uncommonpear.com » movies

Galactica’s Last Stand

schmoo — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 02:03:26 +0000

This past Friday night marked the final episode in what we’ve come to regard as one of the best shows ever broadcast on television. This is serious praise given the regard in which we hold other brilliant series like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Firefly, and The X-Files.

Pedwar and I were admittedly late to the party because I let my preconceived notions, which were based on the 1970s original, prevent me from watching it. The same thing happened with Buffy and just like with Buffy, we were hooked at episode one.

Unlike the Buffy franchise, however, there was no waiting for the show to come into its own and there was no sense of closure at the end of each episode. Rather, everything was perfect from the get-go and each show left you salivating for more. We tore through Season 1 in one weekend and eventually caught up with broadcasts mid-way through the current season.

I’ll let this article explain some of BSG’s merits, but what struck me was how it put us in the most unusual places: it made us feel the whole range of emotions for the same character and it made us the victims of an occupying force that we could not defeat.

When the last set of DVDs comes out, we’ll be buying them.

Movie: The Dark Knight

schmoo — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 03:01:08 +0000

We got out to see The Dark Knight tonight and despite being out for two weeks, line-ups were still plentiful. As expected, the movie was great, particularly Heath Ledger’s performance as the Joker.

The story was solid, even if it felt like it was over two thirds of the way through. The rest of the cast was also solid and Batman’s toys were as impressive as ever.

Definitely a must-see.

Hancock: Great Flick

schmoo — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 03:15:41 +0000

We saw our first block-buster of the summer in the form of Hancock, a film about a “super-hero” who just hasn’t quite figured-out the whole I’m-a-role-model thing. The movie is great entertainment with a solid story, strong cast, absolutely hilairious sequences, and great effects.

If you’re up for some fun and laughter, it’s worth the price of admission. The Dark Knight and X-Files are next.

The Kite Runner film true to book

pedwar — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 02:44:29 +0000

To take our minds off our recent car troubles, N and I picked up our good friend Francis and went to see The Kite Runner. The movie plot closely follows the book’s, and the tale had mesmerized me when I read it on our cruise last year. I had so enjoyed that first book by Khaled Hosseini, who also wrote A Thousand Splendid Suns, that I was waiting eagerly for the movie, and I wasn’t disappointed. Very insightful into the last few decades of Afghanistan’s history, the story was bit slow in the very beginning as it laid the foundation for the plot, but it’s difficult to cram that much detail into a short, two-hour movie. The backstory was essential to the main story, however, giving it flavour, nuance, and life, and the movie moved along very well once underway. With an international cast of non-actors, half in English when Amir and his father move to America and half in sub-titles during the scenes in Afghanistan and Pakistan, the movie was poignant, moving and well acted. One of the best films I’ve seen in some time.

Spiderpig, Spiderpig…

schmoo — Sat, 01 Sep 2007 23:48:43 +0000

Finally got out and saw the Simpsons Movie last night with Mike. Despite some mixed reviews, we all really enjoyed it. It was classic Simpsons so if you’re a fan, you’ll surely love it. All I know is that I can’t get this out of my head:

Spiderpig, Spiderpig
Does whatever a Spiderpig does
Can he swing from a thread,
No, he can’t
He’s a pig

More Than Meets the Eye…

schmoo — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 02:48:53 +0000

Mike, Matt, Jenn, Ped, and I went to see Transformers tonight and while it was a pretty enjoyable action flick with effects so perfect that the difference between real vehicles and the Transformers were virtually non-existent, I was left longing for the characters of the kids’ animated television show of mid-1980s. Still, an enjoyable movie as long as one goes in with appropriate expectations.

In addition to the special effects, the female lead provided some serious eye-candy for the guys in the audience, as well as some serious technical know-how and meaningful contributions during battle. The actors were decent and the script provided some pretty funny moments, even if the robot characters weren’t very well developed at all — particularly the Decepticons.

If you remember the toys and show from your childhood, then its worth the price of admission, but if you’re just curious, its still a good time, the plot line is more developed than you might expect, as is the age-range that found the movie appealing. If you’re still leary, just promise to rent the DVD.

Go Bumblebee Go!