He's Just Sulking, Don't Mind Him

I saw Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. I wrote a review on the blog. If you thought mine was a weak review, wait for Daniel's review once he sees it. He will be filling the holes and have his say about what he thought.

Daniel looks at hats. A lot. I don't know what he does exactly, but he's always working or moving from place to place. He does stuff. As soon as he buys the DSLR he says he's getting, I want to start a photo scavenger hunt Midwest vs. East Coast...and Japan. If we do have readers, I welcome you to join in.

As for the comic, I tried to mess around with the squares. Sometime in the future, I want to mess with the no squares concept. Also notice our mascot, Tuff The Mountain Goat. He's slowly replacing Kyle as the third member.

I happened to see The Expendables on the same day. Oh. My. God. The movie was so bad, I wanted to get up and leave. I usually can sit through a bad movie. But wow! My patience was rewarded though by the ridiculous final action scenes in the movie, it's only saving grace. Story and dialogue-wise, it was worse than a student film, and if you have talked to me before, you know how much I hate student films.

[edit] I noticed the title was pouting, when I meant to say sulking. MA BAD

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World Review - Joe Edition

As I entered the theater and sat down in my chair, I was highly anticipating a movie that would live up to it's trailer and far beyond it at the same time.  As the previews ended and the lights fully dimmed, the Universal logo came on in 8-Bit graphics and music and at that moment, I was sold that this movie was going to be awesome.  The introduction started off very well with the problem that Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera) was dating a high school girl which would eventually lead the entire story to it's ultimate climax.  His girlfriend is introduced and the characters personalities are identified as they start off with their band rehearsal.  After the title sequence, which I admired for the intense work they must have put in except for the mind seizure it induced, it builds up the plot device that leads him to encounter the additional characters such as Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead)  and the Seven Evil Exes [I'm not ruining anything, you saw this in the trailer.] 

I'm not going into the story in detail so that those who may have not seen it will not complain about it being ruined and such nonsense.  What I will say is that the story, originally written by Bryan Lee O'Malley as a comic, has a solid story.  It has everything in the movie that defines each point as a certain point in the movie that should be there.  [For more info, go read the late Blake Snyder's book "Save the Cat!"]  I went to the theater with someone who said she had read the original comics.  She noted that there were parts here and there that were missing from the original but what movie doesn't?  She still commented that it was an amazing movie and did not steer clear off the course like The Last Airbender. [god damn you M. Night Shyamalan]  Despite it missing certain points of the comics, it still did an amazing job of getting the flow of the movie right so that no one moment was boring or dragged out.  The acts connected well and the main character was given enough reason and time to go through what we call "The Hero's Journey".  His character begun flawed, shown to him, and then he reaches the end with the right tools to win.

The effects in the movie were what first pulled me to see this movie.  When I think Michael Cera in a movie, I just think, oh god, another movie about teenage awkwardness.  The use and timing of the effects in the film was very satisfying and "beast".  Though it was not a serious film whatsoever, the post production crew did not skimp on the details of each effect that was needed.  The whole idea of the game life bars and such added to the film in a most positive manner.  The movie was rather surreal at times, and the editing and the effects strongly supported those transitions from reality to his inner thoughts.  I am sure that this film will cause a great number of Youtube children and adults to start making short skits and pieces much in the style of Scott Pilgrim vs. The World.

The soundtrack was very fitting for the indie crowd the character's band was aiming for.  I could totally see the music playing behind Michael Cera if I saw him walking down the street. [Cause you know, Michael Cera acts like Michael Cera in every movie.]  Though the indie music scene is clearly not on my list of favorites, I very much enjoyed the use and story development with the music.

The randomness and uncertainty of the jokes was the defining feature of the film.  What would be rather awkward if the dialogue was straight forward, the speech and train of thought of Scott Pilgrim and his friends were very amusing and interesting to watch.  I happened to see The Expendables right after this movie, and I must say, that it is one of the worst movies I have ever seen in my life.  The dialogue was so weak and confusing that it deducted what little that movie had.  Unlike that movie, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World was solid and well timed.  The jokes made sense and the jokes and speech matched each character as they should have if they were real.

Now Daniel was telling me about how old time reviewers did not like the movie.  It all makes sense though.  This movie clearly is not a movie that would be understood by the older generation.  Very modern in it's style, the whole idea of fantasy and music does not seem to mesh well with the tastes of the people like Ebert and his peers.  This is a movie which is meant for a younger generation but clearly not targeted for children.  If one had to give an age range, I would say 15-34 years of age.  It almost like a cultural thing and is understandable that many people may not like this movie.  But it doesn't stop me from believing it was awesome.

Overall, this is one of the best movies I've ever seen in my life.  Highly amusing and entertaining, the film clearly was worth the discounted price I bought the ticket for and I would have paid full price to watch it and would not mind watching it again.  I would highly recommend it to people and I plan on purchasing it somehow when it is released on a DVD [or a Blu-Ray if I can afford a player]. 

 

The Death of Thomas Sable

Thomas Sable was a most distinguished writer that published works about the evils of the liberal population and their beliefs.  So when his wife ran off with the leader of the hippies rioting outside his estate that February morning, his anger burned a most passionate blaze.  Hurt and betrayed by whom he had thought was his greatest supporter, Thomas closed himself off in his house, away from the voices and the light of the world.  He took his 9-iron and smashed his computer, then his television, his phone, and eventually, he cut the power lines to the house.  He locked himself in the basement and sat on the floor.  Thomas Sable was isolated from everything.  He had returned himself forcibly into an era in which man was shrouded in darkness.  He had put himself into a state much like a embryo in it's mother's womb.  Thomas Sable needed to be reborn.

When night fell, the temperature dropped much lower than it should have that time of year in that particular part of the country.  Thomas, encased in a number of blankets he had found, sat quietly in the darkness.  His eyes saw nothing, his ears heard nothing, and his body, numb from the cold, felt nothing.  The only sound he heard was his heart pumping as it got slower and slower, succumbing to the chill of the night.  Thomas did not sit there without thought.  While his heart was falling asleep, his brain raced for a reason.  He searched for an explanation.  Why?  The simplest question but yet the most profound.  Why was he here in this basement dying?  Because his wife left him.  Why?  She didn't love him anymore and fell in love with the liberal freaks.  Why?  Because he was wrong?  Why?  Thomas Sable did not know why his wife had left him, a respectable, well-to-do man, for a fool dressed in dead flowers and so he continued to ask the question "Why?" till the cold eventually closed his eyes and his breathing got slower and eventually till he slumped onto the barren floor.

Thomas Sable stood on a barren ice field.  The dark sky was illuminated by the light of the auras of the heavens.  He eyed the stream and it's path as it went off toward the horizon.  A single stream of light fell to the earth and it lit the ice a orange hue.  He walked towards the falling light. As he got closer, he felt warmer and started to take off the coat he was wearing.  A hundred yards closer, he threw off his sweater.  When he was close to the light, he wore nothing, stark naked as the day he was born.  The orange light illuminated his figure as it contrasted with the barren blue of the ice behind him.  He stepped forward.  A vision of himself sitting in the darkness pierced his mind. He looked down, the number 266 blazed red by his foot.  He took another step forward and he was smashing his belongings with his 9-iron.  A 265 marked his step.  Each foot forward, a shard of his past flashed in his mind and a new number was seared the ground.  Thomas stepped through his life's memories till he reached the number 1.  His vision of his past for this number was only darkness.  He looked down at the number.  Breathing in, he lifted his head high and stepped into the light.  The light hissed as it consumed him.  His body began to char and crack.  Thomas didn't let out a scream as if he was in pain.  He didn't clutch his body in agony.  Thomas Sable simply breathed out as his body simply turned to ash and flew off. toward the shining lights in the sky.

Thomas could not tell if his eyes were open.  He stumbled around looking for the stairs.  When he found them, he slowly ascended the steps, breathing heavily from the cold air.  He unlocked the door and stepped out into the morning light.  The light was pale against the white floors and the wall.  Thomas headed slowly for the kitchen.  He grabbed a kettle and filled it with water.  He put it on the gas stove and waited patiently for the kettle to whistle.  He poured himself a cup of the hot water and sat at the table.  He took a sip and breathed out.  Breathing in and out, again and again, Thomas Sable was glad he was alive as he stared at the cup and took another sip.  The doorbell rang.  He ignored it's cry as he looked out the window and fell asleep.