AKA Crank 2, AKA Crank 2: High Voltage, this is the second Crank movie, starring Jason Statham as the nearly immortal Chev Chelios. The first one was pretty crazy and this one is even more insane. This is not a family movie, because of, well, everything. I really liked this movie and I'm looking forward to another one, which I'm pretty sure will materialize. It also stars Amy Smart, Bai Ling, Dwight Yoakam and many others, including a few surprise cameos. Also, there are bloopers all throughout the closing credits, so stay until they kick you out.
There's action, outrageous situations, lots of humour, gratuitous scenes, violence and just plain silly fun. In the first movie, Chelios was injected with a poison and had to keep his adrenaline up to stay alive (think Speed, but replace the bus with a human being!). This time, his heart gets stolen and is replaced with a temporary artificial one. This mechanical heart is not meant for the type of activities Chelios needs to take part of in order to recover his own super-heart. So, of course, he needs to deliver frequent jolts of electricity to his artificial heart to keep it beating. Since the heart is inside of him, the electricity must goes through him. He gets very creative in the different type of ways he gets his needed power intakes, including static electricity, which he gets through, well, friction...
Seeing the first movie is not mandatory, but is recommended. If you are prude or easily offended, go see something else (Earth is really squeaky clean), but if you're like me and enjoy raunchy humour, go see it already!
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Movie review - Earth
Earth is a big change of pace from the comedies and action movies I usually see. It's a documentary staring the natural beauties of our planet. It does feature amazing landscapes from around the world and is a joy to just watch. But, it does come with very good narration. The "American" version I saw is with James Earl Jones and is well done. The English one is with Patrick Stewart. I wonder if both will be available on the DVD.
Besides the plants, trees, water, ice and snow, there are lots of animals too. We follow the migration of a few families in particular, as well as many other random ones. Nature is a hard world to live in and we do get a sense of this, although it never gets bloody. Scenes of predators catching their prey usually cuts before it gets too graphic. There were lots of kids in the theatre and I don't think any of them were traumatized... I didn't notice any parent having to take their kid's out of the room, at the very least.
There is a message in the movie, regarding global warming, but it's rather subtle. It doesn't try to explain why it's happening or what should be done about it. They just state the fact that it's a big problem for bears and other animals that the ice at the poles is thinning, there is less of it surface-wise and it's happening for longer period of times.
The planet is changing, but life goes on. I went to see this movie for it's beautiful looks and I did get that. And seeing it on a big screen does amplify this, so I suggest you go see it in this format as well.
Besides the plants, trees, water, ice and snow, there are lots of animals too. We follow the migration of a few families in particular, as well as many other random ones. Nature is a hard world to live in and we do get a sense of this, although it never gets bloody. Scenes of predators catching their prey usually cuts before it gets too graphic. There were lots of kids in the theatre and I don't think any of them were traumatized... I didn't notice any parent having to take their kid's out of the room, at the very least.
There is a message in the movie, regarding global warming, but it's rather subtle. It doesn't try to explain why it's happening or what should be done about it. They just state the fact that it's a big problem for bears and other animals that the ice at the poles is thinning, there is less of it surface-wise and it's happening for longer period of times.
The planet is changing, but life goes on. I went to see this movie for it's beautiful looks and I did get that. And seeing it on a big screen does amplify this, so I suggest you go see it in this format as well.
Activity update
I haven't blogged about a movie in quite a while, I'm going to try to correct that. I'll probably skip some movies, as I have seen many since my last review. Also, I'm going to have to give up on reviewing them in order. Thanks to DVD, and eventually TV, I guess any review can still be relevant, even after they are no longer on the big screen. But it still make sense in my mind to start with movies still in theatres.
If you really miss me, I'm more active on Tumblr, which does aggregate this blog, as well has other feeds, such as Flickr and Twitter. This last one is my most active feed, as I tweet regularly, including short movie reviews right after I have seen them.
Well, I'm off to my next review, the last movie I have seen...
If you really miss me, I'm more active on Tumblr, which does aggregate this blog, as well has other feeds, such as Flickr and Twitter. This last one is my most active feed, as I tweet regularly, including short movie reviews right after I have seen them.
Well, I'm off to my next review, the last movie I have seen...
Sunday, April 19, 2009
How I solved my missing 8GB CF card mystery.
On Friday, as I was getting ready for Saturday's outing with the Photo Safari Montreal group, I noticed I was missing my spare memory card. I looked just about everywhere I might have left it, but could not find it. No data was at risk, but I paid a $100 for it and it's a useful item to have when you'll be taking pictures far from an electronic store. I had tweeted this, but somehow it didn't help the situation.
So, I went to our outing, at Exporail, in the Canadian Railway Museum, without my spare card. I didn't need it, so no big deal. But what I needed was my tripod's quick-release adapter, which attach to the camera and slides into the tripod's head. That was missing from my new bag as well. That was a bigger deal, because inside photography without a tripod is more of a challenge. Good thing I had just bought my new Canon Speedlight 580 EX II at the same time I bought my new and bigger backpack camera bag. Still, I missed using my tripod, which I carried around all day for nothing.
Coming back home, I figured I would find the adapter on a different camera, but such was not the case. I was now missing two items that used to be in my old bag, a Lowepro Stealth Reporter D200 AW. It's a nice camera transport bag, but it had become too small for me. I searched that bag many times before, looking for my CF card and proceeded to go through it again, as it was the only logical place my missing items had to be. Again, all pockets were searched carefully and in depth. I was starting to feel like a proctologist... Then I noticed the sides were attached with Velcro to the inside compartments. What's that? I separated the sides and pulled out the insides of my bag. What did I find, at the bottom of my bag? A video cable, a USB cable, my darn 8 GB card and my fraking tripod adapter! What I thought were front and back pockets turned out to be only gaps in the bag, not meant to put stuff in them.
There's a lesson to be learned, here. When emptying a bag of any kind, don't be afraid to TEAR IT APART to make sure it is really empty.
I'm sure other models and brands of bags have the same design, so be warned and keep this tale in mind if your things start disappearing.
So, I went to our outing, at Exporail, in the Canadian Railway Museum, without my spare card. I didn't need it, so no big deal. But what I needed was my tripod's quick-release adapter, which attach to the camera and slides into the tripod's head. That was missing from my new bag as well. That was a bigger deal, because inside photography without a tripod is more of a challenge. Good thing I had just bought my new Canon Speedlight 580 EX II at the same time I bought my new and bigger backpack camera bag. Still, I missed using my tripod, which I carried around all day for nothing.
Coming back home, I figured I would find the adapter on a different camera, but such was not the case. I was now missing two items that used to be in my old bag, a Lowepro Stealth Reporter D200 AW. It's a nice camera transport bag, but it had become too small for me. I searched that bag many times before, looking for my CF card and proceeded to go through it again, as it was the only logical place my missing items had to be. Again, all pockets were searched carefully and in depth. I was starting to feel like a proctologist... Then I noticed the sides were attached with Velcro to the inside compartments. What's that? I separated the sides and pulled out the insides of my bag. What did I find, at the bottom of my bag? A video cable, a USB cable, my darn 8 GB card and my fraking tripod adapter! What I thought were front and back pockets turned out to be only gaps in the bag, not meant to put stuff in them.
There's a lesson to be learned, here. When emptying a bag of any kind, don't be afraid to TEAR IT APART to make sure it is really empty.
I'm sure other models and brands of bags have the same design, so be warned and keep this tale in mind if your things start disappearing.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Isaac Asimov's Foundation to become a movie.
Zap2It announced today that the popular Foundation stories will be adapted for the big screen. I'm a big fan of Asimov and the Foundation series was very good. So I'm both intrigued and worried. There's no way to tell the whole story in one movie. No mention of a series of movies, but I suppose that could still happen.
At best, it will be inspired by the main story arc, the idea and goal of the Foundation. Perhaps both of them. That's what happened with I, Robot. While I still liked the later, it was not an Asimov story. There was a reason why he wouldn't let people make movies out of his books. But he is sadly no longer with us to defend his brilliant ideas.
Of course, unless the trailer really stinks, I will most likely go see this movie the day it comes out. I'm just like that. The announcement was mainly to address the fact that there is a director attached to the movie, Roland Emmerich. I like some of his movies, others were so-so and some, I didn't bother seeing. Let's hope this will be a good one.
Foundation has a release year of 2011 on IMDb, but there are no other details yet, so I may be linking to the wrong page... They claim to have more details in the Pro section. Maybe I'll sign-up for it one day.
At best, it will be inspired by the main story arc, the idea and goal of the Foundation. Perhaps both of them. That's what happened with I, Robot. While I still liked the later, it was not an Asimov story. There was a reason why he wouldn't let people make movies out of his books. But he is sadly no longer with us to defend his brilliant ideas.
Of course, unless the trailer really stinks, I will most likely go see this movie the day it comes out. I'm just like that. The announcement was mainly to address the fact that there is a director attached to the movie, Roland Emmerich. I like some of his movies, others were so-so and some, I didn't bother seeing. Let's hope this will be a good one.
Foundation has a release year of 2011 on IMDb, but there are no other details yet, so I may be linking to the wrong page... They claim to have more details in the Pro section. Maybe I'll sign-up for it one day.
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Movie review - Quantum of Solace
For my 100th blog entry, using Blogger, I will be reviewing a movie I saw exactly a month ago. Why do I procrastinate so much? At least I'm much more up to date on my Twitter updates, as they are short burst of on the moment happenings...
Quantum of Solace is a worthy sequel, or rather continuation, of Casino Royale. The action starts minutes after the end of the last Bond movie. We get to see some of the same characters, as well as new ones, both good and bad guys/gals. Part of Bond's motivation is based on revenge, even though he denies it. Bond, M, Felix and Mathis are back (Daniel Craig, Judi Dench, Jeffrey Wright and Giancarlo Giannini) and some of the new ones are Camille, Dominic Greene and Strawberry Fields (Olga Kurylenko, Mathieu Amalric and Gemma Arterton).
Once again, we are treated to fast action, chases, Bond girls, shootouts, torture and other spy stuff. There's another foot chase similar to the one at the beginning of CR, but not quite as intense. I liked QoS very much, but not quite as much as CR, I think, possibly because is wasn't as "new" this time around. But if you also liked CR, I'm sure you would like QoS as well.
Craig is again doing a great job as Bond and I hope he will be returning for many more. One thing that is missing is Q and his gadgets. I know I'm not the only one who thinks that and I hear they should be returning on the next movie. Lets hope so. I also hope they will get John Cleese to play the character again, who took over for Desmond Llewelyn on his last appereance as Q in The World is not Enough. Even though Cleese played R, Q's assistant, he became Q for one movie, Die Another Day.
I'm a Bond fan, so I'm always looking forward for more movies and I hope to see many more in my lifetime. James Bond FTW!
Quantum of Solace is a worthy sequel, or rather continuation, of Casino Royale. The action starts minutes after the end of the last Bond movie. We get to see some of the same characters, as well as new ones, both good and bad guys/gals. Part of Bond's motivation is based on revenge, even though he denies it. Bond, M, Felix and Mathis are back (Daniel Craig, Judi Dench, Jeffrey Wright and Giancarlo Giannini) and some of the new ones are Camille, Dominic Greene and Strawberry Fields (Olga Kurylenko, Mathieu Amalric and Gemma Arterton).
Once again, we are treated to fast action, chases, Bond girls, shootouts, torture and other spy stuff. There's another foot chase similar to the one at the beginning of CR, but not quite as intense. I liked QoS very much, but not quite as much as CR, I think, possibly because is wasn't as "new" this time around. But if you also liked CR, I'm sure you would like QoS as well.
Craig is again doing a great job as Bond and I hope he will be returning for many more. One thing that is missing is Q and his gadgets. I know I'm not the only one who thinks that and I hear they should be returning on the next movie. Lets hope so. I also hope they will get John Cleese to play the character again, who took over for Desmond Llewelyn on his last appereance as Q in The World is not Enough. Even though Cleese played R, Q's assistant, he became Q for one movie, Die Another Day.
I'm a Bond fan, so I'm always looking forward for more movies and I hope to see many more in my lifetime. James Bond FTW!
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Movie review - Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa
I like to move it! You know you're watching a Madagascar movie when it opens with this song... It was in the first one, it's in this sequel and I bet it will be in the third one (already in the work, for a 2011 release). Actually, make sure you pay attention to the very beginning when you see the boy sitting on the crescent Moon for the first laugh...
I saw Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa in it's Imax version. No 3D, but still gorgeous to watch. It still has the same look as the first one and stars the same voices for the main characters; Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer, Jada Pinkett Smith, Sacha Baron Cohen, Cedric the Entertainer and Andy Richter, as well as new characters from Bernie Mac and Alec Baldwin.
The plot revolves around the fact that our heroes, if they can be called that, wants to go back home, in New York (if you don't understand this, see the first movie, then come back). But due to an airplane's "premature landing", they end up in a totally foreign land called Africa. They soon figure out that this place just might be their real home, from all the animals they meet that just happens to be the same species as they are.
I really liked this movie, which was very funny and a worthy sequel. Being in a different environment helped the story to have lots of new elements, while still bringing back a few familiar ones. The psycho penguins are back for more mischief, of course, as are a couple of lemurs... All the returning main characters can be seen in the trailer, if I remember well.
Unlike the last few movies I reviewed, this one is for the whole family, although it is rated PG for "some mild crude humour", so parents should keep that in mind.
I saw Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa in it's Imax version. No 3D, but still gorgeous to watch. It still has the same look as the first one and stars the same voices for the main characters; Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer, Jada Pinkett Smith, Sacha Baron Cohen, Cedric the Entertainer and Andy Richter, as well as new characters from Bernie Mac and Alec Baldwin.
The plot revolves around the fact that our heroes, if they can be called that, wants to go back home, in New York (if you don't understand this, see the first movie, then come back). But due to an airplane's "premature landing", they end up in a totally foreign land called Africa. They soon figure out that this place just might be their real home, from all the animals they meet that just happens to be the same species as they are.
I really liked this movie, which was very funny and a worthy sequel. Being in a different environment helped the story to have lots of new elements, while still bringing back a few familiar ones. The psycho penguins are back for more mischief, of course, as are a couple of lemurs... All the returning main characters can be seen in the trailer, if I remember well.
Unlike the last few movies I reviewed, this one is for the whole family, although it is rated PG for "some mild crude humour", so parents should keep that in mind.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
The Power Within
Even though I did not have the day off, I didn't go to work today. But I won't get in trouble with my employer, I was part of a group of employees invited to attend a The Power Within seminar at the Palais des congrès, in Montreal. They tour North America with different groups of motivators and other speakers.
The group that was in Montreal today consisted of Mike Lipkin, Loretta LaRoche, Phil Town, Dr. Antonia Coello Novello (former US Surgeon General), Richard Dolan, Martin Sheen and William Jefferson Clinton (AKA Bill Clinton, who had a gig as the 42nd US President). One deception for me, Garry Kasparov was originally scheduled to appear at this seminar, but that did not happen...
I've had corporate one or two days seminars at the office before, but this was quite different. First, we share a huge room with about 4000 people. Impressive. Second, it was a series of speakers, each with their own style. I did like this experience overall. Not everything applied to my life, but the beauty of the concept is that with this many speakers, at least some of them will be interesting to most attendees.
We learned things, laughed, reflected on issues and had a good time. During the day, people would come and go, some were talking during presentations but fortunately there wasn't a big problem in my area and I was able to follow all the speeches. Beside microphones, there were also two big screens on either side of the stage, so we could see the presenters better. We had pretty good seats, only six rows behind the VIP section.
Of course, the big event was Bill Clinton's speech, which was kept for the end. Interestingly enough, when it was his turn, there was very little circulation from the attendees and it was very quiet. It's not often that "regular people" get to see a former US President give a speech like this and Clinton is certainly respected by many people, including us Canadians. While not pointing fingers at anyone, he talked about political issues, the current economy and what can be done by leaders and citizens to help the situation.
If you are given the opportunity to assist to such a seminar, I would suggest you go. It's very interesting and at the very least, a change to your usual routine, I'm sure!
The group that was in Montreal today consisted of Mike Lipkin, Loretta LaRoche, Phil Town, Dr. Antonia Coello Novello (former US Surgeon General), Richard Dolan, Martin Sheen and William Jefferson Clinton (AKA Bill Clinton, who had a gig as the 42nd US President). One deception for me, Garry Kasparov was originally scheduled to appear at this seminar, but that did not happen...
I've had corporate one or two days seminars at the office before, but this was quite different. First, we share a huge room with about 4000 people. Impressive. Second, it was a series of speakers, each with their own style. I did like this experience overall. Not everything applied to my life, but the beauty of the concept is that with this many speakers, at least some of them will be interesting to most attendees.
We learned things, laughed, reflected on issues and had a good time. During the day, people would come and go, some were talking during presentations but fortunately there wasn't a big problem in my area and I was able to follow all the speeches. Beside microphones, there were also two big screens on either side of the stage, so we could see the presenters better. We had pretty good seats, only six rows behind the VIP section.
Of course, the big event was Bill Clinton's speech, which was kept for the end. Interestingly enough, when it was his turn, there was very little circulation from the attendees and it was very quiet. It's not often that "regular people" get to see a former US President give a speech like this and Clinton is certainly respected by many people, including us Canadians. While not pointing fingers at anyone, he talked about political issues, the current economy and what can be done by leaders and citizens to help the situation.
If you are given the opportunity to assist to such a seminar, I would suggest you go. It's very interesting and at the very least, a change to your usual routine, I'm sure!
Monday, November 24, 2008
Movie review - Max Payne
I saw Max Payne a month ago, but I'm a little behind, again, in my blog reviews... In a race to catch up once more!
I never played the game this movie is based on, so I can't compare the two. I can only comment on the movie itself for what it is. That would be an action movie, with revenge in mind and a lot of violence along the way. Hm, that does sounds like a game! The main character is played by Mark Wahlberg and was key in getting me to go see this movie. I've liked Wahlberg since I saw him in The Big Hit and he made me buy a few more movie tickets since. This movie is perfect for his style of acting (sorry for the type-casting, Mark!).
The plot is not very original, but it works. A cop who's family was killed seeks revenge and hunts down the people responsible for their death. He has to find them first and in his quest will make allies and enemies. Many bullets will be used during this story, as well as other weapons. Did I mention this was a violent movie? OK, just checking.
The movie also stars Beau Bridges, Chris O'Donnell, Ludacris, Mila Kunis and Olga Kurylenko (one of the newest Bond Girl in Quantum Of Solace), to name a few. It's not a great movie, but it's fun if you like action, which this movie does have quite a bit of.
Oh, if your the type that leaves the theatre when the credit starts rolling, you don't get to see the whole movie. There is a short scene at the very end. No, it doesn't star Nick Fury, but I bet they're hinting at a sequel...
I never played the game this movie is based on, so I can't compare the two. I can only comment on the movie itself for what it is. That would be an action movie, with revenge in mind and a lot of violence along the way. Hm, that does sounds like a game! The main character is played by Mark Wahlberg and was key in getting me to go see this movie. I've liked Wahlberg since I saw him in The Big Hit and he made me buy a few more movie tickets since. This movie is perfect for his style of acting (sorry for the type-casting, Mark!).
The plot is not very original, but it works. A cop who's family was killed seeks revenge and hunts down the people responsible for their death. He has to find them first and in his quest will make allies and enemies. Many bullets will be used during this story, as well as other weapons. Did I mention this was a violent movie? OK, just checking.
The movie also stars Beau Bridges, Chris O'Donnell, Ludacris, Mila Kunis and Olga Kurylenko (one of the newest Bond Girl in Quantum Of Solace), to name a few. It's not a great movie, but it's fun if you like action, which this movie does have quite a bit of.
Oh, if your the type that leaves the theatre when the credit starts rolling, you don't get to see the whole movie. There is a short scene at the very end. No, it doesn't star Nick Fury, but I bet they're hinting at a sequel...
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Upcoming movie - Star Trek
Like most geeks, I'm very excited about the new Star Trek movie, coming out in May 2009. A new trailer came out just a few days ago and we now have a better idea what it's going to be like, most likely. We do have to keep in mind that trailers can lie. But I hope this one is more honest, because I liked it a lot. Lots of action in this one, but hopefully there is plenty left for the movie itself. It is being directed by the talented J.J. Abrams. I believe this is the first time he is involved in a project which is already a huge franchise, so let's hope he doesn't mess this up!
One thing that may take a while to adjust to is seeing Sylar playing Spock. By this I mean that Zachary Quinto, who plays Sylar on TV's Heroes will be taking on the role of Spock in this younger version of the original character. In case you didn't already know, the story is with the original characters, when they were just starting their new Star Fleet careers at the Academy. Other well known actors are Simon Pegg as Scotty, Eric Bana as Nero, Winona Ryder as Amanda Grayson and Leonard Nimoy as "Old Spock". I'm not familiar with the other actors, but that shouldn't be a problem...
I don't know about you, but I know where I'm going to be on May 8, 2009!
One thing that may take a while to adjust to is seeing Sylar playing Spock. By this I mean that Zachary Quinto, who plays Sylar on TV's Heroes will be taking on the role of Spock in this younger version of the original character. In case you didn't already know, the story is with the original characters, when they were just starting their new Star Fleet careers at the Academy. Other well known actors are Simon Pegg as Scotty, Eric Bana as Nero, Winona Ryder as Amanda Grayson and Leonard Nimoy as "Old Spock". I'm not familiar with the other actors, but that shouldn't be a problem...
I don't know about you, but I know where I'm going to be on May 8, 2009!
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