Inception Trailer

Christopher Nolan's latest thriller finally has a trailer to go with the unusual poster. I am kind of upset that they used the "From the director of 'The Dark Knight'" tagline as this film looks much closer to something like "Memento" or "Insomnia," but I guess you have to use your biggest success when it counts. Ah well. "Inception" looks like it will be fairly interesting from what I can see, but further explanation will be much appreciated. Also, yes, that is Ellen Page you see there. I will be seeing this opening weekend. The link to the official trailer page is below. You should click it.

Trailer Page

Avatar Impressions

I came into this film as skeptical as anyone else (I even called it "Pocahontas in Space" for a few months prior to its release), but I was very much impressed with what I saw, both during the regular viewing and the digital 3D viewing.

First, I think I will go ahead and get the smaller bits out of the way: the acting was good, the characters were interesting, the music was kind of what you would expect from a movie like this (switching between large orchestrated pieces and more tribal drum beats with "singing"). There.

Now what really stood out in "Avatar" was, of course, the CGI work. Pandora was simply beautiful and all of its creatures were just as impressive. What impressed me the most, however, were the Na'vi (the tribals). They were perfectly crafted down to the smallest details and, unlike the "prawns" in "District 9," they fit well into the environment (they weren't over animated). The voice work and motion capture work for the was exceptional as well.

What seems to be drawing the most attention for "Avatar" is the "familiarity" of the plot (which is understandable). Sure, it isn't particularly deep or unpredictable, but it isn't anything less than what you'd see from any Disney classic. Also, this film is only relatable to all of those other films from the most basic and general viewpoints. Man meets tribal race. Tribal race takes man in for one reason or another and teaches him their ways. Man falls in love with a tribal and ends up saving them from his own people. End. "Avatar" as a whole, however, feels like much more than that. The avatar technology alone is enough to give this film suitable distinction, and that still leaves out a lot of the other factors (like the whole bio-USB thing).

I am awarding "Avatar" four and a half stars out of five for being wonderfully crafted, but still lacking a bit plot-wise. This film reminded me of exactly what I liked about "Pocahontas" and science fiction and I would definitely recommend that you see it (especially in 3D). This is the first movie that I am actually anticipating the Blu-ray release of.

Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays!

Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays everyone! I hope your respective days are filled with good food and tons of presents. Here are this year's Christmas poems, just in time.

Ornaments

The only ornament on my tree
Is a little golden orb for all to see.

No hats, no trains,
No tinkertoys.
No candy canes,
No Christmas joys.

No musical doves,
No musical bears,
No little Christmas gloves
No little wooden chairs.

Just a little golden orb for all to see
That's all I need upon my tree.

Copyright © 2009 Jarred Lee


Like Diamonds From the Sky

Snow like diamonds from the sky
Comes down in gentle torrents,
And everywhere I dare to look
Is a season in full bloom.

Miss Crosby stands behind the same old
Green folding table she has stood behind every year
Pouring hot cocoa like liquid Christmas
For anyone who can spare a dime,
And for anyone who could use one.

Old man Peterson pushes smooth jazz
Out of a rusty, dusty saxophone
On the same corner he seems to find every wintry night.
The only pauses his ancient fingers make
Are to gesture towards the upturned hat at his feet.

The many stores and shops,
Each on the brink of dormancy,
Light the streets so brightly
That you'd have to occasionally look up again
To make sure the sun still remained somewhere past the horizon.
Inside of each you can still see the shuffling and bustling
Of last minute shoppers in an eager panic
To find those last minute gifts,
Or suitable substitutes.

Below my feet lie dozens of shoe prints,
Each pair belonging to men, women, and children
Who are probably at home right now
Dreaming of adventures to come
And adventures that have already begun to fray around the edges.

Stray animals and creatures of the night
Patrol the alleyways and sidewalks in anxious anticipation of the
Leftover meals that are sure to arrive after belts have been loosened
And pants are unbuckled.

Yes, the holiday season is in full bloom with its
Unbuckled pants and anxious animals.
Its dream-scape adventures, last minute shoppers,
And shining lights.
Its ancient fingers, smooth jazz, and rusty, dusty saxophones.
Its folding tables and liquid Christmas.

Oh, and let us not forget those many sparkling diamonds
Falling from the sky.

I enjoy them the most.

Copyright © 2009 Jarred Lee

Iron Man 2 Trailer

Iron Man 1, or "Maybe Next Time" as some refer to it, promised us a few things. From what I have seen of Iron Man 2, including this trailer, I think I can safely say that it is going to start delivering on those promises. More action, greater enemies, that Starkian humor we all know and love, and Warmachine. What more could you want? The film is currently scheduled for release on May 7th, 2010 so be prepared for the advertising storm that is sure to start soon.

Also, as with most of the trailers I embed here, I have no clue how long the "powers that be" at Youtube will let it stay up so be prepared to search for yourself.

New Alice in Wonderland Trailer

So I still won't say that I am much of a Tim Burton fan, not much at all really, but I will admit that this trailer looks much more promising than the first one. This film is currently being billed as an "extension" to both "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" and "Through the Looking-Glass" where we will see Alice visiting Wonderland for a second time, though she doesn't remember anything from her first journey. Like many Disney films these day, "Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland" will be presented in both Disney Digital 3-D and a normal format and is slated to be released on March 5, 2010. Click the link below to go to the official trailer page.

Trailer Page

The Sorcerer's Apprentice Trailer

A film based off of a part of one of my favorite Disney films and starring two of my least favorite actors? I'd like to wake up now, please. This nightmare is starting to get a bit too real. Yet more proof that Jerry Bruckheimer will produce almost anything. Take a look for yourself. Link below.

Trailer Page

Down the Rabbit Hole

Acrostic: "A poem or series of lines in which certain letters, usually the first in each line, form a name, motto, or message when read in sequence."

This is the eighth entry in my Acrostic Adventure series. So the girl has finally shown him the way to her home, her sanctuary. But why? How can he help her? What does she see in him that outshines all of the others in this dreary dystopia?


Down the Rabbit Hole

A pair of twisted gray trees entwined
Like long lost lovers locked
In a deep, tearful embrace.
Cries sent skyward to the multitude of
Ears that no longer care to listen.

Is he a fool for following her into such a foreboding place?
Nothing worth knowing comes without a price.

Wilt and rust enforce their cold
Oppression with little mercy.
Never before has he seen such wanton
Disregard for appearances.
Even so, he can still sense that this is the last bit of
Resistance to be found in this lucid city.
Lights flicker across the cove as
Alice motions him over to an old tire swing.
Never allow your curiosity to be swayed by reason.
Destinations are only as interesting as the journeys preceding them.


Copyright © 2009 Jarred Lee

New Moon Impressions

Yet again I am forced to overcome my desire to be subjective and rate this purely on it's own merits. Sure, I'd like to say that I believe the Twilight series is a prime example of what is wrong with literature today. Sure, I'd like to berate this film for its nearly unbearable cheesiness... but I won't. I am sure you have already done plenty of that yourselves. Anyway, let's get to it.

Overall, New Moon felt kind of pointless. It seemed to be more of a teaser for the rest of the series than a sequel to the first film. The majority of the "interesting" characters were gone within the first half hour and all we were left with was... Bella. Well, the Werewolves too, I suppose, but Bella absorbed the majority of the screen time. I would say that she overacted in most of here scenes, but that would really be too nice. She was just... bad. I also found Jacob to be just as annoying, with his bipolar moodiness and questionable loyalties, but at least he had the Werewolf thing to fall back on. By the hour mark I actually found myself wanting the poorly crafted "vampires" to reappear because I never realized how much of the over-the-top teen angst they were protecting me from.

Still, I just couldn't shake the moderate interest that formed during the first film. You may scoff, but I have to honestly say that New Moon never bored me. Whether I was laughing hysterically or writhing in pain, I still wanted to know how things played out. So yeah, I guess that's the closest to a compliment as I can give this film.

I am awarding New Moon two and a half stars for being... well... bad, but still slightly interesting. I was going to give it half a star less than Twilight... but at least the Volturi were kind of interesting (they came the closest to the image of traditional vampires). There, done. I am now going to watch "Let the Right One In" to get this out of my head. It will be just my luck, though, if the American remake features sparkles though. I may be forced to move if that happens.

Catching Up With HAWP

"The Burches enter the sordid world of DVD board games."




"Ash pitches her movie idea."




"Enough mind-bending similarities to detonate your dome?"



"The ballad of the Boomer."


It has been forever since I poseted one of these... so I thought I'd just catch up in one big HAWP post. Great idea, huh? Enjoy! The L4D2 one was definitely my favorite. Por que?!!!!

Percy Jackson & the Olympians: Lightning Thief Trailer

I don't know much about the series of books this film is based off of, but this trailer is interesting enough. I will have to keep an eye out for it. Oh, and Uma Thurman is going to be playing Medusa. Please feel free to laugh unabatedly.

2012 Impressions

The trailers did not do this film any justice, which is probably why I was so surprised by the fact that it was reasonably enjoyable. Sure, some parts of "2012" were as utterly ridiculous as the trailers made them out to be (like escaping an active volcano in an RV), but when you cut those parts away you are left with a very decent film.

What I liked most about "2012" would most definitely be the characters. Now, I don't think any of the actors did a particularly amazing job, but you have to give them some credit for portraying these often loved, often hated people. You will be happy when some characters get what is coming to them and scared when it looks like a character you are fond of is about to die. This aspect really saved the film because the conflict was kind of lackluster because there wasn't really much anyone could about their plight besides try to survive and make long, philosophical speeches. This is kind of why I have never been a fan of disaster movies, besides "The Poseidon Adventure" and maybe "Twister," but I will digress.

I am awarding "2012" three and a half stars out of five for having interesting characters, but still suffering from many of the failings akin to the disaster film and having some absolutely unbelievable moments. Honestly, I can't wait for Universal Studios or Disney to unveil their "2012" themed ride. I mean seriously, outdriving a world ending earthquake with a limousine? That screams 3-D adventure.

Clash of the Titans Trailer

Sigh, yet another "reboot" of a classic film. While I will admit that it "looks" good, I can only wonder if the seemingly heavy reliance on special effects will move the story away from the legend, and turn it into some sort of blood and gore mongering 300/Lord of the Rings hybrid. Hell, I could have sworn some of the scenes I saw in this trailer were ripped right out of those films. Ah well, I will post more info as it comes. As of now, the film is set to release worldwide on March 26, 2010.

Dragon Ball Online Trailer

I heard about this years ago, but I never thought it would ever make it out production hell. I guess things finally came together.

So... umm... watch your back World of Warcraft? Yeah...

Fantastic Mr. Fox Trailer

I like Wes Anderson movies, and Jason Schwartzman, far too much to ignore this film. Also, it's based off of a book of the same name that written by Roald Dahl so that's a big plus as well. "The Fantastic Mr. Fox" features the voices of George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Bill Murray, Owen Wilson, Jason Schwartzman (as I said before), and Willem Dafoe, among others, and I have heard good things about it and I hope to see it after its nationwide release on the 25th of this month.

On a side note, can you believe that "2012" made $65 million in its opening weekend here in the U.S., and $160 million overseas? I sure can't. Sure, it didn't have much to complete with, but it looked ridiculous. Is that what people want now? Sigh.

Pirate Radio (The Boat That Rocked) Impressions

"Pirate Radio," as it is called in the US (I saw the UK version), is an excellent film that really captures the passion of the time period. The acting was great, the characters were unique and "colorful," and the soundtrack was perfectly chosen. And when I say perfectly, I mean that if you don't end up looking for one of these songs and the history of the band behind it, then you obviously watched the film on mute.

The only problem I had with the film was that the "villain" never makes a direct appearance to the other main characters. He is always shown at a separate location, delegating responsibility to his spineless underlings. I really would have loved to see the main characters mince words with him.

I am awarding "Pirate Radio" four stars out of five for being funny and well "scored," but lacking in a few areas. Critics have criticized the film for its two hour+ running time and the American version is going to be shortened accordingly (even though the original cut was longer). Honestly, I hate that this is being done because I wish it were longer. You really start to feel like you're on the ship yourself and leaving it so soon kind of hurts a little bit. Don't listen to the critics, see this film!

This Day in Calvin and Hobbes: November 9, 1988

Oh yeah, Calvin? Try living there.

Oh, and Hobbes really doesn't have anything to complain about. It's not like he can do much until Calvin gets back home anyway.

Toy Story 3 Trailer

I am sure most of you have already seen this, but I thought I'd put it up here just in case you needed the reference. I know that I will love this movie and I am pretty excited about it, but when I first saw this trailer I couldn't help but think "The Brave Little Toaster?" I figured it would have to come to this eventually, though. Anyway, enjoy.

Prince of Persia Trailer

Well, here it is. I can't say that I was expecting better. I guess we will just have to wait and see if the film can surpass this trailer. I sure hope it can.

P.S. Sorry about the poor quality, I will be on the lookout for a higher quality version.

P.S.S. HD version found and embeded. Enjoy... ish?

Happy Hour and a Half After Halloween!

So I'm late... here is this year's Halloween poem! I think it's a worthy successor to last year's. Also, my roommates and I watched "Ringu" earlier (the Japanese horror film that inspired the American version, and it turned out to be a huge let down. It was much more annoying than scary. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the day in whatever your usual way happens to be.


Shallow Graves

I dug a grave for you that day,
And I dug a grave for me.
Two graves I dug alone that day,
Near that cottage by the sea.

The wind was bitter, full of spite,
And filled with iced debris.
But still I dug those graves for us
Near that cottage by the sea.

The waters thundered against the rock
And swallowed up my plea
For a shred of silence while I worked
Near that cottage by the sea!

When I pushed you in, your eyes stared up
Begging to be set free.
But I broke your gaze, like you broke my heart,
Near that cottage by the sea.

Your eyes begged for mercy, tenderness,
But to that I could not agree.
Were your eyes so grim, when you met with him
Near that cottage by the sea?

You may take your mercy, and tenderness,
To cold eternity!
For I could never let you find peace
Near that cottage by the sea!

When you were covered, firm and pressed,
I smiled out of glee
And stepped into my own resting place
Near that cottage by the sea.

I then took a swig (oh, how sweet it was!)
From that bottle half empty
And blanketed myself in cool, damp earth
Near that cottage by sea.

As I lolled there, I thought of you
My poor, sweet, ruinous Marie.
Was that the fate we were meant to take
Near that cottage by sea?

A sudden gasp, an empty breath,
As the numbness took hold of me.
My eyes grew dim, my light gone out,
Near that cottage by the sea.

So there we lay, the three of us,
A star-crossed family.
You, and I, and his unborn child
Near that cottage by the sea.


Copyright © 2009 Jarred Lee

Creeps

So in honor of it almost being Halloween, here is a poem that I wrote around this time last year. Enjoy.


Creeps

There's a monster hiding 'neath my bed,
And it fills my heart all full of dread,
For calm leaves fear in its stead.
A creeping in the night.

I trouble my guardian for a light to borrow
So I may push back this gripping sorrow.
"Save all complaints for the 'morrow!"
A shrieking in the night.

How coldly she does reject my plea;
She says an orphan should never cry, you see?
Bad children are locked away without a key.
A squeaking in the night.

But what if this ghoul is so full of spite
That it pops up here for a bite?
The very thought is such a fright!
A weeping in the night.

To look under my cot, I wouldn't dare,
For its malicious gaze, I couldn't bare.
Eyes of the Styx and keeper of its fare.
A reaping in the night.

Yes, I will wait here for the sun to rise
And cast away this night's cruel guise,
But you can never truly know in what tomorrow lies.
A creeping in the night.


Copyright © 2008 Jarred Lee

Where the Wild Things Are Impressions

Alright, since I took such a long time to put this up, I will get right to the point. "Where the Wild Things Are" was a wonderfully imaginative, beautifully scored, and tastefully dark film. The characters were also likable in their own ways and the cast did an excellent job with their respective roles (especially Max Records, of course). While some of the plot was a little messy (especially before Max travels to the land of the wild things) I believe that the film was an excellent adaptation of the relatively small source material.

Now, for what surprised me. First, the depth. Now, I am sure that you expected something more than ten sentences out of a feature length film, but "Where the Wild Things Are" really makes you think. The film takes the idea of the "wild things" and instead of just making them creatures created by Max's imagination, they each become representative of different aspects of his life. I won't go too much into this, though, because it will be more enjoyable if you form your own opinions on the matter. I mean, who am I to ruin a good conversation?

Another thing that surprised me was the rather depressing route it decided to take. Max is not really escaping anything when he goes to the land of the wild things. Rather, he is forced to come face to face with all of his conflicting feelings. This gives way to the large number of underlying domestic issues that lurk behind the film's main events. I honestly question the idea of marketing this film to younger audiences, and apparently the box office agrees me as only a small percentage of tickets sold were child tickets.

I am awarding "Where the Wild Things Are" four and a half stars out of five for being deep, interesting, and very well done, but having a slightly messy start. If you haven't seen this film yet, you should probably reflect on your current lifestyle because you have either become separated from your sense of imagination or you are overworked. Either way, you are cheating yourself out of a great movie experience.

Scary Science!

Is there a better way to kick off Halloween week than with actual science? I don't think so. What kind of science, you ask? Why, science of the crazy and disturbing nature, of course.

The popular sci-fi blog, i09, recently posted a list of the "25 scariest science experiments" that really makes you wonder why we find "horror" movies to be the slightest bit scary. A good number of the experiments on this list are far more frightening! (Most notably the dog head thing!) Anyway, if you're interested you should take a look. Link below.

"25 of the Scariest Science Experiments Ever Conducted"

Stuck On the Ground

Acrostic: "A poem or series of lines in which certain letters, usually the first in each line, form a name, motto, or message when read in sequence."

This is the seventh entry in my Acrostic Adventure series. Where is this mysterious woman leading him? Is this just another mind game cooked up by whoever, or whatever, lies beneath the Overlooked City? It seems that those peaceful days have been left far behind.


Stuck On The Ground

Curious thoughts and surreal fantasies
Hover high overhead like
Ancient abstract paintings that were only
Slightly washed away.
Is the veil covering this lost city
Not as thick as he once believed?
Glimpses of color in gray surroundings.

Color that begins to fade as the woman
Leads him deeper into the
Opaque graveyard of cold
Understandings and decayed emotions.
Do not allow peaceful moments to be taken for granted.
Sometimes simplicity is hard to find.


Copyright © 2009 Jarred Lee

The Mysterious Geographic Explorations of Jasper Morello

The Mysterious Geographic Explorations of Jasper Morello is a short film that was released back in 2005 has received a great deal of praise since then. The silhouette-based art style takes a little getting used to, but it definitely fits with the short's eerily dark mood. Also, allow me to say that this is without a doubt the best short film I have ever seen. Twenty-six short minutes that can easily best many of the recent feature-length releases. The Mysterious Geographic Explorations of Jasper Morello excellent must-see. So what are you waiting for? Watch and enjoy!

Zombieland Impressions

I will get straight to the point here: Zombieland was definitely a fun movie to see, but there were just too many times when I was disappointed by the lack of zombies. It's "Zombieland!" Come on! Also, I felt like the film leaned too heavily on its "surprise cameo." I won't spoil it for you, and I love the actor/actress as much as anyone else, but there were no zombies during that entire portion and it kind of ended up feeling like a partially unscripted break. A one hour and twenty minute film just doesn't really have time to take a break. Especially one that should be filled to the brim with zombies.

Other than that, the characters were likable (with the exception of Abigail Breslin's kind of pointless "little" girl) and the film was mostly humorous. Some of the jokes were kind of stale, though. Also, the Monday night football themed inserts went from amusing to overused pretty quickly. Especially the whole "double tap" thing. If you leave the theater without understanding that concept then you obviously fell asleep at some point.

I am awarding Zombieland three and a half stars out of five for being fun and never taking itself too seriously, but wasting too much time and having poor zombie management. All in all, I'd say Zombieland is a great film to go see with friends, but don't think too hard about what's going on.

The Bachelor and the Bride

There's a wrinkle in the water
Where we laid our first daughter
And I think the wind blows so sweetly there.
Over there.

And the windows and the cinders
And the willows in the timbers.
The infernal rattling of the rain
Still remains.

"But I," said the bachelor to the bride,
"Am not waiting for tonight.
No, I, I will box your ears
And leave you here stripped bare,
Stripped bare."

Hear the corncrakes and the deerhooves
And the sleet rain on the slate roof.
A medallion locked inside her hands.
In her hands.

And his fingers, are they telling
Of the barren of her belly?
Do his calluses cure her furrowed brow,
Even now?

"But I," said the bachelor to the bride,
"Am not waiting for tonight.
No, I, I will box your ears
And leave you here stripped bare,
Stripped bare."

"But I," said the bachelor to the bride,
"Am not waiting for tonight.
No, I, I will box your ears
And take your tears
And leave you, leave you here
Stripped bare."

Hey Ash, Whatcha Playin: Little King's Story

"Anthony and Ashly Burch enjoy videogames, surreal humor, cupcakes, and videogames. In that order."

So HAWP has apparently started back up? And they're already spoofing the Hitler outburst scene from Der Untergang? While actually speaking German (or at least speaking really good fake German)? Awesome. Too bad no one cared about Little King's Story, haha. If you interested in seeing the original scene, then follow this youtube link.

I'm Talking About Wild Things (Where the Wild Things Are mega-post)

So as you all probably know, Where the Wild Things Are opens in American theaters on October the 16th. As most of you probably know, I am absolutely ecstatic about this film. I honestly can not remember the last time I have said that. Now, I know that most people are interested in the film because of the nostalgia created by the book, but it is really different for me. Don't get me wrong, I loved the book, but the sense of imagination I have seen in the trailers for this film is simply captivating. More like this, Hollywood. More like this.

As an added bonus, this being a "mega-post" and all, I am including a link to where you can listen to a stream of the Where the Wild Things Are soundtrack (which was written by Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs) in its entirety, and a video of the Where the Wild Things Are book. Now, I am not sure if the video is "official" or not, but it is really well done either way. It reminded me of those video reading tapes we used to watch in elementary school. Anyway, enjoy! See you at the premiere!

Soundtrack by Karen O And The Kids (music player under post opening picture): http://stereogum.com/archives/stream-the-where-the-wild-things-are-soundtrack_092471.html

This Day in Calvin and Hobbes: October 1, 1991

Teachers. You give them the correct answer, but they subtract points anyway because you didn't give "their" correct answer. This isn't the case for Calvin, of course, but I will just say that I never thought I would get an exam back where all my answers were correct, but I still scored below an eighty.

The funny thing is that after I talked to my professor about the exam, she couldn't even give me a clear answer as to what I failed to do. She even "let" me email her rewritten answers for partial credit. Thank you Wikipedia.

Angels & Demons Impressions

Ron Howard really did Dan Brown's best-selling novel a complete injustice this time around, as opposed to the great injustice he did to the Da Vinci Code. I mean, the film isn't even set as a prequel! Rarely do I see such a popularity siphoning move. Just because Da Vinci Code is a bit more recognizable doesn't mean that Angels & Demons can't hold its own. I personally prefer it over the Da Vinci Code.

Now, even if you are somehow able to look beyond the many major differences between the film and the book (if you read the book , that is), this film flies through important plot points without stopping for air and then just keeps on flying to the very end. The film flies so quickly, in fact, that you would probably be hard pressed to catch the majority of the character's names. Angels & Demons never allows the viewer to form a connection with anything that is going on because the characters just seem to be jumping from event to event. The downside to this? For all of the chaos, you will still feel every second of this 140 minute disaster.

I am awarding Angels & Demons one star out of five. Not even Tom Hanks could save this mess. The film was a pain to watch and an utter waste of time.

Cirque Du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant

When I first saw this trailer, I honestly thought that it was some kind of joke. Hopefully that's what "they" are going for. If that isn't the case, I really don't see this becoming a sleeper hit. Maybe some things should just stay buried?

AWA Follow-Up

So yes, another AWA (apparently I did a blog entry last year? Wow.) has come and gone. This year I brought my Hufflepuff robes out of retirement, which apparently makes me Cedric Diggory, so the convention was considerably more enjoyable than last year. Everywhere I walked I kept getting "Hufflepuff!" shout outs and I even scored six or so high fives and a few hugs (yes, from girls) so that was cool too. I got photos taken, as well, but that is kind of implied. There was also a Harry Potter photo shoot on that Saturday and it went really well! About twenty or so people showed up (which is pretty huge) and I was the only Hufflepuff so I got my own photo segment when we went by sections. I will refrain from posting pictures from the shoot here, but you can see the full album on my facebook page. Just comment here if you want the link and then friend me. My roommate went as Scar again this year so he got a good number of photos too (but no hugs so I win, haha).



Moving along, beyond taking pictures (photo-shoots and otherwise), the airplane hanger sized Dealer's room, and the equally large Artist's Alley there really isn't much to do at AWA. There really aren't very many notable guests and the panels are kind of dull. The video rooms are fairly interesting, I suppose, but why go to a convention for that? Anyway, I didn't make any purchases this year, which was kind of disappointing because I really wanted a new messenger bag, so walking around the Dealer's Hall about fifteen times got a bit stressful. Oh, and I got pulled over to the MomoCon table (because I'm Vice President of Anime O-Tekku now and I have "responsibilities" and such) for about an hour and a half to sell things and give out fliers so my feet never really got too much rest.



So, that's it. AWA was much more fun than usual for this year, mostly because I didn't bother with any panels and I dressed up, so I will probably go again next year. I want to try to do some kind of cosplay from now on, though, so I am already working on something for MomoCon and beyond. It is a little ambitious, mainly because I am not too sure how many people watched the show, but hopefully it works out. I will reveal the cosplay when I have more things finalized (I want my roommate to dress up as another character from the show).

Hey Ash, Whatcha Playin: Viva Pinata

"Fathers can game too!"

Haha, I don't quite know what "season" this belongs to. It was good to see an episode completely devoted to Papa Burch though... even if it was kind of lame.

"9" Impressions

Sorry for the staggered posts. These past two weeks have been hellish.

The thing that hurt the most about "9" was that I was really hoping that it would be good. It had me truly interested from the beginning and it just kept looking better and better. Unfortunately for me, it was terrible. Awful. "9" felt more like an experiment in design than an actual film. It honestly felt like Shane Acker was more interested in how things looked than whether or not his story made any sense. I heard beforehand that the story was muddled, but I had no idea that it was going to be as a bad as it was. At the end of the film, I honestly wondered why any of the main characters ever existed at all. Everything just felt utterly pointless.

I am awarding "9" one star out of five for having good voice acting and decent animation but lacking pretty much anything else. If you're absolutely dead set on seeing this excuse for a film, I suggest you wait for the rental.

Lost at Sea

Acrostic: "A poem or series of lines in which certain letters, usually the first in each line, form a name, motto, or message when read in sequence."

This is the sixth entry in my Acrostic Adventure series. Is she real? Only time will tell, I suppose. Start running.


Lost at Sea

Cold and hapless bodies
Adrift in sea of apathy.
Steady and unyielding
Tides of anguish and suppression.

Numb souls silently wading towards
Obvious oblivion.

Sudden warmth violently snatches
Him out of this bleak undertow.
A vision of pale beauty slips
Down an alleyway and out of sight.
Open your mind to new possibilities.
Wishes are only as unrealistic as you make them.


Copyright © 2009 Jarred Lee

New Moon Trailer 3

Not really in the mood to write my impressions on "9," so here's the latest trailer for New Moon. While I already have plans to "enjoy" the film, I have to admit that it doesn't look so bad. From here at least. And yes, that is Dakota Fanning playing one of the "vampires." I'm sure I wouldn't have been surprised if I had given this film any research time, but hey, it IS the "Twilight Saga." Ah well, just see for yourself.

Astro Boy Trailer

Honestly, I would have posted one of the earlier trailers for this film if I was more interested in it. Don't get me wrong, it looks like it could be good, but I just have my reservations. Anyway, this trailer seems like it is going to be the last one before the film's release, and it's just over two minutes long, so I suppose if there is any one to post then it should be this one. Enjoy.

Portfolio Going Down

So my web portfolio is going bye bye come September 15th. Bravehost is basically obliterating their free hosting service (we were only allotted 50 mb of space and now their cutting it down to 5 mb!) so until I feel motivated enough to move it to another host I'm just going to let it go. I can understand where the site is coming from, I guess they aren't all that popular and storage is expensive, but this reduction is kind of ridiculous. 5 mb isn't enough to do anything with. So yeah, sorry guys (especially those of you who messaged me about starting up your own page).

Dragon*Con '09 Follow-up (Kind Of)

So here it is, my D*con follow-up. There was fun, celebrities, and lots of food (most of which was being served to other people). So yeah, I'll start with the staffing portion of the con because that took up most of my time. Well, since I chose a morning shift (7 am - noon) I had to wake up at 6 a.m. each of the days (except Sunday because I stayed up all night at the con) and walk all the way from my dorm to the convention. Now, google maps tells me that this is normally a 45 minute walk... but I did it in about 25 minutes each time. I walk too fast! Anyway, I was on staff for the ConSuite so I basically had to serve food to hundreds of people every morning. On Friday I made about 400 peanut butter and jelly , on Saturday tuna sandwiches, Sunday scrambled eggs and hash browns, and Monday I served old spaghetti and spam. Fun! So that's pretty much it for the work part. Now that I have paid my $20 and worked my designated 25 hours, I am eligible to staff for free at every Dragon*con for... ever? It's a lot of work, but a lifetime pass is pretty much amazing.



Now on to the actual Con part. The biggest pull this time around was without a doubt the celebrities. Friday morning I got the chance to pop in to the Shatner/Nimoy panel it was amazing. You could definitely tell that they are great friends. Anyway, I saw more celebs in the "walk of fame" area (Lou Ferrigno, Tom Felton, Felicia Day, Charisma Carpenter, Julies Benz, etc) and it was pretty awesome seeing them in real life. I know it's cliche, but you never really think about celebs as being real people, which I guess can be blamed on the media. So yeah, saw the celebs, looked at lots of merchandise, sat in on an amazing Buffy/Angel panel, and fell asleep at 4:20 a.m. during a rave (dumb, I know). There are plenty of other stories here, but I'll just keep them to myself for now. I included a little bonus photo at the bottom of this post so I'll just let you enjoy that. I'm already psyched about next year and I can't wait to see everyone in the ConSuite again! Later all.

Surrogates Trailer

So Dragon*Con '09 finished up Monday and I have to say, it was awesome. I got to meet a lot of celebrities and generally awesome people. I'll make a follow-up post tomorrow or something (I'm still tired!!), but for now just enjoy this trailer.

I don't know how I let Surrogates slip off of my radar! I remember seeing a trailer for it a while back but for some reason I just forgot about it... maybe it was in the despair of the many lackluster films on the horizon. Ah well, Surrogates is expected to open September 25th of this year and I definitely plan on giving it a good watching.

Dragon*Con '09!

So Dragon*Con 2009 starts tomorrow! And better yet, I am working as a staff member this year! It's my sixth consecutive year attending so I thought I'd step it up a notch. So yeah, the con runs until Monday evening so needless to say, there won't be any updates this weekend. Enjoy your Labor Day (U.S. readers) and if you're going to the con then feel free to stop by the consuite in Hyatt 223/226 for food stuffs and Pepsi products.

If you don't know what Dragon*Con is (and you didn't click the first link and figure it out for yourself) then go to the wiki page and read up.

P.S. William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, and Patrick Stewart are going to be guests this year (among some really great other guests). Can you say death match?

9 Trailer

I must admit, I am kind of excited to see 9. Regardless, of course, of the fact that I still dislike Tim Burton (even if he is only co-producing this particular film). Anyways, 9 looks like it has a lot of potential (it isn't going to continue to abuse "3D") and the voice acting cast has a lot of big names scattered here and there so that should be interesting as well. I thought I'd use Apple's trailer page because it has all the nice quality options. Expect to see this film in theaters on 9/9/2009 (which is also, coincidentally, the release day for The Beatles: Rock Band if you're interested).

Ninja Assassin Trailer

Does this movie look as overblown as it sounds? Yes. Will I most likely be seeing it in theaters? Yes ( oh the things I do for my reviews). Will I be seeing it alone in theaters? Absolutely not. I'll need my humor fallback plan if the film goes bad. Will I like it? Maybe. It depends on whether or not they add an annoying "comic relief" character. That will knock the film down to an instant three stars.

Anyway, if you enjoyed the trailer then expect to see Ninja Assassins in theaters on November 25th, 2009.

**Youtube may take down this particular video at some point, but I have it backed up so I will upload it myself if need be.

inFamous Impressions

Wow, it has been a long time since I last reviewed a game! Maybe this is as good a time as any to get back on the horse, hmm? And what better game to start back with than the superpower themed, Sucker Punch Productions developed, PS3 exclusive inFamous?

The Plus: Firstly, and most importantly seeing as this is a sandbox style game, the attention to detail around the city is simply amazing. You won't find a cluster of similarly designed buildings in this game. Everything looks unique to its specific location. Alongside this, all of the citizens of Empire City are just as unique and Sucker Punch drafted a host of voice actors to bring each of them to life. I'm not saying any one of them deserve specific names or anything, but you won't get the same droning phrases over and over again. Secondly, the karma system not only serves to add to gameplay time, but gives the player a distinctly unique experience depending on if they are "good" or "evil." This isn't a game that you will be able to just play through once and toss. Thirdly, the powers that Cole (the main character) acquires during the game are comfortably diverse and fairly spectacular. Whether you're electric grinding across a telephone wire or calling forth a lightning storm you will be enjoying every second of it. Fourthly, the voice acting in this game is nothing short of movie quality. Maybe that's why they have a film in the pipeline already? Fifthly, and finally, the game's plot definitely won't bore you. I'm not calling it a masterpiece or anything, but you will definitely feel a connection to what you're doing.

The Minus: First, and kind of ironically, the ending. Sure, it kind of makes sense, but it just wasn't all that satisfying. It does a good job of setting up for a sequel, but I really expected a bit more. Second, the glitches. There wasn't anything too crazy in this respect, but you will phase through the occasional overhang or get shot yards straight into the air when climbing the occasional ledge. Third, the stunts. Sure, I know they don't sound so intimidating when I talk about them here, but you will spend hours trying to get all twenty-one. I promise you. Fourth, and finally, the area-clearing. As you complete missions in the game, you take small portions of the city back from the gangs that have taken over. Now, this is all well and good, but because most of the enemies leave the areas you have taken back there becomes increasingly fewer things to do as you traverse the city. It's kind of like you're slowly shutting down the game.

So there you are, my review of inFamous. I am awarding the game 4 stars out of 5 for being nearly perfect with the occasional hiccup and I definitely recommend it as a buy to any PS3 owner. I hope to play Prototype, what is considered to be inFamous' lower reviewed rival, as soon as I can so that I can review it as well and do a comparison.