tinfoil, whiskey, and computers

I think Google may be getting a little too big lately.  They have a ton of cool stuff out there.  They always have an awesome new tool or software, always free.  The problem is they seem to have so much that it rarely seems to jive with complimentary offerings.  My personal gripe today is their new Firefox extension.  I love the extension.  It’s the best bookmark synchronizer I’ve used but does have its drawbacks.

It’s great because it’s Google and I don’t have to worry about them going away tomorrow thus losing my sync ability.  I don’t have to set up my own WebDav or FTP site.  I don’t have to store them online or access them strictly from online.  That’s good and bad.

I want to have local copies of all my bookmarks.  This is good for several reasons.  I can access them offline (in case I might need to).  I don’t have to rely on an online service to log into such as Chipmarks (ALWAYS down just when I need to use it).  The thing is, I also want to access them online sometimes.  Perhaps I’m on someone else’s computer.  Perhaps I’m on a machine where I can’t install Firefox.

I just found out tonight that Google has a bookmark service.  Like I said, they have a ton of stuff.  They have a ton of stuff I’ve never heard of.  I really don’t know how they promote a lot of this stuff to “the masses” when a computer geek like myself hardly knows of half of it.

I’m thinking to myself, “Self, that’s pretty awesome.  It must be able to read my Firefox sync stuff since I use the Google Firefox extension to sync my bookmarks.”  No such luck.  Why wouldn’t Google mesh these two together?  It seems like a very obvious choice.

I just wish when Google released their new, latest, greatest doohickies that they would play nice with all their other whatzahoozits.  Google could own me (they are close already) if they did things like make all their tools work together when they compliment each other so nicely like the bookmark service and Firefox extension.

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This is too fucking awesome!  Bob Saget rules.

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Parkour, or free-running, is the inspiration and the main action of Luc Besson’s District B13. I have really enjoyed a couple Besson flicks, in particular Léon and one of my all time favorites The Fifth Element, both of which he wrote andd directed. Besson did not direct District B13, but wrote it after being inspired after watching some traceurs. It stars one of the founders of parkour, David Belle, as the good guy and stuntman/actor Cyril Raffelli as the good cop.

Set in 2010 (the film was released in 2004 originally and has come to the US this weekend) in Paris, crime has gotten so out of control that districts of the city and suburbs have been walled off to contain the criminal element. The movie makes quite a bit of social commentary inbetween the numerous action sequences. The scary part to me was how plausible the plot is. France alienates the ghettos and lower class. This seems like a plausible step, even so far as the ultimate goal of exterminating an entire district. The commentary about unemployment for 20 somethings is absolutely true as well.

This is primarily an action movie though. The action is pretty good, though I would loved to have seen more specifically dealing with the parkour. The opening chase really sets it up but there isn’t a equal or better parkour scene later in the movie. The fight scenes are generally well done, like a French take on Hong Kong action. It’s different that what we get out of Hong Kong or even the US, since we have so many Asian fight choreographers.

This should be more of a popcorn flick and focus less on social commentary…and dare I say it, even less on plot. It’s got some awesome action but should have had more with fewer pauses for dialogue and such. There should have been more parkour because it’s so unique and so interesting to watch. We see kung-fu style stuff in every action movie. What we don’t see much of is a guy jumping from building to building or from floor to floor, all without wire work or other special effects. It’s fun and it’s fast and should have been the centerpiece of the action instead of typical fist-fighting.

It was a pretty fun popcorn, action flick. Good for a summer matinee which is what it was for me.

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Good, bloody fun! 2001 Maniacs is a fantastic B horror splatstick. It’s a remake/inspired by 1964’s Two Thousand Maniacs. A small southern town, population 2001 maniacs, takes revenge for their Civil War slaughter on college kids from the north on spring break.

This is just such an honest, fun movie. That may be a weird description for a bloody horror flick, but it’s what comes to mind. The writer, director, producer, and actors are not just professionals, they are fans of the genre. That enthusiasm comes through loud and clear and is reflected in the quality and originality. The film is basically a way to move from gory death to cory death. That’s what the genre, the niche of this type of movie is. It doesn’t try to be more or less.

It does all the important things. It has the right amount of sex. The right amount of nudity. The right amount of blood and gore. The “set” is beautiful as it’s not a set, it’s an actual historical southern town. It has real buildings from the Civil War era all put together in a town that’s essentially a museum. Very nice looking for a lower budget B horror movie.

The movie stays true to what works for the genre. Sex sells. Gore sells. Funny lines sell. The rules of horror movies are still true, sex kills. It doesn’t take itself too seriously but that doesn’t mean it’s made without attention to detail and quality. A must-see for horror movie fans.

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Why have I waited so long to see this movie?!? I have loved Peter Jackson since I first saw Dead Alive in 1994. I very much enjoyed Heavenly Creatures and The Frighteners. And how could I not love the Lord of the Rings trilogy? Peter Jackson is one of the most talented directors and writers of all time, at least in my mind. I have known about Bad Taste for over a decade but for some reason have just never seen it. I’m glad I finally took the time.

This was Jackson’s first feature film. It took him years of weekends to complete. The dedication put into this movie is evident. For basically no budget the effects and makeup are outstanding. The editing is great and even with buddies as actors the movie is so well put together you barely notice. I did have to chuckle at the special forces guys who were in black gear but wearing tennis shoes instead of boots.

Zombies are on the loose trying to eat brains. Alien zombies! Fast food aliens! Good times. I would recommend this as inspiration for any small-time, indie filmmakers. Dedication and time will give you great results.

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In my effort to apparently see every Asian horror movie I have recently decided to watch a movie soon to be US-remade called One Missed Call. People start receiving phone calls from themselves in the future. The messages are their last words before their violent deaths. I actually think the concept is a good one, utlizing some modern-day technology to scare. I think where it’s a little weak is when it comes to the killer. It’s the same as a dozen previous Asian horror movies like Ju-on or Ringu. I have to imagine it has something to do with Japanese culture or something since the themes are always so similar.

There are some very violent deaths in this movie, which is a good thing. I think it’s a plus for the type of movie they were going for. I expected no less from Takashi Miike, the man who brought us Audition, part of Three…Extremes, and Ichi the Killer. That dude has a messed up head and he puts it all on screen.

The Japanese, andd Miike in particular, has a way of getting into your head to make things more suspenseful and creepier than most other countries/directors. There is always the psychological aspect to scaring the viewer. There are some visceral scenes as well. It’s all a part of painting that creepy picture. None of it seemed gratuitous or over the top in this film though. It’s not the best I’ve seeen for Japanese horror, but it was certainly good.

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Robin Hood: Men in Tights is my second favorite Cary Elwes movie and perhaps my first favorite Mel Brooks movie. Elwes plays the part of Robin Hood perfectly in this comedy. We get to see a young Dave Chapelle as sidekick Ahchoo. The plot is all very simple with plenty of gags, a funny cast, clever dialogue, a dig on Kevin Costner, the worst actor of all time.

I very much recommend this movie to any comedy lover. You can’t go wrong.

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