Glorious Bastards

Inglorious Basterds was a crazyily entertaining film. It's slow burn-up to things takes some initial patience but you're rewarded with the mounting dread. The audience didn't really know how to take the movie or how to react until the psycho-german-SS-killer's name appeared on screen in a huge title, and from that point on the audience was with the movie.

Christoph Waltz's character is just unbelievable- his performance and character is something impossible to describe and leads to some moments and scenes (like the struzel table conversation with the "milk" line) that are just unfrackingbelievable.

Everything else was fun- from Pitt's crazy hammy accent (especially when he tries to speak italian in it), to Eli Roth's manic craze to the bar scene to the awesome notion of film fighting the Nazis.

I wasn't expecting the...um..alternate reality nature of the film (I expected there to be a title card to come up saying "Chapter 6: What really Happened"), but that makes it so much more satisfying.

I liked Kill Bill better, but this comes close.

Avatar musings, Facebook and Abyss

The teaser trailer is out now for James Cameron's Avatar. It only reveals the base premise and the fact that the movie will be HUGE in scale and visuals. Definitely try to see it in HD, though- some of the visuals look a bit cartoony in standard dfinition (though it also has to do, i think, with the chalky powder blue skin texture and tone of the Avatars- kind of like a glow-in-the-dark surface when seen in broad light,

Sadly I couldn't obtain tickets to the 16 min Avatar Day IMAX 3D event today- I was online and ready at noon PST to reserve my tickets but the traffic of everyone else doing the same overloaded the site's servers and so I spent 2 hours refreshing a white "timed out connection" error page- on occasion breaking through and seeing a list of theaters but unable top then load the theater reservation page. And then I had to go to work. By time I got home all the locations I was hoping to see it at were sold out.

Alas...


In other news I've finally setup a facebook account (I had actually signed up back in May to access some info, but haven't had a chance to dedicate time to setting it up with pics and stuff till now).

My initial impressions of it are positive- it's much easier and useful to use than myspace, and it loads and runs so much better- unlike with mysapce where people's pages are so decked-out one out of four pages are likely to crash your browser due to awful multimedia embeds. ;)

Whereas myspace is more like someone's personal webpage and kind of an evolution of the simple, old-school Geocities pages of 10 years ago, facebook is more like a messageboard system- one of my natural habitats ;)

I've also started reading Fate of the Jedi: Abyss- or, more accurately, have almost finished it- I've blazed through that thing real fast. Solid read. This series is shaping up much better than Legacy of the Force was at this point (book 3). I've been pecking at finishing the Colbert book too, with a chapter here or there.

Tonight: Inglorious Basterds!

Holy crap! Real F.L.U.D.D.!

Yooooo...Joe?

G.I.I Joe was awful.

I know it looked terrible, but recent previews suggested it might have just had some bad early trailers and this could have been some dumb fun.

Well, it was certainly dumb. It just had trouble with the second part ;)

On the plus-side, Snake Eyes and Zartan were cool, as was Cobra Commander (though his mask looks awful- they should have just stuck to the original mirror mask), and I enjoyed that they at least tried to bring the cartoon formula to life. Unfortunately, they failed to get a good script to do so with, unlike the really awesome animated "GI Joe: Resolute" that came out earlier this year.

The movie has two rather good action sequences- the climactic underwater subfighter battle is visually neat, though we don't care about any of the characters so it comes across as pointless noise instead of what would have otehrwise been a nifty battle, and the accelerator suit chase through Paris. which is actually the most enjoyable part of the movie.

Sadly, the Paris chase is built entirely around the suspense of the good guys trying to stop the bad guys from destroying the Eifel Tower. And since the tower's destruction was the opening shot of EVERY damn trailer and TV spot, the tension is ruined and reduces the only truely enjoyable part of the movie.

Everything else is awful. The guy playing Duke is so damn dull and featured so heavily you just don't care about anything. They also ruined the Baroness.

Wait for DVD or cable. Not even close to worth the ticket price.

Star Trek Episode Review- TOS 125: Devil in the Dark & 126: Errand of Mercy

125- Devil in the Dark:
-Premise: The crew is sent to assist a mining colony where the miners have been attacked by an unknown creature in the caves.

-Quest Comments: This episode could be summarized with three words- "Turn! Zoom! Scream!". As each time the creaure attacks, they turn at the camera, which then zooms right at them as they scream. Everytime,e xactly the same way.

Actually not a bad episode overall, except that the spheres-are-eggs element is made way too obvious the moment Spock first remarks about them near the episode's start. Also, for a creature so set on protecting it's eggs, it's rather odd that it would cause a cave-in in an area containing some of the eggs.

"Average".

And remember- "Turn! Zoom! Scream!"


126- Errand of Mercy:
-Premise: The Enterprise must help bring a strageticly located planet to the side of the Federation before the Klingons can.

-T2Q Comments: This was a pretty good episode, once one gets past the old smooth foreheaded Klingon look (thankfully explained in a two-parter on Enterprise, at least).

Kor is an interesting villian (one who apparantly made a few appearances on DS9, played by the same actor- who, it took me awhile to realize, was the same actor who played Baltar on the original Battlestar Galactica), though the Organians likely being powerful beings was too obvious (though perhaps it's not so bad, if taken in the context of the Trek sgaa being viewed in chronological order, where an episode of Enterprise has already revealed the Organians as powerful beings).

And Kirk was a bit too bull-headed (even he should have been smart enough to maintain a more convincing cover for more than 30 seconds).

Also, Kirk's comment at the end that "we think of ourselves as the most powerful beings in the universe- it's unsettling to discover that we're wrong" is just a damn odd one to hear since they've met at least a half-dozen beings more powerful than humans in this season alone.

Still, given the Kor, Klingon and Organian connections to the greater mythos, not to mention being pretty watchable, this episode is "Definitely Essential."

(images via Memory-Alpha: The Star Trek Wiki)

Star Trek Episode Review- TOS 123: A Taste of Armageddon & 124: This Side of Paradise

123- A Taste of Armageddon:
-Premise: Sent to open diplomatic relations with a world, Kirk discovers a society that ahs been at war for 500 years- only the war is fought virtually by mathematical compuyation, and the casualties are sent into suicide booths, to maintain the war without destroying the culture and infrastructure.

-Quest Comments: Kirk: 2, Computers: 0. A pretty solid episode- fairly decently acted and it definitely has that old-school written sci-fi feel to the story concept. Only shortcoming was the diplomat acting like a fool for the first half of the episode, but at least he wizened up towards the end.

Still, having him be a more believable and effective diplomat less susceptible to obvious deception could have made this a a really great episode. So, while good, it almost has a "missed opportunity" vibe to it, so far as that facet goes. "Average".

Also, someone should tell the Q Continuum that someone has been trying to make hats funnier than theirs.

124- This Side of Paradise:
-Premise: The crew, sent to evacuate colonists from a world being exposed to harmful radiation, finds the population to be of perfect health- and under the influence of spores that induce happy feelings, which begin to infect the entire crew.

-Quest Comments: This is definitely a "been there, done that" for this series, as much of the concept (mainly the "outside influence making populations content, and how that stagnates a society" angle) is a retread of "Return of the Archons", while the spreading spores harkens back to The Naked Time.

However, this episode isn't all that offensive or annoying like Naked Time, nor does it have a huge element left unexplained like the Festival from Archons- it's just kinda dull for the most part.

Also, the flower that spores Kirk comes out of nowhere, which is kinda funny since it makes it seem like the flower is stalking him, hehe.

And the last Captain's log entry is spoken aloud to nothing but the transporter console. There's also the girl's line that she's "never seen a starship before", which is pretty funny considering she would have had to have been on a starship to have been brought to the planet in the first place (as the colonists were only there for a short period of time, not long enough for her to have been born there and grown to that age), not to mention she and Spock had met elsewhere at some point in the past.

I also have to comment that any attempt thus far to make Spock work with feelings has never really been executed very successfully- every time I see him smiling with a grin, i just keep being reminded of Nimoy's Hobbit song...

I'd classify it as "OK, But Not Essential".

(images via Memory-Alpha: The Star Trek Wiki)

Why is the Borg Queen trying to sell me a Palm Pre?

Just wonderin', cause, she's creeping me out.






I actually found out about the Palm pre after I had already seen the ads- I had just been tivo'ing through them so I never heard what they were about- only noted how they were kinda creepy. Then I read about the Palm Pre and it sounded kinda neat (and it's nice that Palm is making a comeback after all these years- still not as awesome as an iPhone, obviously), then a few days later I finally stopped to hear what those ads were about and was surprised to discover it was about the Pre. Go figure.

Star Trek Episode Review- TOS 121: Return of the Archons & 122: Space Seed

121- Return of the Archons:
-Premise: The crew, investigating the dissapearance of another ship from 100 years ago, encounter a world being brainwashed into a peaceful and tranquil society.

-Quest Comments: I liked this one- though not as much as others. Still, I got a crack out of the "You will be absorbed!" line, if only because I had that line as a sound file on my computer lonnng ago (probably about 10 years at least) that I had downloaded off of AOL, but never knew where it was from.

Anyways, the only major problem with the episode is the "festival" riots that played a prominent role in the early part of the episode was never explained, so it comes across as pretty random after all is said and done. Another "OK Episode, But Not Necessarily Essential".

Bit of trivia: this is the first time they mention the prime directive and the first time Kirk talks a computer to death. Kirk: 1, Computers: 0.

122- Space Seed:
-Premise: Episode to which Wrath of Khan is the sequel to. The Enterprise discovers a sleeper ship carrying several enahnced humans aboard- including one Khan Noonien Singh.

-Quest Comments: KHAAAAAANNNN!!!!! Though the chick who falls for Khan is written too weak for my tastes, her addiction to him is played well. Any complaints aside- Khan is cool, and watching Ricardo play him is just fun. With it being the basis for Star Trek II, it, above any other episode in this series, so far as I can tell, is Definite;y Essential.

(images via Memory-Alpha: The Star Trek Wiki)

Random Quote

"You named...a unit of measurement...after yourself..."

Alien prequel on the way

Ridley Scott (the director of the original Alien) has signed on to do a prequel to Alien. Should be interesting- it's something Scott has expressed interest in for some time (see the commentary tracks for the various Alien DVDs that have come out over the past 10+ years). We might finally learn about the Space Jockey species.

I'm a bit surprised he signed on to do it though- intial word was he would only produce but allow his protege to direct the film, an idea which Fox veto'd. Would have thought that might have soured him to the idea.

Star Trek Episode Review- TOS 119: Tommorrow is Yesterday & 120: Court Martial

119- Tommorow Is Yesterday:
-Premise: An accident ends up sending the Enterprise back in time to the 1960's.

-Quest Comments: Fun little time travel adventure. This was originally going to be a 2-parter with The Naked Time, but they were separated, and doing so basicly renders that little time travel forumla thing at the end of TNT irrelvant since it's not used at all in this episode. The "transporter replacement" trick at the end for returning the various people really made no sense at all, though. Ah well, neither did the "drop-kick across time" in Enterprise, so it's kind of a running theme with Trek time travel stories I guess

Kirk's one line, responding to the threat of being locked up for the next 200 years, of "That ought to be about right." was actually pretty good too. Unexpectedly clever for the generally poor dialogue the show has.

In the end, with the time travel aspect, I'll put this one in as "Definitely Essential".


120- Court Martial:
-Premise: Kirk is put on trial for possible negligence in the death of a crew member when the computer logs contradict his statement of events.

-Quest Comments: Ok, Starfleet court episodes generally suck. I'm not opposed to having a court drama episode, but this one was done very poorly, and has a couple really terrible performances (the guy who died and his daughter- must be genetic) combined with some bad plot holes.

You have the one lawyer who makes a big deal of books vs computers, but does nothing to challenge the computer until Spock shows up, basicly willing to give up without any cross exaimination. I'd have fired the buffoon.

Additionally, the romance with the prosecution chick really doesn't add anything to the plot or any drama or tension between them- what little there is feels artifical as a result.

Also, I can't help but laugh at the guy who insists on finishing the court despite the fact that the ship is losing orbit- hello? you're crashing. Maybe you should finish that little court thing later.

There's also the plot point of them amplifying the audio aboard the ship (1 to the 4th power...which would be...1), which, while an interesting idea, is not executed or integrated well at all. If we can hear people's heartbeats, why not their breathing or all the talking on the bridge? Or the various machinery?

Also, it seems the only tool in engineering is a really big wrench. LOL! And why does the entire ship shake from Kirk pulling some power cables? The engines weren't on, so there's no kickback taking place. "That. Does Not. Make. Sense. If Chewbacca lives on Endor, you must acquit."

The court rules that this episode, though not entirely unwatchable, is forgettable. Court adjourned.

(images via Memory-Alpha: The Star Trek Wiki)

Star Trek Episode Review- TOS 117: The Squire of Gothos & 118: Arena

117- The Squire of Gothos:
-Premise: A powerful being fascinated by mankind's past keeps members of the crew inside his mansion, manipulating the reality around them at his will.

-Quest Comments: Not a bad episode, though I started to suspect this was the "Futurama episode ending" episode towards the end. Still, though some silliness occur at times (am I the only one who find Uhura to be an absolutely worthless character?) no particularly terrible 60's acting pops up, so it ends up being a decent episode. I'll classify it in the same "Average" grouping.

Also worth noting that one Trek book out there suggests Trelane is actually a member of the Q, which is an interesting connection should it ever be canonized.

118- Arena:
-Premise: After a Starfleet outpost is destroyed by an unknown ship, the Enterprise pursues, only for Kirk to be forced to face his opponent, a Gorn captain, in personal combat on a planet by more powerful entities.

-Quest Comments: This ones pretty cheesy (I mean, that Gorn costume and his slow-mo punches are just laughable), but it is watchable. The chemistry solution was rather obvious though (Kirk can't be that dense). When watching this I suspected this was the episode that had footage used in Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey, and I was right ::).

Overall, given the Gorn presence (later seen again on Enterprise) and the Bill & Ted connection, I'm willing to list it as "Potentially Essential, But Not Necessarily Good".

(images via Memory-Alpha: The Star Trek Wiki)

Comments on Funny People

Caught Funny People earlier this evening. It's a good flick, but don't go in expecting a straight comedy. It's very much a dramedy, and has the runtime to back it- the flick is just a little under 2.5 hours long.

The comedy comes mostly from the bits of the actual comedians and their interactions with each other, rather than an actual comedic tone with the material itself, if that makes any sense.

Still, it comes across as emotionally true and seems somewhat realistic in it's portrayal of things (Eric Bana and Jason Schwartzman are probably the strangest characters in the movie and even they aren't that off).