Recovery Filler: Part of Your World

I am definitely squeezing this in just in time to say it was posted on Friday. Anyway, so a college friend of mine shared this little gem with me a few months ago and to be honest, I'm still not sure if this girl is actually singing this song or not. Sure, I've watched some of her other videos, even some live performances, and I am just too shocked to believe it. But hey, check out her youtube channel and see for yourself. Oh, and make sure to watch her version of "A Whole New World" as well. She just sings Jasmine's part, but it's really good (considering you believe it to be her or not). Another youtube singer created a duet for the song too that has become pretty popular, but I don't like his voice. At all. Click that link if you don't believe me.

P.S. This song is from Disney's The Little Mermaid for all of you out there who didn't have a childhood.

Recovery Filler: Super Effective #2

So yes, this post will be the first in a hopefully brief series of posts that I will be doing while I recover from having all four of my wisdom teeth taken out. Why not just go on hiatus, you ask? Well to put it simply, because then I would be extremely, extremely bored.

There was a complication during the procedure that dealt with my problem tooth, the wisdom tooth on my bottom left that had come in completely on its side, that involved one of the tooth's nerves having grown into some nerves at the base of my jaw bone. Luckily the oral surgeon I went to is amazing because he realized it in time and after having to prop open my jaw insanely wide he was able to leave part of that tooth in and just sewed the gum over it. He said the skin will just grow over it but he's going to check it during my post-op appointment to make sure. It's kind of weird that a tooth can just be left buried in your gums without any problems, though. But hey, what do I know? My jaw feels like someone stood in my mouth for some ungodly period of time though.

Also, I was lucky that he noticed that the root had grown into the nerves at that point because if he had mistakenly removed it then I might have had some permanent numbness or other such problems.

Anyway, the comic is from a series called Super Effective, which is done by the same guy behind the popular VG Cats web comic. If you can't tell, it spoofs the original pokemon games with surprising accuracy. Enjoy!

Hey Ash, Whatcha Playin: Like Big Boss

"Dear God, we hope this still feels relevant."


Funny because I love Metal Gear Solid, but creepy because Mr. Burch is such a weird guy (in the videos at least). This video is based on one of... ugh... Andy Samberg's many (and slightly annoying) songs entitled "Like A Boss." Caution though, the video is definitely not for the kids. Well, not respectable kids anyway.

A "Closer" Look At M. Night Shyamalan's The Last Airbender

So here they are, the stars of the upcoming Avatar: The Last Airbender that M. Night Shyamalan is writing/directing/producing. While you may not recognize newcomers Noah Ringer (Aang) or Nicola Peltz (Katara), you may find the faces of Dev Patel (Zuko) and Jackson Rathbone (Sokka) very familiar. Patel was the star of last year's hit film "Slumdog Millionaire" and Rathbone played the vampire Jasper Hale in the successful, but not nearly as praised (and for good reason), Twilight film.

So yes, here they are. I still can't say that I am terribly excited about this film... and these pictures don't help that in the least... but I can say that it might not be so bad. Though, there's always room for a twist. Especially when Shyamalan is involved.

Our First Trailer For Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland

So here it finally is. Our first real look at Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland. It think it looks pretty good so far, but I am still having some trouble with the Mad Hatter's appearance. He looks too much like a clown for my tastes. Also, from what I can tell/imagine, the 3D version of this film will be a sight to see. After seeing "Up" in "3D" I have been somewhat wary of the recent 3D craze. It was just too underused to justify the higher ticket cost.

Anyway, check out the wiki page for the movie as the cast listing is looking very impressive. I am still not a big fan of Burton, but I would be lying if I didn't say that I hope this film turns out well. Mostly well, at least.

Happy Birthday To Me (#2)

My second blog birthday post! I can't believe I've kept up with this for so long.

So this is what it feels like to be twenty-one, eh? I know about the whole "alcohol" thing and infomercial orderings, but the real question is when do I get my super powers? That happens at twenty-one right? I'm sure it's supposed to...

"July 22nd:

While sometimes employing unorthodox approaches, you are capable of handling large scale undertakings.

You assume great responsibility and work long and hard toward completion. Often, especially in the early part of life, there is rigidity or stubbornness, and a tendency to repress feelings.

Idealistic, you work for the greater good with a good deal of inner strength and charisma.
An extremely capable organizer, but likely to paint with broad strokes rather than detail.
You are very aware and intuitive. You are subject to a good deal of nervous tension."

Cool stuff that happened on July 22!

Public Enemies Impressions

I was a bit hesitant to see this film when I first heard about it, period pieces aren't generally my "thing," but I am very glad that I did. Public Enemies was interesting, well acted, and well scored (with mostly period music). While Johnny Depp and Christian Bale did great jobs with their parts, the best acting in the film is definitely done by Stephen Graham with his excellent portrayal of Baby Face Nelson, who was apparently done a great disservice by the film (read the wiki page).

Now for my problems with the film. Public Enemies, even though it was a period piece and a true story (it deserves a little slack), was oddly paced and, at times, poorly connected. The interesting and exciting parts were often drowned out by agonizingly dull portions and everything was connected by days that went by impossibly fast (based on the scenes) and FBI agents that could seemingly teleport wherever they wanted to. Also, when the film began I got the odd feeling that it was starting about halfway through. I personally would have liked to see more of Dillinger's rise to notoriety instead of the brief, yet numerous, references to his past.

I am awarding Public Enemies three and a half stars out of five for keeping my interest and being well acted, yet still being inconsistently paced and occasionally incoherent. The film definitely exceeded my expectations, though, and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who hasn't seen it and needs something to see.

Oh The Places We Go

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 fourth entry of my Acrostic Adventure series. So he has found his way to that place we go when we want to get away. Away from our mistakes, away from our feelings, away from our lives. But what he doesn't realize is that this place isn't easy to leave... and no one is listening.

**The "Overlooked City" is a poem that I wrote a few years ago. If you haven't read it, take a look. [link]


Oh The Places We Go

The rain began to fall more
Heavily as he looked out upon the
Expanse of that nothing place.

Oversight laid itself out before him like a
Vision of hopelessness and isolation.
Eager hands forever doomed to
Reach up towards an uncaring sky.
Leave behind past mistakes and
Open the gateway to the City of the Unseen for
Only those who truly wish to be lost can
Keep their sanity in such a dreary place.
Endure the burden of emotion no longer and
Delve into the depths of apathy.

Cutting through the crowds of the lost and
Indecisive, he began to think those old
Thoughts that have long since left the range of possibility.
You can not forget what you refuse to let go.


Copyright © 2009 Jarred Lee

Whip It! Trailer

I have been keeping an eye out for this film for a few years now and I am glad to see that a trailer has finally surfaced for it. I was afraid that it would be stuck in post-production limbo for some unholy amount of time. Anyway, I'm a pretty huge Ellen Page fan (because of Hard Candy not Juno, though I liked Juno) and my disappointment with her last film (Smart People) had left me a little bitter. Whip It! looks interesting enough, though I am a bit put off by the fact that it was directed by (and also stars) Drew Barrymore, and Ellen looks like she'll be getting the chance to showcase a lot of her talent. I hope to see this film sometime after its October 2009 release.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Impressions [Possible Spoilers]

To be perfectly honest, I believe that this was the first Potter film that I actually enjoyed more than the book. The Half-Blood Prince book was dreary and lacked a lot of the heart and personality that the other books showed, but the film was able to keep things interesting with good pacing and fun dialogue.

Yes, some facts (mostly concerning a lot of the research Harry and co. does in their search to discover the identity of the Half-Blood Prince) are left out as per usual in book-to-film transition, but I didn't think that would have been necessary for the audience. The "revelation" is more suitable for the medium because it saves time and is no less significant.

Anyway, the air of mystery surrounding certain characters never failed to keep me interested, the acting was great, and the dialogue was witty and well done. My only problem with Half-Blood Prince was that the end felt a bit rushed and a lot less dramatic than the book described. Yes, I read that Yates had plans to move a "certain event" to the beginning of the next film, but I really think that the ending would have greatly benefited from the battle the Death Eaters had with the Order at the end of the book. It just seemed all too easy in the film.

I am awarding Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince four stars out of five for being interesting and well done, but lacking the drama and excitement that we see at the end of the book.

I have heard a lot of criticism from my friends about how they believed the movie was boring and uneventful, but I really just think that their problems stemmed from Rowling's writing and their own ideas rather than the film itself. When you make a movie that is based off of a source and you actually care about staying true to the source as much as possible (mainly due to time constraints) then there isn't much room to do tampering. I've seen that situation go wrong in films way too many times to condone it. But that's just my two cents.

This Day in Calvin and Hobbes: July 13, 1992

I lost my mind about four years ago. I thought about posting a reward for it, but I doubt I'd get any inquiries.

Blood: The Last Vampire Trailers

So when I first heard that a live-action Blood: The Last Vampire film was in the works, I groaned. Now I have seen the original anime film, read the manga based on the film, and seen the anime series that takes place in an alternate universe to that of the film, and I have to say... they were only mildly interesting. As some of you know, I consider myself to be a vampire enthusiast. I like reading about the mythology behind them and all of their different incarnations (sans Twilight's "take" on them). In the Blood: The Last Vampire universe, you can only loosely call the "chiropterans" vampires at all, though my problem with all of the said media comes mostly from the fact that too much time is wasted.

Anyway, Blood: The Last Vampire opened with a limited release this past Friday and I have no idea if it will be getting a full release anytime soon. I hope it does, though. It looks a lot better than I imagined.

Hey Ash, Whatcha Playin: Once Upon A Pixel

"Who says fairy tales can't include walking nuclear tanks?"


Best HAWP ever. Hands down. Not only is the artwork amazing, but subtract some of the comedic elements and add about thirteen (if you're new) hours of gameplay, dialogue, a few more bosses, and a proverbial legion of enemies then you'll have the first Metal Gear Solid game (I link to the Twin Snakes because it is vastly superior to the original Playstation version).

On a side note, you should all play Metal Gear Solid 1-4. Right now. If you don't, then I'll be forced to eat all of your lunches. Respectively, of course.

Push Impressions

To be honest, the only reason I saw this film was because I felt like renting something through Comcast On Demand and I just happened to remember it when I saw the title. I thought that the premise had a lot of potential and many of the characters were interesting (albeit vastly underused), but most of the events were just too random and the plot holes were large and numerous. Push comes off as more of a jumble of ideas than a coherent film. I just couldn't feel any connection to the events and the fact that everything resolved oddly made me feel more like I was cheated than anything else.

I am awarding Push two stars out of five for having potential, but failing to follow through. In truth, I liked this film a lot better when I had forgotten about it. Nothing to see here.

Our First "The Last Airbender" Trailer (With A Twist!)

So I saw this little "teaser" when it was shown before the new Transformers movie. I heard rumors about a live-action Avatar movie that would be directed by our favorite "what a twist!" master, M. Night Shyamalan, a while ago but I wasn't taken aback (and I didn't want to believe it) until now (because I really don't have a choice anymore). Now I just have to wonder what twists Shyamalan has in store for us? Oh, and which character he'll be playing. I'm betting on Sokka myself... or maybe one of the previous Avatars? Or maybe he'll just kill off Aang early on and make himself the new Avatar? Only time will tell.

Back From Disney World and Happy 4th!

So I got back from Disney World yesterday evening and I must say that it was both amazing and tiring. We went to the Magic Kingdom, the Animal Kingdom, Disney's Hollywood Studios (formerly MGM), and Epcot (twice). I took a ton of pictures (that I will probably be throwing up on Facebook at some point this week so if you want to see them search Jarred Lee), saw a bunch of cool things, and have a few hilarious tales to tell (to those who are interested).

As a note, if you ever go down to Disney World and you are staying at the Floridays Resort (yes, Floridays) then be ready to search out a wireless connection at one of their amenities. Seriously, a nice hotel like that doesn't have internet access in the rooms? Sheesh.

So anyway, enjoy your fourth of July everyone! My family is out of town so I have the whole house to myself for about a week, which I am still split on whether or not that is a good or bad thing. On the plus side, I get to basically do whatever I want without any questions asked (not that too many questions had to be asked before), but on the minus side I have to make sure my house doesn't explode or anything and that my dog stays fed and happy. Oh, and I'll probably be eating buttered rice, ramen, or whatever I can find for Fourth of July dinner. Sigh...