The film had a truly great start, some of the scenes were breath-takingly beautiful and Keanu Reeves is kind of awesome in it. However, all the good in this film was dragged down by wasting so much time focusing on the relationship between step-mom (Jennifer Connelly) and annoying step-child (Jaden Smith). I wanted this film to focus on Reeve’s character and his interactions and observations of Earth; instead I was treated to a really irritating drama of annoying child whom I wanted to slap 30 seconds after him being introduced.

It is utterly frustrating to see the missed potential this film could have delivered; it could have been a great work, but instead falls into the ravines of could-have-beens and ‘meh’ sci-fi.

Overall; despite my frustrations it isn't a bad film and is worth watching on the big screen. It is still more enjoyable than the Dark Knight, so yay.

ETA: Reeves is really good in this film, and it is absolutely fascinating watching him move, and some of his lines in this film send shivers down my back. Also, his spoken Mandarin is, well, is kind of passable. That is, not truly horrendous, I still needed the subs for about 30% of what he was saying but the other 70% wasn't that bad.

Saw Twilight yesterday with nekomancy, approx 60 to 70% of the film was kind of snore-worthy, though the last 20 minutes or so picked up enough for me to be interested. The cat and I kept on giggling through the film because it was kind of lame for most of it, and I may or may not have made some comments about how, um, mentally deficient, the Cullens' first appeared to be.

The good bits:
1. Rosalie. Her bitchface and her curves were awesome.
2. Alice; she is adorable.
3. Charlie, Bella's dad, is awesome.
4. Vampire Baseball left me really impressed. I found it much more entertaining than any of the 'flying squirrel' scenes, which was just bad.
5. Jacob is ADORABLE!
6. Bella's friends! I kind of LOVE them in their dork-titude.
7. Approx. 80% of the fight sequence at the ballet school. It was very visceral... except they had to ruin it with the flying squirrel act.
8. The whole prom sequence. It was such a throwback to the teen-flicks of the 80s and early 90s, loved so very much.

It isn't a bad film; it is just a rather boring and at times cringe-worthy film, I have seen much better teen-flicks that had better pacing, better chemistry and amazing intensity between young loves, Twilight did not deliver on any of the above. Bella and Edward's relationship was just embarrassing, and it really didn't help that I found Edward and Bella lacked chemistry, which is probably one of the reason I was bored and giggly through most of the film.

ETA: The glitter was, in the words of nekomancy, like peach fuzz. I wholly agree.

The cat and I had to watch Iron Man later in the evening because Tony Stark is hot and about a millions times better than Twilight.

Just returned from watching Quantum of Solace, and OMFG! YES! Just YES! You have no idea how much I love Craig’s Bond, Casino Royale made me love Bond the way I fell in love with Bourne. Quantum of Solace has pretty much guaranteed Craig as the only Bond for me. Also, probably one of the most satisfying revenge films I have ever seen; a closure for Bond’s lingering anguish over the events of Casino Royale.

( The spoilers )

M, as usual is AWESOME. I want to be like M when I grow up.

One other thing, Paul Greengrass PAY SOME FUCKING ATTENTION! This is how you film action sequences, STOP using the fucking steady-cam in the future.

"For every evil under the sun, there is a remedy or there is none.
If there be one, seek till you find it; If there be none, never mind it."

---Mother Goose

Watched Hancock yesterday. For a superhero film it certainly left an impression. I'm strangely philosophical and mournful about it.

( Spoilers for the film because it is just different enough to make it interesting )

In conclusion; good film, just don't over think like I did.

I first saw Neon Genesis Evangelion over 10 years ago at the age of 15 (or possibly 14). The series might have been written by a self-indulgent suicidal depressive but it can’t be denied that it was a hugely influential series, introducing many to anime. The series was a truly inspiring piece of work, even if the series ending and the 2 films made me want to kill things and scream like a banshee.

Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone, the first film in the tetralogy of Rebuild of Evangelion is a retelling of the first 6 episodes of the series . It has better quality animation, some very interesting directional changes that yields a much tighter plotline. And yes, enough changes were made that Shinji is a much more sympathetic character than he was in the series. The film reminded me why I fell in love with the series in the first place, you know, before the happy feelings turned into bitterness and hatred.

Shinji is positioned to be much less of an irritating twerp. His role as a child and a victim is shown in sharp relief; a boy that should have never been put into such a situation in the first place. I admit the directorial/editorial decision to cut out most of the whining helps greatly in the positive evaluation of Shinji’s character.

The plot, as I said earlier is much sleeker and presented in a less confusing manner. Though new viewers may still be confused by the overall plotline of the series, however, considering the series never bothered to clarify at all I really can’t summon any sympathy. ( Spoilers for those few who haven’t seen the series yet )

So, in conclusion, the first Rebuild of Evangelion film is pretty damn awesome. Better animation quality, more amazing fight sequences between the Angels and the Evas, a plot that is more clearly defined, and a main character that no longer makes me want to stab him repeatedly. I will be looking forward to the rest of the films with some major expectation (PLEASE LET THERE BE SOME KIND OF HAPPY ENDING!).

Yesterday I saw Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone, the first film in the tetralogy of Rebuild of Evangelion. I have a lot to say about this film (I have pages of hand written notes) but it is going to take a few days to interpret my notes and muddle my way through my feelings.

Saw Tropic Thunder today; it is funny, laugh out loud. I cringed at parts and was mesmerised by other parts. ( Tropic Thunder spoilers ) In conclusion, the action sequences are something you’d expect from a Hollywood war extravaganza rather than a comedy. The cast is amazing, the guest spots were incredible and it is an excellent comedy. It doesn’t change the world or anything but it made me laugh and sometime that’s all you want.

perseid, stuff I promised.

Links to some of the places I read. They all have fascinating links that can lead you to places that will suck up all your available time so be careful.

AUSTRALIAN CURRENT AFFAIRS
http://andrewnorton.info/

WRITING
http://pubrants.blogspot.com/
http://literature.sdsu.edu/onWRITING/vonnegutSTYLE.html

ENTERTAINMENT
http://www.deadlinehollywooddaily.com/
http://tvbythenumbers.com/
http://delicious.com/rdseidman

TV SERIES THAT I CAN PROVIDE IF MY BURNER FINALLY WORKS
- Dexter seasons 1 & 2
- SPN season 3
- SGA season 4

COMICS
- Iron Man v4
- New Avengers

What else did we talk about that had you interested?

Just came back from watching the Dark Knight. Before I go any farther I’d like to say that I went into the film completely unspoiled and less than enthusiastic. The previews made the film look boring, which it isn’t by any means, and Batman Begins while not a bad film, was um, kind of dull at times. Anyway, overall Dark Knight is a well made film. Not exceptional but a good solid film, congratulations Mr. Nolan.

( The good bits )

( The bad bits )

In conclusion, a film that should be viewed on the big screen at least once, if only to see Ledger’s performance as the Joker, which is just awesome.

Just came back from watching The Incredible Hulk with velithya. In short; it is fun. I was happy that I saw it at the cinemas but I doubt I will be forking out money to see it again.

Otherwise go to velithya's lj for a comprehensive summary of the film.

Thunder is really freaky. Woke up this morning thinking that the ceiling was going to cave in on me, it was rather trumatising. I now empathise with freaked out cats much more.

Finally watched all of 300, um, it was rather uninspiring. Yes, it was shiny, but it left me very bored. No amount of shiny chests and thighs could save the film for me. Wait – I lied, if there had been more inappropriate touching on Xerxe’s part I may have been much more interested. As it is, the film was rather flat on an emotional level. The slow-mo was OK the first two or three times, but just became irritating the more they did it.

So, pretty but rather uninspiring.

velithya and I just came back from our third viewing of Iron Man, and OMFG! CAPTAIN AMERICA'S SHIELD!

THEY DIDN'T LIE!

TONY IS STILL HOT, AND OMFG! CAPTAIN AMERICA'S SHIELD!

It is REALLY CLEAR, and BIG, and just OBVIOUS! WHY DID I MISS IT THE FIRST 2 TIMES?!

ETA: Pepper and Tony pairing fics? Yes, they are indeed being called pepperony! OMFG! WHY?!

Just came back from a viewing of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skulls.

My reaction can be summed up as meh. Don't get me wrong it isn't a bad film, but it really isn't a great film either. Yes, it is Indiana Jones, but the film felt lazy, like they were too dependent on the fact that it was an Indiana Jones film, that it stars Harrison Ford, and that Spielberg and Lucas is at the helm. In short; not too impressed, it isn’t a bad film, but it is nothing to write home about.

( Just one thing I have to say )

Just came back from my second viewing of Iron Man. I think the movie got better. Honestly, I missed so much the first time round. It is only on the repeat viewing that I have come to truly appreciate how hot Tony Stark is. Oh, and that the film is just truly awesome in so many other ways. The movie does not lag, the pacing is perfect, the actors are amazing, and the special effects is not the main focus so much as a prop to assist in the experience of the story. Gods, I’m in love with this film.

( Where I talk about some other stuff that doesn't involve thoughts of licking Tony Stark )

In conclusion, TONY STARK IS AWESOME, and I can’t wait for the SEQUEL!

P.S. Depending how things pan out I will probably start collecting the current Iron Man comics, it is kind of awesome.

Saw Iron Man on Saturday. It was pretty damn awesome. The role of Tony Stark was made for Robert Downey Jr., and I'm very glad I stayed till the END of the credits because ( OMFG ). This is the only film where Gwyneth Paltrow did not irritate me; in fact I thought she was just lovely as Pepper Potts.

The preview for The Incredible Hulk looked amazing, and I’m going to watch the film because Edward Norton is like a god and Tony Stark will be making a cameo appearance! Also, Indiana Jones preview – it can be either awesome or really, really, really bad.

The alternative ending to I am Legend is kind of awesome. I think this ending would have made me see it a second time at the cinemas. In many ways the last 10 minutes of the film really kind of soured the whole film for me, and I think the ending pretty much had me classify the film as “Great build up, disappointing delivery”. This ending actually answers all the questions the film raise but never answers, opting for more of an action-explosive ending, which just never did it for me. You don’t raise potentially fascinating questions and speculations only to not follow up on it. I like the fact that at the end of the day, Neville in many ways is not the point, and the ending is not so much about him and humanity as about the, um, whatever they are creatures. However, one thing about this alternative ending is that it doesn’t answer the question of why the film is titled I Am Legend. Oh well, can’t have everything.

And no, I have read the book, and I honestly don’t feel the need to.

Saw Cloverfield about an hour ago; I went in expecting to get queasy at the camera angle (I did), and that it was going to be an action/disaster/monster film (it is). Except, well, except I left the cinema in a philosophical mood, having flashbacks to the footage of the Twin Towers going down, and having this need to mourn for something I can’t even describe.

However, despite my rather unexpected mood the plot of a gigantic creature attacking a major metropolitan city isn’t anything new. Cloverfield doesn’t do anything new for the genera of attacking monsters; the characters are rather boring, the monster design is very blend, and without the very explicit visual allusions to 9/11 I doubt it would be anything special.

While I’m glad I saw the film on the big screen I don’t think I would ever watch again. The experience was interesting in that I have never seen a whole film done with a hand-held camera (no, I never saw The Blair Witch Project, it seemed boring then it feels boring now). The sense of realism and the sense of now, now, now are very impressive. It captures the moments; the raw emotions, the amazing visceral images of a city being destroyed.

In conclusion; the directing of this film is tight, intense and very smart. It is an amazing display of computer special effects but doesn’t do much to make the viewer feel for its characters.

( spoilers beneath )