Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (IMAX)

Yesterday (Sunday, June 28th, 2009), a group of friends and I watched Transformers 2 (Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen) at Austin’s ‘Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum: IMAX Theatre.’ First, lets talk about the movie; I wasn’t expecting much going into it, since sequels to these type of movies traditionally  leave a lot to be desired. I was pleasantly surprise with Transformers, the movie is mostly CGI, mostly about big robots fighting and shooting, and the acting quality was not the greatest, but it was very funny, entertaining, and it had Megan Fox google images and for a few scenes Isabel Lucas google images (arguably hotter than Megan). Just the necessary elements for a good summer film.

The movie borrowed a number of ideas and scenes from famous SciFi/Action movies like Alice’s revelation to Sam is pretty similar Species, the idea of the extraterrestrials leaving in earth since pre historic times (like in Stargate), and others similar to Matrix and Aeon Flux, but it was cohesive and it flowed nicely. I do have a couple of complaints:

1. Was it me, or did it take forever for the robots to transform? Having the spotlight in the transformation was a bit pointless, because you can’t even tell where the different parts are going. Maybe if each transformation would have been made shorter, it would have cut 30 minutes of the movie making it a more manageable length to most people (yes, the movie is long).
2. When the robots were fighting, you couldn’t tell what was going on? All you see is CGI metal moving. It could have been the fact that the IMAX screen is so big I couldn’t absorbed the whole image at once, but still…

The pluses? The graphics were good, the sound was awesome! Oh, and did I mentioned Megan and Isabel? I think I did. The movie is funny and entertaining together with good special effects and great sound, make this film a good Blu-Ray candidate earning it 3 Miguelasos.

Domino, Domino, Domino

A simple game using rectangular tile pieces, split in half and each half has dot carvings adding up to a number from blank (0) to 6. Why is it that so many people around the world are so serious about this game? It is so simple, right? NOT!

We are not talking about the kids game where tiles are lined up in shapes and then set to tumble. I am talking about the game old people wearing straw hats and guayaberas play in silence as if it was chess in Domino Park, Miami. I am talking about about the game played in the Bronx’ sidewalks. I am talking about the game that generates such emotions that would drive anyone to slam that last domino so hard, like if breaking the table in half is the goal of the game. I am talking about the game that makes you feel like the Dos Equis’ Most Interesting Man in the World when you have that last domino, a slight smirk and just let that domino drop.  So, stay thirsty my friends and read on.

Heineken Domino Tournament
Uploaded by degreedaily. -

“OK, it sounds exciting I want to play,” you may say. The rules are simple: first get a set of double six dominos, unless playing Cuban style in which case it is played with a set of double nines. The game is played in teams of two and each teammate sits across the table from each other, unless playing cut throat. The highest number tile starts the game (the double 6 or double 9), but only on the first game of the match after the winner of the previous match goes out, unless playing in Miami in which case any member of the winning team can start the game. There are only two directions of playing, unless you play American style/El Paso style or my favorite name Yahoo! style in which case you use a spinner and have four options available. Points are awarded by adding the points left in your opponents hand at the end of each game, or maybe your opponents and any point left on the winning team’s hand, or maybe you add points along the way in multiple of fives. The match is over at 150 points or 200 points or 500 points which adds bonus plays like “Chuchazo” or “Capicú,” or you can play until a team reaches a certain number of winning games. Oh, I forgot, the game is played on a counter clockwise order, unless played clockwise.

Confused yet? :-) Welcome to the world of dominos. The truth is that every country has a set of very fuzzy guidelines. For example, in Puerto Rico the game is played with a double six set, the direction of play is not exactly clear, there is a way to play with awards or without, some play with a doubles rule, some don’t. Imagine if multiple countries are represented. The rule of thumb is to schedule about 30 minutes before the game in order to set the rules. It will save a lot of headaches during the game. If a Cuban is involved, then you may have to schedule about an hour and a half, in order for him to brag about how double nine is the way real man do it. Hmmmm!!! Once the rules are figured out, the rest is a piece of cake. Or is it?

Playing domino gives my friends and I a chance to talk smack about each other, have some drinks, be competitive and have fun. I urge everyone to try it out, just remember: smack talking about someone’s person, mom, country or city is part of the game, don’t get offended, but get even.

“OK, sale la gorda…”

Rudo y Cursi

Bueno mi gente.. me disculparán otra vez pero el trabajo me ha mantenido ocupado en las últimas semanas. Sé que esa no es razón suficiente para no haber escrito por unas tres semanas pero también soy vago.

OK, that said I watched ‘Rudo y Cursi’ a couple of weeks back. It wasn’t a movie I would originally go to the movies for, but V wanted to watch it and I owed her for promising to watch the next few summer blockbusters coming up, Transformers & GI Joe. She is not into the GI Joe trailer, but does it really matters? It’s GI Joe! Any way, ‘Rudo y Cursi’ is a Mexican drama/comedy (dramedy?) and I got more than I was expecting from it. It is a simple funny movie, none of the ‘stupid funny’ comedy that’s so popular right now, of which I am not a fan (for example ‘Land of the Lost’).  It depicts sibling rivalry, so common in a house with multiple male brothers to an extreme, through the story of two brothers trying to make it as professional soccer players in Mexico. As their popularity in the league grows so does their problems, the story touches on many stereotypical human faults including gambling addiction, drugs, lust, content and the ever desire to be something else. At the end discovering that all they needed was each others approval.

I liked the movie, but it would definitely be a rental that’s why I gave it 1 Miguelaso. V had high expectations and she came out somewhat disappointed, but I usually do not have any expectations from foreign movies, like Forest’s mom used to say, they are like a box of chocolate…

Angels and Demons / Sunshine Cleaning

I am noticing that in the three/four weeks I have been writing this blog, I already watched four movies and will be completing their review in this blog entry. I have been told that I am a though and picky critic; for this reason I am setting up a “Miguelaso” ranking system. This system will help compared how I rank one movie against another in a more subjective way. Also, it will assist when comparing different movie genres, Star Trek and Sunshine Cleaning for example. Here is the legend:

• 3 Miguelasos
  • So good I just watched the movie and want to buy the Blu-ray
• 2.5 Miguelasos
  • Good, but only buying the DVD… The line between 2.5 and three can be a bit fuzzy at times, they may be equally good, but one may have better attributes to be in Hi-Def…
• 2 Miguelasos
  • Worth watching in the movies, but not buying.
• 1.5 Miguelasos
  • I have no idea… hove not seen a 1.5 yet, but will define when I experience it.
• 1 Miguelaso
  • Rent it
• 0.5 Miguelasos
  • Forgettable experience… if you happen to be sitting in front of the TV when it is playing, fine, 0therwise it is not worth it. Or, you can rent it from the middle section in the local Block Buster, usually free.
• 0 Miguelasos
  • Did not like it.

That said, the last two reviews:

Angels and Demons – This movie was entertaining, definitely better than the DaVinci Code. Did not excite me as much as other movies I have seen lately, but it is not bad enough to complaint about it… mostly blah, or how Joy would say; it is “Moo".” I’ll give it 2 Miguelasos, because it is entertaining and it doesn’t disappoint.

Sunshine Cleaning – This movie surprised me, I watched it because it was V’s birthday and she has been wanting to watch it for a while. But, it turned out to be funny, entertaining and touching, definitely not The Notebook thou. I sincerely can say that I liked it, but there is no need to go to the movies to watch it, rental yes. I’ll give it 1 Miguelaso.

In order to retrofit my previous two reviews to the new ranking standard here they are again:

Star Trek – 3 Miguelasos, see the review here.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine – 1.5 Miguelasos, I think it is worth watching in the movies, because of the especial effects and sound, but I was very disappointed…. I am guessing, X-Man fans like myself will probably buy it, but as a movie it is not really worth buying. You can see the original review here.

Austin Aztecs Soccer

Friday night V, Dima and I went to watch the Austin Aztecs game against the Puerto Rico Islanders. We were so disappointed.

1. They Play in a High School Field. This team calls themselves a professional team and they play in a high school field with predominant American Football lines, I couldn’t  tell where the soccer lines were.
2. $20 Per Seat. Can you believe it? $20 for the cheapest seats in the house. Not that you can really tell the difference from the >$22 seats. Dima had a theory on the Aztecs business model, ‘they know that the people will not comeback, so lets charge as much as we can the first time.’
3. Level of Play. The level of play of both teams was not up to what was advertised.

There was another thing that I was not happy about, but this is not the Aztecs’ fault:

The game ended tied 1 –1. I am not a ‘soccer (or futbol)  person,’ so I do not understand how as a fan someone can watch a 90 minutes game and be happy with a 1 – 1 outcome. No winner, no looser, and then have the audacity of saying that the other team sucks.

There was a couple of points that I did like about the experience. The side of the stadium open to the public was crowded and they had lively followers, most wearing soccer jerseys from their respective countries (Mexico and Brazil) or from professional teams somewhere else. But they had their drums and trumpets and noise makers. It really seemed like a neighborhood activity. If the price wasn’t so steep I would be willing to attend a few more games, but with a $20 per game price tag, I expect more than just a couple of amateur teams having trouble scoring with barely any goalie skills.

Star Trek

Awesome!!!!

End Of Post

 

OK, I guess a few more words would be nice. This has been the best Star Trek movie I have seen, I find it to be a complete movie, with a purpose. Not just, ‘we are lost in space and we stumble upon a new mission.’ As you can tell I am not a Treky, but I think this movie would satisfied both. You would get the most out of it if you are familiar with the original Star Trek series , but if you are not; the action, complete story line and comedic relief will keep you entertain. Well worth watching.

Hawks turn off the Heat

Everyone who knows me is aware of my loyalty to the Miami area sports teams, including the Miami Heat. Sadly the heat were eliminated yesterday (05/03/2009) in the first round of the playoffs by the Atlanta Hawks. But, who could decipher that series? A seven game series in which no game was closer than a 10 points differential (26, 15, 29, 10, 15, 26, 13).

Atlanta was the best team, but in my opinion not the strongest. Miami was seen as a one man team, D. Wade, and it is partly true. When Wade is in the game the attitude of the team changes completely, but I believe that this series gave them some definition and a foundation to work on for next year. In the first three games we saw the resurgence of J. O’Neal, sadly he got injured. The support of James Jones, Michael Beasley and at times Cook and Chalmers were also helpful.  They need work in consistency and leadership when Wade is not in the court.

Overall this is a fairly young team in which most contributors are rookies (Chalmers and Beasley), 1 year (Anthony and Cook) or 5 years (Jones, Haslem and Wade) with the exception of 12 years veteran O’Neal, is in a good position for growth and improvement. Let’s not forget their record improvement of 15-67 a year ago to 43-39 this year. Also, realistically speaking what would they have been able to do against Cleveland in the second round?

X-Men Origins: Wolverine (Spoiler Alert!!!)

Last night, at midnight, a few friends and I watched ‘X-Men Origins: Wolverine’ and I have mixed opinions. The good news is: Action, Action, Action!!! From beginning to end the movie is  full of it. The bad news is: Action Scene after Action Scene after Action Scene!!! No real character development, no real character associations (even in the romance scenes), nothing different from the other X-Men movies, except it is worst. All you get is Wolverine hacking and slashing away, how is that different from all the other movies? Well, in this one you get to see him slashing as a kid and with bone blades.

There are three main characters in this movie (some may argue 4). Logan – Wolverine, Coronel Stryker (played by Danny Huston), the one responsible for Logan’s adamantium infusion and the creation of Bloodpool. Victor Creed (or is it Viktor? Sabretooth, played by Liev Schreiber). In this case Victor is Logan’s brother, which keeps consistent to the inconsistency in Sabretooth and Wolverine’s relationship. Through time they have been father and son, cousins, etc. Their relationships develops through from their child hood to ‘current times’ through a series of periodical style videos of the different wars they participated together. For no apparent reason Sabretooth grows up to be (believe it or not) more blood thirsty than Wolverine (not by much) that being  the reason of their big split.

The fourth character could be Bloodpool, considering that the majority of the destruction in the movie was caused for  Bloodpool’s creation as an end result, he himself played a very little part in the movie. So the government continues its ridiculous money spending; first the little trip of Air Force One over NYC and then the multi-billion dollar investment in the creation of Bloodpool, who turns around and gets destroyed (decapitated) in his first fight by two Canadians (it could only be worst if they were French).

The other gripes I have against the movie:

• The development of the other mutants was non-existence. I understand that it is supposed to be Wolverine’s story, but why is it important that he was hanging out with these guys?
• I never understood the the other guys’ mutant abilities. Agent Zero (played by Daniel Henney) and Wade Wilson (later to become Deadpool, played by Ryan Reynolds) seemed to have pretty much the same power, but one uses guns the other swords. And they all seem to have jumping and leaping abilities. WTF?
• Also, all the regular humans seemed to have a power as well… they are all bad shots… not even with a helicopter!
• Gambit… well, he was there.
• If Wolverine and Sabretooth were brothers, how come they didn’t really show this relationship in the first part of the X-Men trilogy. I understand Wolverine looses his mind, but what about Sabretooth?
• I agree with New York Times review by  Joe Neumair, when he complaints about the simplicity of Wolverine’s lab scene. I mean, this is the scene that hunts him throughout the rest of his life (a big deal considering he can’t die), but it wasn’t scary at all. He barely moved, oh yeah he also squinted. Ok, well his heart stopped for a second, but his heart stops in every movie.
• Oh, lets not forget about that stupid after credit scene.

I did liked:

• The cameo by Xavier.
• Is that girl Lady Deathstrike from X-Men 2?

Is it worth seeing? Of course; Wolverine is in it :-) Is it worth getting excited over it? Not really… I would be more excited about the future ‘Origins’ movies featuring Magneto and the young X-Man (‘First Class').

What did you think?