KING KONG - movie review

That Peter Jackson sure knows how to make long epic movies. Apparently, King Kong was the movie that Jackson always wanted to make and he showed his love and respect for the original version. The casting of Jack Black and Naomi Watts were spot on and Adrien Brody was quite good as well. The settings were beautiful and shot as if it were taking place back in the Depression-era. I especially loved that even the credits were structured as if they were attached to a movie back then. The action was intense, the story was beautiful and the camera work was amazing, especially the scenes towards the end. I was actually feeling a tad afraid of heights during these scenes.

Now, I don't know if the rest of you will be as lucky as I was to have a running commentary by a six-year old during the entire movie, but it was actually quite informative. Such fascinating comments as "Mommy, he is a big monkey" and "Look at those icky buggies". I am looking forward to the DVD release just to see if Peter Jackson himself can improve upon the commentary.

This movie was simply amazing and felt nowhere near the 3 hours running time.

5.5/6 beers

Quote of the Day - December 16

A-B-C. A-Always, B-Be, C-Closing. Always be closing, always be closing.

- Blake, Glengarry Glen Ross

Quote of the Day - December 15

"Look Marge, you don't know what it's like - I'm the one out there every day putting his ass on the line. And I'm not out of order. You're out of order. The whole freakin' system is out of order. You want the truth? You want the truth? You can't HANDLE the truth. 'Cause when you reach over and put your hand into a pile of goo that was your best friend's face, you'll know what to do. Forget it, Marge, it's Chinatown!"

- Homer, "The Simpsons"

Quote of the Day - December 14

A sentiment of how I am feeling this week.

Let me see if I've got this straight: in order to be grounded, I've got to be crazy and I must be crazy to keep flying. But if I ask to be grounded, that means I'm not crazy any more and I have to keep flying.

- Capt. John Yossarian, Catch-22

For the first time in 12-13 years ...

THE UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON COUGARS men's basketball team is ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 poll. After upsets of then-ranked LSU and now-#24 Arizona and a 22-point victory over the Bearkats of Sam Houston State, the Coogs are ranked #25 in the country. Tom Penders has done an amazing job and the players are one of the best defensive teams I have watched in all my years of watching college basketball. Even on a cold shooting night by virtually everyone, as well as the starting PG out of the game due to an injury, the Coogs destroyed a pretty solid Bearkat squad who already posted an upset of Missouri. The next three games are on the road and could be tough, but I have faith that the Coogs will return to Houston victorious.

Congrats Penders and the Coogs and here is to moving up the rankings.

Quote of the Day - December 12

I will try to post these in the morning from here on, but I just heard this one 2 minutes ago and needed to share it.


"Sometimes I wish I could use [Moreno] as a stress-relieving punching bag"
- Anonymous Tulane University Alum

Aeon Flux - movie review

I must admit that I was a fan of the Aeon Flux cartoons when they were on MTV's liquid television and then when it became its own MTV series. It was the type of show that would mess with your mind and never ever give you any answers. It is in this respect that I was anxiously awaiting this movie. All in all, it was a very fun movie. This movie may very well pick up some Razzie nominations, but you have to know what type of movie this is before going to see it. I frankly enjoyed every minute of this movie from the look and feel of the scenes, the costuming and even the quasi-convoluted plot. Charlize Theron played the part as well as could be imagined and looked great doing it. The rest of the cast was decent, but this movie was all about the action and there was plenty of it. This movie was never boring, even when they were explaining what the hell was going on in their little utopia. Overall, if you are looking for a serious movie, go somewhere else. But, if you want a movie where you can shut your mind off for a couple of hours and just relax and enjoy a true popcorn flick, then go see it (or just wait for video seeing as how this will be out of theaters in the next few weeks).

3 out of 6 beers

Walk the Line - movie review

I saw this movie two weeks ago, but never had a chance to post my review, so I am doing it now.

For the guy who was nicknamed the Man in Black, Johnny Cash surely wore a lot of pastel colored sport jackets at his concerts. With that aside, this movie was fantastic. I knew nothing of Johnny Cash's life except for the songs he sang. Thus, the movie was truly an experience for me, the same way that Ray, the Ray Charles biopic last year. Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon were both fantastic in their respective roles of Cash and June Carter. The actors playing the other musicians, such as Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Waylon Jennings were great in their roles as well. The movie was beautifully shot and Cash's life made for a spectacular movie. Whether or not you are a fan of his music, you should enjoy this movie. I am glad it is doing so well at the box-office.

4.5 out of 6 beers