Movies, Sports, and Life


Top 5 Worst Movies of All Time


1) The Spirit. There is not doubt in my mind that this is the worst movie ever made the history of motion picture. Prior to seeing this disaster, every review I read was (surprisingly) negative. I made a posting about this movie hinting it was probably a below par and replica of Sin City's stunning visuals. However, both of my predictions were wrong.

This movie lacked off the bat a plot. As the view we are thrown into a story line that seemingly feels like you are watching what should be the middle of the movie. Director Frank Miller, assumes the audience will have the ability to pick up on the vitals of the plot: a super hero fighting crime. What contributes to making the plot seem imcomprehensible is the lack of character development. Every character introduced with little or no character development. The audience isn't given a chance to build some understanding of the characters, such as their motives, reasoning, feelings, etc. The characters are literally through into the plot with seemingly no reasons for why. On top of that the movie is flat out boring. The highlight of this failed visual motion picture was when the credits came on.

2) The Invasion
  • Failed remake.
  • Thrill-less, psychologically it fails to stimulate any visual or theoretical interest.
  • It is lame and possibly the worst alien attacks movie in this genre.
3) Deception
  • Ridiculously bad and laughable plot. Unbelievable, even in the genre of fiction.
  • Predictable and boring.
  • Ludicrous plot twists and ending.
  • Acting is horrible-- seems like the star studded casts (i.e. Hugh Jackman and Ewan McGregor) were in it for a quick pay day.
4) Burn After Reading
  • Another attempt by Hollywood and the Cohen Brothers to throw egg on the Republican Party's National Security Policies.
  • Crude and senseless violence.
  • The plot is "thrill-less" and "unlikeable characters who do stupid things."
  • Take the advice of Kevin Ranson from MovieCrypt.com: "Burn Before Watching."
5) We Own the Night
  • While the acting was OK, the plot was a joke. Here is why the movie's plot is a joke(a major spoiler and you should thank me for saving you time by not seeing it): Joaquin Phoenix goes from a flashy, drug using, likable club owner to an 'honorary' policeman (with zero training) putting an end to the Russian mafia.
Honorable Mention: MI:III, Ghost Rider, and The Bourne Ultimatum

lil dunn's attempt to break the cycle of ignorance


facts. intellectual knowledge. interesting insight.
  1. President Obama charged the tax payers $3, 350 to for an enhance-security PDA to replace his beloved BlackBerry (James and Rooney 2009). Is that necessary? 43 Presidents before Obama did just fine without a BlackBerry.

  2. Apparently, the new (i.e., the so-called "change" motto) standard is failing to pay your taxes results in appointment to as a Cabinet secretary. For example, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner failed to pay $43,000 in back taxes while working at the IMF (Champ 2009). Today we learned that Cabinet nominated Tom Daschle failed to pay over $120,000 in back taxes (USATODAY 2009). That's funny, since the Democrats favor raising taxes for the top 2-5% income earners. I'm guessing Mr. Daschle falls into this category since he earned more than four million dollars in 2008. Wait a second, his party and him support higher taxes for the rich, but yet he fails to pay them--odd.

  3. The Republican National Committee elected fellow Marylander Michael Steele as the new GOP chairman. He's my Obama. Steele summarized fact #2 perfectly: "So what's the standard down to, to be a Cabinet secretary? You don't have to pay your taxes? Come on (Lawrence 2009)."

  4. Finally, the world agrees with me and economist are grasping how over-valued the British economy and pound has been for the past decade. Last year around this time, the Sterling was roughly 2:1 compared to the dollar. Today, the exchange rate is hovering around 1.40ish. John Roger attributed terrible economic situation to the simple fact that "the UK has nothing to sell (see article here)."

  5. The Economist examines why Europe is so in love with Tintin and the reasons why Americans have failed to fully grasp this unique superhero (see article here).

  6. A jailed C.I.A. mole has been accussed of continuing to spy for Russia via his son (see article here).
____________________________________________________________________
Champ, H. (2009) Today's Cabinet Lesson: Pay Your Taxes. CBCNEWS. Available here.
James, R. and Rooney, K. (2009) Obama's First Week. TIME, vol 173: No. 5.
Lawrence, J. (2009) New GOP Chair Comes Out Swinging. USATODAY. Feb. 1, 2009. Available here.
USATODAY (2009) Daschle Apologizes for $128K Tax Error. USATODAY. Feb. 2, 2009. Available here.

Notes about the 2008/09 NFL Season


Here are a few thoughts about the 2008/09 NFL season before I start looking towards the 09/10 season:

1) My prediction about the Jaguars winning the Super Bowl was a mistake. Clearly, I was wrong. In 2007/08, the team was filled with potential and they finally looked posed to make the jump past the Colts. However, as we know, the Titans made that jump and the Jaguars were left in dismay. I fell victim to the biggest 2007/08 trends in the NFL: falling for "one-hit-wonders" (i.e. David Garrard, Derek Anderson, and Former
Head Coach Romeo Crennel).

2) Surprisingly, the Ravens were one game away from the Super Bowl. I believe I am one biggest Ravens fan, and I myself never ever thought that would happen with a rookie QB from UDEL and rookie head coach. Too bad the Ravens couldn't beat the dirty Steelers. However, I believe this season can not truly be classified as a success, even though the Ravens succeed exceptions. I am able to justified this because all of the key personnel were in place, which is unlike to happen next year (i.e. free agents and the lost of Rex Ryan).

3) I honestly believed that the Washington Redskins would make the playsoffs this year (at least as a Wild Card). Their 6-2 start scared me (I hate them) and following their usually trend the Redskins managed to self destruct and lose games they should have one. I am thrilled by this but still, none-the-less the Redskins ended their promising season with serious questions.

lil dunn's weekly attempt to break the cycle of ignorance

  • Interesting article about how shady online poker is. The Washington Post investigates a number of highly publicized cheating incidents where innocent players were cheated out of thousands of dollars. Read here.

  • Marie Arana's, He's Not Black, is a very truthful analysis of how America and the media have seemingly forgot that Obama is half-white. Here is a piece of Arana's opinion piece in the Washington Post:

    He is also half white.

    Unless the one-drop rule still applies, our president-elect is not black.

    We call him that -- he calls himself that -- because we use dated language and logic. After more than 300 years and much difficult history, we hew to the old racist rule: Part-black is all black. Fifty percent equals a hundred. There's no in-between.

    The rest of the article here

  • Arsenal is the third richest football organization according to Forbes. See the full list here.

  • Henry McDonald (the Guardian) investigates how Limerick, Ireland has become infested with murder and two warring gangs: Dundon-McCarthy faction versus the rival Keane-Collopy faction. Must read...here

  • If you read my blog you know that I'm a huge zombie fan. Additionally, I'm a military fanatic too. I just found out that the new Call of Duty: World of War has a co-op zombie slaughter-mode. Sweet! See the article/video here.

NFL-- Week 13 Update

  • Is Joe Flacco the truth? Maybe, maybe not; we'll have to wait and see if the Ravens are able to make it into the playoffs. Next Saturday against the Redskins will be a true measurement of how far Flacco has matured as a QB. Hopefully, this high power offence and dominating defense can keep it up.
  • This weekend, I teased a bunch of my friends who are die hard Redskins saying: "Say goodbye to the playoffs." Only one of them had a smart (and probably right) reply: Doubtful. That's because the Redskins have a freakin' easy schedule (as I stated weeks ago--see below). The only tough game remaining on their schedule is the Ravens at Balitmore, then it is: the Begals and the Eagles. Easy. They better pray that Dallas loses their remaining games.

  • My Super Bowl prediction, which was made last year (I believe November of 2007?) is wrong. I was wrong about the Jacksonville Jaguars. They failed miserable and let me down totally. I jumped on the "one-hit-wonder" bandwagon and got excited about players (this also applies to coaches) whom had one outstanding year. For example, Derek Anderson, Coach Romeo Crennel, and David Garrad, who all had break out years and were signed to long term contracts. Big mistake. I watched Garrad play tonight against the Texans (common the Texans!) and he looked terrible. In 2008, Garrad so-far has completed 62.8% of passes with 9 TDs and 8 Ints. I don't want to go into massive amounts of depth of way this team has failed so far but here are three reasons: 1) their defense lost its dominace by focusing maining on pass rushing, thus negating stopping the rush; 2) their secondary is a joke; 3) Garrad: simply not making enough plays, lacking consistency like last year, and turn overs.

  • Peyton Manning failed to throw a single touchdown against the Cleveland Browns--terrible.

Zombies!

I love zombies. I've always been fascinated by the whole genre; the blood thirsty 'raged' infected humans and the thrill of seeing people trying to out smart what seems like a given: That zombies wouldn't have brains? But who knows?! Zombies have been in the news lately and much to my pleasure.
I recently saw Quarantine, the remake of the Spanish original "Rec." Personally, I was not expecting an Oscar winning movie or anything remotely close to that; however, I was expecting this movie to be at least on par with 28 Weeks Later. As a zombie genre lover, Quarantine lived up to my ridiculously high standards.

The what: A television reporter and her camera man shadow a local fire department for the night. After a dull 20 minutes, the fire station gets a call to assist police with an elderly lady acting extremely erratic. Upon arrival, the authorities find the elderly lady foaming from the mouth and covered in blood (never a good sign). I guess you can figure out what happens next. Eventually, the government fully quarantines the building no one in and no one out. Their video documents their whole plight.

The verdict: See it! If you like zombies movies, you will like this one. I've only heard bad things about Diary of the Dead (another first-person told zombie movie); but Quarantine was enjoy for a number of reasons:

1) There was an actual plot... that moved beyond the premise of zombies. The plot actually develops and unfolds into what could be logical and real events.

2) The whole concept is cool. Finally, we see a zombie movie in which the government has some sense of control of the situation.

3) After two failed attempts (i.e., Blair Witch Project and Cloverfield), Hollywood finally got this one right: It kept the camera movies pretty steady. All of the people I've spoke told were very hesitant to see the movie because of it told through "1st person." However, Quarantine seemed pretty aware of this and did well to keep it to a minimum.

Overall, this movie is entertaining. You will be kept interested, on your seat, and the occasional fright (and laugh). See it!

In what may seem highly coincidental, it has just been announced that Marc Forster (Quantum of Solace) has signed on to direct the adaptation of the Max Brooks novel World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War. According to FilmJunk.com, "The script is being written by Babylon 5 creator J. Michael Straczynski (Changeling)." I read the book and I honestly thought it was great. I have never been into sci-fi novels but this one kept my interest relatively the whole way.

For those who have yet to read it the abstract: "Brooks tells the story of the world's desperate battle against the zombie threat with a series of first-person accounts "as told to the author" by various characters around the world. A Chinese doctor encounters one of the earliest zombie cases at a time when the Chinese government is ruthlessly suppressing any information about the outbreak that will soon spread across the globe. The tale then follows the outbreak via testimony of smugglers, intelligence officials, military personnel and many others who struggle to defeat the zombie menace. Despite its implausible premise and choppy delivery, the novel is surprisingly hard to put down. The subtle, and not so subtle, jabs at various contemporary politicians and policies are an added bonus."




Zombie Apocafest 2008 is a massive collection of LEGOs depicting with extreme detail, artistic thought, and skill scenes of a zombies. Below are pictures (click to make them larger):



See the rest of the photos here

Ayo Technology Tuesday ft. 50 Cent


Back by popular demand, Ayo Technology Tuesday featuring the one and only 50 Cent. All of American's future children pay close attention to the 50 Cent's wisdom: "I started hustlin' at 12." No, don't really but check out ayyyooo technology Tuesday below:

Ayo are you tired of getting lose? Then why don't you get aaaay Navigon 8100T GPS? This truly baller GPS is a little more than your "budget" GPS: 4.8-inch wide touchscreen, voice recognition, and a 3D accelerator to process the 3D imagery. PLUS: Bluetooth, FM transmitter, Picture viewer, Music player, Traffic Message Channel Pro (TMC Pro) - for traffic updates, Voice recognition, Lane Assist, and Outlook address synchronization.

Ayo are you tired of your canoe? Then why don't you get a 630 the Ferretti? This boat is a symbol of your baller status. A must have to show off or add inches to your penis. Not much to say about the boat because the photos speak for themselve; oh yeah i forgot, its got 1,224 horsepower.



Ayo are you tired of your moped? Then why don't you get a Ducati Streetfighter? According to Uncrate.com the bike "offers riders an upright riding position, with plenty of power coming from its 1099cc, L-Twin cylinder, 155hp engine. Other features include twin stainless mufflers stacked on the right side for added effect, a slightly-exposed tubular steel Trellis frame, 10-spoke wheels, Brembo front disc brakes, and minimalist controls, instrumentation, and headlights."



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Toronto After Dark Film Festival



The 2008 Toronto After Dark Film Festival is set to kick off October 17-24; 8 nights of "horror, sci-fi, action and cult cinema!" Until recently, I knew nothing about the Toronto After Dark Film Festival, which is a film festival showcasing a number of international inde horror/sci-fi movies and short films. After browsing their website, I stumbled on a number of movies that look really good. Here are a few, but be sure to check out their website to see the rest.


Sci-fi:

Mutant Chronicles

Synopsis

Fans of sci-fi horror action movies like ALIENS, PREDATOR and STARSHIP TROOPERS are in for a kick-ass, take no prisoners treat with MUTANT CHRONICLES. The film is set on a devastated future Earth, where aliens have built a terrifying machine that transforms humans into killer mutants. Mankind’s final hope rests with a hastily assembled platoon of soldiers led by cult icons Ron Perlman (HELLBOY), Thomas Jane (THE MIST, PUNISHER) and Devon Aoki (SIN CITY). They’re given a suicide mission to fight their way through the mutant hordes and shut down the machine, or die trying. An unmissable thrill ride for dark sci-fi fans.
- Adam Lopez

Lopez forgot to mention that John Malkovich has a lead in the film.





Zombie Movie:

I Sell the Dead

Surprisingly, this movie has a solid cast and from the trailer it looks really good.

Synopsis

I SELL THE DEAD is a deliciously dark new horror comedy starring Dominic Monaghan (LORD OF THE RINGS, LOST) and Ron Perlman (HELLBOY). Part period-piece supernatural tale, part buddy comedy, the film is a refreshingly original treat for cult film fans! In 18th Century England, a young graverobber, played by Monaghan, finds himself condemned to death for his crimes, with only a priest (Perlman) for company for his last night before the gallows. A hilarious tale is told of a life spent digging up and selling supernatural corpses including vampires and zombies, and the many shenanigans involved! A terrific supporting cast includes Larry Fessenden (LAST WINTER) and Angus Scrimm (PHANTASM).
- Adam Lopez





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The Spirit

A new trailer for Frank Miller's (300, Sin City) upcoming release The Spirit has been released. Personally, I'm not feelin' this movie at all and I'm not alone. Others have voice that the movie looks almost identical to Sin City, instead with this Dick Tracy looking character. It is hard to disagree with the same feel as Sin City, through that distinct black/white comic book feel. I'll wait for this movie to come out on DVD. You be the judge.




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Orioles: Continue Rebuilding



In 2007, the Orioles' front office never released a press statement noting the 2007/08 season was about wins or where the O's finished in the AL East standings. The 2007/08, the first season of Andy MacPhail's (O's General Manager) rule has been from the start about rebuilding the Orioles' team from the ground up. This season was an examination of every single aspect of what is contributing to 11 straight losing seasons.

Importance of the Draft

In line with the current trend in Major League Baseball (MLB), young and fresh talent are the recipe for success. For example, let's take the Tampa Bay Devil Rays: 10 years of terrible baseball to their first winning season, first playoff appearance, and winning the AL East with a $44 million payroll (Caple 2008) -- compared to NY Yankees 218.3 million (see NY SUN). How was this done? Simple: Development of young talent through scouting and the draft. In September, 12 of their first-round picks were on the expanded roster (Caple 2008). Evan Longoria, is a perfect example of great scouting/drafting; despite missing a month with a broken wrist, Longoria finished the regular season with: .272 BA, 27 HR, 87 RBI and is considered a possible Rookie of the Year (Caple 2008). Yet scouting/draft cannot over shadow vital trades for team players, such as pitcher Matt Garza (11 wins) and shortstop Jason Bartlett.

The importance of the MLB Draft cannot be understated. According to Buster Olney, author of "Yankees' fall from grace stems from years of draft neglect," highlights the Yankee's failures from their neglect of drafting youth and development of talent. From the 1997-2005 drafts, the Yankees only produced 10 position players whom appeared in a major league game; with 888 career at bats (compared to the Met's 11,469 and Blue Jays' 27,427); and the "20 pitchers selected by the Yankees have amassed 1,852 2/3 innings in the majors -- the fewest innings for any group of pitchers drafted by any team" (Olney 2008). What did the Yankees do instead? The opposite of the current Orioles' strategy: fix the ship now; instead of focusing on the long-term. As a result, the Yankees failed to make the playoffs and have become a middle-aged team by signing high priced veterans (i.e., Jason Giambi, Steve Karsay, Rondell White, Tom Gordon, Paul Quantrill, Johnny Damon, and Ivan Rodriquez).

Rebuilding the Orioles

Andy MacPhail knows baseball. As the general manager of the Twins, he won two World Series championships (1987, 1991). MacPhail's strategy for this season was to evaluate the rebuilding project by evaluating individual success and organization progression (Adam Jones and Matt Wieters established themselves as key players. Nick Markakis (25 years-old, .306 BA, 20 HR, 87 RBI) also had a solid year. There's no reason for Orioles management and fans to hit the panic button; it is impossible for this team to get any worst.

Long-term solutions are needed at shortstop, first base, and in my opinion pitching. I've said for years that pitching (or lack their of) is the root cause of the Orioles' ills. However, pressing issues do exist. Mora, Brian Roberts, Aubrey Huff, and Ramon Hernandez are all in their final year of their contracts: do not expect all of them to be back. Look for starting pitcher Daniel Cabrera 's so-called "promising career" with the Orioles to come to and end.

A personal and side note, I hate Cabrera. I do not hate him personally, but I hate his baseball game and his so-called "ability." I remember a friend arguing with me how good Cabrera is because how fast he can throw and his velocity. So what? I replied a lot of pitchers have that and something else called consistency, which for all of his career he has lacked. For example, in 2008, he went 8-10 with an ERA of 5.25; his career ERA is 5.05 with 48 wins to 59 loses. He has a career walk rate of 5.1 BB/9; his career high walks in a single game was 9!

According to Zerbiec, "It is expected that the Orioles' 40-man roster will be overhauled by next season, especially after so many players on it got significant opportunities and did little. Team officials have also become concerned with the number of players who have gotten shut down with injuries the past two seasons long before the season's final out." Zerbiec notes Cabrera and other pitchers (i.e., Radhames Liz and Garrett Olson) failed to established consistency and prove their value.

The solution to the O's problem: "Look at everything" and that's what MacPhail plans to do.






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NFL- Week 4


Ravens vs Steelers Preview: Ravens will run, run, run the ball against the Steelers 2nd ranked defense. I doubt Flacco will be used much expect maybe dump off passes or screens. Hopefully, two things will occur on the offense: 1) NO turn overs; and 2) Heap becomes a major factor. If the defense can apply the same about of pressure/sacks on 'Big Ben' as the Eagles did, look for a Ravens win.

No way am I jumping on the Washington Redskin's bandwagon or pledging my allegiance to them; to defeat your enemy, you must know and understand them. That being stated--I think the Redskins are temporarily flying high-- for one reasons: consistency - an idea, term, and definition that has plagued the Redskins for the past 3-to-4 seasons. The consistency starts at the QB position. Jason Campbell is finally settling down, adjusting, and understanding Zorn's West coast offensive play book. From week 1 to week 4 there has been consistency and continual improvement in his play:

Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4
Pct 55.6 66.7 73.3 64.5
Yards 133 321 193 231
TD(s) 1 1 2 2
INT(s) 0 0 0 0
QB Rating 81.2 104.1 112.2 108.4

The Redskins have always had an 'above-average' defensive group (as of today they are ranked 14th total defense). The Redskins still have a dodge secondary and allow on average 21.5 points per game (18th in the league). If they do make it into the playoffs (as I stated it is a strong possibility) I think it will be in due to: 1) consistency and their above-average defense; and 2) their apparent weak schedule. Yes, I am aware they are in the NFC East-- currently the division is 11-4 (combined)-- possibly the best division in the NFL; however, look at their remaining schedule: St. Louis (0-4), Cleveland (1-3), Seattle (1-2: they are so desperate on their need for a WR), Cincinnati (0-4), Detroit (0-3), and 49ers (2-2). That's six highly likely wins for the Redskins. I know argument stating the ease of their schedule may contradict my statement about the Skin's being in possibly the best division in football. However, it is highly unlikely the Redskins will lose all of their remaining four division games.

I pray the Skins do not make it into the playoffs so I won't have to suffer listening to annoying Redskins' fans boast about their so-called greatness. Note to Redskins' fans: Mark your calender for December 7th when the Redskins have to travel up I-90 to face the incomparable and superordinary Baltimore Ravens.

Other notes:

  • Booooo! Brett Farve threw 6 TDs. I hate him.
  • St. Louis fired Scott Linehan.
  • Jaguars (2-2) are still hanging on-- my Super Bowl prediction is still possible.
  • Who would have thought the Titans would be 4-0?
  • I knew Denver was going to lose against the Chefs; it was bounded to happen. Denver can not keep winning week-after-week on these offensive shoot-outs. Neither of these stats will help either: 30th (out of 32) ranked defense and four turn overs against the Chefs. Denver is definitely not the team that people and analyst though they were (now all the NFL analyst are jumping on this bandwagon!).

  • Interesting quote from Don Banks of SI:
    More than ever, I say the longer the Cardinals continue to play the prolific but mistake-prone Warner over Matt Leinart, the greater chance Arizona is going to wind up stunting the development of its 2006 first-round pick.
    Hmm, I don't agree at all with this statement. Matt Leinart in the 16 games he started has 13 TDs and 16 INTs and a passer rating of 71. However, he sucked in the pre-season; I mean horribly. Look at Green Bay's decision with Rogers... that turned out alright. Why not let the same happen with Leinart?

  • Fire Lane Kiffen for the love of God!
  • Where in the world is Vernon Davis? So far 5 receptions for 87 yards... could he be the biggest flop or could it be because he sadly plays for the 49ers (hopefully the latter).

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NFL- Week 3


'Ravens safety Ed Reed picked up his 35th career interception against the Browns.'

Ravens: It is safe for me to say that the Ravens are back in business and like usual relying solely on their defense for a win. Brief stats from their 28-10 victory over the Browns:

3 defensive turnovers: 1 INT- McAlister, 1 INT- Reed, 1 INT- Rolle.

A force fumble by Ray Lewis on a dominating hit that absolutely destroyed that douchbag Kellen Winslow (see video below). Two sacks by DE Terrel Suggs- who is looking to be back in his dominate form.

Offensive though is the same story. I do not expect much from Flacco as this was his 2nd career start; however, he had two INTs. The second intercept wasn't really his fault-- McGahee was extremely slow to toss the ball back to Flacco in their trickery play-- but Flacco displayed why he was drafted: throwing a perfectly thrown ball for 40+ yards, which was sadly intercepted. The Ravens will rely heavily on the run game all year but they need to improve their passing game ASAP.

Book Review-- The Man in the High Castle


The Man in the High Castle, a cult classic by Phillip K. Dick, illustrating what the world might be like if the Axis Powers, (i.e., Nazis and Japanese) won WWII. The story takes place in the United States, 15 years after the Axis Powers won the war. While the story is 'science fiction' by the literary sense, Dick actually examines and critiques American society. His attempts to illustrate society under a Nazi regime--racism-- and class divides under the Japanese is actually a reflection of the problems within American society during that time period. None-the-less, the book is still very entertaining with a thorough and detail story about life and the world under the Nazi and Japanese powers. I highly recommend this book.

Park Chan-wook's Vampire Film

I recently saw Oldboy, Park Chan-wook's amazing drama/thriller with unbelievable twists and cinematography. I just stumbled upon this article from Firstshowing.Net stating that Park Chan-wook was in the works creating a vampire movie. Here is the article below:


Park Chan-wook, the Korean director known for the Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, Oldboy, and Sympathy for Lady Vengeance trilogy, is hard at work on his next film, a vampire flick titled Thirst. Focus Features and Universal have announced today that they will finance and distribute the film, making this the first time that Chan-wook has actually ever received US funding. The story in Thirst surrounds a priest who participates in a medical experiment to find a cure for a deadly disease with traumatic repercussions - which we can only assume have something to do with vampires. The film is currently shooting and is expected to be ready by mid-2009, where it'll most likely hit film festivals before arriving in theaters.

Source

The International

The International, starring Clive Owen seems to be Owen's responds to getting rejected from the role of James Bond. As an Interpol agent, Owen is on a mission to seek and destroy a corrupt international arms dealing ring at the helm of a major bank (a bank seems kind of odd?). Surprisingly, this is Clive Owen's first role since Shoot 'Em Up and Elizabeth: The Golden Age. The International is directed by Tom Tykwer, the famous German director known for: Run, Lola, Run and Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (excellent movie).

Honestly the trailer failed to blow me away with excitement; however, I still believe this movie is going to be decent given Owen and Tykwers' resumes. Enjoy the trailer below:






Deception

I keep trying to deceive and to convince myself that this movie wasn't as bad as it actually was; however, I can't because this movie is that bad. From the trailer, I thought the movie was going to be a pretty good thriller/drama with a strong cast: Hugh Jackman and Ewan McGregor. Do not let this fool you--the movie starts out semi-interesting-- as McGregor lives a life of dullness and zero excitement. Until by chance he randomly meets Jackman's character and through a series of highly predictable "twists," McGregor is introduced to a life of sexual pleasures unknown to him before and of course "deception." I do not recommend that any person under any circumstance views this movie. If you watch the trailer here, you can actually predict the highly foreseeable ending to the movie.


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Football is back




I'm a little late but 2008/09 NFL football season is upon us. Some opening thoughts...

  1. Redskins: I may be the biggest Redskins hater on the face of this Earth. I do not like the organization and I do not respect Dan Synder at all; however, I believe (and still do) that the Skins are a playoff team. Campbell's performance against the Giants-- 15 of 27 for 133 yards, 1 td-- was no better than rookie Joe Flacco (see below), and a total of 84 team rushing yards was not impressive at all. I must admit that the Redskins defense played alright. They held the Superbowl Champions to one TD and 3 FG. There's still hope for this team and do not write them off yet. Campbell is in his 4th offensive system and it takes time for a whole team to learn a new system. I've already heard some Skin's fan abandoning ship, however, I think it is too early for that. I still believe they will make the playoffs as a wild card in probably the toughest division in football.
  2. Ravens: Everyone seemed to be impressed with Joe Flacco's performance -- 15 of 29 for 129 yards, one rushing TD-- I was too. He kept his composure for his first NFL start and apparently the professional game wasn't too fast for him. I think he adjusted well from NCAA IA football to the NFL. Hopefully, in due time he will get better with his arm .

    Defense is back to their old self: dominating opposing offenses and forcing turn overs. They know how to step up the heat when they need to. And it showed last Sunday when they dominated the offensive heavy- Palmer, Johnson- Bengals.

    There's hope at the end of the tunnel for Ravens fans.
  3. Jets: I hate Brett Farve and his stupid off season drama. I lost total respect for him as a player on the field and off the field; however, his performance was solid last Sunday against the Dolphins. Let's see how long his luck runs by throwing the ball up for grabs when the pressure is on him.
  4. Jaguars: Despite the lost I still think they are going to win the Superbowl (see my earlier posting or here). The season is still very very early and remember when the Chargers went 0-3? Yeah, they ended up one game away from the Superbowl.

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Ayo Technology Tuesday ft. 50 Cent

Another Ayo Technology Tuesday featuring 50 Cent. Enjoy all the cool, hot, and fresh items.



Ayo are you tired of your computer? Then why don't you get a HP Touch Smart PC? This new baller computer allows you to touch the screen like an iphone and like Tom Cruise in Minority Report. I'm not a fan of HP computers. I think they suck. However, the TouchSmart PC is packing a 22" high-def widescreen with an Intel Core 2 Duo Processor. You can scroll through your music, photos, and other media files with ease. Personally, I think it is a really cool concept but after the shock and awe affect, wouldn't your hands just get tired?












Ayo are you tired of your old school LEGOs? Then why don't you get the LEGO Death Star ($400)? I'm actually drooling over this. Wishing I was about six years old again should I could actually build this monstrous LEGO creation. Let me help you understand what exactly this LEGO creation incorporates:
the Death Star control room, rotating turbolaser turrets, hangar bay with TIE Advanced starfighter, tractor beam controls, Emperor’s throne room, detention block, firing laser cannon, Imperial conference chamber, droid maintenance facility, and the powerful Death Star superlaser
wow.










Ayo are you tired of your old cellie? Then why don't you get Sony Ecicsson C905 Cyber-shot?The newest version of the Cyber-shot (coming soon) has an 8.1-megapixel camera (unbelievable that's better than my current Canon digi) with a Xenon flash. Other features include: Face Detection, GPS directions, BestPic - allows you to take seven pictures instantly, and other unnecessary stuff.





Ayo are you tired of your weak shower? Then why don't you get Dornbracht shower? Honestly, I think the type of shower you have in your house defines if you are a baller or a wangsta. Besides the kitchen, the shower is the second best way to impress your guests. Plus after a long day at work who doesn't enjoy a great shower to relive their stress? I guarantee that these Dornbracht showers will do just that.




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Ayo Technology Tuesday ft. 50 Cent

Boys and girls it's another week of Ayo Technology Tuesday featuring 50 Cent. So enjoy the cool gadgets that you nor I will probably ever hear of again.


Ayo are you tired of walking? Then why don't you set on top of one of these, the Yamaha Tesseract. This new concept four-wheeler looks like something that could be in the new Transformer 2 movie. The Yamaha Tesseract will allow you to ride around on dubs and with an all new special suspension system that allows the rider to take sharp turns more easily.

As 50 says: "Yeah, yeah I'm a hustler"


Ayo are you tired of cooking bacon? Then why don't you sprinkle Bacon Salt onto your food? Here is your chance to make all your food have that wonderful fating bacon taste with zero-calories, and even kosher certified (YES!). With three different flavors- Original, Hickory, Peppered, - your food will never go bland again.

50 Cent once said: "You know, I got what it takes"


Ayo are tired using your Iphone? Then why don't you buy Touch Diamond mobile phone? If you absolutely hate all Apple products like I do, the Touch Diamond phone is your alternative knock off. Basically, it looks exactly like an Iphone with sharper corners and a diamond pattern back.

50 Cent says: "I got the info you already know"



Ayo are you tired of your boring laptop? Then why don't you spice it up? Even though I just hated on Apple products (I still hate them), this is rather cool. This guy's blog here shows you how you can make custom designs onto the cover of your Apple Powerbooks. Pretty sweet.


50 Cent told me: "Style and stuntin' doin' my two-step frontin'"

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Band of the Month: The Dandelion War

The Dandelion War

The Dandelion War, an indie/experimental/ maybe jam band from the San Fran area, is my first band of the month. Why a month you may ask? Simple because they rock. For the past week or so I've been listening to their songs non stop. If you are chillin' at home maybe with the girl in bed, great music to have on. First off, their music flows nicely with a strong instrumental presence of guitar and piano that blends excellent with a really great vocalist (you may disagree with me but for some reason his voice reminds me of Chris Martin from Coldplay). Out of all the bands I've written about (even though it may be a few) I think their music and this band would be the most enjoyable to see live. Especially in a small bar with a few pints and your mates.

While yet to be signed, they are undoubtedly an up and coming band in the bay area. Constantly having upcoming shows, if you live there check them out. Their myspace profile is here. My favorite song, Wonders, is not on their profile but I posted it below. Listen to it and enjoy.










03 wonders.mp3

Download it at mp3space.com

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MEGA MOVIE POSTING! YAY KIDS!

Sorry I've been a busy camper. Making moves with my lady friend and with school, school, school, and school. Any how, time for a MEGA POSTING! YAY KIDS! That poor child above has no bearing on what I'm going to write. Thought it was funny... what the hell it's Friday.


What do we got today? A bunch of new rated-R trailers for some potentially great movies.

Burn After Reading


Focus Features released the band new rated-R (maybe NFSW) trailer of the Coen Brothers' (directors of Oscar winning No Country for Old Men, Fargo, The Big Lebowski) new upcoming comdey, Burn After Reading. This movie has an all-star, all-pro cast: Brad Pitt, his BFFan George Clooney, John Malkovich, Tilda Swinton, Frances McDormand , and Richard Jenkins. The plot:

A disk containing the memoirs of a CIA agent ends up in the hands of two unscrupulous gym employees who attempt to sell it.

I'm guessing the Coen Brothers will have another box hit? Maybe a Golden Globe?



Step Brother part deux




New R-rated trailer for Step Brother (NSFW). I can't decide which one I think is funnier the first preview (posted in an earlier posting below) or this new one? I actually think the first one might beat out the R-rated trailer. Nonetheless, they both are extremely funny.




Righteous Kill
In case you have yet to learn, Robert De Niro and Al Pacino are teamed up in the lead role in Righteous Kill (arguably the first time they will share the lead roles ever...Heat/Godfather(s)- I don't count that because they both played different parts in parallel stories and their characters never/rarely interacted). If you watch the trailer below, I personally think this movie looks absolutely terrible. I will state my reasoning below the trailer.




1. 50 Cent is in it.
2. It looks extremely predictable... Al Pacino is the killer.
3. They are too old to be doing this same old bad-ass leading detective cop role.
4. 50 Cent is in it.
5. This movie seems like a 2008 remake of Cop Land, instead of Sylvester Stallone and Ray Liotta you have 50 Cent and Pacino.


Eagle Eye


According to Slashfilm.com, Steven Spielberg, had the idea for this movie, the first since The Goonies. Starring the up and coming actor, Shia LaBeouf (Indian Jones 4, Transformers, and Holes), and I'm quoting someone from IMDB "the future of feature films," gets involved in some crazy CIA/FBI fake terrorist plot where he is framed. I'm going on a limb here and saying he spends 1 1/2 hours being told to d0 crazy stuff (e.g., police shoot outs, car chases, running and jumping from buildings, and probably sex with the hot co-star), following that will be 1/2 hour of him investigating who has set him up and why. The movie seems like another hybrid cross over of Enemy of the State and Deja Vu.







Hulk part deux


After watching these new trailers for The Incredible Hulk, I actually believe this movie might be decent. That is if you are looking for a enjoyable action flick with good action scenes and the always great Tim Roth. P.S. when did Hulk become bullet-proof?







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