[I wanted to do this last season, but I got the idea a few episodes too late. I do admit, I watch American Idol. I really didn't start until a couple years ago, though (my mom was a much bigger fan). Similar in style to the Live Survivor Blog over at Blog Cabins, Idol Chatter (pun and all) will be a play by play of the episodes and what I think of what's happening. For those that don't know, just continually refresh this page to get new updates as the show goes on.]
We're finally down to the Top 7 and... it's also (finally) Idol Gives Back... well, tomorrow, anyway. Hopefully we won't have to hear about it again after tomorrow. So let's get to it.
7:00: "This... is American Idol."
7:02: It's "Inspirational Songs" night... I bet pretty much everything I own that Big Mike will be singing a slow song. This week's mentor is Alicia Keys.
7:04: Casey's up first. He's singing "Don't Stop" by Fleetwood Mac. I like this song. This should be perfect for him.
7:05: Doing well. Didn't take him long to get into a mini guitar solo. But the singing is really good. He seems to be having fun with it. Didn't take as big of a vocal range as last week or the week before (I forget which at the moment. I think the week before). But still pretty good. I liked it.
7:06: Randy thought it was good, but not his best. He wants him to step out of his comfort zone. I can agree with that. Ellen says he's consistently good, but he needs to be great. Kara says he's made himself like everybody else tonight. Simon didn't think it was particularly inspiring and there was little originality.
7:13: And we're back with Lee! He's singing "The Boxer" by Simon Garfunkel. I think this is a pretty good choice for him and his journey on idol.
7:14: A couple minor rough notes, but nothing killer. Overall a really good vocal. Nothing much else to say. Wasn't too crazy about it, but it was good.
7:16: Randy thinks he's a great artist and that he'll have a great career. Ellen thought it was a beautiful song choice and thinks he's getting better and better. Kara said Lee just had his true "moment." Eh... I'm not sure I agree with that. Simon thought it was the best of the night, despite it only being the second song in. But the difference between him and Casey is staggering. I knew this was gonna happen with this song when it was halfway through... that the judges were going to adore it, despite me not melting over it. I mean, I really liked it, but I don't think it was the best thing he's ever done.
7:23: Huh... because that was coincidental. On inspirational night, they have Cap'n Sully (the guy who landed the plane in the harbor a while back). Anywho... Tim's up singing some Goo Goo Dolls with "Better Days."
7:24: He's continuing with his good performance streak here. The vocals are slightly shaky at times, but I think he's doing overall pretty well with it. Nothing fantastic, but good.
7:25: Randy thought it was OK. Ellen compares him to the soup of the day (sometimes you like it, sometimes you don't), and she didn't like it. Kara thought he's found himself, but didn't perform it to his best. Simon thought if this had been his first performance, they might be impressed, but they were actually let down (imagine that... being let down by Tim). And I have to say... I kinda was, too.
7:28: Continuing on with Aaron. Wow, Tim and Aaron back-to-back. I don't think my heart can take it. OH! And Aaron is singing "I Believe I Can Fly." That's the inspirational song to end all inspirational songs. This outta be... excuse me while I go throw up.
7:29: Archuletta, you are not. Vocals are... alright. But the song should not be a song that any American Idol should ever sing. I mean, it was an inspirational song sung by a guy who peed on an underage girl written for Michael Jordan in a movie he acted in with Bugs Bunny, for crying out loud.
7:30: Randy thought he did good with such a big song. Ellen: "There was a brief time in the 70s when I believed I could fly." Lol. But she thought he handled it well. Kara thought it took time, but by the end he got there. Simon judges this in two parts. First, knowing Aaron and liking him. Second, hearing it on the radio and how he would have turned it off. I kinda agree with both Kara and Simon. The song wasn't that good, but it did get good there at the very end. However, you can't save a terrible song by how you end it. If a song isn't good all the way through, it isn't made a good song by having a good final note (as opposed to movies where the ending can make an entire movie--see: Saw... no pun intended).
7:37: Siobhan is up. Come on, Siobhan. Make it good this week. She's singing "When You Believe" by Mariah Carey.
7:38: Vocals are really good. She didn't go for a screamer this time again, but she did hit a nice high note. Not my favorite of hers, but still pretty good.
7:40: Randy thought it was just OK. Ellen disagrees as she loved it. Kara thought that it was technically well sung, but doesn't think this is a musical (um... k). Simon agrees with Randy... and thinks Siobhan's little plastic butterflies on her outfit look like leaves. I can see where they're coming from (performance-wise). Again, it's not my favorite, but it was good... which seems to be the real theme tonight.
7:47: Big Mike is up... and apparently he has a playbook of songs, and he's choosing a song from this playbook tonight. He's singing "Hero" by Chad Kroeger (the Spider-Man song).
7:48: Fine, Mike, prove me wrong by singing a song with more of an uptempo. Granted, is about mid-tempo, but still. But I'm liking it... mostly because it's not some slow, sappy ballad. But it was good vocally, too. (I guess I lose only half my stuff?)
7:50: Randy thought he held his own. Ellen thought he did great. Kara didn't like it, thought it was all over-the-place and unrecognizable. Simon thought he sang it pretty well, but it was inspirational night and the song was about Spider-Man (lol... I love that he mentioned that).
7:55: Crystal is singing "People Get Ready" by The Impressions (?). And for the first time ever, she's singing without an instrument.
7:56: Starting off a capella. Great vocals, as per usual. Sorry I'm a little lacking in words on the performances tonight. Just not all that much to say. And... Crystal started crying at the end of the song? Interesting.
7:58: Randy gave her a standing ovation. Ellen thought it was beautiful. Kara loved it. Simon thought THAT was inspirational and happy to see some emotion there (and that it was in a completely different class from the rest of the night). Crystal explains that she started crying because she saw her dad in the audience.
8:00: The Recap. Casey was Casey... again. Lee was really good, as usual. Turban was... disappointing? I can't believe I'm saying that. Aaron was just... not good. Siobhan was alright... good vocals. Big Mike finally does something besides a slow ballad, and it's just alright, but I liked it. Crystal was excellent. Did they re-film Crystal's ending? I'm pretty sure she ended in tears, and her recap didn't have that. Anywho... tomorrow is Idol Gives Back! Shocker. I swear, Ryan hasn't even mentioned it all season...
Final Thoughts: I think the Bottom 3 will be Aaron, Tim, and... maybe Casey? But I think Aaron is going home.
4.18.2010
My Life In Film: 1988.
[Over the course of a few weeks, I will be looking at one year at a time from 1986-1999, one post for every year of my life prior to the new century. But because there are so many good movies, each year will have multiple categories. The following year(s) have already been discussed: 1986 and 1987. Now we're moving on to the next year.]
OTHER
- Akira: Considered one of the essential Anime films, Akira pretty much brought the genre to the Western World and popularized it into what it is today. And who doesn't want that badass motorcycle?
- Killer Klowns from Outer Space: I really think the title speaks for itself.
- My Neighbour Totoro: A cute Miyazaki film, this one aimed at the younger ones. I saw this film for the first time... I believe last year via Netflix, and I really enjoyed it.
- Scrooged: One of my favorite renditions of A Christmas Carol. And who better to play the Scrooge character than the snark-master himself, Bill Murray?
MOVIES I HAVEN'T SEEN IN YEARS
- Big: A Tom Hanks classic... I actually think I did watch this again a couple years ago, but I still hardly remember it. The scene I will always remember, though? The giant floor piano.
- Child's Play: One of the big named killers of the 80s, Chucky began his spree in this film, forever scarring youths who like somewhat realistic dolls. I really don't remember much besides the kid talking to the doll and the mom thinking he's just playing around, as well as the doll moving around on its own without you seeing it move (before he starts being obvious about it).
- Die Hard: Um... yeah.
- Rain Man: Ditto.
NOSTALGIC FACTOR
- The Land Before Time: This was a favorite of mine as a youngin', and I'm talking about the original, not any of the fifty thousand crap-tastic sequels that it spawned. I fly? No, you fall.
- Mac and Me: Probably not the greatest movie in the world, and it's been years since I've seen it, but this was another one I grew up with. It's essentially an E.T. ripoff, but whatever.
- Willow: It's Willow, man! I really need to buy this movie. It's magical fun starring Warwick Davis and Val Kilmer. Though is it bad that even when I was young and naive, I understood that the special effects in this movie weren't all that great?
MOVIES I HAVE YET TO SEE (For Shame)
Believe it or not, I actually could not find any major films for this year that I hadn't seen. To get my list of films for each year, I use a mixture of Wikipedia and Google, and neither of them gave me any major "shame on you" films that I hadn't seen... so... good for me, I guess.
RUNNER-UP
- Beetlejuice: There are a couple films out there I really enjoyed, not realizing they were Tim Burton films until later in my life (mostly because I was young and had no idea who Tim Burton was. At that age, my list of directors I knew didn't really span much past Spielberg). Anyway, this was one of them (others being Pee Wee's Big Adventure and Batman/Batman Returns). It's a quirky comedy about dead people and their fight with the living people in their house. And I still think the special effects/costumes/whatever hold up today, regardless of how goofy they might look. My favorite scene? The shrimp dinner/"Day-Oh" scene.
FAVORITE
- Who Framed Roger Rabbit?: Another movie that holds up visuals-wise. There was talks a while back that Zemeckis wanted to remake the movie in a similar vein to what he's been doing with the likes of Beowulf and Polar Express, saying that's how he always wanted to do it. I say he'd ruin it. The cartoon style fits the film perfectly how it is. The tone is perfect, blending dark noir with campy cartoon fare. The comedy is great, the visuals are great... and it's not just my favorite of this year, but it's probably one of my favorite movies in general. I'm not bad... I'm just drawn that way.
My Life In Film: 1988
OTHER
- Akira: Considered one of the essential Anime films, Akira pretty much brought the genre to the Western World and popularized it into what it is today. And who doesn't want that badass motorcycle?
- Killer Klowns from Outer Space: I really think the title speaks for itself.
- My Neighbour Totoro: A cute Miyazaki film, this one aimed at the younger ones. I saw this film for the first time... I believe last year via Netflix, and I really enjoyed it.
- Scrooged: One of my favorite renditions of A Christmas Carol. And who better to play the Scrooge character than the snark-master himself, Bill Murray?
MOVIES I HAVEN'T SEEN IN YEARS
- Big: A Tom Hanks classic... I actually think I did watch this again a couple years ago, but I still hardly remember it. The scene I will always remember, though? The giant floor piano.
- Child's Play: One of the big named killers of the 80s, Chucky began his spree in this film, forever scarring youths who like somewhat realistic dolls. I really don't remember much besides the kid talking to the doll and the mom thinking he's just playing around, as well as the doll moving around on its own without you seeing it move (before he starts being obvious about it).
- Die Hard: Um... yeah.
- Rain Man: Ditto.
NOSTALGIC FACTOR
- The Land Before Time: This was a favorite of mine as a youngin', and I'm talking about the original, not any of the fifty thousand crap-tastic sequels that it spawned. I fly? No, you fall.
- Mac and Me: Probably not the greatest movie in the world, and it's been years since I've seen it, but this was another one I grew up with. It's essentially an E.T. ripoff, but whatever.
- Willow: It's Willow, man! I really need to buy this movie. It's magical fun starring Warwick Davis and Val Kilmer. Though is it bad that even when I was young and naive, I understood that the special effects in this movie weren't all that great?
MOVIES I HAVE YET TO SEE (For Shame)
Believe it or not, I actually could not find any major films for this year that I hadn't seen. To get my list of films for each year, I use a mixture of Wikipedia and Google, and neither of them gave me any major "shame on you" films that I hadn't seen... so... good for me, I guess.
RUNNER-UP
- Beetlejuice: There are a couple films out there I really enjoyed, not realizing they were Tim Burton films until later in my life (mostly because I was young and had no idea who Tim Burton was. At that age, my list of directors I knew didn't really span much past Spielberg). Anyway, this was one of them (others being Pee Wee's Big Adventure and Batman/Batman Returns). It's a quirky comedy about dead people and their fight with the living people in their house. And I still think the special effects/costumes/whatever hold up today, regardless of how goofy they might look. My favorite scene? The shrimp dinner/"Day-Oh" scene.
FAVORITE
- Who Framed Roger Rabbit?: Another movie that holds up visuals-wise. There was talks a while back that Zemeckis wanted to remake the movie in a similar vein to what he's been doing with the likes of Beowulf and Polar Express, saying that's how he always wanted to do it. I say he'd ruin it. The cartoon style fits the film perfectly how it is. The tone is perfect, blending dark noir with campy cartoon fare. The comedy is great, the visuals are great... and it's not just my favorite of this year, but it's probably one of my favorite movies in general. I'm not bad... I'm just drawn that way.
4.17.2010
Podcast: The Demented Encyclopedia #6 - The One Where Jason Likes Tits.
Another weekend, another episode of The Demented Encyclopedia. This episode brings us our second guest host, this time in the form of Jason Soto from Invasion of the B-Movies. This week we discuss our top 5 movies that most people love, but we can't stand and/or hate. And yes, we're aware that most people are going to kill us in many creative ways by the end of the podcast.
From the main topic we turn to a relatively quick segment of Reality Round-Up before heading into "Recommend A..." Jason recommends a good book about bad movies, Travis offers up some music and a video game, and I pimp out Gamers: Dorkness Rising.
Finally, we wrap up the show with what is probably the greatest session of the Monologues of the Week this side of Christopher Walken. Travis takes on There Will Be Blood (you know which scene). I go a little crazy myself with American Psycho. Jason finishes it off with a speech from a movie riffed in Mystery Science Theater 3000.
And this is also the most bizarre episode we've had behind the scenes, as well. Never before have we had so many issues. We started off rough with me forgetting to hit the record button. Then I get 2 different and unnecessary phone calls during the podcast that interrupted us. Travis gets a knock at his door... and at the very end, he gets disconnected completely about halfway through Jason's speech. But we made it through, and I was able to edit it together pretty well so you can't really tell (except maybe the audio difference at the very, very end). But the best part? I tagged a little extra bit onto the end of the show, after the closing music, so stay tuned!
Warning: This episode contains quite a bit more explicit language than usual.
Thanks goes out to Kevin MacLeod's Imcompetech Website for the music. As always, you can use the player above to listen to the podcast, or you can search iTunes, where we are also available for download. Also, please become a Fan on Facebook... then you can give us your input for the podcast and will probably end up on the show during the D-Bag segment. But as for now... enjoy!
From the main topic we turn to a relatively quick segment of Reality Round-Up before heading into "Recommend A..." Jason recommends a good book about bad movies, Travis offers up some music and a video game, and I pimp out Gamers: Dorkness Rising.
Finally, we wrap up the show with what is probably the greatest session of the Monologues of the Week this side of Christopher Walken. Travis takes on There Will Be Blood (you know which scene). I go a little crazy myself with American Psycho. Jason finishes it off with a speech from a movie riffed in Mystery Science Theater 3000.
And this is also the most bizarre episode we've had behind the scenes, as well. Never before have we had so many issues. We started off rough with me forgetting to hit the record button. Then I get 2 different and unnecessary phone calls during the podcast that interrupted us. Travis gets a knock at his door... and at the very end, he gets disconnected completely about halfway through Jason's speech. But we made it through, and I was able to edit it together pretty well so you can't really tell (except maybe the audio difference at the very, very end). But the best part? I tagged a little extra bit onto the end of the show, after the closing music, so stay tuned!
Warning: This episode contains quite a bit more explicit language than usual.
Thanks goes out to Kevin MacLeod's Imcompetech Website for the music. As always, you can use the player above to listen to the podcast, or you can search iTunes, where we are also available for download. Also, please become a Fan on Facebook... then you can give us your input for the podcast and will probably end up on the show during the D-Bag segment. But as for now... enjoy!
And that's it for this week!
4.16.2010
KICK-ASS.
I've been anticipating this movie for quite some time. But I really didn't know what to think of it from the Green Band trailer. Then the Red Band trailer came out and it was like "OMG," as they say. And the closer it came to release, the more excited I got. Ironically, though, I didn't realize it was coming out this week until it was almost Friday. Lame. But I just got back from seeing it, and I must share my opinion.The plot is pretty straight forward. Dave Lizewski (Aaron Johnson) is a nerd who starts to wonder why nobody has ever tried being a superhero. And after yet another mugging of him and his friends (Even Peters and Clark Duke), he decides to order a wet suit and be one. Well... it doesn't really work out, ending up in a near-death experience. However, it messes with some nerve endings and infuses his body with some metal plates, allowing him to take quite a punch or two. And then he tries again... still getting his ass kicked, but fairing better. And this time, people see it happen and put videos of the fight up on YouTube (or a similar site). Meanwhile, mobster Frank D'Amico (Mark Strong) is losing some money and drugs to somebody ruining his plans, and he starts believing it's the new superhero Kick-Ass, while it's really the vengeful daughter-father team of Hit-Girl (Chloe Moretz) and Big Daddy (Nicolas Cage), who take a page from Kick-Ass' book and dress up like superheroes. But Frank can't get a hold of Kick-Ass, so his son, Chris (Christopher Mintz-Plasse), who really just wants to prove himself to his father, takes up the moniker of Red Mist to lure Kick-Ass into a trap and deliver him to his father. But all of this isn't nearly as easy as it seems.
Really, there's not a whole lot to say about the movie besides the obvious: it kicked ass (I know, so original). The action is phenomenally over-the-top and awesome, especially in regards to Hit-Girl. Chloe Moretz is the real star of the movie... at least the action parts. Kick-Ass (the character) really has Harry Potter syndrome. He's in over his head and, albeit having potential, mostly relies on his friends and acquaintances to survive at any given time. In other words, he gets the crap kicked out of him for most of the movie. But I believe that's the point.
As for the other characters, the most surprising was Chris/Red Mist. The trailers make him look like he's just gonna be some kind of wannabe inspired by Kick-Ass, but his story is actually much more interesting. Christopher Mintz-Plasse plays a much darker character here than he's done in the past, and he actually didn't make any of the character turns I expected him to. As for Nicolas Cage... other people have said it already, but this is one of his best roles in years.
There were only really a couple disappointing factors, but they weren't anything huge. First, the love interest angle of the story almost felt tacked on, like they did the rest of the movie and realized that they needed to give the main character a personal story as well, something for him to connect with when he's not getting beaten up. It wasn't overtly like that, but there were times when it just wasn't working for me. The other minor quibble was that they seem to build up this whole "he can't leap from one building to another" thing, but it doesn't really pay off anywhere. Granted, what it might have been doing was setting up a fear of heights which plays into the climax of the movie... if that's the case, then it's understandable. I was just waiting for a moment when he'd have to leap from one building to another, and it just didn't happen.
You've heard it already--the movie is uber-violent. Let's just say Tarantino would be proud. So let's just segue from that into the visuals: there's some good camera work, and the action scenes aren't confusing to follow whatsoever. And while there is a tiny bit of slo-mo, it doesn't feel out of place or overused. And there are some fantastic cinematography shots, like during the strobe-light fight, which is probably (outside the climax) one of the coolest parts of the whole film.
Besides the violence, the movie is hilarious, too. The only joke that really kinda seems out of place is one from the Red Band trailer--the masturbation joke. But it's so early on in the movie (the very beginning) that it doesn't feel out of place at the time. Only in hindsight. But there really aren't all that many crude sex jokes. And I'm not saying it bothered me. It didn't. It's just a random note looking back at the humor of the film.
One last thing I want to bring up is the soundtrack. This movie had to have one of the coolest action-comedy soundtracks ever. I seriously just loved the music in this movie, from the instrumental stuff to the ones with lyrics. The only gripe I have with the music is that they ripped off the main theme to 28 Days/Weeks Later (the long song they play at the beginning parts of both movies and/or during any slow-building intense moments of either film). Well, I don't think it's a rip-off, because it isn't a song that sounds like the theme. It actually is the song itself. But considering it's one of my favorite movie tracks ever, I forgave it just for the sake of including such a great song during a cool scene.
In fact, I can forgive practically all of my quibbles with the movie based on the last 20-30 minutes alone. It's practically one long action sequence (like... a pre-climax leading up to the climax). And with a big dose of incredible and over-the-top action and good humor, Kick-Ass is the movie to see right now. At least if you're into insane action-comedies.
Royale With Cheese
(P.S. Was I the only person to chuckle at the movie theater marquee sporting that "The Spirit 3" was now playing?)
4.14.2010
Idol Chatter: The Live Blog #8.2: The Top 8/9 (Results Show).
[I wanted to do this last season, but I got the idea a few episodes too late. I do admit, I watch American Idol. I really didn't start until a couple years ago, though (my mom was a much bigger fan). Similar in style to the Live Survivor Blog over at Blog Cabins, Idol Chatter (pun and all) will be a play by play of the episodes and what I think of what's happening. For those that don't know, just continually refresh this page to get new updates as the show goes on.]
It's time for the results! OK, so it's time for like... 3 performances and about 10 seconds of results. But Big Mike was saved last week, so that means 2 people are going home tonight. And hey, Adam Lambert is singing tonight, which should be fun (unless he's singing his overly played song from the radio). Anyway, I think the Bottom 3 tonight are gonna be Aaron, Andrew, and (maybe) Katie, with Aaron and Andrew going home.
8:00: The overly dramatic recap (they're even doing operatic choir symphony-esque music.
8:01: "This... is American Idol."
8:02: Apparently Brooke White is back tonight, too... and some other guy I don't think I've ever heard of.
8:03: Haha... Ryan called Simon "SiCo" (read: Psycho). That's great. Anyway, the Top performers... well... perform. They're doing an Elvis medley. Not blown away by it, really. It just seems like everyone is being held back from their full potential on this group performance.
8:10: Oh, sorry... I just completely ignored the Ford music video. Getting to the results.
8:12: Casey stands up first. Aaron stands up, too. Andrew stands up. This worries me. All three guys move to the center of the stage. This worries me more.
8:14: Holy crap, that was fast. He just straight-up told Andrew he was gone. And Aaron is safe! Lame! That kinda worries me, too. Well... at least I was half right with Andrew being gone. Really, though, that was the only one I was sure of. I knew if two people were going tonight, one of them had to be Andrew.
8:16: He just finished singing his goodbye song.
8:21: Ryan pimps out Idol Gives Back yet again. I'm gonna take this time to surf the internet.
8:25: OK, getting back to... performances. Brooke White and some guy named Justin Gastin (sp), the former being a previous contestant and the latter the star of an internet show. Surprise, surprise, Brooke White starting off at the piano. This performance isn't blowing me away, either. Though at least they're not using voice modifications or anything. That Justin guy is either just really into the song or super nervous, because his mic hand is shaking like crazy.
8:34: Back to the show. Let's get to some results. Ryan asks for the entire bottom row to join him on stage. This should be interesting. Lee's being spoken to first (such passivity in that sentence!). Next is Siobhan. Katie. Big Mike... who gets a big applause (no pun intended). Crystal... who also got a big applause. Tim... with decent applause.
8:38: Crystal is safe. Siobhan is safe. Ryan tells Lee that he had sung the song Chris Daughtry sang the week he was eliminated... then makes him walk with him. But he's safe. This leaves Tim, Mike, and Katie.
8:43: Next week the contestants will be choosing "Inspirational Songs" with a mentor of Alicia Keys. And speaking of mentors, Adam Lambert is now singing... you guessed it... the incredibly over-played "What Do Ya Want From Me?" But at least it seems he's changed it up a bit here. Maybe it'll be better than the radio version. I like the spiraling green smoke. Oh yeah, this is definitely better than the radio version. At least... until the song picked up to sound just like the radio version, but sung live. Awesome light show, though. I expected him to do one of his famous "big notes" (like Siobhan) there at the end, but he toned it down. Oh well.
8:53: Alright, back with Tim, Mike, and Katie. One is going to safety right now. That person is... Tim. I'm guessing Big Mike to go home? It would make sense. Matt went home the next week after he was saved last season. And the person leaving is...
8:55: Katie? Huh. And Big Mike was apparently not even in the Bottom 3. Well, I was 2 for 3 with the bottom. Poor Katie. She's trying to sing "Let It Be," but is choking up too much to get through the song... well, to get through it well, anyway.
8:58: The goodbye video for both contestants leaving.
Final Thoughts: I'm not hating who went home. No ultimate surprises here. Maybe Aaron will go next week? We'll see. So... yeah. See y'all next week for "Inspirational Songs" week, which has the amazing potential to be incredibly cheesy. Oh, and how can I forget? Idol Gives Back is next week, as well. Later!
It's time for the results! OK, so it's time for like... 3 performances and about 10 seconds of results. But Big Mike was saved last week, so that means 2 people are going home tonight. And hey, Adam Lambert is singing tonight, which should be fun (unless he's singing his overly played song from the radio). Anyway, I think the Bottom 3 tonight are gonna be Aaron, Andrew, and (maybe) Katie, with Aaron and Andrew going home.
8:00: The overly dramatic recap (they're even doing operatic choir symphony-esque music.
8:01: "This... is American Idol."
8:02: Apparently Brooke White is back tonight, too... and some other guy I don't think I've ever heard of.
8:03: Haha... Ryan called Simon "SiCo" (read: Psycho). That's great. Anyway, the Top performers... well... perform. They're doing an Elvis medley. Not blown away by it, really. It just seems like everyone is being held back from their full potential on this group performance.
8:10: Oh, sorry... I just completely ignored the Ford music video. Getting to the results.
8:12: Casey stands up first. Aaron stands up, too. Andrew stands up. This worries me. All three guys move to the center of the stage. This worries me more.
8:14: Holy crap, that was fast. He just straight-up told Andrew he was gone. And Aaron is safe! Lame! That kinda worries me, too. Well... at least I was half right with Andrew being gone. Really, though, that was the only one I was sure of. I knew if two people were going tonight, one of them had to be Andrew.
8:16: He just finished singing his goodbye song.
8:21: Ryan pimps out Idol Gives Back yet again. I'm gonna take this time to surf the internet.
8:25: OK, getting back to... performances. Brooke White and some guy named Justin Gastin (sp), the former being a previous contestant and the latter the star of an internet show. Surprise, surprise, Brooke White starting off at the piano. This performance isn't blowing me away, either. Though at least they're not using voice modifications or anything. That Justin guy is either just really into the song or super nervous, because his mic hand is shaking like crazy.
8:34: Back to the show. Let's get to some results. Ryan asks for the entire bottom row to join him on stage. This should be interesting. Lee's being spoken to first (such passivity in that sentence!). Next is Siobhan. Katie. Big Mike... who gets a big applause (no pun intended). Crystal... who also got a big applause. Tim... with decent applause.
8:38: Crystal is safe. Siobhan is safe. Ryan tells Lee that he had sung the song Chris Daughtry sang the week he was eliminated... then makes him walk with him. But he's safe. This leaves Tim, Mike, and Katie.
8:43: Next week the contestants will be choosing "Inspirational Songs" with a mentor of Alicia Keys. And speaking of mentors, Adam Lambert is now singing... you guessed it... the incredibly over-played "What Do Ya Want From Me?" But at least it seems he's changed it up a bit here. Maybe it'll be better than the radio version. I like the spiraling green smoke. Oh yeah, this is definitely better than the radio version. At least... until the song picked up to sound just like the radio version, but sung live. Awesome light show, though. I expected him to do one of his famous "big notes" (like Siobhan) there at the end, but he toned it down. Oh well.
8:53: Alright, back with Tim, Mike, and Katie. One is going to safety right now. That person is... Tim. I'm guessing Big Mike to go home? It would make sense. Matt went home the next week after he was saved last season. And the person leaving is...
8:55: Katie? Huh. And Big Mike was apparently not even in the Bottom 3. Well, I was 2 for 3 with the bottom. Poor Katie. She's trying to sing "Let It Be," but is choking up too much to get through the song... well, to get through it well, anyway.
8:58: The goodbye video for both contestants leaving.
Final Thoughts: I'm not hating who went home. No ultimate surprises here. Maybe Aaron will go next week? We'll see. So... yeah. See y'all next week for "Inspirational Songs" week, which has the amazing potential to be incredibly cheesy. Oh, and how can I forget? Idol Gives Back is next week, as well. Later!
4.13.2010
Idol Chatter: The Live Blog #8: The Top 8/9 (Elvis).
[I wanted to do this last season, but I got the idea a few episodes too late. I do admit, I watch American Idol. I really didn't start until a couple years ago, though (my mom was a much bigger fan). Similar in style to the Live Survivor Blog over at Blog Cabins, Idol Chatter (pun and all) will be a play by play of the episodes and what I think of what's happening. For those that don't know, just continually refresh this page to get new updates as the show goes on.]
NOTE: The Live Blog will be a little, well, note live tonight. I'm gonna be slightly busy at the beginning of the show, but the DVR will record it, and I'll type stuff up as best I can. I'll make note when I'm caught up real time, but if you actually read this AS I go along, just know that it'll be delayed for a while.
NOTE 2: I've started watching. I'll try to guess and keep the timestamps as accurate as possible. Anywho... I'd call this a Top 8... but I guess it's really a Top 9 still, since Big Mike was saved last week. But 2 are going home this week. So yeah. It's Elvis week and... this should be a train wreck. We'll see. It's only 90 minutes tonight, though, at least.
7:00: "This... is American Idol."
7:03: Talking about Elvis and how famous and important he was. Like anyone who has ever heard of music didn't know this already.
7:04: Adam Lambert is the mentor this week! I so hope he makes Siobhan do awesome this week. Apparently he's the first contestant to come back to be a mentor to new contestants. Interesting. And why does Ryan always ask the same question of the mentors? Of course the mentor is gonna be constructive and whatnot.
7:06: Ryan: "My tongue is obviously not as talented as yours." Freudian slip? That was funny.
7:07: Wow, Crystal's up first! She's singing "Saved."
7:08: Already kicking it off with great vocals. As Crystal is doing great as usual, I want to recommend for future seasons... why not have the mentor be a guest judge on performance night? That way they can get a bonus moment to mentor as well as comment on whether or not the contestants took their advice and if it worked. That actually makes more sense to me than a mentor coming in, making a couple comments, and then just sitting in the audience on performance night. Anywho, Crystal was great with her bluesy self. Moving along.
7:10: Randy thought it was "dope." Ellen tells everyone in the audience "Happy Birthday" so to not say the same thing about Crystal all the time. Kara loved it. Simon makes a funny! And he loved it, of course.
7:16: Back with Andrew. I'm assuming he'll suck again this week, since he's apparently a one (or two?) hit wonder.
7:17: Ugh... he's doing "Hounddog." And Adam Lambert thinks it was boring and tells him to change it up. Let's see how he does.
7:18: Um... it's sounds closer to how it was before Adam had him change it a bit. Kinda lounge-ish mixed with some blues. It's not terrible, actually. It's not blowing my shirt up, but it doesn't suck. Kind of underwhelming, I guess is the best way to put it.
7:20: Randy thought it was not good and it was karaoke. Not exactly sure how it was karaoke since it sounded nothing like the original, but... anyway. Ellen thought he pulled it off. Kara didn't think he owned it and dragged around the mic too much. Simon thought it was lazy. He said there's always that part of a musical that nobody wants to see or hear, and that was that part (harsh).
7:26: Ha... Ryan's mother. Up next is Tim. He's singing "Can't Help Falling In Love." Adam thought it was "lovely" and "pretty." I actually think Tim is doing well, at least in this video. Though in the past, the video is often better than the actual performance.
7:28: Lol, Ryan just called him "Turban." Anyway. Um, wow. Tim's actually doing a pretty good job. Like... a really good job. Like... on par with his "Hallelujah" performance. What the heck is happening? Tim is actually good two weeks in a row? He didn't do the falsetto at the end like Adam wanted him to, but I liked how he ended it almost even better. I actually... damnit... really liked it.
7:30: Randy actually liked it. Ellen compares Tim to the first time she took tequila and how she didn't know if she'd like it or not, but she just kept taking more until she really liked it. Kara thought it was her favorite Tim performance ever. Simon thought it was beautiful and that Tim has managed to go from Zero to Hero in 2 weeks.
7:36: Up next is Lee. He's doing "A Little Less Conversation." Adam tells him to perform it, especially facially, and to have fun with it.
7:37: Doing really well. Really well. Really really well. Yeah... I loved that. And I think Lee had a lot of fun with it.
7:39: Randy thinks he's in the zone and thought it was excellent. Ellen thought it was so current (I agree). Kara hasn't ever seen him go for it vocally like he had tonight. She would have liked him more playful, but she loved everything else about it. Simon teases Kara about the 'playful' comment. Simon though Lee nailed the song, full stop.
7:41: Going right into the next one with Aaron. He's singing "Blue Suede Shoes." Adam said he underestimated him. But he wants him to put more grit into it and to believe in himself more. Though even Aaron thinks the song probably doesn't fit him at all, and I can agree with that. We'll see.
7:42: Yeah... not working. And it's rather Karaoke. He's even doing Elvis movements with hips and arms. And he really didn't change the song up, doing riffs that Elvis did. Yeah... not really all that good.
7:44: Randy didn't like the first half, but thought the slower blues half worked better. Ellen gives him an A for Effort, but didn't think he got all the way there. Kara liked it. Simon thought it made him feel old fashioned and like a high school performance, very Karaoke. I agree with Simon on this one.
7:51: Up next with Siobhan! I accidentally skipped ahead a bit and saw Simon apparently giving some not-so-good comments, but I rewound the DVR before I could really hear it. So I hope I'm wrong.
7:52: She's singing "Suspicious Minds." Adam thinks it's too sleepy.
7:53: Vocals are pretty good so far. It seems a bit... old fashioned. I mean, there's nothing wrong with the vocals. It just feels old. Some really good notes. I dunno. Great vocals, but the whole thing could have been more current.
7:55: Randy thought, like with Aaron, it was better in the second half. Ellen agrees this time. Kara thinks there are two Siobhan's vocally. Simon felt like she just used a time machine, the first part of the song was terrible, and the big notes in the second half weren't quite hit (that was probably a horribly written sentence grammatically, but I'm too lazy to fix it right now). But she hits back at them about the purpose of being labeled. Touche, my lady. Touche.
8:02: Next week is Idol Gives Back. Wow, already? Next up is the one was saved last week, Big Mike. And... he's doing another slow one. He's singing "In the Ghetto."
8:04: Well, he certainly made it nice and R&B sounding. Doing well vocally. It's slow, but not necessarily boring. I just wish he'd pick it up and do something faster for once. Great vocally, though.
8:06: Randy thought it was a little sleepy, but the vocals were hot. Agreed. Ellen is glad they saved him. Kara thought it was a beautiful song and he sang it well. Simon thought it was a million billion times better than last week and one of his favorites that Big Mike has done.
NOTE 3: I am now caught up, and everything else from this point on will be officially live.
8:11: Katie's up. She's singing "Baby, What Do You Want Me To Do?" She wants to show her frustration with the judges for getting conflicting advice from the judges since the beginning. Adam thinks she just needs to sell herself.
8:12: I was about to say: "In the words of my students, 'You Ain't Black!'" But... I found the irony in that statement due to it being Elvis week. Anywho. Katie is just the same as every other week. Really good vocally, but it's not really all that exciting. If she were on Idol maybe in the first few seasons, she would have done very well. But not these days.
8:14: Randy liked it. Ellen thought it was a very horny song (being that there were a lot of horns in it). She thought it was great. Kara said the judges just got "showed." Simon thought it was a bit loud and annoying, but it doesn't matter, because the audience seemed to like it... but, hell, the audience loves everything, even if it's God awful.
8:19: Heck yeah! Glee returns next! Finally! Anywho, getting back to the show. Casey's up. He's doing "Lawdy Miss Clawdy." Adam thinks he needs to work on the arrangement, but he's really good.
8:20: Very bluesy. Very good vocals. Fun song. Not much more to say about that.
8:22: Randy thinks he's definitely in the zone, and while he didn't do anything different, it was a solid performance. Ellen thought it could have been more exciting, but it was really good. Kara thought it fell short. Simon thought the vocal was good, but it was a wasted opportunity. I can actually agree with the judges here. It wasn't anything special, but it was still really good.
8:23: The Recap. Crystal was awesome. Andrew was... bleh. He'll be in the Bottom 3, probably to go home. Tim was, dare I say it again, excellent. Lee was excellent, as well. Aaron was... bleh. He'll probably be in the Bottom 3, too. Siobhan wasn't terrible, but it was still kinda... old. Big Mike had great vocals, but really needs to pick it up if he's still around next week. Katie was Katie. Casey was Casey.
Final Thoughts: I figure the Bottom 3 are gonna be Andrew, Aaron, and Katie, with Andrew and Aaron going home (if vocals are anything to do with it). Now... moving on to LOST and then Glee. See y'all tomorrow.
NOTE: The Live Blog will be a little, well, note live tonight. I'm gonna be slightly busy at the beginning of the show, but the DVR will record it, and I'll type stuff up as best I can. I'll make note when I'm caught up real time, but if you actually read this AS I go along, just know that it'll be delayed for a while.
NOTE 2: I've started watching. I'll try to guess and keep the timestamps as accurate as possible. Anywho... I'd call this a Top 8... but I guess it's really a Top 9 still, since Big Mike was saved last week. But 2 are going home this week. So yeah. It's Elvis week and... this should be a train wreck. We'll see. It's only 90 minutes tonight, though, at least.
7:00: "This... is American Idol."
7:03: Talking about Elvis and how famous and important he was. Like anyone who has ever heard of music didn't know this already.
7:04: Adam Lambert is the mentor this week! I so hope he makes Siobhan do awesome this week. Apparently he's the first contestant to come back to be a mentor to new contestants. Interesting. And why does Ryan always ask the same question of the mentors? Of course the mentor is gonna be constructive and whatnot.
7:06: Ryan: "My tongue is obviously not as talented as yours." Freudian slip? That was funny.
7:07: Wow, Crystal's up first! She's singing "Saved."
7:08: Already kicking it off with great vocals. As Crystal is doing great as usual, I want to recommend for future seasons... why not have the mentor be a guest judge on performance night? That way they can get a bonus moment to mentor as well as comment on whether or not the contestants took their advice and if it worked. That actually makes more sense to me than a mentor coming in, making a couple comments, and then just sitting in the audience on performance night. Anywho, Crystal was great with her bluesy self. Moving along.
7:10: Randy thought it was "dope." Ellen tells everyone in the audience "Happy Birthday" so to not say the same thing about Crystal all the time. Kara loved it. Simon makes a funny! And he loved it, of course.
7:16: Back with Andrew. I'm assuming he'll suck again this week, since he's apparently a one (or two?) hit wonder.
7:17: Ugh... he's doing "Hounddog." And Adam Lambert thinks it was boring and tells him to change it up. Let's see how he does.
7:18: Um... it's sounds closer to how it was before Adam had him change it a bit. Kinda lounge-ish mixed with some blues. It's not terrible, actually. It's not blowing my shirt up, but it doesn't suck. Kind of underwhelming, I guess is the best way to put it.
7:20: Randy thought it was not good and it was karaoke. Not exactly sure how it was karaoke since it sounded nothing like the original, but... anyway. Ellen thought he pulled it off. Kara didn't think he owned it and dragged around the mic too much. Simon thought it was lazy. He said there's always that part of a musical that nobody wants to see or hear, and that was that part (harsh).
7:26: Ha... Ryan's mother. Up next is Tim. He's singing "Can't Help Falling In Love." Adam thought it was "lovely" and "pretty." I actually think Tim is doing well, at least in this video. Though in the past, the video is often better than the actual performance.
7:28: Lol, Ryan just called him "Turban." Anyway. Um, wow. Tim's actually doing a pretty good job. Like... a really good job. Like... on par with his "Hallelujah" performance. What the heck is happening? Tim is actually good two weeks in a row? He didn't do the falsetto at the end like Adam wanted him to, but I liked how he ended it almost even better. I actually... damnit... really liked it.
7:30: Randy actually liked it. Ellen compares Tim to the first time she took tequila and how she didn't know if she'd like it or not, but she just kept taking more until she really liked it. Kara thought it was her favorite Tim performance ever. Simon thought it was beautiful and that Tim has managed to go from Zero to Hero in 2 weeks.
7:36: Up next is Lee. He's doing "A Little Less Conversation." Adam tells him to perform it, especially facially, and to have fun with it.
7:37: Doing really well. Really well. Really really well. Yeah... I loved that. And I think Lee had a lot of fun with it.
7:39: Randy thinks he's in the zone and thought it was excellent. Ellen thought it was so current (I agree). Kara hasn't ever seen him go for it vocally like he had tonight. She would have liked him more playful, but she loved everything else about it. Simon teases Kara about the 'playful' comment. Simon though Lee nailed the song, full stop.
7:41: Going right into the next one with Aaron. He's singing "Blue Suede Shoes." Adam said he underestimated him. But he wants him to put more grit into it and to believe in himself more. Though even Aaron thinks the song probably doesn't fit him at all, and I can agree with that. We'll see.
7:42: Yeah... not working. And it's rather Karaoke. He's even doing Elvis movements with hips and arms. And he really didn't change the song up, doing riffs that Elvis did. Yeah... not really all that good.
7:44: Randy didn't like the first half, but thought the slower blues half worked better. Ellen gives him an A for Effort, but didn't think he got all the way there. Kara liked it. Simon thought it made him feel old fashioned and like a high school performance, very Karaoke. I agree with Simon on this one.
7:51: Up next with Siobhan! I accidentally skipped ahead a bit and saw Simon apparently giving some not-so-good comments, but I rewound the DVR before I could really hear it. So I hope I'm wrong.
7:52: She's singing "Suspicious Minds." Adam thinks it's too sleepy.
7:53: Vocals are pretty good so far. It seems a bit... old fashioned. I mean, there's nothing wrong with the vocals. It just feels old. Some really good notes. I dunno. Great vocals, but the whole thing could have been more current.
7:55: Randy thought, like with Aaron, it was better in the second half. Ellen agrees this time. Kara thinks there are two Siobhan's vocally. Simon felt like she just used a time machine, the first part of the song was terrible, and the big notes in the second half weren't quite hit (that was probably a horribly written sentence grammatically, but I'm too lazy to fix it right now). But she hits back at them about the purpose of being labeled. Touche, my lady. Touche.
8:02: Next week is Idol Gives Back. Wow, already? Next up is the one was saved last week, Big Mike. And... he's doing another slow one. He's singing "In the Ghetto."
8:04: Well, he certainly made it nice and R&B sounding. Doing well vocally. It's slow, but not necessarily boring. I just wish he'd pick it up and do something faster for once. Great vocally, though.
8:06: Randy thought it was a little sleepy, but the vocals were hot. Agreed. Ellen is glad they saved him. Kara thought it was a beautiful song and he sang it well. Simon thought it was a million billion times better than last week and one of his favorites that Big Mike has done.
NOTE 3: I am now caught up, and everything else from this point on will be officially live.
8:11: Katie's up. She's singing "Baby, What Do You Want Me To Do?" She wants to show her frustration with the judges for getting conflicting advice from the judges since the beginning. Adam thinks she just needs to sell herself.
8:12: I was about to say: "In the words of my students, 'You Ain't Black!'" But... I found the irony in that statement due to it being Elvis week. Anywho. Katie is just the same as every other week. Really good vocally, but it's not really all that exciting. If she were on Idol maybe in the first few seasons, she would have done very well. But not these days.
8:14: Randy liked it. Ellen thought it was a very horny song (being that there were a lot of horns in it). She thought it was great. Kara said the judges just got "showed." Simon thought it was a bit loud and annoying, but it doesn't matter, because the audience seemed to like it... but, hell, the audience loves everything, even if it's God awful.
8:19: Heck yeah! Glee returns next! Finally! Anywho, getting back to the show. Casey's up. He's doing "Lawdy Miss Clawdy." Adam thinks he needs to work on the arrangement, but he's really good.
8:20: Very bluesy. Very good vocals. Fun song. Not much more to say about that.
8:22: Randy thinks he's definitely in the zone, and while he didn't do anything different, it was a solid performance. Ellen thought it could have been more exciting, but it was really good. Kara thought it fell short. Simon thought the vocal was good, but it was a wasted opportunity. I can actually agree with the judges here. It wasn't anything special, but it was still really good.
8:23: The Recap. Crystal was awesome. Andrew was... bleh. He'll be in the Bottom 3, probably to go home. Tim was, dare I say it again, excellent. Lee was excellent, as well. Aaron was... bleh. He'll probably be in the Bottom 3, too. Siobhan wasn't terrible, but it was still kinda... old. Big Mike had great vocals, but really needs to pick it up if he's still around next week. Katie was Katie. Casey was Casey.
Final Thoughts: I figure the Bottom 3 are gonna be Andrew, Aaron, and Katie, with Andrew and Aaron going home (if vocals are anything to do with it). Now... moving on to LOST and then Glee. See y'all tomorrow.
4.11.2010
My Life In Film: 1987.
[Over the course of a few weeks, I will be looking at one year at a time from 1986-1999, one post for every year of my life prior to the new century. But because there are so many good movies, each year will have multiple categories. The following year(s) have already been discussed: 1986. Now we're moving on to the next year.]
OTHER
- Evil Dead II: Is it a remake? A sequel? Both? I'm pretty sure it's the latter, with the beginning being a strange mix of recap and remake (since stuff was changed), while the rest of the movie is a pretty obvious sequel to the original. The tone was knocked down to what the series as a whole is known for: over-the-top slapstick and gore. And it's oh, so fun.
- Full Metal Jacket: Great Kubrick film, but I have to admit, after the Boot Camp stuff, the movie kinda goes downhill. But up until that point? Epic stuff.
MOVIES I HAVEN'T SEEN IN YEARS
- The Gate: A really interesting B-Movie with some pretty creepy scenes and some cheesy stop-motion monsters.
- Good Morning, Vietnam: Robin Williams classic about a controversial radio host in Vietnam who shakes things up a bit to entertain the soldiers. I don't really remember specifics about this movie outside of a condom joke and an underage naked boy that's probably on screen for 1 second (which I remember because of how shocked I was to see that in a movie).
- Innerspace: Dennis Quaid, Martin Short, and Meg Ryan in a movie that is essentially a comedy version of Fantastic Voyage. I mainly remember my mom being a fan of this movie, as well as how the trailer for this movie played right before the main attraction on my VHS copy of Little Shop of Horrors.
- Lethal Weapon: Um... yeah.
- Planes, Trains, & Automobiles: Classic comedy starring Steve Martin and John Candy. My family owned a VHS copy of this movie, though it was a pretty messed up copy... had some visual issues. Still, it's a really funny movie that I need to see again.
- Predator: Yes, the classic Predator staring the Governator himself. Like the previous film, I saw this one again sometime in the 2000s, but it still feels like it's been way too long since I've seen it. I need to check this one out again soon, especially with the sequel (?) coming out.
NOSTALGIC FACTOR
- The Brave Little Toaster: I remember really liking this movie as a child. It comes on TV (usually Disney) every now and then, but I always miss it for some reason. The main part of the movie I remember is when they're in the junk yard running away from the giant magnet thing and the dead/dying cars are singing that incredibly creepy (and sad) song. I love that song.
MOVIES I HAVE YET TO SEE (For Shame)
- Fatal Attraction
- The Lost Boys
- Robocop (*Honestly, I'm not sure if I've seen this or not. I have faint memories of scenes from this movie, so I very well could have... or I've just seen certain scenes. To be safe, I just put it here).
- Wall Street
- The Untouchables
RUNNER-UP
- Spaceballs: It was so hard to choose between Runner-Up and Favorite for this particular year. In fact, this movie was one I grew up with, while my Favorite choice was one I didn't become acquainted with until later in life. Between Star Wars jokes, self-referential jokes (which probably began my love for anything meta), or just Mel Brooks humor, this movie is a total classic. May the Schwartz be with you! (And you can't tell me you're not still waiting for Spaceballs II: The Search for More Money).
FAVORITE
- The Princess Bride: How can one not love this movie? Yes, I came into my love for this film in the mid-2000s, but it's one I've loved adamantly since. It has great characters, a great story, and great, witty humor most from its sharp dialogue. But I've rambled on about this film enough in the last week or so, so I'm just gonna leave it at that.
MY LIFE IN FILM: 1987
OTHER
- Evil Dead II: Is it a remake? A sequel? Both? I'm pretty sure it's the latter, with the beginning being a strange mix of recap and remake (since stuff was changed), while the rest of the movie is a pretty obvious sequel to the original. The tone was knocked down to what the series as a whole is known for: over-the-top slapstick and gore. And it's oh, so fun.
- Full Metal Jacket: Great Kubrick film, but I have to admit, after the Boot Camp stuff, the movie kinda goes downhill. But up until that point? Epic stuff.
MOVIES I HAVEN'T SEEN IN YEARS
- The Gate: A really interesting B-Movie with some pretty creepy scenes and some cheesy stop-motion monsters.
- Good Morning, Vietnam: Robin Williams classic about a controversial radio host in Vietnam who shakes things up a bit to entertain the soldiers. I don't really remember specifics about this movie outside of a condom joke and an underage naked boy that's probably on screen for 1 second (which I remember because of how shocked I was to see that in a movie).
- Innerspace: Dennis Quaid, Martin Short, and Meg Ryan in a movie that is essentially a comedy version of Fantastic Voyage. I mainly remember my mom being a fan of this movie, as well as how the trailer for this movie played right before the main attraction on my VHS copy of Little Shop of Horrors.
- Lethal Weapon: Um... yeah.
- Planes, Trains, & Automobiles: Classic comedy starring Steve Martin and John Candy. My family owned a VHS copy of this movie, though it was a pretty messed up copy... had some visual issues. Still, it's a really funny movie that I need to see again.
- Predator: Yes, the classic Predator staring the Governator himself. Like the previous film, I saw this one again sometime in the 2000s, but it still feels like it's been way too long since I've seen it. I need to check this one out again soon, especially with the sequel (?) coming out.
NOSTALGIC FACTOR
- The Brave Little Toaster: I remember really liking this movie as a child. It comes on TV (usually Disney) every now and then, but I always miss it for some reason. The main part of the movie I remember is when they're in the junk yard running away from the giant magnet thing and the dead/dying cars are singing that incredibly creepy (and sad) song. I love that song.
MOVIES I HAVE YET TO SEE (For Shame)
- Fatal Attraction
- The Lost Boys
- Robocop (*Honestly, I'm not sure if I've seen this or not. I have faint memories of scenes from this movie, so I very well could have... or I've just seen certain scenes. To be safe, I just put it here).
- Wall Street
- The Untouchables
RUNNER-UP
- Spaceballs: It was so hard to choose between Runner-Up and Favorite for this particular year. In fact, this movie was one I grew up with, while my Favorite choice was one I didn't become acquainted with until later in life. Between Star Wars jokes, self-referential jokes (which probably began my love for anything meta), or just Mel Brooks humor, this movie is a total classic. May the Schwartz be with you! (And you can't tell me you're not still waiting for Spaceballs II: The Search for More Money).
FAVORITE
- The Princess Bride: How can one not love this movie? Yes, I came into my love for this film in the mid-2000s, but it's one I've loved adamantly since. It has great characters, a great story, and great, witty humor most from its sharp dialogue. But I've rambled on about this film enough in the last week or so, so I'm just gonna leave it at that.
4.10.2010
Podcast: The Demented Encyclopedia #5 - The One Where Travis Is A D-Bag.
I know I just posted my "Desert Island DVDs" list, but it's podcast time! It's our fifth episode, and we're here to do our Top 5 favorite movies and Top 5 favorite actors/actresses.
We start off with Plugs where I plug this blog's newest event, "My Life in Film." Travis plugs a friend's movie that just came out.
Then we get into our Top 5 lists, and we'll probably get hated on by classic film lovers. We almost miss the D-Bag, but rewind slightly to go into quite an interactive rendition.
Then we head into Reality Round-Up where we briefly discuss Survivor before heading into American Idol.
This week on Recommend A..., Travis recommends the strangest musical entity ever, while I recommend a little known movie that everybody needs to see, one which I reviewed on this blog in its early days.
This leads into the Monologue/Dialogue/Mono-Dialogue of the Week, where I read an overly dramatic scene from the film Bang Bang You're Dead. The scene can actually be seen in its entirety by clicking here (the music has actually been altered in this video, which is kinda annoying, but just disregard it). The mood then shifts by Travis reading a comical scene from Shaun of the Dead.
EDIT: The following player isn't currently updated. I'll remove this notice whenever it decides to show up... I don't know what the deal is, but if it doesn't say "Episode 5," that's not what you're listening to. But you can always find us on iTunes, as well.
Thanks goes out to Kevin MacLeod's Imcompetech Website for the music. As always, you can use the player above to listen to the podcast, or you can search iTunes, where we are also available for download. Also, please become a Fan on Facebook... then you can give us your input for the podcast and will probably end up on the show during the D-Bag segment. But as for now... enjoy!
And that's it for this week!
Desert Island DVDs.
I'm running a little late with this post. A while back, I signed up for a big blog post thing at Fandango Groovers Movie Blog called the "Desert Island DVDs." The concept is simple: If you were stranded on an island and could only take 8 DVDs with you to watch for the rest of your life, what would they be?
First, I wanna mention a few I'd love to take but won't:
- Napoleon Dynamite (because I can already quote the whole movie... who needs to watch it?)
- Little Shop of Horrors (The musical version. Assuming I'd be surrounded by trees and other foliage, I'd get paranoid that a giant fly-trap will try to eat me in the middle of the night)
- Almost any zombie movie sans one (because I'd get paranoid that zombies will try to eat me in the middle of the night)
So... here we go with the actual list (in no particular order):
This is that "sans one" I was talking about there. This is pretty much one of my favorite movies of all time, so it would have to go with me. I like to watch this movie when I'm sick or really down, because it always cheers me up.
So that if I'm ever found, they'll find me a crazy, deranged individual who can only say one line for the rest of his life: "Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die." Because, honestly, if you could only say one phrase for the rest of your life, that would be the coolest one.
Because who doesn't want bloodshed, revenge, and incest while stranded stranded alone on an island? Plus, it shows you how to eat raw octopus... you know... in case you ever catch an octopus and are too lazy to cook it (or can't make a fire).
Probably the best movie nobody has seen. You can only get it online, and it's incredibly low budget. But it's probably the best portrayal of pencil/paper gamers I've ever seen. It's hilarious for anyone, not just gamers. And along with the comedy, it has heart. If only these guys would write for Hollywood.
One of my favorite heist films, and I love me some heist films. Maybe it'll inspire me to figure out how to do the perfect crime. That way, when I'm rescued, I can go rob a bank and get away with it... though telling them to give me the money while I can only say "Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die."... will be a bit difficult.
Another one of my favorite comedies, this is a Mel Brooks classic. There are quotes galore. And hey, I might actually have a reason to use the line "Comb the desert!"
Any time I get a bad case of writer's block or I just need some good ol' inspiration, I watch this movie. It has never failed to get the cogs turning. And when I'm alone on a island, Lord knows I'll need some inspiration and a good imagination to keep both sane and alive. So this one is a must.
I needed a musical on this list, and I'm just as surprised as you are that it wasn't "Repo! The Genetic Opera." So why Dr. Horrible? A few reasons. First, it's a short watch, for those times I wanna watch something but don't feel like watching something for 2 hours (like I'll be otherwise busy, but whatever). Second, it matches up with my plan to come back to the real world as an insane, bank-robbing supervillain. But this one will help me keep my priorities straight so I don't lose sight of what's really important. Next, the music is just awesome. And finally? Who wouldn't want to be stranded on a desert island with Neil Patrick Harris?
Honorable Mentions:
-Repo! The Genetic Opera
-In Bruges
-Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
(Seriously... there was a whole 'criminal' theme going on there, and that so wasn't intentional.)
First, I wanna mention a few I'd love to take but won't:
- Napoleon Dynamite (because I can already quote the whole movie... who needs to watch it?)
- Little Shop of Horrors (The musical version. Assuming I'd be surrounded by trees and other foliage, I'd get paranoid that a giant fly-trap will try to eat me in the middle of the night)
- Almost any zombie movie sans one (because I'd get paranoid that zombies will try to eat me in the middle of the night)
So... here we go with the actual list (in no particular order):
1) Shaun of the Dead
This is that "sans one" I was talking about there. This is pretty much one of my favorite movies of all time, so it would have to go with me. I like to watch this movie when I'm sick or really down, because it always cheers me up.
2) The Princess Bride
So that if I'm ever found, they'll find me a crazy, deranged individual who can only say one line for the rest of his life: "Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die." Because, honestly, if you could only say one phrase for the rest of your life, that would be the coolest one.
3) Oldboy
Because who doesn't want bloodshed, revenge, and incest while stranded stranded alone on an island? Plus, it shows you how to eat raw octopus... you know... in case you ever catch an octopus and are too lazy to cook it (or can't make a fire).
4) Gamers: Dorkness Rising
Probably the best movie nobody has seen. You can only get it online, and it's incredibly low budget. But it's probably the best portrayal of pencil/paper gamers I've ever seen. It's hilarious for anyone, not just gamers. And along with the comedy, it has heart. If only these guys would write for Hollywood.
5) Inside Man
One of my favorite heist films, and I love me some heist films. Maybe it'll inspire me to figure out how to do the perfect crime. That way, when I'm rescued, I can go rob a bank and get away with it... though telling them to give me the money while I can only say "Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die."... will be a bit difficult.
6) Spaceballs
Another one of my favorite comedies, this is a Mel Brooks classic. There are quotes galore. And hey, I might actually have a reason to use the line "Comb the desert!"
7) MirrorMask
Any time I get a bad case of writer's block or I just need some good ol' inspiration, I watch this movie. It has never failed to get the cogs turning. And when I'm alone on a island, Lord knows I'll need some inspiration and a good imagination to keep both sane and alive. So this one is a must.
8) Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog
I needed a musical on this list, and I'm just as surprised as you are that it wasn't "Repo! The Genetic Opera." So why Dr. Horrible? A few reasons. First, it's a short watch, for those times I wanna watch something but don't feel like watching something for 2 hours (like I'll be otherwise busy, but whatever). Second, it matches up with my plan to come back to the real world as an insane, bank-robbing supervillain. But this one will help me keep my priorities straight so I don't lose sight of what's really important. Next, the music is just awesome. And finally? Who wouldn't want to be stranded on a desert island with Neil Patrick Harris?
Honorable Mentions:
-Repo! The Genetic Opera
-In Bruges
-Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
(Seriously... there was a whole 'criminal' theme going on there, and that so wasn't intentional.)
4.08.2010
My Life In Film: 1986.
I was watching a reviewer video of this guy's Top 10 favorite movies from the 80s, and that got me thinking. The 80s was a freakin' great year for movies. But as I was looking at a list of movies in the 80s, I realized my favorites (and, in fact, most of the best--in my opinion) didn't come in until the mid-80s, around when I was born. That's where this idea came in. I reviewed my favorite films from the 2000s at the end of the decade, so why not the movies from every other year I've been alive? So that's what I'm gonna do.
For the next few weeks I will be looking at one year at a time from 1986-1999, one post for every year of my life prior to the new century. But because there are so many good movies, each year will have multiple categories. These categories are as follows:
OTHER - These are other notable films of the year that don't meet the other categories, but which I felt worth mentioning (hence... notable).
MOVIES I HAVEN'T SEEN IN YEARS - These are ones I have seen, but I haven't seen for a very long time, so I don't remember all that much about them other than a few things here and there.
NOSTALGIC FACTOR - These are the films I have an attachment to due to my youth but they might not necessarily be good (or bad, either, depending).
MOVIES I HAVE YET TO SEE (For Shame) - Popular films of the year that I haven't seen yet... and that probably makes me a really bad movie lover. I won't really commentate on these films... just a list as I duck my head in shame.
RUNNER-UP - My second favorite movie of said year.
FAVORITE - My favorite movie of said year.
All this being said, let's get to the first year... 1986!
For the next few weeks I will be looking at one year at a time from 1986-1999, one post for every year of my life prior to the new century. But because there are so many good movies, each year will have multiple categories. These categories are as follows:
OTHER - These are other notable films of the year that don't meet the other categories, but which I felt worth mentioning (hence... notable).
MOVIES I HAVEN'T SEEN IN YEARS - These are ones I have seen, but I haven't seen for a very long time, so I don't remember all that much about them other than a few things here and there.
NOSTALGIC FACTOR - These are the films I have an attachment to due to my youth but they might not necessarily be good (or bad, either, depending).
MOVIES I HAVE YET TO SEE (For Shame) - Popular films of the year that I haven't seen yet... and that probably makes me a really bad movie lover. I won't really commentate on these films... just a list as I duck my head in shame.
RUNNER-UP - My second favorite movie of said year.
FAVORITE - My favorite movie of said year.
All this being said, let's get to the first year... 1986!
MY LIFE IN FILM: 1986
OTHER
- Aliens: Not much to say... some say even better than the original, though it's almost comparing apples and oranges.
- Highlander: One I haven't seen in years, but it spawned its own mythology (and TV series). So, yeah.
- Pretty in Pink: It's a John Hughes classic... nuff said.
MOVIES I HAVEN'T SEEN IN YEARS
- Crocodile Dundee: The bane of every Aussie's existence. Don't remember much about it except a pretty big knife.
- Ferris Bueller's Day Off: Classic film in every regard, and I'm probably gonna get quite a bit of flak for not having seen it in years. But I still quote it in class when nobody will give me an answer (Bueller... Bueller...).
- The Fly - I'm actually gonna be seeing this in the relatively near future. This classic remake is on my Netflix queue and should be coming up sometime soon.
- Short Circuit: Johnny 5!
- Stand By Me: Leeches! (Seriously, that's pretty much all I remember)
- Top Gun: The guy snaps his neck when he tries to eject... yup.
NOSTALGIC FACTOR
- Howard the Duck: Considered one of the worst films ever made, this George Lucas classic (?) has everything from Lea Thompson to alien duck boobies. I actually used to watch this movie all the time when I was really little, which probably explains my capability to withstand and/or enjoy even the crappiest of films these days. Though I actually watched this movie again a couple years ago and... Good God, was it terrible. Not to mention I had a friend who liked to rewind the movie at the infamous duck-boobs scene... like I said, we were young and so, so naive (and/or immature).
MOVIES I HAVE YET TO SEE (For Shame)
- Big Trouble in Little China
- Platoon
RUNNER-UP
- Labyrinth: Could have fallen under Nostalgic Factor, but I felt it was more suited for this category. Granted, I saw this movie again recently for the first time in... forever... and I realized how strange it really is. But how can you not love David Bowie in this movie? And singing puppets? And Jennifer Connelly in her break-out role? Good stuff... strange stuff... but good stuff.
For the record, this spot almost went to Aliens. In fact, it probably should have. The reason it didn't? I haven't seen it in years, so I didn't think it was fair to put it as my Runner-Up, despite it being the better film.
FAVORITE
- Little Shop of Horrors: I grew up with this movie... which probably explains a lot about me. You know how everybody has that one movie that transcends their favorite movie? The one where, even if your favorite movie continually changes, this one stays the one you can quote endlessly and watch it over and over without getting sick of it? This is that movie for me. A singing, blood-thirsty plant from outer space manipulates a nerdy Rick Moranis (redundant?) into killing people to feed to it so to win over the ditzy blonde girl who is dating a sadistic dentist played by Steve Martin (who then has an amazingly hilarious--and improv'd--scene with a pain-loving Bill Murray). Really... that's about all that needs to be said.
OTHER
- Aliens: Not much to say... some say even better than the original, though it's almost comparing apples and oranges.
- Highlander: One I haven't seen in years, but it spawned its own mythology (and TV series). So, yeah.
- Pretty in Pink: It's a John Hughes classic... nuff said.
MOVIES I HAVEN'T SEEN IN YEARS
- Crocodile Dundee: The bane of every Aussie's existence. Don't remember much about it except a pretty big knife.
- Ferris Bueller's Day Off: Classic film in every regard, and I'm probably gonna get quite a bit of flak for not having seen it in years. But I still quote it in class when nobody will give me an answer (Bueller... Bueller...).
- The Fly - I'm actually gonna be seeing this in the relatively near future. This classic remake is on my Netflix queue and should be coming up sometime soon.
- Short Circuit: Johnny 5!
- Stand By Me: Leeches! (Seriously, that's pretty much all I remember)
- Top Gun: The guy snaps his neck when he tries to eject... yup.
NOSTALGIC FACTOR
- Howard the Duck: Considered one of the worst films ever made, this George Lucas classic (?) has everything from Lea Thompson to alien duck boobies. I actually used to watch this movie all the time when I was really little, which probably explains my capability to withstand and/or enjoy even the crappiest of films these days. Though I actually watched this movie again a couple years ago and... Good God, was it terrible. Not to mention I had a friend who liked to rewind the movie at the infamous duck-boobs scene... like I said, we were young and so, so naive (and/or immature).
MOVIES I HAVE YET TO SEE (For Shame)
- Big Trouble in Little China
- Platoon
RUNNER-UP
- Labyrinth: Could have fallen under Nostalgic Factor, but I felt it was more suited for this category. Granted, I saw this movie again recently for the first time in... forever... and I realized how strange it really is. But how can you not love David Bowie in this movie? And singing puppets? And Jennifer Connelly in her break-out role? Good stuff... strange stuff... but good stuff.
For the record, this spot almost went to Aliens. In fact, it probably should have. The reason it didn't? I haven't seen it in years, so I didn't think it was fair to put it as my Runner-Up, despite it being the better film.
FAVORITE
- Little Shop of Horrors: I grew up with this movie... which probably explains a lot about me. You know how everybody has that one movie that transcends their favorite movie? The one where, even if your favorite movie continually changes, this one stays the one you can quote endlessly and watch it over and over without getting sick of it? This is that movie for me. A singing, blood-thirsty plant from outer space manipulates a nerdy Rick Moranis (redundant?) into killing people to feed to it so to win over the ditzy blonde girl who is dating a sadistic dentist played by Steve Martin (who then has an amazingly hilarious--and improv'd--scene with a pain-loving Bill Murray). Really... that's about all that needs to be said.
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