Band of Brothers. Part 1: Currahee

This is the very first episode. Of course there's no action yet. This is just jump school. And even if I still can't dissociate David Schwimmer from the TV show Friends, he does a fine good job here as that despicable officer who actually made Easy Company.


*pic from rapid.org

Band of Brothers. Part 2: Day of Days

If you love action, you'll love this. If you love the European front of the Second World War, you'll love this. It's action, plus action, plus action. Guns. Guns. Guns. Parachutes. Parachutes. Parachutes. Germans. Germans. Germans. And for the longest time, I believed that the "D" in D-Day stood for "Dooms", you know, like "Doomsday". But this is actually Operation Overlord, a.k.a. The Day of Days. Let's go American megalomania!


*pic from bor3ds0ul.blogspot.com

Avatar. 3D

Like I said before, 3D will be cinema's weapon against the imminent threat posed by pirated home viewing. But I shall write on that separately.

This is a great film for three reasons.

1. James Cameron is a great visual storyteller. You have to admit that, even if you didn't like Titanic. He's also an auteur, as he single-handedly wrote the screenplay. There are some weaknesses in the way he reveals information and back stories, but those instances are negligible compared to the two and a half-hour running time. The guy has range, like Danny Boyle (although Danny Boyle is technically not an auteur). Range means he can tell stories in any film genre. Not like a certain director of robots in disguise.

2. This is James Cameron's first feature film after Titanic, and he could only have gotten better after that hiatus. Of course he didn't spend those years idly. He's been hiding in a secret underground base, developing a super-secret digital 3D camera, which he will use to take over the world. Apparently the story of Avatar was conceived a little after Titanic broke box-office records, but has remained shelved because Cameron was waiting for the proper technology to come into fruition. And that is the same thing I would've done. "If you're going to do something, do it well, or don't do it at all." (I don't know who originally said that. Probably me.)

3. This film utilized technology co-developed by Cameron himself. You have to admire James Cameron for following the same path walked by Orson Welles, George Lucas, and Peter Jackson: If the technology does not exist, create it. What makes this film worth watching in 3D is that Cameron intended from the onset that this will primarily be a 3D release, with the 2D release being only secondary. What is great about films originally intended for 3D (like U2 3D) is that the shots are composed to provide maximum depth. This would actually be a good starter for people who have never seen a 3D film before.

And now to the nitty-gritty.

James Cameron, I've already praised you enough. Next.

James Horner, I love your score. I hardly noticed it. And that is the mark of a great musical score.

Sam Worthington, I knew you were good since Terminator: Salvation. I said you could be the next Clive Owen. I think I'm right.

Sigourney Weaver: You. Are. Such. A. Bad. Ass. And I've liked you since Ghostbusters.

Giovanni Ribisi, you are good, but your voice is annoying.

And to the rest of the cast, for not being A-listers, you help keep the attention on the story and not on your faces. Nice work.

Oh, and Michelle Rodriguez, I admit I didn't like you before. Why? Because your acting is always the same. But after seeing Avatar, I thank James Cameron for landing you a role that's tailor-fit to your natural acting template. And I do hope I still like you in your next movie.


*some info from IMDb and Wikipedia
pic from bscreview.com


Avatar. USA. 2009.


Rating: Eight and a half out of ten.
3D shots: Nine out of ten.

The Beatles: Rock Band Intro

I've played The Beatles: Rock Band months before, but I've never seen the intro. I only saw it last weekend when I played it at my friend The Jujuman's house. His was the Nintendo Wii version though. The version I played earlier was the PlayStation 3 version. I've already sensed some slight differences, although I'd like to try to play the XBox 360 version first before I write a comparison.

Anyway, the first time I saw it, I was like, blown away. I don't have to explain why. Just watch the video.

My friend said, "The guy who did that's a famous animator." Using my cinematic eye, honed by years and years of viewing, I asked, "Is this the same animator who did The Gorillaz?"

He answered, "No, I don't think so. Probably not."

So I said, "Well, maybe they just used the same software."

And true enough, I googled it, and I found out that this video was indeed done by Pete Candeland, the same one who did The Gorillaz. I love being right. My cinematic eye has never failed me. Yet.


*some info from vectorvault.com
video from SBARSTV at YouTube

Glee. Season 1, Episode 13: Sectionals

image source: http://gleeks.tumblr.com

I like Emma's clothes. And I also like the medley of each episodes dance steps. The cardboard judges are also a nice touch. Finn as the patriarchal Troy Bolton of TV musicals is still impossible to me. Oh well, cardboard and fantastic choreography equals Glee.

Baron Geisler Farts at My Mom

This was during the last day of the wake of the late Johnny Delgado.

DRAMATIS PERSONAE
MOM -- My mother
TITA -- My aunt, my mom's cousin
BARON GEISLER
FRIEND -- BARON GEISLER's female friend

Outside the chapel. Two benches, separated by a potted plant in between.

From left to right: On the first bench, FRIEND, then BARON GEISLER. Then the plant. Then MOM, then TITA.

MOM and TITA are chatting with each other, as are BARON GEISLER and FRIEND. They do not see each other because of the potted plant.

Suddenly MOM hears an unmistakable, very loud farting sound. Not just one fart, but three successive farts, one long, followed by two short ones. (Proooooooot...prooot...prooot)

MOM
Ay ano ba 'yun?

TITA
(who also heard it) Onga, ano 'yun?

BARON GEISLER
(looks out from behind the plant, then sees MOM and TITA) Ay! Sorry po! Kala ko po walang tao e. (points to FRIEND) Ito po kasi o, ka-babaeng tao, anlakas umutot.

FRIEND
Hoy ano ka, ikaw kaya 'yun!

BARON GEISLER and FRIEND stand up laughing, then leave.

MOM
Si kuwan 'yun, 'di ba...si Baron Geisler?

TITA
Oo mare. Inututan ka ni Baron Geisler.

END

*pic from abs-cbn.com

Band of Brothers. Part 8: The Last Patrol

Because Private First Class David Kenyon Webster contributed significantly to the historical accuracy of the series, he was made the central character for this entire episode. What a break for actor Eion Bailey. And his acting wasn't bad, by the way. Tom Hanks's son also stars here, as newbie Lt. Jones, who graduated on D-Day. He's also got some acting chops (possibly genetic, considering that his old man is a back-to-back Oscar Best Actor), acting as green as his fresh ODs.


*pic from marymary.livejournal.com

Glee. Season 1, Episode 12: Mattress

image source: http://gleeks.tumblr.com


Glee, you've done good again. Finally. The overall story is tight and the musical numbers are back in its proper place, entertaining yet not interfering and forced in between scenes. Of course, the yummy topping of the episode, Will and Terri's confrontation is breathtaking. I've waited so long for this. I've always felt anxious every time Terri finds a way to cover her lie with another. I know she's supposed to be the bitch everyone can't love (unlike Sue), but I do. I love her too. The same way I kind of love deers caught in headlights. Of course she's setting herself up for her big downfall, and I guess I watch out for characters like that. I'm sort of interested how they get up from the downfall, or how they fall even deeper.

A Christmas Carol

Some people will never, ever agree with me when I say that motion capture has its own advantages. I shall defend that in a bit.

I shall give A Christmas Carol a passing score. And not because it's Christmas.

First, because Jim Carrey's acting was excellent. In motion capture films, an actor not only provides the voice, but the performance as well. So all the facial twitches of Ebenezer Scrooge were performed by Carrey. Oh, and Jim Carrey also performed all of the Christmas ghosts.

Second, the supporting cast was also excellent. Gary Oldman as Cratchit was terrific. Although I can't say the same for Colin Firth, as his character's facial expressions looked fake. Well of course. He's still computer-animated. Oh, and Fay Masterson is in it. Fay Masterson was my long-time crush from The Power of One.

Third, it used effective realism. Thank God Zemeckis didn't modernize the dialogue. He stayed true to the book. I'm sure Charles Dickens' ghost would've haunted him if he messed up the canon. Some may need subtitles to understand the dialogue, but those who enjoy dated languages (like me) will have a blast with listening to authentic nineteenth century syntax.

And fourth, Zemeckis' motion-capture technology has greatly improved. I can see now the advantages of motion-capture versus live action. Motion-capture gives the director absolute control. As in absolute control. Anything Zemeckis wants onscreen, he gets. If he wants this kind of look, or this kind of expression, he gets it. To have a great actor in your cast is one thing. And to have absolute control over a great actor is another.

And so there you have it. I predict Robert Zemeckis will be pushing motion-capture to its limits, maximizing it to its fullest potential. And unless he tires of playing cinematic god, we have him to thank for any developments of this promising new medium.


*some info from IMDb
pic from dailybruin.com


A Christmas Carol. USA. 2009.


Rating: Seven and a half out of ten.

Glee. Season 1, Episode 11: Hairography

I like my Sue Sylvester bad ass, but I don't know--in this episode, she seemed unfunny and boring-bad ass to me (I still love her with all my heart, and in this episode, I developed a May-December relationship with her. Heh). Also, singing and sitting on stool chairs can be considered a "gimmick" too. Oh, where did my Football Single Ladies moment go? I gave up on investing feelings for character development and interaction (though I was tempted with Will and Quinn's hugging). But I just refuse to stop believin'.