movie: "Fahrenheit 9/11" (2004)
    I say with some disappointment that the movie bored me. Moore basically narrated his political views through montages of TV clips and human interest stories. While I liked the boldness of it, I expected more creativity from him a la "Bowling from Columbine". Also felt that he overzealously flamed Bush. I'm certainly no Bush fan, but Moore practically depicted the guy as a Taliban sympathizer! Rating: 4
    Watched movie: "Napoleon Dynamite" (2004)
    Hilarious "underdog" comedy where a droll, outspoken high school student endures such challenges as snobbish popular kids, the class bully, and a slimy uncle. I particularly enjoyed the student's knack for impudent comments, e.g., "FIIINE!" and "This is pretty much the worst video ever made." His candor reminded me of feelings that I never dared to express during my own high school experience. :) Rating: 9
    Watched movie: "Spider-Man 2" (2004)
    I feel that comic book movies have one distinct advantage over the printed books: they can pick and choose the best stories from an entire serial. "Spider-Man 2", for instance, harvested some particularly excellent plots: Spider-Man's ruination of Peter Parker's social life (and his desire to give up Spider-Man), his relationship with Mary Jane, and Harry Osborn's obsession with his father. The movie also explored events that I thought the comic book series wasted: the handling of Spider-Man's secret identity, his longing and distancing from Mary Jane, and Doctor Octopus' conscience. Rating: 8
    Watched movie: "The Terminal" (2004)
    Creative Spielberg movie where legal circumstances force a traveler to live in an airport. Reminded me of "Castaway" in that despite the simple premise, it entertained me to watch Tom Hanks rely on ingenuity, self-motivation, and heart to make the most of his predicament. Rating: 7
    Wednesday, June 23 2004 7:21 PM PDT
    06/23/04 7:21 PM PDT

    Discovered a counter-balance to the cessation of Sprite Tropical Remix: the release of a new Coca-Cola soda called C2. It basically reduces the amount of sugar by half--which in my opinion, improves the taste. No idea why nobody thought of this before.

    Awakened from a dream this week that I won $280,000 on a Vegas slot machine. You know, I'd contend that the worst nightmare beats out the best dream anyday. Because after a bad nightmare, I wake up relieved. After a good dream, I wake up disappointed and bitter. Man how I looked forward to spending that $280,000.

    Got me to thinking about how I would rank the worst nightmares over my lifetime:

    Worst nightmare #5: A dream that I was still in college; running late for a final, and getting lost on my way there. I find the plausible dreams scarier than supernatural ones.
    Worst nightmare #4: Running from a guy shooting at me with an Uzi. They say to confront the person chasing you, but heck man--I didn't want to get shot.
    Worst nightmare #3: My teeth falling out. Maybe I have issues because only my sister and I get these nightmares. :)
    Worst nightmare #2: When I fell asleep listening to a disturbing Eminem song. I dreamed that a detective interrogated me about a missing teenage girl. After I denied it, I started remembering talking to the girl. Which freaked me out because, why would I repress such memories? Man, why'd I have to buy that uncensored Eminem CD; I noticed that the song which gave me the nightmare didn't even appear on the censored version.
    Worst nightmare of all time: When I dreamed that I couldn't breathe because of a nuclear reactor's radiation. I woke up to find that I had buried my face into my own pillow. Counted this as my worst nightmare because I could have suffocated myself to death. What a stupid way to have died.

    Went nuts with some huge purchases recently:

    New auxillary box for the Corolla's instrument panel
    Remember when I pried out my car's mini-glove compartment box out of the dashboard? Turns out that I completely ruined the hinges on it. Cost me $40 for a new one and $150 to re-install it. The Corolla mechanic's reaction: you shouldn't have taken it out. I almost replied: sure, I see that in hindsight. But who am I kidding--knowing what I know now, I would have done the exact same thing over again. :)
    Digital Plus
    Comcast bought out Castle Cable, so I decided to spring for the digital package. Includes a 24-hour a day music channel (no more staying up in the A.M. to record them). Of course, I had to re-wire my entire home entertainment system to introduce the new, foreign element: a digital cable box. These devices only output one channel at a time. So if you need to record more than one show on your VCR, no use hooking it into the cable box. Won't bore you with the details, but let's just say the new configuration required 35 cables (7 coaxial, 5 S-video, 9 video, and 14 audio), 2 hubs, 1 splitter, and 20 power cords. :)

    Also determined that the 24-hour MTV channel recycles the same eight hours of music videos three times during the day, starting at 3am PST. How did I figure this out? Don't ask.

    DVD recorder with hard drive
    Neat device that lets me burn my own DVDs. Now I can archive my old videotapes.
    Playstation 2
    Just collecting dust right now, but yes--there it is.
    Watched movie: "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" (2004)
    In my opinion, the best Harry Potter movie thus far. Harry finally began taking control of his life, i.e., standing up to the "haters", learning from a mentor, and basically starting to outgrow his traumatic childhood. Also enjoyed a particularly spectacular flight over Hogwarts, and a sub-plot where Hagrid tried to prove himself as a professor. Still stymied by the plot twists that seem to jump out because of how the movie abridges the book. But all in all, I considered this particular installment well-suited to the cinema screen. Rating: 8
    Tuesday, June 1 2004 8:55 PM PDT
    06/01/04 8:55 PM PDT

    I have a mathematical theory about the universe: one fortune balances out every misfortune. Take this past month, for example:

    Misfortune Fortune
    Cable TV at my apartment complex went out during "Survivor: America's Tribal Council". Forced me to call my parents and attempt to walk them through the VCR controls without panicking. Could've been worse though: my brother missed the last three seconds of that renowned Lakers-Spurs game. The apartment complex inexplicably lowered my rent by $200.
    The California Franchise Tax Board claimed that they received my income tax return but without a payment; penalized me with a $5 late fee. The Replay club found out that they mailed their letters to the wrong address all last year; credited me with $70 in backlogged gift certificates.
    A credit card receipt slipped past the hinge in my car's auxilary box. Felt like I lost a wristwatch in a surgical patient. So I pried the drawer out, but broke a spring in the process. I recovered the receipt.
    "Angel" went off the air this season; albeit with a cool "Wild Bunch"-type series finale. NBC finally aired a "Law & Order" episode that I missed originally because of my preoccupation with a "Survivor" episode.
    Sprite replaced my favorite non-caffinated soda of all time, Tropical Remix, with a horrible sugary abomination called berryclear. Also not impressed by the return of Mountain Dew Live Wire--or as I like to call it, normal orange soda. "Bright side" pending...
    Watched movie: "The Punisher" (2004)
    Not bad, but too tongue-in-cheek for my taste. I expected more of a gritty, violent shoot-'em-up flick; and this didn't ensue until the very end. I would've rated it higher had it not been for some cornball scenes which I'll hide in this spoiler tag: 1. the neighbors' music drowning out the grenade explosion; ehh...no. 2. the neighbors defying the villains instead of just playing dumb, and 3. the flaming skull; are you kidding me?!?. Rating: 5
    Watched movie: "Troy" (2004)
    For a film based on Greek mythology, the characters didn't show much arrogance--well, at least not quite enough to warrant the comeuppance they got. :) In fact, they all behaved with such honor and respect that I found the lot of them likeable (except for Agamemnon, which the movie seemed to portray as a cliched Hollywood villain). Although I would have enjoyed seeing more hubris, I did like how the film toned down the gods, prophecies, and other supernatural concepts--to me, these plot elements spoiled Homer's poems. So if you're interested in a realistic, more even-handed epic, check this movie out. Rating: 7
    Watched movie: "The Day After Tomorrow" (2004)
    Disaster movies rule. Admittedly, the character development between action sequences tested my patience--but I suppose we need it to care about the characters. The special-effects disasters rocked, and jeopardized the characters in creative new ways. Rating: 7
    Watched movie: "Shrek 2" (2004)
    Entertaining romantic comedy wherein I enjoyed rooting for the underdog to succeed. Strikes me as a growing trend of late. Rating: 7
    Watched movie: "Van Helsing" (2004)
    Decent action movie, but frowned at all of the contrived coincidences. Rating: 4
    Tuesday, April 27 2004 8:24 PM PDT
    04/27/04 8:24 PM PDT

    Yesterday marked my fifth year at IBM. As my one reward, IBM granted an extra week of vacation to me. But then IBM also granted an extra week to everyone else (regardless of seniority). Completely trivialized my reward! As consolation, my team lead bought me a giant chocolate chip cookie--but then as an afterthought, decided that my office mates deserved giant chocolate chip cookies too. Completely trivialized my cookie!

    So...what did I learn at this stage in my career?

    If I had to pick the video game that best reflected my work experience: "Wario Ware Inc." This game basically just times you on various challenges without any instructions. That's what this place is like: an employee is measured more on how well that they can adapt to predicaments, rather than how hard that they can work on stable assignments.

    On a less professional note, I ordered a Mexican soup called "cocido" today, expecting a small cup of beef stew. Instead, the waiter plopped a huge bowl of broth with vegetables and boiled meat–bones, grizzle, and all. I could almost picture flies around it. Figuring that I'd take responsibility for the mistake, I asked for the check. NINE DOLLARS! #@$%!

    Saturday, April 24 2004 7:27 PM PDT
    04/24/04 7:27 PM PDT

    Looks like Bush cut the Federal income tax, according to my TDSP newsletter. That would explain why I received such a huge tax refund this year: $36. Big money considering what I had to pay for the past four years.

    By sheer luck, I noticed that UPS hid my Amazon.com package on my porch balcony. From what I could gather, the delivery man affixed a post-it on my door and it just blew away. I'm not impressed. But I guess the delivery man couldn't possibly know that rotten thieves roam my apartment complex.

    Interestingly, I've dined at Japanese restaurants many a time but never once tried a dish called edomame. Here's a tip for those of you as clueless as me: you're only supposed to eat the peas inside of the pod. This will spare you the embarrassment of spitting out the skin in disgust.

    Speaking of embarrassment, here's another tip for you: when squirting snow cone juice on shaved ice, do not depress the handle as if it pumped ketchup. Otherwise, you'll splatter sticky fruit juice all over your shirt and pants.

    Watched movie: "Kill Bill: Vol. 2" (2004)
    Slower-paced sequel highlighted with brief action scenes. Not bad, but I preferred the first one. Stay after the credits. Rating: 6
    Sunday, April 4 2004 3:49 AM PDT
    04/04/04 3:49 AM PDT
    Watched DVD: "Another Heaven" (2000)
    Caught the second half of this on the Sundance channel, and it glued me to the set—so I bought the DVD to watch the rest of it. Basically, the film followed two Japanese detectives as they pursued a murderous entity. The entity possessed humans, cooked gourmet dishes with their brains, and often behaved in an amoral, whimsical way which I found entertaining. Admittedly not as good as "The Hidden" (1987), but stylish in its own right. Rating: 7
    Watched video: "Ringu" (1998)
    In case you didn't know, "The Ring" (2002) was actually a remake of this original Japanese version. Fairly identical, too. I hardly noticed any difference between them: in this one, the cursed videotape only contained about 4 scenes, the ex-husband harbored psychic powers, and the horror felt less gruesome. Still featured that creepy little girl though. Rating: 6
    Watched movie: "Dawn of the Dead" (2004)
    Reminded me of "28 Days Later..." (2002) where the zombies ran fast and infected people easily. I guess the zombie genre's getting to a point where humans don't stand a chance anymore. :) Although I favored the original movie better, I liked how this one introduced some novel predicaments. Particularly, where circumstances forced the characters to weigh the price of their own survival. Also enjoyed the prologue where the lead heroine had to escape a suburban neighborhood. Rating: 7
    Watched movie: "Taking Lives" (2004)
    Decent suspense thriller about an FBI agent's pursuit of a serial killer. Some of the twists worked for me—others didn't. The preview gave away too much. Rating: 5
    Saturday, March 6 2004 4:09 PM PST
    03/06/04 4:09 PM PST

    Still not impressed by the security at my apartment complex. Some thief ransacked my car in the parking lot. Granted, I think I neglected to lock the doors overnight (I had been vacuuming the back seats)—but it's certainly no excuse to rummage through someone's vehicle. Guess I should be thankful that I keep nothing valuable in it. I did discover one (and only one) missing item—somewhat dumbfounding when I think about it: a half-used bag of windex wipes. What would compel a thief to steal that? Dirty windows??

    Now available: the WWE Royal Rumble 2004 DVD where my friends and I appeared in the crowd. I took the liberty of capturing screenshots of us, in case you had the inkling to squint through 2.5+ hours of pay-per-view:

    Watched movie: "The Passion of the Christ" (2004)
    Graphic film that basically sobered the audience into an eerie quiet for all of two hours. I'm no biblical scholar, but I pretty much evaluated the movie as an even-handed depiction of all of the characters. Well, with one big exception: those sadistic Roman guards. I'm still weighing whether Mel Gibson overdid their depravity. Their behavior made me wish for a better payoff at the end. Not like I expected melting faces a la "Raiders of the Lost Ark", or some epilogue where they all burn in Hades—but I at least wanted to see some kind of catharsis where Jesus humbles all of the cruel blasphemers. Anyways, I would characterize the movie as a solemn experience despite the uber-violence. Because although the torture horrified me, I was able to temper it with the foreknowledge that this poor guy would find peace and become one of the most respected martyrs of all time. Rating: 6
    Sunday, February 15 2004 3:03 AM PST
    02/15/04 3:03 AM PST

    The recent New York trip inspired me to review archival footage from one my favorite Playstation games, Parasite Eve. I took a particular interest in how the final stage (the Chrysler Building) compared to its real-life Manhattan counterpart. My conclusion: only loosely similar. The lobbies certainly do not look alike.


    Finished tabulating the music video survey results from the second half of 2003. "Move Your Feet" by Junior Senior scored very well.

    Watched movie: "The Butterfly Effect" (2004)
    Unexpectedly profane drama where Ashton Kutcher alters the present by re-visiting key moments in his own lifetime. To my frustration, Ashton botched matters more often than not (don't know how many times I thought "you ee-diot!!"). So if the directors attempted to convey a message against tampering with the past, they failed. All in all, I found the premise interesting but distastefully executed. Rating: 6
    Watched movie: "Touching the Void" (2004)
    True 1985 story about a precarious mountain climb in the Andes. The realism engrossed me but made me look at my watch frequently. In regards to the narration, I considered it crucial to understanding the film—but discerned two drawbacks from it: 1. the hard-to-understand British accents, and 2. the foreknowledge that both mountain climbers survived the ordeal. The film did excel at conveying the climber's labored struggle against hopelessness, which I could partially relate to. It's just that after enduring all that despair, I expected more of a payoff. Rating: 6
    Saturday, January 31 2004 9:46 PM PST
    01/31/04 9:46 PM PST

    The Big Apple & the City of Brotherly Love

    Glad to be back in California weather. Reports of record low East Coast temperatures were not exaggerated. It did allow me to witness the first snowfall of my lifetime (in Central Park and Philadelphia). Somewhat enchanting until the flakes got in my face. Then it felt more like a shower in sawdust.

    My winter clothes (especially the scarf and ear flaps) kept the cold away pretty decently as long as I faced away from the wind. The coldest part of my body turned out to be my feet. Those accursed steel toe boots. Everyday, they crushed my feet and rubbed them raw. The steel set off metal detectors at every landmark. I fantasized about burning them many a time.

    Highlights from the trip:

    Empire State Building
    Shorter than I expected for a 103 story building (guess I pictured a skyscraper rising above the clouds). It cost $11 to visit the Empire State Building Observatory on the 86th floor. I happened to visit there on one of the coldest winters in New York. The wind froze the area so badly that they had to quarantine one side of the deck.
    Rockefeller Center
    I re-visited the plaza three times to complete the following goals:
    • Ice skate. For the life of me, I could not keep the blades steady. While experienced skaters glided past me, I flailed around the edge like Forrest Gump. Funny--I knew how to ice skate 20 years ago, but I guess it's nothing like riding a bicycle.
    • NBC Today Show. I passed by the camera at 7:30am but only appeared as a split-second speck. My friends didn't even spot me (but see, there I am).
      Today show 1/21/04
      Somewhat deceptive how the crowd looks huge even though only one single-file row appears behind the barricade.
    • NBC Today Show redux. This time I showed up at 6:30am at the very front of the crowd. Even shook hands with Al Roker. Then I left around 8:00am because I could no longer feel my feet.
      Today show 1/22/04 Al Roker
    World Trade Center
    Grid-iron fences now surround a construction site where the former World Trade Center once stood. A number of plaques recount the history of it, and commemorate the heroes of 9/11.
    Former World Trade Center
    Statue of Liberty
    Looking at the statue up-close, I noticed that Lady Liberty actually leans forward on one foot. A progressive statement, I guess. My feet hurt so badly from the ice skating and steel toes that I welcomed the fact that her stairwell remained closed.
    The Phantom of the Opera
    A tearjerking Broadway musical that rocks. I consider that Andrew Lloyd Webber a genius. Makes the audience feel for the Phantom despite his homicidal tendencies. Rating: 9
    New York Pizza
    Didn't taste that much different from California pizza to me. Rating: 7
    Liberty Bell
    Almost looks like a clay sculpture. The crack contains a couple of bolts—I presume to keep it from splintering further. It now hangs in front of a glass wall with Independence Hall directly in a line-of-sight behind it.
    Philly Cheese Steak
    Greasy rib eye meat, smothered in cheese and onions. Man that was good. Not inclined to eat another one anytime soon though. Rating: 8
    Rocky statue
    The Rocky statue no longer stands at the top of the Philadelphia Museum of Art steps (which Stallone ran up). Only brass footprints remain. A museum employee explained that Rocky moved away because it did not qualify as art. My friends and I later tracked it down to the Wachovia Spectrum sports arena. So now you know the answer if this ever comes up as a trivia question.
    Royal Rumble 2004
    Noticed some immediate differences between the live experience versus the pay-per-view one:
    • The fans stood up in front of each other whenever a popular wrestler came out, or whenever the cameraman neared them. It took a lot of skill (and/or luck) for me to snap decent photographs between the flailing arms and heads. One particular old lady in the front row kept blocking my line-of-sight with a sign. So if you watch the tape and see a yellow sign next to the announce table, that's my face behind it.
    • The fans mercilessly shouted insults whenever an unpopular wrestler came out, or whenever anything blocked their view. The beer sales didn't help matters.
    • The pyrotechnics scared and deafened me.
    Ironically, my friends received better seats for $90 than my $300 one. They could view the entire ring from their elevated chairs, and appeared on TV multiple times. So my one worthwhile perk from the extra $210: a commemorative steel chair that ended up costing $100+ to mail to myself through UPS. I don't regret that, however--because during my trip back, I overheard airport security mentioning that some "fool" tried to bring a steel chair aboard the airplane. Rating: 8

    All in all, a worthwhile trip that helped me cross off five goals from my checklist.

    Saturday, January 17 2004 1:22 PM PST
    01/17/04 1:22 PM PST

    Leaving for New York on Monday. Maybe you'll see me waving on "The Early Show" (encased in a block of ice).

    Watched movie: "21 Grams" (2003)
    Gripping non-linear drama about three tormented strangers (Sean Penn, Naomi Watts, Benicio Del Toro) who unravel from one tragic car accident. The scenes show out of order--like a kind of crossword puzzle where the minor words fill in before the major ones. When I left the theater, I felt emotionally drained but more appreciative of life. Rating: 7
    Watched movie: "The Last Samurai" (2003)
    Captivating portrayal of the waning samurai culture in 19th century Japan. The "white guy assimilates another culture" premise reminded me of "Shogun" and "Dances with Wolves". Rating: 7
    Friday, January 2 2004 2:56 PM PST
    01/02/04 2:56 PM PST

    Booked the flight, hotel, and train for a trip to New York for this month. Looking back on my life, this would count as the second time that I've ever flown in an airplane. My first time occurred 17 years ago when my family and I flew to Orlando, Florida. This would also mark the third time that I've ever left California (my other two out-of-state trips: Orlando and Las Vegas). Why so few trips, you ask? Simple: a dispassion for travelling. Never did fancy the sightseeing. To me, it's like subjecting yourself to a documentary without any way to change the channel. Not that I mind doing it--it's just that I could never justify paying the big bucks for it.

    The New York trip will help me cross off at least four items from my goals checklist. Above all else, I can finally watch a live Royal Rumble (held this year at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia) on January 25. The Rumble is my favorite annual pay-per-view of all time. It inspired me to create my friends and co-workers in homemade Playstation homages.

    Watched movie: "Paycheck" (2003)
    Farfetched action flick where amnesiac Ben Affleck leaves himself 20 "MacGyver-isms" to alter his own foreseen future. Reminded me of "Minority Report" in that predestined coincidences saved Affleck at every turn. In the usual John Woo style, the characters fixated guns on each other and breezed through outlandish stunts without batting an eye. Even the obligatory white dove made its cameo. Decent movie, but paled in comparison to "Minority Report". Rating: 6
    2003 Year in Review
    12/28/03 10:44 PM PST
    2003 Year in Review

    Added a new category for the top five best and worst events that happened to me this year.

    Best of 2003 Worst of 2003
    Events that happened to Steve
    1. Stock options & high marks.
    2. LASIK surgery.
    3. New car.
    4. My neighbor finally moving out!
    5. Las Vegas.

    1. Fender bender where the other driver claimed whiplash and skyrocketed my insurance for the next three years.
    2. Stolen FedEx package.
    3. That horrible French movie.
    4. Stolen $300+ glasses.
    5. Brand-new flat tire.

    Movies
    1. "Shaolin Soccer"
      "Hilarious beyond belief."
      "I can't remember the last time that I laughed so hard during a movie."
    2. "The Matrix Reloaded"
      "...incredible sensory experience..."
      "The coolest action movie of all time until I see something better."
      "What an awesome ~15 minutes of action..."
    3. "Final Destination 2"
      "Very fun horror flick."
    4. "Kill Bill: Vol. 1"
      "Sardonically violent Tarantino flick..."
    5. "Finding Nemo"
      "Another groundbreaking effort from Pixar..."
      "Once again, all that ambitious, gorgeously vibrant imagery left me in awe."
    6. "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King"
      "...this movie's portrayal of honor and bravery inspired me more than the other two."
    7. "The Eye"
      "...hair-raising in the way that it depicts ghosts."
    8. "Freddy vs. Jason"
      "...creatively rewarding slasher flick."
    9. "Identity"
      "Great whodunit thriller."
    10. "X2: X-Men United"
      "Well done sequel."
    1. "The House of the Dead"
      "A complete disgrace to the zombie film genre."
    2. "Irreversible"
      "...sickening beyond belief."
    3. "House of 1000 Corpses"
      "...obscene, mind-numbing..."
    4. "The Room"
      "...I think this film killed a few of my brain cells."
    5. "Bad Boys II"
      "Overdone, goofy, and often distasteful."
    6. "Bubba Ho-Tep"
      "...moves at a geriatric pace..."
    7. "Cabin Fever"
      "Screwy splatter flick..."
    8. "Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life"
      "Contrived with too many needlessly reckless stunts."
    9. "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl"
      "Arrr...I wants me money back."
    10. "50 First Dates"
      "...sad."
    Songs
    1. "Beware" Panjabi MC featuring Jay-Z
    2. "Where is the Love?" Black-Eyed Peas
    3. "White Flag" Dido
    4. "Running" No Doubt
    5. "In Da Club" 50 Cent

    1. "Senorita" Justin Timberlake
    2. "Ignition" R. Kelly
    3. "You Don't Know My Name" Alicia Keys
    4. "Like Glue" Sean Paul
    5. "Stand Up" Ludacris

    Music video "Come Into My World" Kylie Minogue (the one where the people multiply with every camera loop) "Right Now" Korn (the one where a cartoon guy mutilates himself; wish I could erase it from my memory)
    Music album "Past, Present & Future" Rob Zombie
    TV series "Buffy: The Vampire Slayer" and "Monk" "24"
    Commercial (tie) Teenagers try out weapons not meant for this world from the video game "Ratchet & Clank"; co-workers camouflage themselves in competition for a "Juicy Fruit". Friends trick a new guy into buying them late night "Wendy's"--too contrived even for a commercial.
    Video game "Metroid Fusion" (GBA) "Metroid Prime" (GC)

    Watched movie: "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" (2003)
    Liked it about the same as the first two movies. For some reason, this movie's portrayal of honor and bravery inspired me more than the other two. Probably because the underdogs, rather than the main heroes, had a chance to prove their worth. Also have to give credit to J.R.R. Tolkien for foiling all of my top predictions (listed below):
    • Gandalf fighting Saruman the White in a magic showdown. Saruman didn't even appear. Come to think of it, the eight Ringwraiths vanished as well.
    • Aragon ending up with Eowyn rather than Arwen.
    • Either Aragon or Gandalf killing the Witch King.
    • Either Frodo or Gollum saving the day; didn't expect both of them to botch it so badly.

    My only major complaints about the movie: I wanted to see more magic from Gandalf and less sappiness from the hobbits. Also, the last bullet above really disappointed me. Barring that, I give this film props for keeping my interest throughout the 3+ hours (even throughout the ending that wouldn't end!). Rating: 8

    Played video game: "Metroid Fusion" (GBA)
    Addictive 2-D continuation of the Metroid series. Kept looking forward to the next weapons upgrade (too bad they always save that screw attack until last). Each mission explored creatively different goals and levels. Elements that tried my patience: all the hidden passageways and that annoying spider villain. Also not impressed by the final boss. But all in all, this game highlighted 2003 because I could not stop playing it. Rating: 8

    Sunday, December 14 2003 1:26 AM PST
    12/14/03 1:26 AM PST
    Watched movie: "Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World" (2003)
    Above average ship movie that explores, among other things, the strained friendship between a war-bound captain and the ship's cultured medical officer (couldn't help picturing Bones lecturing Kirk). Somewhat overloaded with nautical jargon and deafening cannon fire, but all in all a solid Peter Weir film. Rating: 7
    Watched DVD: "The Italian Job" (2003)
    Decent caper film that reminds me of a "Mission: Impossible" episode. Made me want to buy a Mini Cooper. Bonus material includes deleted scenes where Mos Def struggles to drive stick shift, and a behind-the-scenes look at how the cast learned to stunt drive. Rating: 6
    Saturday, November 15 2003 1:36 PM PST
    11/15/03 1:36 PM PST

    My division celebrated the end-of-release on the same day as my birthday. As I stood by the wall eating cake, the release manager announced, "It's Steve's birthday, everybody sing to Steve!!" The entire room sang to me as I grimaced in embarrassment.

    Drove past quite a sight the other night at the Monterey Highway/Branham railroad intersection. A train had plowed into a car, dragging it a few yards across the tracks. The train's passengers loitered around outside, surveying the scene. I surmised that the driver made it out since I didn't see the emergency crew rushing at it with the jaws of life.

    Perhaps as punishment for my rubbernecking, some unknown object in the road (wreckage, perhaps?) punctured my brand-new tire. I raced home but could only make it to a Safeway parking lot before my tire deflated too low. Then I fought with the Corolla's crude repair tools for nearly half-an-hour to get the spare on. Isn't it funny how pulling the monkey wrench up gets better leverage than securing the monkey wrench down and jumping up and down on it? Man, why do I get so many flat tires? Can't complain, though--better that than a train-wrecked car.

    Watched movie: "The Matrix Revolutions" (2003)
    Bah, I came to see Matrix-fu--not a philosophical "Return of the Jedi". Found myself concurring with Agent Smith. Why do they fight? And to what end? Tattered clothes; eating yucky gruel; machines hunting them. I see no more truth out there than with their happy lives in the Matrix. My interpretation of the meaning of life: stick with the blue pill. Rating: 6
    Watched DVD: "Siu lam juk kau" (2001) a.k.a. "Shaolin Soccer" (2003)
    Now that's what I call real Matrix-fu. Showcases fun applications for "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon"-type action. Each character excels at a different signature talent. For example, one player kicks the soccer ball so hard that the whirlwind launches all of the opposing players into the net! Hilarious beyond belief. Highly recommended. Rating: 9
    Watched DVD: "The Ring" (2002)
    An OK DVD. Highlights include a deleted scene where the cursed videotape ends up at Blockbuster, and an easter egg where you get to watch the cursed videotape in its entirety (complete with a phone ring at the end)! 7 days... Rating: 7
    Sunday, October 26 2003 8:25 PM PST
    10/26/03 8:25 PM PST
    Watched DVD: "The Exorcist (The Version You've Never Seen)" (1973)
    Fast-forwarded through most of it as I forgot how boring the movie progressed before the possession scenes. But I did rewind one scene a few times: Regan's crazy spider-walk down the stairs. It only lasted a few seconds, but man was it trippy. It also alarmed my sense of security to see demon-Regan leaving the boundaries of her room. Rating: 6
    Watched movie: "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" (2003)
    Less scary but certainly more intense re-make of the 1974 horror classic. Leatherface, the introductory narration, and the meat hook carry over--the rest of the cast, the plot, the lighting, and especially the budget differ significantly. Also showcases the "drill sergeant" screen presence of R. Lee Ermey (to see what I mean, watch him in "Full Metal Jacket"). Rating: 4
    Watched movie: "Bubba Ho-Tep" (2003)
    Lewd comedy that premises Elvis Presley--alive and well at a convalescent home--teaming with a conspiracy theorist patient to track down a mummy that sucks out old folks' souls. Occasionally humorous, but moves at a geriatric pace--especially during Elvis' uninsightful reflections. Bravo to Bruce Campbell's Elvis impersonation though. Rating: 3
    Tuesday, October 14 2003 8:31 PM PDT
    10/14/03 8:31 PM PDT

    Encountered a deluge of people at the new Westridge Shopping Center grand opening last week. This add-on to Oakridge Mall virtually doubled the size of the structure, and introduced such big businesses as a Century Cinemas 20, the Cheesecake Factory, Borders, and a food court.

    During my drive to Santa Maria this weekend, my heart sank as a highway patrol car lit up behind me. "Do you know why I pulled you over?" the patrolman asked. "Speeding?" I replied sheepishly. "Yes," he responded, "At one point you hit 80 mph in a 65 mph zone. However—because you were honest with me, I'll let you off with a warning." I'd have to say it was a good day.

    Watched movie: "Out of Time" (2003)
    Light-hearted crime film where Denzel Washington works to hide his own culpability in a murder as his own police force investigates it. Too humorous to pass as a thriller or noir (for example, like "No Way Out" or "Insomnia"), but creatively suspenseful at times. Rating: 7
    Watched movie: "Kill Bill: Vol. 1" (2003)
    Sardonically violent Tarantino flick--most likely inspired by Japan's grisly samurai genre. Limbs fall off; blood sprays out in buckets. An awesome film, but definitely for mature audiences only--I squirmed in my seat many a time. Looking forward to volume 2 though. Rating: 8
    Watched movie: "The House of the Dead" (2003)
    Cornball garbage that almost seemed like a promo for the video game. Even mixed clips from the video game with the action sequences! A complete disgrace to the zombie film genre. Rating: 1
    Wednesday, September 24 2003 1:59 AM PDT
    09/24/03 1:59 AM PDT

    Long blog hiatus thanks to the insanity at work. Three release schedules approaching nearly simultaneous deadlines, and another upcoming release in parallel. Reminded me of that old video game with the spinning dishes, where the guy ran back and forth trying to save them before they hit the ground.

    Steve's new car. Finally decided to buy a new car over the weekend for a number of reasons:

    Ended up purchasing a brand-new 2004 Toyota Corolla LE 2004 in San Luis. Actually walked out on the first car salesman despite his best efforts. He spent all this time haggling with me on a used 2003 Toyota Camry. What he didn't realize—and what the second dealership stumbled upon—was that I had no problem buying a new Corolla for the same price.

    This Corolla pretty much resembles the Camry, and has some perks that I'm still trying to adjust to:

    Dined at a Japanese restaurant recently, and scribbled on some office paperwork at my table. After paying the bill, I stuck the pen in my ear and attempted to walk past a bunch of people blocking the door. One of the guys caught me off guard by telling me: "Table for five." I paused and replied, "I'm not a waiter; I'm a customer." The guy apologized, saying that the pen made me look like a waiter. Yeah, like that was the only reason I thought to myself.

    Watching TV series: "The Joe Schmo Show"
    "Big Brother"-type reality TV series with a very different premise: it fixates on one contestant who doesn't know that his eight housemates are just actors (their one goal: to deceive him and play with his mind). Very similar to "The Truman Show" in that the actors make mistakes (forgetting their own backgrounds), and act so phony that at times I cringe. I also can't help feeling sorry for the guy because of how the cast and crew toy with his feelings. Admittedly, I find the actors' phony hijinks a lot more entertaining than the current, hackneyed reality TV (like painfully boring "Survivor"). Rating: +++½
    Watched movie: "Jeepers Creepers II" (2003)
    Reminded me of "Jaws 2", but with a devilish man-bat instead of a shark. Interestingly, this man-bat hunted humans to feed itself, make tools, and yuk—re-generate itself with body parts. Fangoria probably had a field day with this dude. As for the teenage character development: seemed to suggest something about racial tolerance, but I lost the point. Rating: 6
    Watched movie: "Cabin Fever" (2003)
    Screwy splatter flick about how a camping group of teenagers reacted to a flesh-eating virus, and about how backwoods townspeople thwarted their inept calls for help. Most of the time, I had trouble deciding whether I should laugh or feel appalled. Note: Stay after the credits. Rating: 3
    Watched movie: "American Splendor" (2003)
    Real-life biography of a disheveled curmudgeon who found a living spoofing himself in a comic book series. Not all that riveting for me. Rating: 4
    Watched movie: "Underworld" (2003)
    Dreary, gothic "vampires vs. werewolves" movie. Loaded with gun violence and convoluted mythology. Fairly dispassionate love story, but kept my interest. Rating: 7
    Wednesday, August 20 2003 9:39 AM PDT
    08/20/03 9:39 AM PDT

    Things that suck

    FedEx sucks. They left a ground package at my front door, wherein someone stole it by the time I returned to my apartment. In my entire lifetime of dealing with USPS and UPS, neither company has lost any of my packages. I use FedEx one time, and they lose it.

    Greedy motorists suck. The lady driver that I rear-ended last month suddenly decided that the fender bender gave her "whiplash" (coincidentally, on the day before the expiration deadline). She filed a claim against my insurance company. I guess they have to dignify it despite the implausibility of it.

    Built sand castles at an IBM barbecue on Santa Cruz national beach. Found out the hard way that dry sand makes a poor foundation. Kept collapsing despite the wet sand that I patted over it.

    Watched movie: "Bad Boys II" (2003)
    Overdone, goofy, and often distasteful. Rating: 3
    Watched movie: "Freddy vs. Jason" (2003)
    Epitomized the Freddy and Jason characters (without compromising their "principles") in a creatively rewarding slasher flick. Ever since "Jason Takes Manhattan", I waited for another Friday the 13th movie that would explore Jason in a more entertaining setting than Camp Crystal Lake. Also enjoyed the predicaments that tested Freddy's smug demeanor. Only one plot element weighed the movie down for me: boring teenage character development. Rating: 8
    Watched movie: "S.W.A.T." (2003)
    Decent cop movie, made more meaningful by the focus on their career development. I saw a lot of real-life merit in their workplace politics and training sequences. Rating: 6
    Tuesday, July 29 2003 8:08 PM PDT
    07/29/03 8:08 PM PDT

    Anecdotes from the past two weeks:

    Watched movie: "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl" (2003)
    Contrived and absurd. Piecemeal mess for a plot, to boot. Arrr...I wants me money back. Note: Stay after the credits. Rating: 3
    Watched movie: "Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life" (2003)
    Contrived with too many needlessly reckless stunts. Didn't understand the characters' motivations at all. Bland finale. Rating: 3

    Sunday, July 13 2003 6:55 PM PDT
    07/13/03 6:55 PM PDT

    I think squirrels are invading IBM. I'm starting to see a lot of them.

    Recently, my neighbor moved out (the one who used to descend the staircase so heavily that my apartment shook). Now, even noisier neighbors replaced him. I would frown as they and their friends talked about private matters outside of my apartment. I finally told them politely that I could hear every word they said, especially at nighttime during my attempts to sleep (hint hint). This embarrassed them, I think. But the next morning, they blared country music with their door wide open. I appeared half-asleep on their porch holding a finger to my mouth.

    They also own an ugly dog that barks at me. I hate dogs.

    Interestingly, policemen showed up on their porch last night to restrain one of my neighbor's friends. They questioned him about a 911 accusation, and started reading off his rap sheet. Apparently he got paroled for car theft. Maybe I'll go easier on their noisiness, I resolved.

    On another subject, I started researching the archival of analog media onto CD-ROM, i.e., my Apple ][ projects and home movies. Looks promising. I can send them out for an inexpensive conversion, and receive CD-R and DVD-R back. Now I need a DVD system that plays DVD-R though. My DVD player manual clearly reads: cannot play DVD-R.

    Watched movie: "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" (2003)
    The ultimate "crossover" movie. Combines such historical literary characters as Allan Quatermain (Sean Connery), Captain Nemo, Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde, the Invisible Man, Dracula's bride, Dorian Gray, and Tom Sawyer. A worthwhile movie if you can suspend disbelief that in 1899 Europe, superheroes and villains battled each other amidst suspiciously modern technology. Rating: 6
    Monday, July 7 2003 1:01 AM PDT
    07/07/03 1:01 AM PDT

    Explored Anime Expo over the weekend. Out of all of the costumed attendees, I found one outfit particularly creative: a masked Metal Gear Solid guard with a big red exclamation point wired over his head. For that split-second when I first glanced at him, I felt like bolting.

    Almost matched my reaction to a certain Halloween costume. I remember that I had finished watching a couple of "Halloween" movies, and walked over to the dorm cafeteria. I turned the corner and jumped to see Michael Myers at the register. For anyone familiar with the "Halloween" movies, Michael usually kills the victim at that point.

    Watched movie: "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines" (2003)
    Decent (and loud) Schwarzenegger action flick where Ah-nold delivers more of his hilariously deadpan one-liners. Don't bother trying to make sense of that "Terminator" timeline now--this plot convoluted it worse than ever. After everything that Ah-nold and friends have done to muck with the present, I just can't reconcile how the future can remain predestined. Rating: 5
    Tuesday, July 1 2003 10:49 PM PDT
    07/01/03 10:49 PM PDT

    Laser eye surgery

    Excellent results from the surgery: I can basically see 20/20 now.

    The vision center gave me a videotaped close-up of each eye during the operation. When I finally gathered the nerve to watch it, I thought to myself: I sure overreacted during that procedure. All they did was lift a tiny membrane flap to zap the exposed pupil with a laser.

    From my perspective, it felt like a blade sliding across my numb eye. So out of a growing panic, my reflexes began fighting against the forceps that kept my eyelids open. "Don't squeeze your eye!" the surgeon kept ordering. The two bean-bag animals (that the nurse placed in my hands) did little to calm me. I practically crushed the poor creatures.

    In one particularly unnerving moment, the surgeon mounted pressure on my eye until all the scenery faded to black! Fortunately, I already knew that would happen. Unfortunately, I had failed to prepare for something much more important: the phobic nature of my own imagination. :(

    In the post-op area, the surgeon checked my eyes through a microscope, and informed the nurse that they would have to re-do my left eye. As the surgeon left the room, I could hear him mumble: "That's why I told him not to squeeze his eye!" Oh maaan.

    The second attempt succeeded. So my brother drove me home, where I lay in bed with my eyes closed for nearly 17 hours (most of those hours bored out of my mind).

    Excellent results from the surgery though: I can basically see 20/20.

    Watched movie: "28 Days Later..." (2003)
    Stylish post-apocalyptic flick about the survivors of a rage-inducing plague. The victims basically turned into feral maniacs who relentlessly chase after the uninfected. I occasionally sensed some kind of message about human violence. But for the majority of the movie, I mostly just marveled at how fast that those zombies could run. Rating: 7
    Tuesday, June 24 2003 9:27 PM PDT
    06/24/03 9:27 PM PDT

    Preparing for the laser eye surgery this Friday, which my brother will drive me to. "Are you worried?" some people ask me. "I am worried about one thing," I respond. "An earthquake shaking the laser during the surgery." They smile, unsure of whether I'm serious or not. To all of those unsure: I am serious.

    Discovered where our lunch trays go when I bus them into the cafeteria's conveying rack. I accidentally left a $40 Suncoast gift card on one of the trays. So one of the chefs reluctantly led me to a metal door (the door where inside I can hear squeaking akin to "Texas Chainsaw Massacre"). Inside, a dishwashing worker sorted all of the tray contents by dishes/utensils, recyclables, and trash. Both the chef and worker just shrugged that they haven't seen it, clearly apathetic to my loss. "Where's the trash can then?" I inquired, losing patience with them. The chef pointed to a barrel where a canal of trash flowed into. But instead of escorting me to it, he left the room back to his station. I didn't realize why until I actually approached the barrel. Inside, the trash grinded into a muddy, soupy pulp. Ah, I thought.

    The attempts to refund the gift card proved even more frustrating. Both cashiers refused me. So I resigned to purchasing another gift card. After driving back, I happened to read the following clause on the back of the card:

    Lost, stolen or damaged gift cards will be replaced only with valid proof of purchase for the gift card and only to the extent of any remaining balance on the gift card.

    Feeling humiliated by how they misled me, I again confronted them and held the clause to their face. To make a long story short: after more runarounds, stonewalls, and negotiations later, I finally received a second gift card for $40 which I immediately spent on the Buffy fourth season DVD gift set.

    Watched movie: "The Hulk" (2003)
    Interesting Ang Lee depiction of the comic book. Focused on Banner's and Ross' relationships to their fathers more than anything else. Reminded me of "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" at times. I also noticed some amusing parallels to previous Hulk series':
    • For an epitome of rage, the Hulk sure behaves conscientiously (protecting the good people and non-fatally trouncing the bad people). Actually seems like a nice guy more often than not.
    • The Hulk typically shows up when Banner really needs him. So by feeling ashamed of the Hulk, Banner basically strikes me as an ingrate.
    • The Hulk's pants stay on despite his gigantic size.
    All in all, a decent movie but somewhat farfetched (for example, I doubt that the military would treat such a threat to humankind so leniently). Rating: 6
    Monday, June 16 2003 6:48 PM PDT
    06/16/03 6:48 PM PDT

    Watched movie: "Jian gui" (2002) a.k.a. "The Eye" (2003)
    Creepy Chinese film about a blind girl who can see "dead people" thanks to a cornea transplant. Milder than "The Ring", and less gripping than "The Sixth Sense"--but to its credit, hair-raising in the way that it depicts ghosts. In one particularly inventive scene, the girl couldn't even pinpoint a moaning noise because of her blurry vision. Near-sighted audience members unite. Rating: 8

    Sunday, June 8 2003 11:23 PM PDT
    06/08/03 11:23 PM PDT

    The deed is done. I scheduled the laser eye surgery for Friday, June 27. The optometrist lent me a video which explained the procedure. Naturally, I fixated on all of the possible (but highly unlikely) complications. I won't list them here though.

    One aspect of the surgery unsettles me. For 15 minutes, I have to wear clamps that force my eyes from blinking.

    "You ever see Clockwork Orange?" my optometrist asked.
    "Yes," I frowned.
    "Well, your clamps will be like that!" he smiled.
    "Swell," I replied, brainstorming ways to change the subject.

    Personality tests:

    THE GEEK TEST
    19.72387% - Geek
    What's Your Magic Power?
    "You Have the Power to Turn Things to Stone!"

    Watched video: "Phenomena" (1985)
    Argento horror movie starring a young Jennifer Connelly. In short, Connelly investigates serial killings using her power to befriend insects. Imaginatively bizarre. I always did like films where the characters wield paranormal abilities. Rating: 7
    Monday, June 2 2003 2:01 AM PDT
    06/02/03 2:01 AM PDT

    Still enduring life without glasses. Had to re-arrange my desk so that I could see my monitor. Also accidentally walked into the women's restroom a couple of times. The first time, I noticed the missing urinals and quickly dashed out unseen. But the second time, a lady saw me and laughed. Wasn't all because of my eyesight though. I'm telling you, some genius architect reversed the restrooms in that building.

    Maybe I should wear my spare glasses more often, but they hurt my ear and start giving me headaches. They also look ugly. My co-workers still don't understand why I won't buy another pair. My rationale: I always considered the glasses a nuisance to begin with. Not worth it, in my opinion, to waste more money on them.

    So this Tuesday, I'm having a consultation for laser eye surgery. $4500, unless I choose the less-expensive $3000 procedure. But what fool would choose to skimp on their lifetime pair of eyes!

    Watched movie: "Wrong Turn" (2003)
    Reminded of films such as "Deliverance" and "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre", i.e., ugly inbred hunters. Featured one suspenseful highlight where the teenagers had to sneak past the sleeping hicks. But I had to frown when even the hicks followed a tired villain cliche. It's as if they sensed who the main characters were and decided to go easier on them. Rating: 4
    Watched movie: "Finding Nemo" (2003)
    Another groundbreaking effort from Pixar that featured some impressive underwater animation sequences. Enjoyed the comedy for the most part, except for the occasionally sophomoric humor (for example, Dory's ramblings and the dental torture). Also felt disconcerted by some unforgivingly loud action scenes that I think upset certain babies in the audience. All in all, a worthwhile experience. Note: Stay after the credits. Rating: 8
    Monday, May 26 2003 7:23 PM PDT
    05/26/03 7:23 PM PDT

    Nuts--I lost my $300+ glasses. Re-traced all of my steps, too. Hopefully, some samaritan will turn it in after realizing that rimless prescription glasses won't do them a worth of good.

    Gotta love that new 4–lane highway 101 near south San Jose. Breezed through it without any trace of the bottleneck that once tortured all ye who entered there.

    Watched movie: "The Matrix Reloaded" (2003)
    What an incredible sensory experience: like hi-tech performance art. Special effects beyond belief! Breakthrough (albeit mindless) kung-fu action. I have one request, though. Spare me from the Zion plot development—bad enough that I had to sit through their painfully dull life in the first movie. Rating: 9
    Watched movie: "Bruce Almighty" (2003)
    A meaningful comedy with a good message. Namely, the importance of hard work, selflessness, and responsibility. So you want a better destiny? You want love and respect? Then earn it!! Rating: 7
    Sunday, May 18 2003 1:19 AM PDT
    05/18/03 1:19 AM PDT

    Week in review

    This week seemed more eventful and misadventurous than usual. Allow me to recap:

    Monday: Customer presentation. Serious crowd, those customers. They pretty much stayed expressionless through my entire talk. I could almost hear tumbleweeds passing by. But I guess that's to be expected. What did I think would happen, cheers and whistles?

    Tuesday: Customer voting. When the dust cleared, our analysts declared certain documentation improvements as the customers' number one request. Feel free to relay this to your department, one analyst suggested to me. So I started writing the memo. Then it occurred to me that the messenger might get killed. So I swallowed the memo and walked away whistling.

    Wednesday: Promotion celebration. Decided to chip in with four other promoted employees on an evening of free drinks and appetizers. Around 20 invitees showed up. I realized something important that night. Drinks can cost a heck of a lot. Let's just say that all the cash in my wallet barely covered my share of the tab. :)

    Thursday: The stupid back incident. See my previous entry for details.

    Friday: Vasona Park barbecue. Our division hosted a barbecue party at Vasona Park in Los Gatos. At one point, a co-worker accidentally launched our department football into a creek canal. It floated downstream and got stuck in some branches. A number of us chucked rocks at it but failed to dislodge it. I even tossed bread around it to bait some ducks into bumping it, but they smartened up and waited downstream for the bread to float down. We all gave up and left.

    Saturday: Quest for the football. I decided to re-visit the park in search of the football. After noticing that it vanished from the branches, I followed the creek all the way downstream to Vasona Lake. Then I rented a paddleboat and explored the lake's perimeter. Around 30 minutes into the lake with no one else in sight, the current drifted me past a "danger" buoy and pinned my boat against a concrete dam. I sat there peddling helplessly (fade to commercial).

    Oddly, some creative back-pedalling freed me from that predicament. Didn't feel intuitive at all. Anyway, I trudged impatiently back to port, drenched with sweat and barely able to move my legs (also turning red because I neglected to wear suntan lotion, har har). Then I feebly walked back upstream, and ended my odyssey by filling out a lost-and-found card.

    Friday, May 16 2003 5:29 PM PDT
    05/16/03 5:29 PM PDT

    Steve's tomfoolery

    Feels like a knife got stuck in my back. Literally, I mean (not metaphorically). Out of no good reason (except boredom), I was testing how far I could arch backward over the top of a computer chair. This led to a popping noise and a sharp jolt of pain down my neck and shoulder blades. The next morning, my chiropractor diagnosed the pain as swelling from a strained muscle. "How did this happen?" he asked. "Um, well..." I trailed off sheepishly.

    Regarding "The Matrix Reloaded", I can't see it until Memorial Day weekend. So no spoilers!

    Sunday, May 11 2003 1:05 AM PDT
    05/11/03 1:05 AM PDT

    LAYER ONE:
    -- Name: Steven Aoki
    -- Birth date: November 12, 1976
    -- Birthplace: Santa Maria, CA
    -- Current Location: San Jose, CA
    -- Eye Color: Brown
    -- Hair Color: Black
    -- Height: 5'10"
    -- Righty or Lefty: Righty
    -- Zodiac Sign: Scorpio

    LAYER TWO:
    -- Your heritage: Japanese.
    -- The shoes you wore today: Nike.
    -- Your weakness: Cynicism.
    -- Your fears: Death and any activity that invites death.
    -- Your perfect pizza: Pepperoni and mushroom.
    -- Goal you'd like to achieve: Happiness.

    LAYER THREE:
    -- Your most overused phrase on AIM: BTW
    -- Your thoughts first waking up: "Why didn't I go to sleep earlier?"
    -- Your best physical feature: n/a
    -- Your bedtime: Midnight-1am.
    -- Your most missed memory: Summer vacations. Won't be seeing those again. :(

    LAYER FOUR:
    -- Pepsi or Coke: Pepsi
    -- McDonald's or Burger King: Actually, I fancy the Carl's Jr.
    -- Single or group dates: Single.
    -- Adidas or Nike: I guess Nike. I'm wearing a pair right now--but to tell you the truth, I'm not impressed.
    -- Lipton Ice Tea or Nestea: Blechh, Japanese tea all the way.
    -- Chocolate or vanilla: Swirl.
    -- Cappuccino or coffee: Mocha latte.

    LAYER FIVE:
    -- Smoke: No.
    -- Cuss: Not in public, for the most part.
    -- Sing: Can't.
    -- Take a shower everyday: Yes.
    -- Have a crush(es): Yes.
    -- Do you think you've been in love: Yes.
    -- Want to go to college: Already graduated. Heck man, I attended school for roughly half of my life. I'm never going back.
    -- Like(d) high school: For the most part.
    -- Want to get married: Maybe someday.
    -- Believe in yourself: Sure.
    -- Think you're attractive: To mosquitoes, yeah.
    -- Think you're a health freak: Compared to how I was before, yeah.
    -- Get along with your parent(s): Yes.
    -- Like thunderstorms: As long as they don't interrupt my electricity.
    -- Play an instrument: No.

    LAYER SIX:
    In the past month...
    -- Drank alcohol: No.
    -- Smoked: No.
    -- Done a drug: If you count over-the-counter, yes.
    -- Had Sex: No.
    -- Made Out: No.
    -- Gone on a date: No.
    -- Gone to the mall?: No. I mean yes.
    -- Eaten an entire box of Oreos: No, but I highly recommend that new mint brand. Really good. The new coffee ones taste decent too.
    -- Eaten sushi: No.
    -- Been on stage: No.
    -- Been dumped: No.
    -- Gone skating: No.
    -- Made homemade cookies: Haha, no.
    -- Gone skinny dipping: No.
    -- Dyed your hair: No.
    -- Stolen anything: No.

    LAYER SEVEN:
    Ever...
    -- Played a game that required removal of clothing: No.
    -- If so, was it mixed company: No.
    -- Been trashed or extremely intoxicated: No.
    -- Been caught "doing something": Yes.
    -- Been called a tease: No.
    -- Gotten beaten up: No.
    -- Shoplifted: No.
    -- Changed who you were to fit in: All the time.

    LAYER EIGHT:
    -- Age you hope to be married: Assuming I do, in my thirties.
    -- Number of Children: None.
    -- Describe your Dream Wedding: Traditional.
    -- How do you want to die: Like the ending to "The Godfather: Part III".
    -- Where you want to go to college: Already graduated.
    -- What do you want to be when you grow up: Well-off.
    -- What country would you most like to visit: None.

    LAYER NINE:
    In a guy/girl..
    -- Best eye color?: No preference.
    -- Best hair color?: Shiny, silky brown.
    -- Short or long hair: Long.
    -- Height: Average.
    -- Best weight: Normal.
    -- Best articles of clothing: Normal.
    -- Best first date location: Restaurant.
    -- Best first kiss location: No preference.

    LAYER TEN:
    -- Number of tattoos: None.
    -- Number of times my name has appeared in the newspaper?: A few.
    -- Number of scars on my body: None.
    -- Number of things in my past that I regret: A bunch.
    -- Number of drugs taken illegally: None.
    -- Number of people I could trust with my life: Including me, one.
    -- Number of CDs that I own: A lot.
    -- Number of piercings: None.

    Sunday, May 11 2003 1:04 AM PDT
    05/11/03 1:04 AM PDT

    Ok, I have to stop thinking like a geek. On Monday, I present my flagship project to a large room of customers. During one of my mandatory rehearsals, my manager and the department role-played as the customers. This architecture is completely eXtensible!, I raved. Blank stares. My manager's reaction: Don't know what that means, "eXtensible". Come up with something more marketable. The end result: Build your own information! Admittedly, that slogan works a lot better. But what's next for me, ad campaigns? Informercials?

    Personality tests:

    Which rejected character are you?
    "The head blob! Think hard enough and there you are! HOY-YOOOOO!"
    Which OS Are You?
    "Windows 98."
    Which Country of the World are You?
    "Japan - Viewed as the technological powerhouse of the 21st Century, it has lived a relatively solemn and singular history." Now that's eerie...
    What's YOUR deepest secret?
    I eat people.
    Which drug should you be hooked on?
    "Weed. You're the baby of the drugs, and that's okay, because I'm sure, I could do you all day."
    What is your TRUE Zodiac sign?
    "You should be an Aries, Outgoing, Extravert, Energetic, Dynamic, Courageous, Generous, Strong, Extravagant but sometimes can be arrogant, insecure, jealous, concerned with looks and others' opinion."
    Monday, May 5 2003 7:29 PM PDT
    05/05/03 7:29 PM PDT
    Watched movie: "X2: X-Men United" (2003)
    Well done sequel. Felt especially impressed by the portrayals of Xavier (no actor could possibly play him better than Patrick Stewart), Wolverine, Nightcrawler, Mystique, and Magneto. Too cool for mere words. I'm also glad that they continued the profound message about racial diversity. Rating: 8
    Sunday, April 27 2003 12:44 AM PDT
    04/27/03 12:44 AM PDT

    Just as I was talking about it--the day arrived:

    --
    Steven Aoki
    Staff technical writer
    IBM Silicon Valley Lab

    My manager disguised the promotion as a briefing. Spent about ten minutes talking about business objectives, and then sprung the news on me.

    So ever since that Tuesday, I began noticing subtle changes in my work. Not in workload, but in behavior. The change dawned on me when I caught myself staking "territory" like some kind of junkyard dog. In summary, a co-worker sought authority in my project and I shut them down. I'll let you in on my project, I explained, when I'm convinced that you're going to contribute to it in good faith. Felt like a jerk afterwards, but I had to do it. Now more than ever.

    In other news, I picked up my glasses this week. Interesting design: rimless with hooks drilled into the lenses. These replace my 10-year-old titanium glasses which aged so long that the coating began flaking off. What can I say--optometrists unnerve me. Tormenting me with their bright lights, yellow eyedrops, and disconcerting machines.

    Watched movie: "Identity" (2003)
    Great whodunit thriller. Can't say much about it though. It's a secret... Ok, I can say one non-spoiler: it's like that Agatha Christie novel (my favorite book of all time): And Then There Were None... Rating: 8
    Sunday, April 20 2003 5:53 PM PDT
    04/20/03 5:53 PM PDT
    Watched movie: "Better Luck Tomorrow" (2003)
    Actually dug this film. It seemed like an alternate reality of my own adolescence--where instead of using my grades conscientiously, I exploited them for evil. I did feel that the film glorified the shameful behavior too much--that their bad choices should have invited harsher consequences. Still, it all depends on how seriously that you take this movie. If you approach it irreverently like me, then it's just guilty escapist fantasy. Rating: 7
    Saturday, April 19 2003 9:18 PM PDT
    04/19/03 9:18 PM PDT

    Continuing to develop online help for blog.flup.org. Nothing like writing again. One would think that as a career technical writer, that I would write all the time. But as I began climbing up the corporate ladder, I realized that it's just an entry-level requirement. A staff technical writer actually has to make business decisions, dictate schedules, innovate new technologies, and lead gimmicky user assistance projects. No, I haven't been promoted to staff yet--but when I reflect on my current responsibilities, I can see that that inevitability approaching as clearly as the locomotive in a train tunnel.

    Watched video: "Cube 2: Hypercube" (2002)
    Nonsensical mess about various citizens trapped in a 4-D hypercube. Apparently, a 4-D hypercube just means that each 3-D room inside of it shifts by gravity, time, space, and quantum universe. Actually somewhat amusing (in a bad way) for those who study physics. But give me the creatively booby-trapped rooms from "Cube 1" anyday. Rating: 4
    Took personality test: "The Inner Child Test"
    Old Man Winter Baby (Normal Ignored Functional Adult).
    Sunday, April 13 2003 11:46 PM PDT
    04/13/03 11:46 PM PDT
    Watched movie: "Phone Booth" (2003)
    Entertaining "real-time" premise where a sniper keeps Colin Farrell trapped in a phone booth, and plays with his head for most of the movie. Seemed to have a point about cell phones and society--but that point escaped me. Rating: 7
    Sunday, April 6 2003 7:07 PM PDT
    04/06/03 7:07 PM PDT
    Sin City

    Huge sensory experience. Electronic billboards, jangling slot machines, flashing lights, smoke, gambling brides, and exhibitionism everywhere. Too bad my photos couldn't capture the night scenery that well. Some of my impressions:

    Gimmicky casinos/hotels
    Although the casinos started to blur together, I liked the Luxor's mirrored pyramid the best. The hotel rooms stacked diagonally, converging into a tall beam of light. It featured a wild I-Max Ridefilm ("In Search of the Obelisk") that deceived me so well that I practically crushed the handlebars. The Blue Man Group also performed in this hotel.
    Gambling
    I discovered that slot machines really bore me. I quit after five dollars. Even then, I started getting impatient whenever the machine jangled and awarded more credits. I just wanted the machine to let me leave. The blackjack tables deterred me with high minimums and crowded seats. Also took a craps lesson, but still felt confused by the rules and ended up leaving Vegas without gambling more than $5 (and change).
    Attended concert: "Blue Man Group—Live at Luxor"
    Although parts of this performance art occasionally confused me, most of the skits highly amused me. Definitely worth seeing at least once in your lifetime. The premise: three curious blue guys (aliens?) experimented with dyes, art, culture, food, and music. These guys stared a whole lot. When one of them went overboard on an experiment, the other two stared at him blankly. They also reacted to the audience a lot. Clapping, laughter, and other noises made the blue men pause and look outward. Furthermore, they often explored the crowd to recruit volunteers, dance, and just stare at uneasy individuals. Their behavior reminded me a lot of my own group dynamic. :)
    Sunday, March 16 2003 2:38 PM PST
    03/16/03 2:38 PM PST

    Pretty good Simpsons episode last week--especially the segment where the flight path moved over their house. That happened to me one time, and it seemed futile to do anything about it.

    Watched movie: "Irreversible" (2003)
    The premise sounded interesting: real-time, backwards-chronological revenge plot. But after seeing it, I'd summarize this movie experience as: sickening beyond belief. I actually regret sitting through the whole thing. Much of the audience walked out. Allow me to list the elements that I found offensive (spoiler alert):
    • At the beginning, the credits flickered in a seizure-inducing way. Although I'm not prone to seizures, I started feeling lousy and had to shut my eyes until the credits ended.
    • The first sequence flooded the theater with relentless expletives, sodomy, a nauseating pulsating noise, and very explicit violence. By explicit violence, I am referring to the most gruesome bludgeoning that I have ever witnessed. The guy's head...well, I won't disgust you with details.
    • For about 30 minutes, the camera spun around in a motion-sickening way. At this point, one batch of the audience walked out because they realized that the whole movie might keep on twirling like this. Thankfully, it eventually stopped—but the ordeal did not end there.
    • About 30 minutes later, the movie reached its lowest point of depravity: a graphic sexual assault. I swear that the scene must have lasted for about ten minutes. At this point, another batch of the audience walked out in total disgust.
    • As if the first 90 minutes weren't bad enough, the movie ended with a brutal high-pitched noise and more seizure-inducing flashes. Then the audience members looked around, wondering if the movie ended.
    I'm sure it goes without saying, but when you see the warning sign on the cashier's window about the graphic violence, you take it seriously. Oh, and one other warning from me: don't see this movie! Rating: 1
    Saturday, March 8 2003 5:47 PM PST
    03/08/03 5:47 PM PST
    I'd have to say it was a good day...

    Last night, I experienced one of the greatest moments of my board gaming life. Typically when I play "Trivial Pursuit", one pie slice always blocks me: orange (sports trivia). This "Trivial Pursuit" even covered the last 20 years (1982–2002)—years that I actually lived through. So late last night—after missing every sports question—I ended up landing on that orange pie slice for the gazillionth time (the last one that I needed). Realizing that we only had mere minutes until the "hard stop" that everyone agreed to, I declared aloud: "Let's call it a night whether or not I get this question."

    So the other players glanced at the final sports question, and started snickering at the improbability that I would know it. "Which cornerback batted 3–for–3 in his first major league series game?" I mulled it over—mustering what little I knew about the past 20 years of sports—and to their dismay, nailed the right answer! Dionne Sanders. Nothin' but net. :)

    To top it off, I checked my mailbox that night and discovered my ultra-important W2 from (which disappeared in the mail for weeks). "I'd have to say it was a good day."

    Also reserved a hotel room for the Las Vegas trip at the end of this month. Pretty good deal: $39 a night at Circus Circus hotel for a limited time only.

    Friday, February 28 2003 3:38 PM PST
    02/28/03 3:38 PM PST

    Maaaaan..."Buffy: The Vampire Slayer" is ending this season. :(

    Sunday, February 23 2003 3:03 PM PST
    02/23/03 3:03 PM PST

    Almost there...

    Man, working so many long hours. But come the end of this month, the question will become how to spend the free time. To help me, I started a checklist of lifetime goals.

    Watched movie: "Daredevil" (2003)
    An alright adaptation. The original comic had a grittier edge though. Props to Jennifer Garner and Colin Farrell. Rating: 5
    Sunday, February 2 2003 2:48 PM PST
    02/02/03 2:48 PM PST

    Working at IBM yesterday, when out of nowhere the security office decided to blare classical music over the intercom. Maybe they felt inspired by "The Shawshank Redemption".

    Speaking of music, I finished tabulating the results of my recent music video survey. This has become a regular six month tradition. For two times a year, I video-tape two hours worth of music videos and then invite people I know to rank the songs/videos from 1 to 29. Oddly, "Lose Yourself" by Eminem topped the songs chart this time around even though none of us ranked it higher than a 3.

    Watched movie: "Catch Me If You Can" (2002)
    Mildly entertaining "grifter" type movie. Rating: 6
    Watched movie: "Final Destination 2" (2003)
    Very fun horror flick. Chock full of even more creatively "accidental" deaths than the first movie. Starts out with a jaw-dropping traffic accident. Huge body-count. Then, the victims face a series of "red herring" dangers--always dying in a completely unexpected way. Interestingly, these deaths make a certain mathematical sense. If you like horror, I highly recommend this movie. Rating: 9
    Watched movie: "Darkness Falls" (2003)
    This movie went overboard on the "made-you-jump" moments. It had so many that I eventually became de-sensitized to them. The screaming lady behind me didn't help matters. Rating: 4
    Sunday, January 12 2003 3:38 PM PST
    01/12/03 3:38 PM PST
    Watched video: "Double Indemnity" (1944)
    Classic film noir about a "femme fatale" and a smart insurance agent staging an elaborate murder. Grows more and more suspenseful as the investigator starts unraveling their plot. Usually, I find old-time movies corny, but this one kept me on the edge of my seat. Guess I'm not used to seeing such diabolical black-and-white protagonists. Rating: 9
    Watched movie: "Adaptation" (2002)
    One of those movies where the main character acts so pathetically that you want to reach into the screen and shake him. Not just because of the behavior, but because I saw a lot of myself in him, and wanted him to make better choices. First, he overanalyzed himself so much that it paralyzed his social life. Second, he let the popularity of his oblivious twin brother get to him. Third, he trapped himself into a situation where writer's block could jeopardize his career. Admittedly though, despite all the times I cringed during the movie, I left the theater with a more profound outlook on life. Rating: 5
    2002 Year in Review
    01/06/03 3:14 PM PST
    2002 Year in Review

    Best of 2002 Worst of 2002
    Movies
    1. "Spirited Away"
      "Epitomizes Japanese animation."
      "...when it comes to fine detail, Miyazaki breaks from the pack."
      "Still my all-time favorite animated motion picture..."
    2. "The Ring"
      "What is it about disquieting video tape scenes that gives me the creeps?"
    3. "Resident Evil"
    4. "Insomnia"
    5. "Minority Report"
    6. "Spellbound"
      "Curiously suspenseful documentary..."
    7. "Spider-Man"
    8. "Panic Room"
    9. "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers"
      "...the politics and war sequences kept my interest."
    10. "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets"
      "All in all, I liked this movie exactly the same as the first one."
    1. "Jackass: The Movie"
      "...perhaps the most disgusting cinema that I have ever seen."
    2. "Ghost Ship"
      "Un-scary."
    3. "FearDotCom"
      "...if disturbing kidnap-torture scenes bother you, I would recommend skipping this movie."
    4. "Brotherhood of the Wolf"
      "...distastefully grisly...so slow...some neat fight sequences..."
    5. "Blood Work"
    6. "Wes Craven Presents: They"
      "Pretty lame."
    7. "Men in Black II"
    8. "Cube 2: Hypercube"
      "Nonsensical mess..."
    9. "The Transporter"
      "Weak plot. Bad acting."
    10. "The Scorpion King"
    Songs
    1. "Boomerang" Cirrus
    2. "Resurrection" PPK
    3. "Can't Get You Out of My Head" Kylie Minogue
    4. "I Do (Wanna Get Close To You)" 3LW featuring P. Diddy & Loon
    5. "No One Knows" Queens of the Stone Age
    1. "Good Times (I Get High)" Styles
    2. "Oh Boy" Cam'ron featuring Juelz Santana
    3. "Oops (Oh My)" Tweety
    4. "What About Us?" Brandy
    5. "U Don't Have to Call" Usher

    Music video "Thoughtless" Korn
    Music album "Trance Party Volume Two"
    TV series "Buffy: The Vampire Slayer" and "Monk" "Boomtown" and "Angel"
    Commercial Car passengers jitter to "Days Go By" Herbal Essences
    DVD "Memento: Limited Edition" (best easter egg where the movie plays backwards!) "Memento: Limited Edition" (also the most confusing menu screen ever!)

    Watched movie: "Drumline" (2002)
    Better than I expected. Although the marching band sound didn't entertain me like a jazz orchestra or rock band (for example, I felt that the snare drum solos paled to a saxophone or guitar), the movie delivered a well-choreographed insight into the genre. Rating: 6
    Watched movie: "Star Trek: Nemesis" (2002)
    Good but not great. Every ST:NG movie seems to rest on Picard and Data, and I didn't think much of their storylines this time around. Also thought that Picard should've showed more gratitude near the end. Unanswered question: Why is Wesley in the wedding party (last we saw of him, didn't he shed the mortal coil)? Rating: 6
    Watched movie: "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" (2002)
    Slightly better than the first movie, in my opinion. Still not thrilled about three hour epics, but the politics and war sequences kept my interest. Unanswered question: How did Gandalf became a white wizard? Rating: 7

    Friday, December 20 2002 9:23 PM PST
    12/20/02 9:23 PM PST

    Visited some San Francisco tourist attractions the other day: Lombard (the crooked street), Coit Tower, Golden Gate, and Fisherman's Wharf. My reaction: why would someone make a street so crooked?

    Watched movie: "Wes Craven Presents: They" (2002)
    Pretty lame. Looking forward to catching "Star Trek: Nemesis" and "The Two Towers" next week. Rating: 3
    Sunday, December 8 2002 8:11 PM PST
    12/08/02 8:11 PM PST
    Watched movie: "Solaris" (2002)
    Pretty haunting film, for a couple of reasons. Reason #1: Natascha McElhone's big eyes. Man, that piercing stare still lingers in my mind. Reason #2: The philosophical issues that I gleaned from it, such as:
    • Is it better to have loved and lost, than to never have loved at all?
    • What should someone try to accomplish in their lifetime?
    • What if life were just a random series of events with no meaning?
    • Would clones have a soul?
    The movie left me with a lot of unanswered questions (excluding the philosophical ones above). Heard a lot of speculating, but not a lot of empirical evidence. Rating: 6
    Wednesday, December 4 2002 6:09 PM PST
    12/04/02 6:09 PM PST

    Oddly low turn-out at our Thanksgiving dinner. My oldest sister moved to Hawaii, and my other sister and brother couldn't make it down. That left me, my Mom, and Dad--staring at a huge Thanksgiving feast. No sounds of crying grandchildren or overlapping conversations. Strange.

    Received news that I have to share my office with a third person now. Man, like sardines. I'm starting to think that those "Dilbert" characters have it better off.

    Watched movie: "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" (2002)
    Something always unsatisfies me about the Harry Potter movies: the lack of "payoff". They kept building up how bad that the heel characters acted: Malfoy, his father, Harry Potter's family. But these guys hardly ever got punished. At least insult them back! Then I think about the heroic characters. The movie just touched on their predicaments, and I had no real time to sympathize with them. So during the cheers at the end, I just thought, "What's the big deal?" All in all, I liked this movie exactly the same as the first one. Note: Stay after the credits. Rating: 7
    Tuesday, November 26 2002 6:30 PM PST
    11/26/02 6:30 PM PST

    My "Spirited Away" 2-DVD set arrived in the mail. This movie gets better every time I watch it. Each scene contains so much finely-crafted detail. It compelled me to review certain frames repeatedly to catch all of the background hijinks. For example, a strand of Sen's hair falls on a beady-eyed fly, and it struggles to maintain its balance. In another particularly amusing scene, a masked shadow quietly munches on a huge pie slice while a mouse saunters off with two plums arm-in-arm.

    Watched movie: "Bowling for Columbine" (2002)
    Interestingly sardonic documentary about guns in America. Although I cringed at some of the filmmaker's bold antics, I felt that he conveyed some valid points. Why does America have such an astronomical murder rate? (My theory: the media.) The movie contained some provocative stances against U.S. foreign policy, white America, and the NRA. So if you like any of these institutions, prepare to cover your ears. Rating: 7
    Wednesday, November 20 2002 8:31 PM PST
    11/20/02 8:31 PM PST
    Ah...5.1 versions of AIX and the VI text editor hasn't changed one bit. This is for you, VI: 
        ,,,
   ,  ~
   (   >                          #o#     ### #o#####
   ,  O              /|   .   .     ###.  #.# .#######.
--/  /------------,-,  > .   .  .  .#o# . #o#. . #o#  .
 (  <__     ______|_|  >  .  .    .  ###.#.# .   #.# . .
--\____(@)--OOO      \|     .  .   . #.# o##.   .###
  |    |                             #####      o##
  |----|                             o##     #####o#
  |    |                             #      #######
  |  | |
  |  | |
  |__|_|
  |___)_)                                             AOK
    Monday, November 18 2002 7:51 PM PST
    11/18/02 7:51 PM PST

    Attending an IBM AIX class all this week in downtown San Jose. Quaint operating system, that AIX. Particularly interesting: the "umask" and "touch" commands. Basically, "umask" reverses your octal permissions like a mirror. And kind of like King Midas, "touch" refurbishes an old file date or creates a file out of nothing. Maybe I'm weird, but I think computer science could use more personality like that.

    Playing video game: "Resident Evil Zero" (GC)
    Reminds me a lot of "Parasite Eve": parasitic leeches, a singing villain, heartbeat noises...and an eerie (rather than horrific) ambiance. The game digresses from the "Resident Evil" series in two major ways:

    Dual character toggle
    Control over two characters rather than just one. Actually hinders combat more than it helps. When switching characters, the person you leave nods off and becomes rather dumb (that is, computer-controlled). This person wanders around you, shoots blankly, and easily gets bitten by zombies. So just like the re-made "Resident Evil" (GC), you have to protect this person by recklessly drawing attention from the attackers. Or, you can move the yellow joystick to make the person retreat. Or, my personal favorite, you can leave this person behind until you cleared all of the rooms.

    Items anyplace
    Finally..."Resident Evil" made character inventory realistic. You can now drop items on the floor in order to pick up new ones. Previously, you would have to dash off to a magic chest, drop your extra items there, and then return to the room in order to claim the new item.

    All in all, an interesting game. Looks like it'll take me awhile to beat. Update: I concluded that this game sucks. The dual character toggle made it too frustrating. Rating: 3
    Tuesday, November 12 2002 6:30 PM PST
    11/12/02 6:30 PM PST

    Well, today's my birthday. Wish I could enjoy it more. So much work and so little time. Received my brand-new Thinkpad today, and you know what? I think I'll take it home and continue working there. Man...I knew this would happen. There goes my work-life balance.

    Watched movie: "Femme Fatale" (2002)
    I consider De Palma one of my favorite directors of all time—not because of the sexuality, or the violence, or the Hitchock homages that he loads into his films—but because of his love for slow motion, split-screen, and long, suspenseful sequences. Often, the finale keeps me guessing—especially because De Palma tends to drop clues on how the climax (usually in slow-motion) will play out. Anyways, I believe that "Femme Fatale" takes off on an old movie called "Double Indemnity", which I plan to see now because of my newfound taste for the "double-cross" plot. Upon reflection, it occured to me that "Femme Fatale" had certain similarities to "Mulholland Drive" and "Run Lola Run". Because while watching these films, I began seeing a deeper meaning in disjointed, seemingly-coincidental events. For example, I would see something bizarre, think "What??", and then switch to "abstract" mode and think, "a-ha." You know that preview scene with the two Rebecca Romijn-Stamos'? Keep it in mind. It's important. Rating: 7

    Other Brian De Palma movies that Steve thinks highly of:

    Mission: Impossible (1996)
    Remember that part where Tom Cruise had to steal the CIA data as quietly as possible? "Best suspense scene ever," says Steve. I could sense the audience holding their breath (as if any noise in the theater would trigger the alarms on-screen).
    Carlito's Way (1993)
    Great foot chase sequence where mobsters want to kill Al Pacino but can't do it in plain sight. So they attempt to corner him while he tries to blend into crowds. Like some kind of "speed-walking" foot chase.
    The Untouchables (1987)
    Excellent movie where Elliot Ness (Kevin Costner) recruits allies, each with their own talents, to feud with Al Capone (Robert DeNiro) in a predominantly corrupt Chicago. Kind of like "The Seven Samurai" but with trenchcoats, seedy characters, and violent gunfighting.
    Scarface (1983)
    If you don't want to sit through nearly three hours of gangster-type cinema, just catch the last fifteen minutes of this flick. The guy makes Rambo look like a pacifist.
    Sisters (1973)
    The one movie where Da Palma makes split-screen work the best. A dying murder victim's signal for help triggers an interesting real-time sequence: on one half, two people try to cover up the murder—on the other half, a bystander races to summon policemen to the murder scene. Come to think of it, that's probably the only scene worth watching.

    Tuesday, November 5 2002 4:25 PM PST
    11/05/02 4:25 PM PST
    Curiosity disgusted the cat
    Watched movie: "Jackass: The Movie" (2002)
    Ok, I take back anything positive that I said about this series. This weekend, I saw "Jackass" out of curiosity and regretted it. While portions of this movie amused me, I found much of the movie truly distasteful; perhaps the most disgusting cinema that I have ever seen. It's like what happened when I saw "South Park". I walked in there expecting another TV episode, but ended up gaping at the unbridled profanity. Shoot man, I think one of those "Jackass" segments turned me self-conscious about paper cuts. That sucks. Rating: 1
    Watched TV movie: "Carrie" (2002)
    [Spoiler alert] I happened to catch this re-make and did not find it as meaningful as the original. I felt that the original movie sent a good message about school violence: that nobody wins. For this reason, I considered it profound for the nice teacher to die along with the cruel students. The TV movie, on the other hand, seemed like too happy of an ending. The bad guys got theirs and the good guys survived. In real-life, I wouldn't consider it so black-and-white. Rating: 6
    Monday, October 28 2002 5:19 PM PST
    10/28/02 5:19 PM PST

    Sad day for the San Francisco Giants. Way I see it though, a team that gives up a 5-0 lead with three innings left does not deserve to win.

    Anyways..."Mulholland Drive". After hypothesizing with my brother, I interpreted the movie plot in the following way [spoiler alert]: the Diane character dreamt the entire first sequence. While dreaming that her fantasies came true with "Rita", she feared any reminders of her real-life, i.e., the slumbering tenant and the magic show. Then after waking up, the guilt of hiring a hitman consumed her, i.e., the weird old people. Still not sure about the supporting cast, e.g., the midget, Joe, the cowboy. Now, do you agree with my interpretation because you think that's what I want to hear, or are you thinking about what I said and agreeing because you truly believe that to be right? :)

    Watched movie: "Ghost Ship" (2002)
    What's the opposite of scary? Un-scary? Well, that's what I would call this movie. Un-scary. The ghosts acted too friendly. Nothing frightening or disturbing about any of them. I saw maybe two highlights in the whole film. Rating: 3

    Simpsons personality test, eh?

    What lesser-known Simpsons character are you?
    It called me Dr. Nick Riviera when I first took it. But then I changed one answer and became the Comic Book Guy. Which probably fits me better since "Worst episode ever..." sounds like something that I would say.

    Wednesday, October 23 2002 4:44 PM PDT
    10/23/02 4:44 PM PDT
    Watched DVD: "Shin seiki Evangelion Gekijô-ban: Air/Magokoro o, kimi ni" (1997) a.k.a. "The End of Evangelion" (2002)
    Because I already watched the fan-subbing of this incredible anime movie, I primarily bought the DVD to try out the dubbed version. Figured that I could appreciate the visuals better without subtitles to distract me. All in all, the difference felt marginal since my eyes wandered to the bottom of the screen anyway. I still think that Japanese voices carry more passion. The American voices end up strung together with awkward pauses (to match the mouth movements)--which works well in comedies, but not in dramas. Rating: 9
    Watched movie: "The Ring" (2002)
    What is it about disquieting video tape scenes that gives me the creeps? "The Blair Witch Project"...camcorder footage from "Lost Highway"...the video recovered in "Event Horizon"... Do such scenes make the movie seem more realistic? Is it the voyeuristic dread that I shouldn't be watching it? Well, this movie successfully creeped me out. Wasn't like "FearDotCom" (or most other horror movies for that matter) where the victims die in gimmicky ways. Rather, the victims die somewhat inexplicably. No villainous monster appears. Just a scary little girl with black hair draped over her face. Make no mistake, though, the sight of that little girl would leave a dust cloud where my fleeing self used to be. Then my worst enemy would hear the doorbell ring (see the film to understand). A final thought to you parents out there: what would possibly compel you to subject your little kids to movies like this (like the ones I saw in the theater)? Rating: 8
    Thursday, October 17 2002 11:19 AM PDT
    10/17/02 11:19 AM PDT

    Looks like thinkpads will replace our desktop pentiums whether we like it or not. Oh well. The more that I think about it, the more that I like the idea.

    Watched movie: "The Transporter" (2002)
    Decent kung fu. Weak plot. Bad acting. That's all I have to say about that. Rating: 4
    Watched video: "Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi" (2001) a.k.a. "Spirited Away" (2002)
    Epitomizes Japanese animation. Possibly the best movie of the year. In my mind, Hayao Miyazaki (the director of "Princess Mononoke") created a journey similar to "The Wizard of Oz" and "Alice in Wonderland". But while the girls of those films just casually trivialized the reality around them, Sen (of "Sprited Away") expressed genuine reactions of fascination, depression, and bewilderment. Moreover, her dramatic timing enriched the classic, unspoken moments of the movie, allowing me to gaze and gape at the same curious sights as her. An example: when Sen waited in an elevator with a bipedal elephant creature, the two of them stared at each other sideways for awhile. Pretty entertaining. :) That just scratched the surface of all the imaginative ideas in this film. Rating: 9
    Friday, October 11 2002 5:14 PM PDT
    10/11/02 5:14 PM PDT

    Finally held a BBQ to celebrate the release of our product yesterday. Twenty-two months of this struggle. Near the end there, they even enforced mandatory six-day work weeks on us.

    Today, my manager gave our department an opportunity: we can trade in our desktop pentiums for IBM thinkpads. Difficult choice. As tempting as the latest thinkpads may be, I'm fairly certain that the thinkpad will seduce me into bringing work home. Never! I mentioned before that when I started college, I enjoyed the freedom the most. Well, here's part II: when I started work, I enjoyed the freedom from homework the most. :)

    Speaking of college, I happened to catch the final "Road Rules 11" episode this week, and the cast completed their last challenge at my alma mater Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. I recognized the baseball field in the distance. I wonder if Poly students designed the aerial obstacle course?

    When I watch these MTV reality shows, I think to myself: where are the studious, level-headed geeks? I can't believe that all young adults turn into hedonic partygoers who drink and sleep around every night. Right? Right?

    Watched video: "Assault on Precinct 13" (1976)
    John Carpenter's premise started out interesting: an enraged gang chases a vigilante into a nearly abandoned police station, and then sieges the station for the rest of the movie. Couldn't suspend disbelief though. Instead of swarming into the station with guns blazing, they wasted a huge torrent of bullets on the outside of the building. Then then they got picked off one-by-one as they filed into the entrances with blunt weapons! The zombies in "Night of the Living Dead" probably could have done a better job. :) I suspect that John Carpenter re-made "Assault on Precinct 13" into "Ghosts of Mars" to improve upon his earlier attempt. Rating: 4
    Sunday, October 6 2002 7:50 PM PDT
    10/06/02 7:50 PM PDT
    Watched video: "Tenebre" (1982) a.k.a. "Unsane" (1983)
    Felt sheepish about renting this particular video: uncut Italian horror movie; banned or censored in other countries; graphic video cover. Wasn't too gory though (well, maybe one scene). I mean, not too gory compared to films like "Hannibal" and "The Fly" which to my surprise, people shrug at. (BTW, if you really want to get grossed out, watch a movie called "The Beyond" (1981).) Anyways, "Tenebre" had a decent whodunit and surprise ending. If also featured one creative "oh sh—" moment where a female teenager berated a German shepherd as it slammed against a fence (trying to attack her). While walking off in disgust, she glanced back to see the dog leaping over the fence in pursuit! Man, if that ever happened to me in real-life, I'd break the world record for fastest man alive. Rating: 7
    Wednesday, October 2 2002 5:56 PM PDT
    10/02/02 5:56 PM PDT
    Watched video: "Bullitt" (1968)
    For a movie renowned for its car chasing, it disappointed me that the entire film only had one car chase. Good car chase though. Not often that I see cars bouncing off the hills of San Francisco. Also enjoyed the long foot chases, which I rarely see in Hollywood nowadays (FYI, if you want a really good chase, see "The French Connection"). So to me, the chases alone make the movie above average. As for the expressionless Steve McQueen, what an attitude problem. :) Thinks he's too cool to reply to anybody. You don't disrespect a senator like that. At least have the courtesy to say something snide. :) Rating: 6
    Watched video: "American Ninja" (1985)
    What a corny kung-fu flick. I couldn't figure out why my friend recommended it. Then I found out later that she had recommended "American Samurai", not "American Ninja". DoH!! The film's actually amusing so as long as you don't take it seriously. It's the kind of "cheese" that my friends and I spoofed in our homemade kung-fu movie. For example, some ninjas raided an army caravan, but got driven off by a mysterious Caucasian soldier. The master ninja remarked with broken English (keep in mind that this was not dubbed): "He possessed great skills." Groan... Then the token strong-ass-African-American-army-guy (named "Jackson") briefed his colonel of the attack, eager to payback the ninjas. The colonel casually replied, "Ninjas?" Now maybe it's just me, but if someone told me that ninjas just attacked us, I'd probably react more stunned. :) Rating: 4
    Watched TV episode: "Boomtown" pilot
    The pilot played out like so: it followed one character up to a point, backed up in time, and then followed plot threads from related characters. It supposedly led up to one profound truth, which unfortunately escaped me. Something about Los Angeles drainage I think. The main characters included a prosecutor, a reporter, two policemen, two detectives, and a paramedic. If I could choose any job on that show, I'd probably pick the paramedic. She seemed to have the best vantage points.

    Dug the tribute to "Run Lola Run" (assuming that they meant to pay homage rather than rip it off). When the "Boomtown" cop began chasing the teenager, I recognized the soundtrack instantly.

    Still not sure how good the series will turn out. So far, it had a decent start. Rating (out of four stars): ++
    Saturday, September 28 2002 9:13 PM PDT
    09/28/02 9:13 PM PDT

    Speaking of senators, I happened to catch an amusing clip of Robert Byrd the other day. Bush's comment against the Democrats infuriated him. So picture this shaking 85-year-old man on the senate floor, thrusting a finger toward the ceiling and exclaiming, "Wrong!....WRONG!....WRONG!!!" Pretty hilarious.

    Watched video: "Kozure Ôkami: Meifumando (1973)" a.k.a. "Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart in the Land of Demons" a.k.a. "Crossroads to Hell"
    Surprisingly bloody samurai flick where a ronin assassin carts his toddler son around in a weapons-loaded baby carriage. Enjoyed the violent swordplay (one guy even falls in half like a tree). But to my chagrin, the assassin kills anybody for money whether it be five young men who just want to test his ability, a defenseless priest, or even a child princess. Also had some pretty cornball scenes. Rating: 4

    Jerry asked me to change the look of his SmackDown! character. The game didn't have exactly what he wanted, so I tried for the next best thing:
    "Jer-ry, Jer-ry, Jer-ry!"

    Wednesday, September 25 2002 2:17 PM PDT
    09/25/02 2:17 PM PDT

    The "Buffy" season premiere last night had a rare treat. The new villain transformed into each of Buffy's arch-nemeses from the previous six seasons. Meaning, the original six actors actually came back to reprise their characters (I checked the end credits to confirm). I really like how this show goes the extra mile to reward its long-time fans. Rating (out of four pluses): ++

    Monday, September 23 2002 4:25 PM PDT
    09/23/02 4:25 PM PDT

    Today, IBM held a dedication ceremony for the 25th anniversary of Silicon Valley Lab. The lab director spoke a few words about the lab's legacy. An IBM executive looked to the lab's future. The San Jose mayor praised the lab's benefit to the city. A city councilman awarded a plaque to the lab. And amidst it all, a California senator berated our state economy, cried out against government mismanagement, and characterized our lab as a lone ship in a "perfect storm" of fiscal disaster. As the crowd whispered restlessly, I grinned at the similarities to Lisa Simpson's "Cesspool on the Potomac" speech.

    Wednesday, September 18 2002 2:45 PM PDT
    09/18/02 2:45 PM PDT
    Steve disputes the possibility of casual time travel

    Forced myself to watch the "Enterprise" season finale last night. Wasn't bad, actually. The episode continued the series' ongoing premise about a "temporal cold war" (in short, the 31st century outlawed time travelers from changing history). Naturally, time travelers in the Star Trek universe violate this directive all the time--even the supposedly ethical protagonists.

    To boot, the Federation actually executes anyone who violates the "temporal prime directive". What a joke. If I represented some enemy faction that hated the Federation, then I could just travel back in time and wipe the Federation out of existence. Heck, I could shoot all the cavemen and wipe humanity out of existence. Too genocidal? Then I could travel back in time and give my ancestors advanced technology, thus making my faction the biggest kid on the block.

    My point is: if time travel could really happen as easily as the Star Trek universe portrays it, then history should change at the drop of a hat.

    Tuesday, September 17 2002 5:35 PM PDT
    09/17/02 5:35 PM PDT

    For those of you curious: I had no part in the screenshots below. They actually occured in the natural course of the game. Some anonymous person really did ambush Jerry; Allan really did enter the ring to call out Rene; and my counterpart really did anger Jerry. The game does not voice any dialogue though--so I wrote those captions without any inkling of how my counterpart actually angered Jerry.

    I guess you could say that they're like the "Sims" of sports entertainment.

    Tuesday, September 17 2002 2:14 PM PDT
    09/17/02 2:14 PM PDT
    Rene or Victor couldn't have ambushed Jerry. They were conspiring in the locker room.

    It wasn't Allan. He was trash talking in the ring.

    "It was you, wasn't it Steven?!"

    Monday, September 16 2002 3:59 PM PDT
    09/16/02 3:59 PM PDT

    Oh no! Somebody ambushed Jerry backstage! But who?

    Sunday, September 15 2002 7:30 PM PDT
    09/15/02 7:30 PM PDT
    Fall TV season kicks off

    Hard to believe that the Fall TV season has almost arrived. When the last season concluded, I had set aside two Summer goals: 1. Catch up on my "Enterprise" backlog (eight episodes that I recorded during my long workdays); and 2. Watch the fifth season of "Buffy: The Vampire Slayer". Well, I accomplished neither. I still plan to watch the fifth season of "Buffy", but I just can't bring myself to keep up with "Enterprise". Guess it's time to face up to the facts: I do not like this show. I do not like the threadbare plots; I do not like the lackluster characters (including the Vulcan); and I do not like the lack of moral issues which made Star Trek meaningful for me. So do I give "Enterprise" another chance? Well, I'll force myself to watch the season finale and premiere. Beyond that...who knows.

    Looks like I'll watch the premiere of "Survivor: Thailand" this week also--not that I expect much. Once again, the castaways look like retreads from the previous season: primarily Caucasian with some token minorities. Not surprisingly, they included the token Asian woman this time. But don't get me wrong--it doesn't bother me from a politically-correct standpoint. It bothers me from a boredom standpoint. I can already foresee what will happen: because of their relatively compatible religions and outlooks, these castaways will stick to the same alliance and then shave off each member one by one. Needless to say, that's not why I tune in. I tune in for four main reasons: intriguing strategies, the obligatory "gross-out" challenge, the sentimental "see your loved ones" segments, and conflict. For example, I thought that the best conflict came from the generational gap in "Survivor: Africa". So my humble opinion on how to jump-start this show: mix in some really diverse individuals that would stand the cultural paradigm on its head.

    Another good episode of "Monk" impressed me last night. This time, Monk and his assistant reenacted a murder suspect's marathon run to find holes in his alibi. Amusingly, a legendary Nigerian runner in the story actually inspired Monk to overcome his insecurities. This series continue to look very promising. I think back to what a co-worker said about it: "ABC dropped plans to pick this up from the USA network. I knew it wouldn't happen though. 'Monk' is too good for ABC." I certainly agree. Major networks tend to promote big names and/or sexy actors and actresses. "Monk" actually relies on clever writing. Rating (out of four pluses): ++½.

    I also look forward to another series premiere, which TV Guide called the best new show of the season: "Boomtown". It follows the "Rashomon"-type premise where the same crime is shown from different perspectives. I wonder if the show will portray the accounts exactly as they happened, or through biased dramatizations. For those of you who haven't seen "Rashomon", each character embellished their accounts rather dramatically. :)

    On miscellaneous notes, I took the test on imike's blog:

    Which Donnie Darko character are you?
    It said that I'm Donnie Darko.

    Also, someone new has entered the SmackDown! arena. Jerry Waki in the house...

    What's Allan-sim up to? Let's look in on him...

    Wednesday, September 11 2002 1:25 PM PDT
    09/11/02 1:25 PM PDT

    IBM observed a minute of silence today at 8:46 a.m. (the time when the first aircraft struck the North Tower at the World Trade Center). A deserving tribute. But now the lab has gone so far as to broadcast coverage of 9/11 all day on every hallway monitor. A couple of employees here grew upset from the flashbacks and turned our TV off. It reminds me of the day it happened, when the TVs showed 24–hour coverage, and no one here dared to laugh or smile. Certainly, it's a time for remembrance—but do we really have to relive 9/11?

    Anyways, in memoriam to the heroes of 9/11, I dedicate this drawing:

                                +------------+       +------------+
                            |            |       |            |
                            |            |       |            |
                            |            |       |            |
                            |            |       |            |
                            |            |       |            |
                            |            |       |            |
                            |            |       |            |
                 +-------------+------------------------------------------+
                 | * * * * * * |==========================================|
                 |  * * * * *  |                                          |
                 | * * * * * * |==========================================|
                 |  * * * * *  |==========================================|
                 | * * * * * * |                                          |
                 |  * * * * *  |==========================================|
                 | * * * * * * |==========================================|
                 |  * * * * *  |                                          |
                 | * * * * * * |==========================================|
                 +-------------+==========================================|
                 |                                                        |
                 |========================================================|
   ,_----'oooo   |========================================================|
   /||  -\|--|   |                                                        |
  ||C    _>  |   |========================================================|
   ||_ _/   /    |========================================================|
   / __  \ /     |                                                        |
   ||  | |       |========================================================|
   ||  | |       +========================================================+
   ||__| |                  |            |       |            |
   ||   )|                  |            |       |            |
   ||\_|_|                  |            |       |            |
    |   |                   |            |       |            |
    |   |                   |            |       |            |
    |   |                   |            |       |            |
    |---|-_                 |            |       |            |
____|______)________________|            |_______|            |_____________
                                                                         AOK
    Tuesday, September 10 2002 3:42 PM PDT
    09/10/02 3:42 PM PDT

    Thanks to imike for the Richard Kelly interview. The ending of "Donnie Darko" now makes more sense to me. Usually, I can accept cinematic abstractions at face value, but that film's ending seemed to convey something specific. Now if only someone can interpret what the plot to "Mulholland Drive" means...

    Tried out the personality tests, too. Mixed results:

    What High School Stereotype Are You?
    That test called me a...! Erggh.
    Are You A Geek? (Polygeek Version)
    This thing's wrong. It said I'm only 8% geek and showed a picture of Ah-nold Schwarzenegger. Come ahhnnn, ayeee know ahh'mmm geekier than that.
    What's Your Japanese Subculture?
    What did you call me? Erggh.
    What Anime Bad Boy Are You?
    Vegeta. Hahahaha. That's more like it. That fool's tight.
    The Electronic Component Personality Test
    Actuator: Tough, outspoken, and the one we'll count on to make things happen.

    Watching new TV series: "Monk"
    This weekend, the USA network replayed a few episodes of the detective series "Monk". At the recommendation of my sister, I watched five episodes of it (including the two-hour pilot). Pretty good. My favorite episodes involve crime scenes with odd clues. For example, one mystery deals with a computer billionaire who dies while trying to mug a couple of bystanders. :)

    This detective can observe his environment so well, that he can memorize every detail in a room (including the exact placement of tacks on a map), and stun bystanders with the accuracy of his deductions. But like Nash in "A Beautiful Mind", the gift comes with a price: obsessive-compulsive disorder and a complete ineptitude for common, everyday living. It reflects my notion that elevated intelligence in one area causes deficiencies in another.

    I can actually relate to some of his obsessions (to a lesser extent, of course): I never let anyone else touch my CDs or DVDs; I hate it when people leave fingerprints on my monitor; and it bothers me when people forget to return my pens. So to me, I find a deficient protagonist more plausible than some know-it-all super agent. If there's one thing I can't stand, it's smug fictional characters.

    Monk only bugs me in one way: when he takes his nurse for granted. But I imagine that the series will explore that in a future episode. Hopefully, the show will bring back the diabolical "Dale the Whale" character (Monk's 800-pound arch nemesis). I also foresee a "back-from-the-dead" storyline. A car bomb? Come on.

    Sunday, September 8 2002 4:16 PM PDT
    09/08/02 4:16 PM PDT

    I mentioned in a previous entry that I would create Allan next in the SmackDown! game. Well, without further ado:

    The SmackDown! Allan resembles a "sim". The character can approach the ring with his own entrance music, taunt, dance, brawl with other wrestlers, throw them through tables, swing couches at them, fly off ladders, climb a steel cage, hang onto the ropes in a Royal Rumble, referee a match, get ambushed backstage...man, you name it. Hmm...what should Allan's signature move be...?

    Friday, September 6 2002 3:24 PM PDT
    09/06/02 3:24 PM PDT

    I don't know how that fool did it, but somehow Jerry artifically inflated my Star Trek movie poll. What's worse, he inflated it on one of the weaker six movies. I drew this for you, man. I call it: "Jerry's head artificially imploding".

        \\\///         \\//
   / \  / \       / \ /\        \\/
  (  O  O  )     (  O O )      (O O)        \|/
   |   _\ |      |   *\ |     |  *  |      ( * )
   |   _  |       |  _ |       | _ |        \_/
 __\  \_/ /__   __\ \_//__   __|\_/|__   __|   |__
/   \____/   \ /     -    \ /         \ /         \
                                                AOK
    Friday, September 6 2002 1:49 PM PDT
    09/06/02 1:49 PM PDT

    Finally...the Mastercard fraud department removed the false charges from my credit account. Some three months ago, somebody snatched my credit card number and splurged $300+ at "Yahoo Mail Order". I suspect that the criminal somehow hacked my number from a PayPal transaction. That's when the faulty charges started. Nowadays, I only use PayPal for bank account eChecks.

    Still no word from my apartment community's lost & found. I pretty much gave up hope on recovering the lost items anyway: a videotape of music videos, a rankings spreadsheet, and an audio tape of songs that I had just recorded. A few weeks ago, I forgot them in the laundry room and returned to find them gone. The leasing office insists that the janitor would leave them there. So I can picture some selfish fool right now--blankly absorbing my tunes, re-recording over them, or letting them gather dust somewhere.

    During the Labor Day weekend, I tried showing my parents how to use their new DVD player. The hardest concept to teach turned out to be "selection", believe it or not. The VCR paradigm enforces a very linear mentality. In my parents' first attempt at viewing a DVD, they sat there watching the recycling menu screen--unaware that they had to launch a movie from it. With surprising difficulty, I struggled for words to describe how a visual interface works: the arrows move the "focus" to a new choice--be it glowing words, a border, or an underline. It made me realize that our generation probably takes "windows graphic interfaces" for granted.

    Tuesday, September 3 2002 1:20 PM PDT
    09/03/02 1:20 PM PDT

    Back from my three-day weekend in Santa Maria. Surprised myself by finishing an Isaac Asimov paperback there. Probably the first novel I've read since college. Preferably, I would catch the movie, but films based on Asimov novels seem rare. Only "Bicentennial Man" comes to mind. It kind of disappoints me that filmmakers would overlook one of the most prolific science-fiction writers of all time. Too cerebral? Too boring?

    Read book: "The Naked Sun" by Isaac Asimov
    The whodunit in this novel reminds me of those brain teasers that start with a minimal crime scene description, followed by yes or no questions to determine the circumstances. The murder mystery here follows suit. A man dies of blunt force trauma in his own mansion, but the circumstances (and even his identity) remain sketchy. His wife (found unconscious near the body): ruled out because of the missing murder weapon. The reclusive neighbors on his planet: ruled out because they cannot stand to visit one another. The robot (also found lying near the body): ruled out because the First Law unconditionally prohibits it to kill humans. Or does it always?

    Asimov's careful attention to detail impressed me in "Caves of Steel", and continues to impress me in "The Naked Sun". Even though he imagined this future in 1957, it feels as though his vision could still conceivably happen. And although his philosophies about sociology, science, and the human condition left me disengaged, I give Asimov credit for creatively exploring both culture and logic to tie together an inventive murder resolution. Rating (scale of 1=worst to 10=best): 8.

    Watched movie: "FearDotCom" (2002)
    The premise had some promise: Internet surfers come across a haunted Web site and end up dying from their worst phobias. But no classic phobias, mind you. Fear of cockroaches? Fear of car crashes? Huh? Anyway, a cautionary note: the "made you jump" moments in this film (I counted four) give no warning. For example, a cat does not jump out to signify that an even greater scare will follow. Rather, the scary moments pop out of nowhere. Another caution: I pretty much kept my face cringed throughout all of the kidnap-torture scenes. So if disturbing kidnap-torture scenes bother you, I would recommend skipping this movie. Rating: 3

    Updated my Web site. In addition to general updates, the primary revisions include:

    Thursday, August 29 2002 6:05 PM PDT
    08/29/02 6:05 PM PDT
    Try to avoid my Internet home page until after Labor Day.

    I need to publish my recent revisions. Namely, updates to my interests and a fix for the "rolling eyeballs" bug in IE. Also, more "easter eggs"--including a hidden listing of all of them.

    Thursday, August 29 2002 2:38 PM PDT
    08/29/02 2:38 PM PDT
    Steven Aoki's trash-talking image courtesy of "WWF SmackDown! 2: Know Your Role" for Playstation.

    "WWF SmackDown! 2: Know Your Role" provides a terrific 3-D engine for designing your own wrestlers. You can customize their appearance, abilities, fighting combination, finishing moves, and taunts. They can then compete in wrestling cards (they start as jobbers, of course), ambush rivals backstage, form alliances, interfere in matches, feud with other wrestlers, and talk trash on the mic.

    As an example, I created myself, Rene, and Victor in the game. My counterpart can dance eerily; Rene poses and flaps his arms; and Victor "hulks up".

    Haven't created Allan yet. Guess you're next, man. :)

    Update:

    Played video game: "Resident Evil" (GC)
    Capcom added an interesting feature to "Resident Evil" GameCube. Now your assistant helps shoot at a couple of the major monsters. An advantage? Hardly. It just attracts the monster's attention and jeopardizes the assistant. Now I have to fight the monster and protect the assistant. So picture Rebecca and her pea shooter firing at Tyrant; Tyrant getting annoyed and about to impale her; me yelling "Noooo!" and running in front of his swipe; me flying all the way across the heliport; Rebecca reloading and firing her pea shooter at Tyrant again; Tyrant getting annoyed again; me trying to get Tyrant's attention as bullets strafe his body.

    And then there's a new mid-way monster: Lisa. Some kind of grotesque, hunchbacked lady. Barry or Wesker just stand on the side of a cliff firing at her. One tap from her knocks them to their death. Once again, Chris or Jill has to preoccupy her. Admittedly, the assistant's shots have saved me from her death swipe.

    Recently unlocked a bonus mode. It's the same game, but now all the monsters turn invisible. Kind of hilarious, actually. Like when I stab a dagger into a zombie's head, the dagger floats through the air. Considerably harder to dodge or shoot at them too. Have to rely on memory, noises, and instinct. And as you can imagine, fighting bosses gets somewhat tricky. Rating: 10