Daughter, Tina, engaged December 25, 2010:
Daughter, Crystal...married December 29, 2010:
And, Daughter, Chrissy, engaged December 31, 2010:
I love you three girls more than you can ever know, and want nothing more than you to be happy forever!
Friday, December 31, 2010
Congratulations...
to all my favorite girls...
Daughter, Tina, engaged December 25, 2010:
Daughter, Crystal...married December 29, 2010:
And, Daughter, Chrissy, engaged December 31, 2010:
I love you three girls more than you can ever know, and want nothing more than you to be happy forever!
Daughter, Tina, engaged December 25, 2010:
Daughter, Crystal...married December 29, 2010:
And, Daughter, Chrissy, engaged December 31, 2010:
I love you three girls more than you can ever know, and want nothing more than you to be happy forever!
10 Films to Look for in 2011
10 Films to Look for in 2011
While reflecting on all the films I saw in 2010, I came across several good films that still have not received wide distribution in North America. Here are ten films that you should keep an eye out for in theatres, or on DVD, in the 2011.
10) Crikus Columbia – After fleeing his country many years earlier due to communist rule, a man returns home with his new girlfriend and a fancy new German car. Needless to say, this does not sit well the man’s wife or his son who have been waiting patiently for his return.
9) Machete Maidens Unleashed – This humorous documentary explores how the likes of Roger Corman and other B-Movie/exploitation genre directors made some of their most outrageous movies in the cheap, but politically turbulent, Philippines. (Full review coming soon)
8) I Saw the Devil - Sure revenge flicks are becoming all too common in Korean cinema. Still, that should not stop you from seeing this bloody good film…and I do mean bloody.
7) Even the Rain – Gael García Bernal stars as a director who is determined to finish his film despite the unstable political climate of Cochabana, Bolivia. (Full review coming soon)
6) The Mountain Thief – A fictionalized story that documents a way of life that is all too real in the Philippines.
5) The High Cost of Living – Picture the love story from The Town but done ten times better. Zach Braff plays a drug dealer who falls for the pregnant woman he knocks down in a hit and run accident. (Full review coming soon)
4) Super – Let the debate begin over which average Joe superhero tale is better! For the record, I enjoyed this one far more than I did Kick-Ass.
3) Balada Triste de Trompeta (The Last Circus) – What happens when you take Tim Burton’s aesthetics and mix them with Quentin Tarantino’s flair for violence? The answer is this entertaining, and extremely dark, comedy about two competing clowns in love with the same woman. (Full review coming soon)
2) Rubber – Easily the best, and most bizarre, festival going experience I had in 2010. Who would have thought that a story about a killer tire could be such a smart commentary on the state of Hollywood movies and their audiences?
1) Beautiful Boy – Michael Sheen and Maria Bello are outstanding as a couple who must come to terms with their son committing a mass school shooting, and then taking his own life. Look for both Sheen and Bello to be in the mix at next winter’s award race.
While reflecting on all the films I saw in 2010, I came across several good films that still have not received wide distribution in North America. Here are ten films that you should keep an eye out for in theatres, or on DVD, in the 2011.
10) Crikus Columbia – After fleeing his country many years earlier due to communist rule, a man returns home with his new girlfriend and a fancy new German car. Needless to say, this does not sit well the man’s wife or his son who have been waiting patiently for his return.
9) Machete Maidens Unleashed – This humorous documentary explores how the likes of Roger Corman and other B-Movie/exploitation genre directors made some of their most outrageous movies in the cheap, but politically turbulent, Philippines. (Full review coming soon)
8) I Saw the Devil - Sure revenge flicks are becoming all too common in Korean cinema. Still, that should not stop you from seeing this bloody good film…and I do mean bloody.
7) Even the Rain – Gael García Bernal stars as a director who is determined to finish his film despite the unstable political climate of Cochabana, Bolivia. (Full review coming soon)
6) The Mountain Thief – A fictionalized story that documents a way of life that is all too real in the Philippines.
5) The High Cost of Living – Picture the love story from The Town but done ten times better. Zach Braff plays a drug dealer who falls for the pregnant woman he knocks down in a hit and run accident. (Full review coming soon)
4) Super – Let the debate begin over which average Joe superhero tale is better! For the record, I enjoyed this one far more than I did Kick-Ass.
3) Balada Triste de Trompeta (The Last Circus) – What happens when you take Tim Burton’s aesthetics and mix them with Quentin Tarantino’s flair for violence? The answer is this entertaining, and extremely dark, comedy about two competing clowns in love with the same woman. (Full review coming soon)
2) Rubber – Easily the best, and most bizarre, festival going experience I had in 2010. Who would have thought that a story about a killer tire could be such a smart commentary on the state of Hollywood movies and their audiences?
1) Beautiful Boy – Michael Sheen and Maria Bello are outstanding as a couple who must come to terms with their son committing a mass school shooting, and then taking his own life. Look for both Sheen and Bello to be in the mix at next winter’s award race.
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Jennifer Aniston
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
TRON’s Legacy is a Forgettable One
TRON: Legacy
Despite my overall issues with the unoriginal plot, in my opinion Avatar has set the bar for 3D films. There have been very few 3D films; since Avatar’s release, that have managed to balance visual flair with a decent story. Most of the films have not even warranted the 3D treatment in the first place. Like several films released before it, Disney’s latest 3D adventure TRON: Legacy, boast impressive visuals but is ultimately undermined by the silly plot.
Set 20 years after the disappearance of Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges), the innovative software engineer from the original film, Legacy focuses on how his son Sam (Garret Hedlund) struggles to cope with his father’s disappearance. Sam is now the head of his father’s company, but cares little about seeing it strive. One night Sam is informed about a message sent from his father’s abandoned arcade. In the arcade, Sam discovers a portal that sends him into a digital world known as The Grid. Formerly a place of endless possibilities, The Grid is now a cold world ruled by Clu (Jeff Bridges), a computerized clone of Flynn. Clu is determined to expand his empire into the real world but needs Flynn’s memory disk in order to succeed. Sam, along with the help of Quorra (Olivia Wilde), must race to get his father out of The Grid before Clu can bring his plans into fruition.
As I mentioned earlier, TRON: Legacy is truly a visual treat especially in IMAX. However, there were times when the lighting from the suits would create a blurry effect on the IMAX screens. This was minor blip in an otherwise great job from a technical standpoint. The rendering of Clu is one of the most realistic computer generated characters I have seen in quite a while. Clu’s facial expressions and movements felt more natural than the ones featured in films such as Beowulf and The Polar Express. Another sight to behold is the world of The Grid. The set designs and costumes provided an innovative futuristic look while still acknowledging the original TRON film. I particularly liked the brief moment where Sam steals his father’s famous motorcycle from the first film. It should also be noted that the score by Daft Punk, who make a cameo in the film, also helps to bring The Grid to life. While not the feverish dance beats usually associated with Daft Punk’s work, their minimalist approach for the film works perfectly with TRON: Legacy.
Despite all of the elements in the film’s favour, TRON: Legacy stumbles in its plot which often feels like a hybrid of Batman Begins and Star Wars. There are events that occur in the film at random moments with no real logic at all. For example, Kevin’s Jedi-like powers only appear when it is convenient to advance the plot. Which leads to audience to question if Kevin had this ability all along then why did he not use it sooner? The film is so bogged down with filling the gaps between the original TRON and the new version that it is practically devoid of action. Minus the sequences at the beginning and end of the film, TRON: Legacy is actually a rather boring film. In many ways TRON: Legacy would have worked better as a television series. It would allow for better development of all the various plot points that the film sloppily tries to cram into two hours. Worst of all, the dialogue in the film is both predictable and laughably bad. This is most evident in the forced romantic moments between Sam and Quorra.
Since TRON: Legacy’s plot and dialogue are so weak, the actors try their best with the material they are given. Jeff Bridges is at his best in the film when he is playing Clu. He offers a nice break from the same yet-again-recycled Lebowski character, last seen in The Men Who Stares at Goats, which he brings to the role of Kevin. While Bridges has his moments, the real highlight from an acting standpoint is Michael Sheen. He brings much need energy to the film in his role of the shady Castor. Sheen is the only one who actually seems to be having fun in the picture. Not only that but he makes a strong case for himself playing The Riddler in a future Batman film.
Unfortunately both Sheen’s work and the stellar visuals cannot save TRON: Legacy from its ridiculous plot. No matter how far the technology has advanced, at the end of the day it is the plot that will separate the good films from the average ones.
Set 20 years after the disappearance of Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges), the innovative software engineer from the original film, Legacy focuses on how his son Sam (Garret Hedlund) struggles to cope with his father’s disappearance. Sam is now the head of his father’s company, but cares little about seeing it strive. One night Sam is informed about a message sent from his father’s abandoned arcade. In the arcade, Sam discovers a portal that sends him into a digital world known as The Grid. Formerly a place of endless possibilities, The Grid is now a cold world ruled by Clu (Jeff Bridges), a computerized clone of Flynn. Clu is determined to expand his empire into the real world but needs Flynn’s memory disk in order to succeed. Sam, along with the help of Quorra (Olivia Wilde), must race to get his father out of The Grid before Clu can bring his plans into fruition.
As I mentioned earlier, TRON: Legacy is truly a visual treat especially in IMAX. However, there were times when the lighting from the suits would create a blurry effect on the IMAX screens. This was minor blip in an otherwise great job from a technical standpoint. The rendering of Clu is one of the most realistic computer generated characters I have seen in quite a while. Clu’s facial expressions and movements felt more natural than the ones featured in films such as Beowulf and The Polar Express. Another sight to behold is the world of The Grid. The set designs and costumes provided an innovative futuristic look while still acknowledging the original TRON film. I particularly liked the brief moment where Sam steals his father’s famous motorcycle from the first film. It should also be noted that the score by Daft Punk, who make a cameo in the film, also helps to bring The Grid to life. While not the feverish dance beats usually associated with Daft Punk’s work, their minimalist approach for the film works perfectly with TRON: Legacy.
Despite all of the elements in the film’s favour, TRON: Legacy stumbles in its plot which often feels like a hybrid of Batman Begins and Star Wars. There are events that occur in the film at random moments with no real logic at all. For example, Kevin’s Jedi-like powers only appear when it is convenient to advance the plot. Which leads to audience to question if Kevin had this ability all along then why did he not use it sooner? The film is so bogged down with filling the gaps between the original TRON and the new version that it is practically devoid of action. Minus the sequences at the beginning and end of the film, TRON: Legacy is actually a rather boring film. In many ways TRON: Legacy would have worked better as a television series. It would allow for better development of all the various plot points that the film sloppily tries to cram into two hours. Worst of all, the dialogue in the film is both predictable and laughably bad. This is most evident in the forced romantic moments between Sam and Quorra.
Since TRON: Legacy’s plot and dialogue are so weak, the actors try their best with the material they are given. Jeff Bridges is at his best in the film when he is playing Clu. He offers a nice break from the same yet-again-recycled Lebowski character, last seen in The Men Who Stares at Goats, which he brings to the role of Kevin. While Bridges has his moments, the real highlight from an acting standpoint is Michael Sheen. He brings much need energy to the film in his role of the shady Castor. Sheen is the only one who actually seems to be having fun in the picture. Not only that but he makes a strong case for himself playing The Riddler in a future Batman film.
Unfortunately both Sheen’s work and the stellar visuals cannot save TRON: Legacy from its ridiculous plot. No matter how far the technology has advanced, at the end of the day it is the plot that will separate the good films from the average ones.
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
2010 CAST Awards Announced
The Cinema Appreciation Society of Toronto (CAST), of which I am a part of, has complied their list of Top 25 films of 2010. Created by James McNally of Toronto Screen Shots, the group is made up of Toronto movie bloggers and cinephiles. Each member submitted a list of the Top 25 films they saw on a theatre screen somewhere in Toronto in 2010. This included films screened at various film festivals that may still not have received wide distribution. 224 films were nominated and the final ballot was eventually was cut down to a 100 films. The Top 25 films for the inaugural CAST awards, as well as a full introduction to the CAST awards can be found on the Toronto Screen Shots website.
2010 Best Animals that Touch your Heart
English Narrow House
The most Narrow house in the county of Sussex (UK) - only 6 (1.80 m) feet wide.
Yes, and the depth is not particularly success - 21 feet (6.30 meters).
Family, settled in it 12 years ago, they paid him 8,000 pounds.
The only thing that pleases - there is a chance to get into the Guinness Book of Records
Yes, and the depth is not particularly success - 21 feet (6.30 meters).
Family, settled in it 12 years ago, they paid him 8,000 pounds.
The only thing that pleases - there is a chance to get into the Guinness Book of Records
Cool and Memorable Christmas Ads
Season’s Greetings from shaving and personal care company Gillette.
Large Christmas Tree made from 1000 Heineken beer bottles.
Clever ad features car tire with Christmas tree pattern.
Unique Christmas advertisement for Domino’s Pizza.
Christmas themed ad from Pepsi soft drink company.
Clever ad features a woman walking with Christmas presents.
Christmas tree made from shredded pencil for Publicis Singapore.
McDonald’s fries shaped like a Christmas Tree.
Coca-Cola 2010 Christmas Commercial
Holiday ad featuring Train’s “Shake Up Christmas”.
Memories...
Hope you all had a good Christmas. It seems like it flies by after all your planning and preparation! But, we had a wonderful holiday. We were blessed to have all four children at home ... it doesn't happen often to have all 4 at once!
That is one thing that makes a mama's heart happy!
That is one thing that makes a mama's heart happy!
Sunday, December 26, 2010
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