Top 10 Movies of 2008 (In no particular order)

Another day, another list. Perhaps Entertainment Weekly can hire me to write these arbitrary things.

1. Let the Right One In
Vampire romance that is more psychological than that melodramatic trainwreck people call Twilight.

2. Forgetting Sarah Marshall
When Jason Segel’s wang was exposed a bunch of teenage boys in unison yelled, “Eww,” to which I yelled back, “Don’t be afraid of something you’ve already had in your mouth!” I got daps from James.

3. Run, Fatboy, Run
David Schwimmer + Michael Ian Black + Simon Pegg = Comedy Gold, though the real star of this movie is Bernard Black himself, Dylan Moran.

4. Quantum of Solace
I never liked the Bond movies until Daniel Craig was in them.

5. Kung Fu Panda
The Asian in me should hate this, but fuck it, this movie was awesome if only for the part where Jack Black’s Po says, “There is no price for this awesomeness or attractiveness!”

6. Wall-E
Pixar’s version of “Clarity.”

7. Zack and Miri Make a Porno/Role Models
I’m a fan of Kevin Smith and David Wain, respectively and even though “Zack and Miri” didn’t do shit at the box office, it doesn’t take away from the fact that it was ridiculously funny. On the opposite end of the spectrum, “Role Models” did tremendously well and was able to combine David Wain’s ultra-nerd humor with viable commercial success.

8. The Dark Knight
Heathus will live forever as he channeled Brian Bolland and Alan Moore’s version of the Joker. Also Gary Oldman’s kinda hot.

9. Definitely, Maybe
Why isn’t Ryan Reynolds in more movies?

10. Iron Man
I love comics and I dig how Marvel is angling to do the Ultimates-version of the Avengers for the big screen. That is, if they don’t get too bloated (Punisher War Zone? Really, guys?).

Review: Twilight (Movie)

edge of quarrel contest

So as some of you may or may not know, I'm a pretty huge fan of the movie "Edge of Quarrel." If you yourself are not familiar with this movie, take a few minutes and read this. I'll wait.




Done? Okay, so I have a tattoo inspired by this movie and apparently, director/writer, Dave Larson of Excursion Records is having a contest in which he's giving away the phone that is the basis of my tattoo. Totally fresh! Next month, Excursion is releasing this movie on DVD (finally) and I highly suggest you preorder that shit. The movie aside, there's also some pretty awesome performances by Trial, Murder City Devils and Botch (all R.I.P.).

From the Screen to Your Crappy Blog

New Found Glory
"From the Screen To Your Stereo 2"
(Drive Thru)

I've always had this soft spot for New Found Glory. I don't know if it's because they're catchy as hell or if it's because they're a group of unapologetic suburbanites, not unlike some of the dudes that I'm friends with. Regardless, NFG is one of those bands that does ridiculously outlandish covers, so much so, that on occasion, the covers eclipse the original. A few years ago, these Floridians busted out an EP of movie covers called "From the Screen To Your Stereo," and doing their renditions of Aerosmith, Celine Dion and Peter Cetera jams.

Just like Hollywood, NFG finds themselves revisiting this concept with the appropriately titled "From the Screen To Your Stereo 2," covering the likes of Sixpence None the Richer ("Kiss Me"), Madonna ("Crazy For You") and Tears For Fears ("Head Over Heels"). Like other bloated Hollywood sequels, the New Found kids play host to a bunch of cameos from other emo superstars like Max Bemis of Say Anything and Adam Lazzara of Taking Back Sunday. Actually, there is one suprise guest in the form of Lisa Loeb who chimes in for a revisit of her hit, "Stay."

This record isn't as offensive as it reads. Of course it's overproduced and some of the cover choices are questionable at best (the theme from "Amelie"). Otherwise, it's everything you'd expect a New Found Glory record to be: fun, catchy and enjoyable.

Last Transformers-Related Post, I Swear

Over the weekend, I finally went out to watch "Transformers." I had to see it with my friend James because a) he's is also an 80's baby, so you have to watch it with your brethren, and b) he was the only one who wanted to watch it with me.

Here are some opinions before I get on to the jump off:

Michael Bay sucks
Michael Bay's movies suck (except for Con Air and/or The Rock)
Robots are cool
Megan Fox is pretty banging, but she's way too young (even though she's like 21)
Shia LeBeouf pretty awesome in the movie. Totally forgive him for that "Battle of Shaker Heights" flick, now.

So yeah, right off the bat, this movie is filled with little jabs and nerd humor including a Camero hitting the fuck out of VW bug and lifting lines from the original animated movie. I have a feeling Michael Bay is smarter than we give his commercial-directing-ass credit for since he put super hot girls as the female leads and he probably realizes that the demographic appreciated some of the not-so-subtle boob flashes. Despite these huge flaws, it was still pretty cool. Getting the original voice of Optimus Prime, Peter Cullen, to reprise his voice is fucking genius. Oh and John Turturro was a good add, too.

So yeah, while the movie lacked in certain aspects, all in all, it's probably my favorite sci-fi movie since "Sky Captain."

benefitting from synergy

Right now, no more than a block away from my office, there stands an actual, real-life Kwik-E-Mart. No joke.

In the greatest act of marketing ever, 7-11 (no doubt with a little push from 20th Century Fox) have turned some of their stores into Kwik-E-Marts, which is in conjunction with the upcoming "Simpsons" full-length feature. Seattle, luckily, is one of the cities to benefit from this synergy. I had the opportunity to snag a Slurpee -- or Squishy -- at the recently erected Kwik-E-Mart, emblazoned with images of The Simpsons and Comic Book Guy. At the front counter stands issues of "Radioactive Man," near the door are cases of Buzz Cola (as opposed to the ubiquitous Duff Beer -- though Fox probably doesn't want to market alcoholic products with their beloved franchise) -- and the employees donning the bright lime green colors of said Kwik-E. Yes, it's Springfield in the flesh.

Though I was in the store for a few minutes, it was a pretty surreal experience, which soured slowly as the local news team started taping for a story about the synergy. All cheap marketing ploys aside, when you're obsessed with a TV show like "The Simpsons" walking into an actual physical store, based on a fictional store, which is parodying a real life store is nothing less than mindblowing. Seriously.

Edit: This photo says it all:

stomp the trends

Last night, I had the pleasure of watching "Stomp the Yard," a tale about a fast-life urban youth who encounters a tragedy that leads him on the path towards a righteous life by attending a historically Black college. The movie parallels a similar-themed Nick Cannon vehicle called "Drumline" which, in my opinion, is far superior. Not to discount "Stomp the Yard," since it's a fairly decent flick in its own right, but it had me thinking "What other Black trends could Hollywood milk to make another movie like this?" I have a few ideas and I'm going to share them with you (P.S. if any of you motherfuckers steal [or sample] these ideas, I expect full credit as I am well versed with the law and my rights regarding intellectual property):

Threadz:
A young urban male with a unique fashion sense is accepted to a design school, only to have his clothing ideas mocked by his peers. Soon they come to terms with his brilliance and the film comes to a climax at the school's annual fashion show in which the protagonist will feature his latest threads.

The Imprint:
A young urban male who is in love with hip-hop tries to start a record label while in college. His best friend, a would-be rapper, is upset that his first signing is another young urban male with raw talent and thought-provoking lyrics. With tension arising, the best friend aligns himself with a long-standing, hostile label from the college. The film comes to a climax with a college-sponsored rap battle that pits label against label. Will the love of hip-hop prevail over the hostile faux college wankstas?

Get Cha Act Right:
A young urban male who is more Urkel than Denzel, recruits his roommate to teach him how to be suave with the ladies. He is able to charm an attractive townie who works at a local restaurant, but who is not aware of his true nerd nature. The film comes to a climax when the young urban male is asked to participate in an academic decathlon. Will he risk his newfound coolness and girlfriend to properly represent his school?

One in the Art:
A young urban male with a gift for illustrating, fights his way up from the mean streets and into a historically Black college where his love of art and its rich history is mocked by his fellow students, who are more interested in degrees that will help them get paid. While he is able to be successful in his art classes, his grades in other classes begin to falter and he finds his scholarship in danger. His only hope is a sassy tutor who sees no future with him or his art, though our young urban male would beg to differ. The film comes to a climax when the young urban male has the opportunity to show his latest project -- a comic chronicling his struggle from the ghetto to his blossoming feelings for the tutor -- at an art show.

Ghost Rider? Oh Hell Yes...

I've long given up on an accurate portrayal of any of my old comic faves. Though the "Spider Man" franchise has been minimal in sullying the comic's legacy, the upcoming third installment -- which introduces Venom -- doesn't look too promising. So why the hell am I so amped about "Ghost Rider?"

First of all, "Ghost Rider" stars Nic Cage, who has been in maybe one or two good movies ("Face Off" and "Raising Arizona"); but the great thing about Cage is that he's able to ham it up like no other and his take on Johnny Blaze, the stuntman who signs his life way, recognizes the whole theme of being an Evel Kinivel-type: showy, loud and, as I said before, hammy.

I'm actually relieved that writer/director Mark Steven Johnson (who unceremoniously fucked Daredevil) decided to use the Johnny Blaze story arc, versus the nineties Ghost Rider, Daniel Ketch, whose transformation was accidentally forced by tragedy. The nineties "Ghost Rider" was backed by a world that bathed in its own filth, from drug peddling thugs to high powered corporate villains, it was very much a response to a Bush Sr-led urban world.

The film version of "Ghost Rider," however, with all its glitz, slick special effects and beautiful stars (Eva Mendez, what up) best reflects the excess of Hollywood and the many Americans who choose to ignore what's going on outside the comfort of their Ikea furnished homes.

I'd much rather have my Ghost Rider as big and bad ass as possible since the finger wagging version wouldn't bode well for anyone. I don't watch movies to be preached at, I watch them to see shit explode, which -- judging from the trailers -- "Ghost Rider" won't fail to deliver.