Oh Em Geek

( the geek is elsewhere ) I Am Number Four

Tue, 15 Feb 2011 22:58:11 -0500

( the geek is elsewhere ) I Am Number Four:

I got to watch a preview screening of I Am Number Four a few weeks ago (and interview Alex Pettyfer!). Therefore, my thoughts on the movie are posted on my newspaper’s website, so click away! (:

( the geek is in ) The Social Network

Tue, 08 Feb 2011 04:20:00 -0500

QUICK STATS: acting: A | plot: B+ | writing: A | soundtrack: A-

What. A. Film.

To be honest, I do not know who deserves more praise: David Fincher for directing this stellar cast or Aaron Sorkin for writing their brilliant lines. I see why The Social Network has been nominated for many ensemble awards: the ensemble is great, indeed. It’s hard to pick out standout performances when they’re all very good, but Jesse Eisenberg certainly earned his Oscar nod for Mark Zuckerberg and Andrew Garfield his various other nods (most notably BAFTA and the Globes) for Eduardo Saverin.

To start, Fincher & Sorkin do a very nice job of tying the story together. We all know how this story ends, and even if we weren’t sure, The Social Network does the whole start-at-the-end and work-our-way-backwards thing for us. True, we know how this ends, but it’s that mess and hellride of a journey that brought over $200 million in at the box office.

And what a ride. Dramatized or not, it’s a thrilling story, which makes for a brilliant film. It’s not nearly as sex-crazy as some of the ads might have us believe, but Facebook’s rise to the top is certainly bumpy. From the beginning, we get a clear picture of Zuckerberg through Ben Mezrich’s and assumingly Aaron Sorkin’s eyes: cunning, precise, brilliant, but also a little ruthless and more than a little socially stunted.

He’s hard to sympathize with: definitely an asshole, perhaps unflinchingly so. But beneath every ruthless nerd that ends up reminding the jocks who belittled him who rules the world now, Sorkin wants us to know that there is a human. That person may be buried, hidden, shoved under layers of code, snark, and money, but he’s there, and he does, in the end, have a heart.

Of course, it has to be noted that feminists will probably take offense to this movie: the women are portrayed, for the most part, in a bad light. Heartbreakers, objects of desire, sluts, mindless, toys for the programmers’ delight. Psychopathic bitches, clingy, desperate, the list goes on. Zuckerberg doesn’t seem them as worthy of his attention… but he does. For the most part, he may treat them horribly, but in the end, it is the women of the film (Rooney Mara’s ex-girlfriend and Rashida Jones’s lawyer) that drive him to make the decisions he makes.

But yes, as depicted by The Social Network, Zuckerberg doesn’t seem like somebody you’d want to friend. Does that really matter, though, when most likely the first thing you’ll do after watching this movie is go to Facebook?

Grade: A

( ADtv ) reflections on Super Bowl XLV

Mon, 07 Feb 2011 00:33:07 -0500

Maybe it’s because this is the first time I specifically watched the Super Bowl for the ads, but this year was super disappointing.

I mean, besides the stupid car commercials and the stupid beer commercials and the obligatory lame GoDaddy commercial, there wasn’t much. Sure, the ones with Eminem weren’t bad, but for me, the only standouts were Volkswagen’s.

The Darth Vader one was really cute & the Beetle one seemed like it would be a stupid Coca Cola commercial (looking at you, waste of animation space Coke commercial), but it ended on a WTF note.

But nothing truly spectacular, although Dorito’s ads weren’t too bad except they were all at the beginning and therefore difficult to remember.

See all commercials on Youtube.

But yeah, what did you think about the ads? Which was your favorite?

( eight my heart ) Top Chef 8.07

Tue, 25 Jan 2011 21:06:00 -0500

SPOILERS AHEAD. DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVE NOT WATCHED TOP CHEF 8.07, “RESTAURANT WARS - ONE NIGHT ONLY.”

IN SHORT: Quickfire to Dale. Dale & Marcel are Restaurant Wars team leaders. Blais wins (whoo!), Marcel out.

REMAINING (9): Carla, Blais, Tiffany, Mike, Antonia, Angelo, Dale, Fabio, Tre

The pattern seems to now be the last chef from the earliest season goes home. I hope that’s not true, since Tre is one tough cookie. And funny.

LOL! LOVE AWARD (aka the chef(s) who made us laugh & want to hang out with them) goes to Fabio & Richard. Granted, Fabio has always been hilarious, but Blais showed off his funny side in this ep.

SIDENOTE: The blurb with Antonia being the Hammer was a cheeky way to start off the ep, yet it still remains true. Now we’ll start watching out for how her teammates fare in future team challenges.

RATING THE ODDS:

As predicted, Dale & Marcel’s tempers flared up during Restaurant Wars. Dale has clearly matured, though, as he ended up on the winning side, but Marcel’s nasty disposition finally got the best of him, and everyone’s favorite TC villain went home.

RICHARD finally won a challenge on his own, confirming my belief that he is definitely a strong chef. In fact, the winning team consisted of many of my favorite chefs, and I was happy to see them do well.

Considering I thought they just might send TIFFANY home today, I don’t think she’ll be around long. While I like her, she’s a little too laidback to deal with the competitive pressures of All-Stars. While Carla takes it in stride, Tiffany has definitely been struggling.

Furthermore, while he annoys me, he definitely annoys me less now than he did in Las Vegas and it looks like MIKE is going to stick around and represent season 6 for awhile. His performance in the Quickfire shows that, no matter what Marcel thinks, the Jersey boy’s still got it.

The preview for next ep shows FABIO clearly struggling, but he’s too adored to let go! He brings a lot of humor and life to the table, and he can cook, though granted, he’s less consistent than some of the others.

I think the next three to go will be Tiffany, Fabio, and Mike, not necessarily in that order. If TRE is to meet my predictions and make it to the finale, though, he’s gonna have to step it up, since he’s been kinda lurking in the background of late.

Sorry this theorizing/recap is so late, but at least it’s before the next ep! Haha.

"Screenplays we could’ve written… if we had time."

Sun, 16 Jan 2011 21:27:52 -0500

“Screenplays we could’ve written… if we had time.”

- Tina Fey at Golden Globes 2011, on the Best Screenplay nominees.

( musicaddikt ) Tron: Legacy OST by Daft Punk

Fri, 14 Jan 2011 22:12:00 -0500

STANDOUT TRACKS: “The Son of Flynn” + “The Game Has Changed” + “End of Line” + “Rectifier” + “Tron Legacy (End Titles)” + “ENCOM, Part II”

If you like Daft Punk, you will like this soundtrack.

If you like epic movie scores, you will like this soundtrack.

If you like Hans Zimmer, you will like this soundtrack.

What I’m trying to say is that it takes effort to dislike this soundtrack.

That’s not to say it’s without its faults. Especially in the first half of the album, the songs sound entirely too similar, and none really stand out enough to make an impression or warrant a re-listen. While the transition from track to track is seamless, most of the time it takes active effort to realize it is a new track.

But for the most part, every track is enjoyable. It’s very Daft Punk and oh-so fitting of Tron. There are some glitches: adapting their electronic style for a full-blown orchestra was definitely a challenge for Daft Punk at some songs, and the scratchy noises on “Fall” had me wondering if my earphones were broken instead of adding to the song. The album continues along at roughly the same pace with roughly the same beats until about “Derezzed,” when things start to perk up and add interest and climax.

That’s not to say the first half of the album is lackluster. “The Son of Flynn” and “The Game Has Changed” certainly set the tone for their scenes very well, while “End of Line” has what I’m guessing was Daft Punk’s cheeky and entertaining nod to the original 80s Tron with the very 80s-video-game-sounding phrases that add a bright and unexpected little pop.

Even though it stretches the album to nearly 90 minutes, I would definitely recommend also getting all the bonus tracks, at least for “ENCOM, Part II” and “Outlands, Part II.” While the first “Outlands” and “ENCOM, Part I” certainly do their job, the Part IIs add to an already excellent album.

While it may not be the most staggering work of heartbreaking genius you’ll encounter, the Tron: Legacy soundtrack is worth a listen. It may not work as well on its own as it does backing the movie, but it did elevate the movie, and it will elevate your ordinary day.

Grade: B

( eight my heart ) Top Chef 8.06

Fri, 14 Jan 2011 21:30:19 -0500

SPOILERS AHEAD. DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVE NOT WATCHED TOP CHEF 8.06, “WE’RE GONNA NEED A BIGGER BOAT.”

IN SHORT: no quickfire, Carla wins, Tiffani (Faison) & Jamie out (finally!)

REMAINING (10): Carla, Blais, Tiffany (Derry), Mike, Antonia, Angelo, Dale (Talde), Marcel, Fabio, Tre

IS SEASON 1 THE WORST & 7 THE BEST? a theory.
Just because 1 has no more chefs and 7 has both doesn’t necessarily mean 1 is worst. Firstly, 1 is the farthest removed from intense Top Chef competition, whereas 7 is fresh off their season. Furthermore, as talented as Tiffani may be, the fact remains that caterers do not win TC.

RATING THE ODDS:
People I thought highly of - Elia, Jen, Dale, Casey, Tiffani - that I thought could make it to the final are now gone, and people I wanted off immediately - Dale T. & Mike - are still around, and much better than I expected. Still, here’s my tally of best/worst/etc.

CARLA, DALE & ANGELO are so far the only contestants to win 2 challenges.

RICHARD & MARCEL have only won once, and that was with Angelo.

QUICKFIRES have gone to (of those still remaining) Season 4, Blue Team (Blais/Tre), Tre, Mike.

At this rate, it looks like the FINAL FOUR are going to be: Carla, Dale, Angelo, Tre.

However, this is by record alone. My prediction would be: Angelo, Blais, Tre, Carla.

While Dale has clearly matured given that Marcel hasn’t riled him up to boiling point, both his & Marcel’s hostility in the kitchen will serve against them, especially in the upcoming Restaurant Wars. I still think Mike hasn’t made himself enough of a presence to be a TC, so even though he’s won a Quickfire, I don’t have faith in him. As much as I like Tiffany, she’s really a more mellow, less sharp form of Carla, and if went between those 2, my bet would be on Carla. Antonia I think will come close - she will be Top 5, but she will be edged out in the end unless somebody makes a big mistake in that penultimate challenge.

While both Blais and Tre have been shaky, they’re both very, very strong chefs, and the fact remains that Tre has won a mini All-Stars & Blais was right in stating Chicago was his season to lose. I think it’s still too early to call who’ll be crowned the All Star TC, but as much as he annoys me, I have a feeling it’ll be Angelo. I think we all know he would’ve won 7 had it not been for the sickness, but well, we’ll see.

It’s All Stars. Anything can happen.

( now playing ) TRON: Legacy

Sun, 09 Jan 2011 02:54:00 -0500

QUICK STATS: acting: C+ | plot: C | soundtrack: B+ | special effects: A!

The thing about Tron is, it’s all about expectations.

If you walk into Tron: Legacy expecting a glossy, futuristic story that blows your mind à la The Matrix or even Legacy’s 1982 predecessor, then of course you’re going to feel some disappointment.

You’ll get the glossy, futuristic part, but the only thing that’ll blow your mind is the special effects.

Fact: You can probably predict how Tron: Legacy will end before you even walk into the theater. However, that is not a good enough reason to skip this film.

I am not gonna lie, the plot was the typical orphaned-boy coming-of-age type that’s especially present in Disney movies. And the acting, well, considering that the majority of the characters are supposed to be computer programs, you shouldn’t exactly be expecting much there, either. But you will be pleasantly surprised by Michael Sheen as Castor, who is as delightful as always, and Jeff Bridges, depending on if he plays Clu or Kevin Flynn, alternates between a coolly cruel psycho and a stoned-sounding pacifist.

So, you wonder, if the story’s predictable and the acting’s mediocre, why should I watch this film?

Look at any of the posters, and there’s your answer.

The world of Tron is gorgeous: sleek, sophisticated, minimalistic, bright, beyond your imagination. While they might have skimped us with plot and character development, the filmmakers made up for it with the glossy world of Tron they launched us into.

Meanwhile, the sliding, pulsing beats of Daft Punk provide an effortless and seamlessly perfect soundtrack to the events on screen. Even if electronica isn’t your thing, you’ll want to download the Legacy soundtrack when you get home.

But after entering the world of Tron, why would you ever want to go home?

Grade: B

"We’re all superpowered. The hero part’s debatable."

Sun, 09 Jan 2011 02:23:24 -0500

““We’re all superpowered. The hero part’s debatable.””

- Cess Kincaid on Deliverance (played by me), on the residents of Xavier’s Institute.