Gloria Oliver's Blog, page 108
April 13, 2012
Movie Review - Lockout
Lockout
Starring: Guy Pearce, Maggie Grace, Vincent Regan, Joseph Gilgun, Lennie James, Peter Stormare, Jacky Ido, Tim Plester, and more.
Directed by: James Mather and Stephen St. Leger Original Idea by: Luc Besson Screenplay by: Stephen St. Leger, James Mather, and Luc Besson Original Music by: Alexandre Azaria Cinematography by: James Mather
Premise: Ex-CIA man Snow is accused of killing a CIA operative who was possibly selling US secrets. Snow is about to be sent to the new maximum security orbital prison MS 1 when an incident occurs there that has placed the President's daughter in danger. Snow is given the chance to go up there and save her, and with any luck, find his missing partner, who's been imprisoned there and is the only who knows the location of the briefcase that might help clear up Snow's problems. (Rated R)
Review:
1) Acting - Total Thumbs Up: Guy Pearce does a great job playing Snow. His t-shirt says Warning: Offensive and he takes it to heart. As we see from the start, he definitely does make things harder for himself than he has to. But the delivery is great! Maggie Grace slowly gets under his skin and we see more of what make the roles they're playing the unique individuals that they are. Joseph Gilgun might give you nightmares. He played his role very well. (Family is one thing, but it should only take you so far. Brrr) Everyone in the cast performed excellently.
2) Special Effects - Thumbs Up: For the most part they were spot on. The race through the city close to the beginning was very blurred, so I got the idea there'd been issues with that CGI/Reality sequence. The rest of the spots were good. The prison facility looked great, as did the docking sequences, the space sequences, and more. For it being 2079, however, a lot of the tech didn't quite sync up, some seeming very progressive and others very antiquated though they'd use the same principles. But a lot of that is probably the fault of the actual script.
3) Plot/Story - Flat: A couple of story lines are running through the film. One was incredibly detailed, making sure everything fit, while the other basically did whatever was necessary to go where they wanted it to go, even if the logistics made no sense whatsoever. So, while I was quite happy with the progress and resolution of Snow's plight, the contrivance of how the original incident at MS 1 occurred and the steps taken after the fact left much to be desired. A real facility of that type wouldn't have had the trouble encountered and reached the heights it did without a whole lot of assistance, which they did not have. It was also really hard to swallow that a facility monitoring 500 men's cryogenic stability would have to be manually corrected (and solely by one individual) on a constant basis to maintain geosynchronous orbit. So the plot was great in some cases and a total failure in others.
4) Stunts - Thumbs Up: A lot of punching, fighting, kicking, shooting and all done very well. Oddly enough, though the film is rated R, a lot of the violence, aside from the first few minutes, was clean and often more implied than seen. That being said, however, there were several great scenes, including the one in the open well.
5) Locations/Cinematography - Thumbs Up: There were very nice sweeping shots of the MS 1, the shuttles, the close orbit police department. The subway only had a hint of higher tech, but some nice shots nevertheless. The look of MS 1 inside and out was well done.
6) Costuming/Makeup - Thumbs Up: Fashion didn't look to have changed much in 60 plus years, so that was a little bit of a let down - though Snow's t-shirt was definitely worth seeing. On the makeup side, however, great job with the bruising and wounds. While not a bloody movie by any means, what there was was consistent, so kudos for the attention to detail.
Conclusion: Overall, if you ignore the bad science and prison set up, it's a fast paced, well acted film and worth a couple of hours if you've got the time to spare.
Rating: 3 out of 5 (4 on acting/sets/etc and 2 on plot/science) (Hubby's Rating: Better For Matinee)
Starring: Guy Pearce, Maggie Grace, Vincent Regan, Joseph Gilgun, Lennie James, Peter Stormare, Jacky Ido, Tim Plester, and more.
Directed by: James Mather and Stephen St. Leger Original Idea by: Luc Besson Screenplay by: Stephen St. Leger, James Mather, and Luc Besson Original Music by: Alexandre Azaria Cinematography by: James Mather
Premise: Ex-CIA man Snow is accused of killing a CIA operative who was possibly selling US secrets. Snow is about to be sent to the new maximum security orbital prison MS 1 when an incident occurs there that has placed the President's daughter in danger. Snow is given the chance to go up there and save her, and with any luck, find his missing partner, who's been imprisoned there and is the only who knows the location of the briefcase that might help clear up Snow's problems. (Rated R)
Review:
1) Acting - Total Thumbs Up: Guy Pearce does a great job playing Snow. His t-shirt says Warning: Offensive and he takes it to heart. As we see from the start, he definitely does make things harder for himself than he has to. But the delivery is great! Maggie Grace slowly gets under his skin and we see more of what make the roles they're playing the unique individuals that they are. Joseph Gilgun might give you nightmares. He played his role very well. (Family is one thing, but it should only take you so far. Brrr) Everyone in the cast performed excellently.
2) Special Effects - Thumbs Up: For the most part they were spot on. The race through the city close to the beginning was very blurred, so I got the idea there'd been issues with that CGI/Reality sequence. The rest of the spots were good. The prison facility looked great, as did the docking sequences, the space sequences, and more. For it being 2079, however, a lot of the tech didn't quite sync up, some seeming very progressive and others very antiquated though they'd use the same principles. But a lot of that is probably the fault of the actual script.
3) Plot/Story - Flat: A couple of story lines are running through the film. One was incredibly detailed, making sure everything fit, while the other basically did whatever was necessary to go where they wanted it to go, even if the logistics made no sense whatsoever. So, while I was quite happy with the progress and resolution of Snow's plight, the contrivance of how the original incident at MS 1 occurred and the steps taken after the fact left much to be desired. A real facility of that type wouldn't have had the trouble encountered and reached the heights it did without a whole lot of assistance, which they did not have. It was also really hard to swallow that a facility monitoring 500 men's cryogenic stability would have to be manually corrected (and solely by one individual) on a constant basis to maintain geosynchronous orbit. So the plot was great in some cases and a total failure in others.
4) Stunts - Thumbs Up: A lot of punching, fighting, kicking, shooting and all done very well. Oddly enough, though the film is rated R, a lot of the violence, aside from the first few minutes, was clean and often more implied than seen. That being said, however, there were several great scenes, including the one in the open well.
5) Locations/Cinematography - Thumbs Up: There were very nice sweeping shots of the MS 1, the shuttles, the close orbit police department. The subway only had a hint of higher tech, but some nice shots nevertheless. The look of MS 1 inside and out was well done.
6) Costuming/Makeup - Thumbs Up: Fashion didn't look to have changed much in 60 plus years, so that was a little bit of a let down - though Snow's t-shirt was definitely worth seeing. On the makeup side, however, great job with the bruising and wounds. While not a bloody movie by any means, what there was was consistent, so kudos for the attention to detail.
Conclusion: Overall, if you ignore the bad science and prison set up, it's a fast paced, well acted film and worth a couple of hours if you've got the time to spare.
Rating: 3 out of 5 (4 on acting/sets/etc and 2 on plot/science) (Hubby's Rating: Better For Matinee)
Supernatural Plushies of Sam and Dean Winchester!
A buddy of mine is creating original jewelry and 8 inch plush dolls as Belaurient Arts. When I heard she'd started taking requests on the plush dolls, and that she was doing some on different TV characters (Sherlock, Dr Who), and seeing how utterly cute they were, I hatched the EVIL PLAN for a friend of mine down in OZ who loves the TV Show Supernatural.
I've been waiting and waiting for them to get to her before I shared these awesome dolls with the world! And now that I've freaked her out, I can! Hee hee!
Dean Winchester! With his smirk and amulet even!
Sam Winchester! Serious look and long locks of hair!
Super detailed. You can't tell my my pic unless you click on the bigger version, but she gave him his freckles!
Oh yeah, they have the proof against possession tattoos!
Dean even has his hand print burn for when Castiel brought him up from below!
Are they cute or what?!?!?!
And she's planning on doing a Castiel doll as well. Squee!
I've been waiting and waiting for them to get to her before I shared these awesome dolls with the world! And now that I've freaked her out, I can! Hee hee!
Dean Winchester! With his smirk and amulet even!
Sam Winchester! Serious look and long locks of hair!
Super detailed. You can't tell my my pic unless you click on the bigger version, but she gave him his freckles!
Oh yeah, they have the proof against possession tattoos!
Dean even has his hand print burn for when Castiel brought him up from below!
Are they cute or what?!?!?!
And she's planning on doing a Castiel doll as well. Squee!
April 11, 2012
Picture Kaleidoscope 4/11/12
Let's see what I ran across for this week.
Some cool office decor stuff I ran across.
One of our rose bushes has exploded from the rain.
The sun was doing the Tatooine optical illusion again. I'm never fast enough to get it though. Doh! (That or it doesn't translate well on camera.)
From 19Sixty3 - A Norfolk Winter Landscape.
Pic of the Day March 26th - Moments by Madril Photography.
[image error]
From Jim Beaver - Winslow Meteor Crater.
Not feeling so great this week, so I think this will be it for this time. See you next time!
Some cool office decor stuff I ran across.
One of our rose bushes has exploded from the rain.
The sun was doing the Tatooine optical illusion again. I'm never fast enough to get it though. Doh! (That or it doesn't translate well on camera.)
From 19Sixty3 - A Norfolk Winter Landscape.
Pic of the Day March 26th - Moments by Madril Photography.
[image error]
From Jim Beaver - Winslow Meteor Crater.
Not feeling so great this week, so I think this will be it for this time. See you next time!
April 9, 2012
Mind Sieve 4/9/12
Gooood Morning~! (Afternoon or even evening, depending on when you stumble over this) :P
Twilight Breaking Dawn Part 2 Theater Trailer
The Origin of GakAttack - really sweet and inspiring. Never let go of your dreams. (But be careful! This happy ending doesn't happen to everyone!)
New Prometheus Trailer - SQUEE!!!
Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter Trailer #2 - mind boggling! Should be fun!
Roman Coin Horde Found In Bath By Archaeologist from the History Blog.
Native Club Owned By Cook Given to BC Museum from the History Blog. Beautiful work!
Designing From Bones - The Greatest Story Never Read from Gene Lempp. Mysteries of the Voynich Manuscript!
Fun Sicence: Randomness from Charlie. A truly cute science lesson.
Me and My Cello - Happy Together (Turtles) Cello Cover from the Piano Guys. This is HILARIOUS!
Marketing Pet Peeves - Change Your Mind Set! by S R Johannes. Preach it, sister!
Does Advertising Work For Authors? by Lindsay Buroker.
From Bob Mayer - The Write It Forward Author Branding Plan.
3 Ways To Turn Facebookers Into Die-Hard Fans by J Kent Holloway over at the Marketing Tips Blog.
So You Want To Be An Author? Part 4 - Ideas from Donna Newton.
Some Novels Should Be Written Slowly from Roz Morris. Excellent advice! Personally, I'm in fear for some of the authors I love because they are being made to write too fast. And it shows!
Seven Simple Tips For Writing Great Dialogue from Ali Hale/Luke. Great stuff! I'm very much a proponent of #4. (To me 'said' tags are NOT invisible. Too many drive me batty. :P)
Three Ways To Spark Literary Magic-Voice Part 2 from Kristen Lamb. YES!
From Chuck (NSFW) Wendig - 25 Lies Writers Tell (And Start To Believe). Hallelujah! Truth as always from the Beard. (The man is but an accessory to the Beard. Ask him.) :P
Okay, the plate floweth over. Enjoy!
Twilight Breaking Dawn Part 2 Theater Trailer
The Origin of GakAttack - really sweet and inspiring. Never let go of your dreams. (But be careful! This happy ending doesn't happen to everyone!)
New Prometheus Trailer - SQUEE!!!
Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter Trailer #2 - mind boggling! Should be fun!
Roman Coin Horde Found In Bath By Archaeologist from the History Blog.
Native Club Owned By Cook Given to BC Museum from the History Blog. Beautiful work!
Designing From Bones - The Greatest Story Never Read from Gene Lempp. Mysteries of the Voynich Manuscript!
Fun Sicence: Randomness from Charlie. A truly cute science lesson.
Me and My Cello - Happy Together (Turtles) Cello Cover from the Piano Guys. This is HILARIOUS!
Marketing Pet Peeves - Change Your Mind Set! by S R Johannes. Preach it, sister!
Does Advertising Work For Authors? by Lindsay Buroker.
From Bob Mayer - The Write It Forward Author Branding Plan.
3 Ways To Turn Facebookers Into Die-Hard Fans by J Kent Holloway over at the Marketing Tips Blog.
So You Want To Be An Author? Part 4 - Ideas from Donna Newton.
Some Novels Should Be Written Slowly from Roz Morris. Excellent advice! Personally, I'm in fear for some of the authors I love because they are being made to write too fast. And it shows!
Seven Simple Tips For Writing Great Dialogue from Ali Hale/Luke. Great stuff! I'm very much a proponent of #4. (To me 'said' tags are NOT invisible. Too many drive me batty. :P)
Three Ways To Spark Literary Magic-Voice Part 2 from Kristen Lamb. YES!
From Chuck (NSFW) Wendig - 25 Lies Writers Tell (And Start To Believe). Hallelujah! Truth as always from the Beard. (The man is but an accessory to the Beard. Ask him.) :P
Okay, the plate floweth over. Enjoy!
April 8, 2012
Virtual Tourist - Star Wars The Old Republic, MInecraft and ? 4/8/12
Have more virtual tourist pics and a surprise. :)
First Balmorra on the Republic side
A mission gone very wrong for my compatriot Blacksun.
Balmorra is just so cool looking.
Imperial side of Tatooine.
Some Sith training.
A local beastie. Don't remember seeing him on the Republic side.
The vistas on Tatooine are just awesome.
Back to Balmorra.
Men and their toys. :P
Double the Shuttle Double the Fun?
I want to drive this tank!
All those nifty places to crawl through. We were sure we'd see a holocron here but no.
Cool logo!
These missiles are scary looking.
Weapons factory. Cool place.
Pilot training pods for the Empire.
Love the 3D holograms!
You have to admit, warning signs are warning signs in any language. :P
Tatooine again.
Snorkle dude!
We had a major crash on the Minecraft server. There was a void that wouldn't go away and then started filling up with more and more creepers and zombies. It overloaded the thing. Happened when I wasn't home, which meant hubby didn't take any PICTURES~! Nooooo! The humanity! We're having to start from scratch again. The hunt for a new home begins. Wahhhhhh!
Did get one cool pic of the new area though.
If you click for the larger picture, you'll see like 17 or more squids! All in one spot. I've never seen so many at once.
And for an extra bit. From Online University - Gamers Get Girls - heh heh
See you next time!
First Balmorra on the Republic side
A mission gone very wrong for my compatriot Blacksun.
Balmorra is just so cool looking.
Imperial side of Tatooine.
Some Sith training.
A local beastie. Don't remember seeing him on the Republic side.
The vistas on Tatooine are just awesome.
Back to Balmorra.
Men and their toys. :P
Double the Shuttle Double the Fun?
I want to drive this tank!
All those nifty places to crawl through. We were sure we'd see a holocron here but no.
Cool logo!
These missiles are scary looking.
Weapons factory. Cool place.
Pilot training pods for the Empire.
Love the 3D holograms!
You have to admit, warning signs are warning signs in any language. :P
Tatooine again.
Snorkle dude!
We had a major crash on the Minecraft server. There was a void that wouldn't go away and then started filling up with more and more creepers and zombies. It overloaded the thing. Happened when I wasn't home, which meant hubby didn't take any PICTURES~! Nooooo! The humanity! We're having to start from scratch again. The hunt for a new home begins. Wahhhhhh!
Did get one cool pic of the new area though.
If you click for the larger picture, you'll see like 17 or more squids! All in one spot. I've never seen so many at once.
And for an extra bit. From Online University - Gamers Get Girls - heh heh
See you next time!
April 6, 2012
Movie Review - Wrath Of The Titans
Wrath Of The Titans
Starring: Sam Worthington, Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes, Toby Kebbell, Edgar Ramirez, Rosamund Pike, Bill Nighy, Danny Huston, John Bell, Lily James, and more.
Directed by: Jonathan Liebesman Screenplay by: Dan Mazeau and David Leslie Johnson Story by: Greg Berlanti, David Leslie Johnson, and Dan Mazeau Original 1981 Screenplay by: Beverly Cross Original Music by: Javier Navarette Cinematography by: Ben Davis
Premise: Ten years after he defeated the Kraken, Perseus is approached by his father, Zeus, to ask for his help. With the waning powers of the gods, the Titans are trying to escape from Tartarus. Perseus says no, wanting to do his best to keep his son out of the paths of violence to comply with his promise to his dead wife. But when the violence comes to their small fishing village, Perseus has little choice. (Rated PG-13)
Review:
1) Acting - Thumbs Up: Though it's basically a simple story without a lot of extra meat, everyone was believable and even squeezed extra juice on several scenes. Liam Neeson and Ralph Fiennes had several great moments together. Also loved Sam Worthington's take on his last speech with Zeus - convenying a lot of emotion just by not looking at him. Toby Kebbell was fun and brought a lighter touch to a grim situation. Bill Nighy made a great Hephaestus. I loved that the owl made it back into the film at the home of his creator and had a part without having a part.
2) Special Effects - Total Thumbs Up: I cannot rave enough about the special effects - especially Tartarus and the entrance to same. Fabulous! You truly feel like you're in places so vast as to only have been capable of existing due to gods. But it wasn't in just the big things that the special effects were awesome in, but all the little touches too: Zeus's staff making little lightning bolts as it touched the ground when he walked, smoke added to the flying fireballs and fire, spit for chemical fire from the winged creatures to give it that extra touch of reality. Pegasus was wonderful! The wings truly appearing to be part of the horse. And they were even used for cute humorous effect as well.
All the creatures and monsters were very detailed down to spit and drool. Zeus's partial unraveling and the way the gods turned to sand and fell apart after expiring were inspired. The flow of lava flung by Kronos through the air was almost art. Totally outstanding work.
3) Plot/Story - Thumbs Up: Some people will think the plot too simple, but with all the awesome sights supplied in the film, and the broad strokes on family issues at multiple levels, it didn't bother me a bit. The Greek Titans and gods were probably the first ever dysfunctional family and got used here to good effect on four generations. Some eventually saw the light, others did not, and some only had it reaffirmed.
Yes, some liberties are taken with the Greek mythology, yet overall they kept it pretty straight. Anachronisms filled the dialogue, but that's about par for the course - even had Greeks with British accents. But since most will be coming to see monsters and gods at war, it won't detract much. My only real nitpick was that we really never had any real idea with who or why Queen Andromeda was at war and how they could drop it in an instant to go stop Kronos.
On the other hand, very much enjoyed the added problem of having to have the warriors not pray to Ares as they normally would. A little unexpected touch that did have consequences.
4) Stunts - Thumbs Up: Sam Worthington and his double should be given awards just for all the times the two of them got tossed around, beaten, and flung. Much enjoyed the fact they showed Perseus needing to be sewn up after the fracas at the village. Ouch! And definite kudos to all involved for having battles with things that weren't even there, and making it look fluid and real. They sold it very well.
A pet peeve of ours did surface, mainly the use of shaky cam on a few spots. Since it was used in a nightmare sequence and then very briefly in only a couple of other spots, I ignored it, but hubby was less forgiving.
5) Locations/Cinematography - Total Thumbs Up: The more believable a place looks, the easier to sell the story and this movie did it well. Not only that, but the shots of wide open skies and fields were breathtaking. The merging of real and not real together, except for one spot, were totally spot on.
6) Costuming/Makeup - Thumbs Up: The changes between Hades and Zeus during different parts as power levels increased and decreased were subtle and nicely done. Dirty, grimy faces from hard work and combat were good and mostly consistent. Even Andromeda was not squeaky clean at all times. Added some nice reality to the fantastical tale.
Conclusion: A film with loads of action and amazing special effects. Definitely a must see in IMAX 3D.
Rating: 4 out of 5 (Hubby's Rating: Better for Matinee due solely to the reliance on certain scenes to shaky cam)
Starring: Sam Worthington, Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes, Toby Kebbell, Edgar Ramirez, Rosamund Pike, Bill Nighy, Danny Huston, John Bell, Lily James, and more.
Directed by: Jonathan Liebesman Screenplay by: Dan Mazeau and David Leslie Johnson Story by: Greg Berlanti, David Leslie Johnson, and Dan Mazeau Original 1981 Screenplay by: Beverly Cross Original Music by: Javier Navarette Cinematography by: Ben Davis
Premise: Ten years after he defeated the Kraken, Perseus is approached by his father, Zeus, to ask for his help. With the waning powers of the gods, the Titans are trying to escape from Tartarus. Perseus says no, wanting to do his best to keep his son out of the paths of violence to comply with his promise to his dead wife. But when the violence comes to their small fishing village, Perseus has little choice. (Rated PG-13)
Review:
1) Acting - Thumbs Up: Though it's basically a simple story without a lot of extra meat, everyone was believable and even squeezed extra juice on several scenes. Liam Neeson and Ralph Fiennes had several great moments together. Also loved Sam Worthington's take on his last speech with Zeus - convenying a lot of emotion just by not looking at him. Toby Kebbell was fun and brought a lighter touch to a grim situation. Bill Nighy made a great Hephaestus. I loved that the owl made it back into the film at the home of his creator and had a part without having a part.
2) Special Effects - Total Thumbs Up: I cannot rave enough about the special effects - especially Tartarus and the entrance to same. Fabulous! You truly feel like you're in places so vast as to only have been capable of existing due to gods. But it wasn't in just the big things that the special effects were awesome in, but all the little touches too: Zeus's staff making little lightning bolts as it touched the ground when he walked, smoke added to the flying fireballs and fire, spit for chemical fire from the winged creatures to give it that extra touch of reality. Pegasus was wonderful! The wings truly appearing to be part of the horse. And they were even used for cute humorous effect as well.
All the creatures and monsters were very detailed down to spit and drool. Zeus's partial unraveling and the way the gods turned to sand and fell apart after expiring were inspired. The flow of lava flung by Kronos through the air was almost art. Totally outstanding work.
3) Plot/Story - Thumbs Up: Some people will think the plot too simple, but with all the awesome sights supplied in the film, and the broad strokes on family issues at multiple levels, it didn't bother me a bit. The Greek Titans and gods were probably the first ever dysfunctional family and got used here to good effect on four generations. Some eventually saw the light, others did not, and some only had it reaffirmed.
Yes, some liberties are taken with the Greek mythology, yet overall they kept it pretty straight. Anachronisms filled the dialogue, but that's about par for the course - even had Greeks with British accents. But since most will be coming to see monsters and gods at war, it won't detract much. My only real nitpick was that we really never had any real idea with who or why Queen Andromeda was at war and how they could drop it in an instant to go stop Kronos.
On the other hand, very much enjoyed the added problem of having to have the warriors not pray to Ares as they normally would. A little unexpected touch that did have consequences.
4) Stunts - Thumbs Up: Sam Worthington and his double should be given awards just for all the times the two of them got tossed around, beaten, and flung. Much enjoyed the fact they showed Perseus needing to be sewn up after the fracas at the village. Ouch! And definite kudos to all involved for having battles with things that weren't even there, and making it look fluid and real. They sold it very well.
A pet peeve of ours did surface, mainly the use of shaky cam on a few spots. Since it was used in a nightmare sequence and then very briefly in only a couple of other spots, I ignored it, but hubby was less forgiving.
5) Locations/Cinematography - Total Thumbs Up: The more believable a place looks, the easier to sell the story and this movie did it well. Not only that, but the shots of wide open skies and fields were breathtaking. The merging of real and not real together, except for one spot, were totally spot on.
6) Costuming/Makeup - Thumbs Up: The changes between Hades and Zeus during different parts as power levels increased and decreased were subtle and nicely done. Dirty, grimy faces from hard work and combat were good and mostly consistent. Even Andromeda was not squeaky clean at all times. Added some nice reality to the fantastical tale.
Conclusion: A film with loads of action and amazing special effects. Definitely a must see in IMAX 3D.
Rating: 4 out of 5 (Hubby's Rating: Better for Matinee due solely to the reliance on certain scenes to shaky cam)
April 4, 2012
Picture Kaleidoscope 4/4/12
Let's see what turned up this week.
A yes, the Roach Apocalypse happened! Found this giant sucker at work. 4th Floor! Long way to go to get some water. Eek!
Also did a lot of good eating this past weekend. Had me some eel at Edoko Sushi. YUM!
Hubby wanted me to take a pic of the candy we got with our bill. They also have one by the door that's coffee flavored. Mmmm.
Spring has sprung! Always love the color of these roses when they blood.
Gloria's Super Special at Gloria's and eaten by Gloria. Hah! Basically a sampler platter of El Salvadorian food.
John goes for the more sedate chimichanga. Heh
Ah, bread nirvana. First encountered these at Fazoili's and later they showed up at Souper Salads. Must show restraint!
Sky on Monday. Very busy up there, no?
From NASA - Enceladus, Saturn's Moon.
Candy Stripe by David Henderson. Funky, isn't it?
Dresses Made From iPads and Other Unusual Objects from PelFusion.
Ethereal Intergalactic Images - The Chaos Theory Thom Kerr Editorial. Most look like a zombie in space?
Stunning Springtime Snapshots - National Geographic Captures Global Spring Equinox Festivals from Trend Hunter.
40 Cool Backgrounds - Photographs Inspired by Nature For Your Desktop from PelFusion. Some truly awesome pics in this!!!
Okay, that's it for this week. Stay frosty!
A yes, the Roach Apocalypse happened! Found this giant sucker at work. 4th Floor! Long way to go to get some water. Eek!
Also did a lot of good eating this past weekend. Had me some eel at Edoko Sushi. YUM!
Hubby wanted me to take a pic of the candy we got with our bill. They also have one by the door that's coffee flavored. Mmmm.
Spring has sprung! Always love the color of these roses when they blood.
Gloria's Super Special at Gloria's and eaten by Gloria. Hah! Basically a sampler platter of El Salvadorian food.
John goes for the more sedate chimichanga. Heh
Ah, bread nirvana. First encountered these at Fazoili's and later they showed up at Souper Salads. Must show restraint!
Sky on Monday. Very busy up there, no?
From NASA - Enceladus, Saturn's Moon.
Candy Stripe by David Henderson. Funky, isn't it?
Dresses Made From iPads and Other Unusual Objects from PelFusion.
Ethereal Intergalactic Images - The Chaos Theory Thom Kerr Editorial. Most look like a zombie in space?
Stunning Springtime Snapshots - National Geographic Captures Global Spring Equinox Festivals from Trend Hunter.
40 Cool Backgrounds - Photographs Inspired by Nature For Your Desktop from PelFusion. Some truly awesome pics in this!!!
Okay, that's it for this week. Stay frosty!
April 2, 2012
Mind Sieve 4/2/12
Greetings!
New Riddick Image Lands Online from TotalFilm. Oooo a new one!
Astronomers Using NASA's Hubble Discover Quasars Acting As Gravitational Lenses from NASA.
Lockout Long Wondercon Preview.
Daily Bugle "Spider-man" Exclusive - almost like watching real news. lol.
Snow White And The Huntsman theater trailer. The special effects look so good!
Jenna-Louise Coleman Announced As The New Doctor Who Companion from Dr Who Official.
The Avengers Japanese Trailer - totally worth watching for the SHIELD Helicarrier! Woot! (Our version of this preview doesn't have it. Or half the cool stuff! What's the deal????)
Designing From Bones - Dead Reckoning by Gene Lempp. Olduvai Gorge - The Cradle Of Mankind! Time Travel - YES! Bwahahahahaha! Poor sod...
7 Steps To A Better Blog from DIYMFA. Good things to think about.
A Definition Of Author Platform by Jane Friedman. Enjoyed this. Well thought out.
So You Want To Be An Author? Part Three - Social Media from Donna Newton.
Triberr Is For Little Bloggers by Amber Meadows.
Does Publishing Support The Writer-Artist? by Kristen Lamb. Myth busting time~! Woot!
10 Things You Should Know About Setting from Chuck (NSFW) Wendig.
Some Special Problems In Writing First Person by Randy Ingermanson
Oh, and one last bit of madness I made myself. BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
Have a great week, ya'll!
New Riddick Image Lands Online from TotalFilm. Oooo a new one!
Astronomers Using NASA's Hubble Discover Quasars Acting As Gravitational Lenses from NASA.
Lockout Long Wondercon Preview.
Daily Bugle "Spider-man" Exclusive - almost like watching real news. lol.
Snow White And The Huntsman theater trailer. The special effects look so good!
Jenna-Louise Coleman Announced As The New Doctor Who Companion from Dr Who Official.
The Avengers Japanese Trailer - totally worth watching for the SHIELD Helicarrier! Woot! (Our version of this preview doesn't have it. Or half the cool stuff! What's the deal????)
Designing From Bones - Dead Reckoning by Gene Lempp. Olduvai Gorge - The Cradle Of Mankind! Time Travel - YES! Bwahahahahaha! Poor sod...
7 Steps To A Better Blog from DIYMFA. Good things to think about.
A Definition Of Author Platform by Jane Friedman. Enjoyed this. Well thought out.
So You Want To Be An Author? Part Three - Social Media from Donna Newton.
Triberr Is For Little Bloggers by Amber Meadows.
Does Publishing Support The Writer-Artist? by Kristen Lamb. Myth busting time~! Woot!
10 Things You Should Know About Setting from Chuck (NSFW) Wendig.
Some Special Problems In Writing First Person by Randy Ingermanson
Oh, and one last bit of madness I made myself. BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
Have a great week, ya'll!
April 1, 2012
Virtual Tourist - Star Wars The Old Republic and Minecraft 4/1/12
Good morning/afternoon/evening! Welcome back!
Close up of my Jedi (couldn't remember if I'd shared it before) Tarrah
And finally a close up of my Imperial Spy Larana. I find them both terribly beautiful, each in their own way. No?
On Balmorra with the Jedi.
Super cool moving 3D hologram of a weapons driod. If you click for the bigger version you can see labels that pop up around it describing systems and whatnot. So cool!
Some super deep elevator shafts at the Droid Factory.
The huge assembly line was way cool.
And what is a giant factory without giant energy couplings!
We were down here twice, second time we found this! Bwahahahaha! (Dang it! I misplaced the coordinates! To get to it though, you have to go to the floor with the assembly line. This one is at the super deep elevator shaft. Behind one of the conveyor belts, there's a recess. You blink, you'll miss it, hubby did. Hee! Had to call him back over.)
Floating dead guy. Heh heh. And he kept swinging his light stick like he was practicing baseball.
A closeup of the datacron.
Now onto Tatooine with the spy.
Jawas doing what Jawas do best.
Starting Imperial town with their trusty Imperial robot guards keeping the streets safe from Republic interlopers. :P
Took my close up pic from this one. Totally a coincidence the sidekick ended up the same race. lol. I got more bling.
Mos Ila Cantina.
Love the look of the gate area.
Interesting hallway of the medcenter
Love those houses.
Back on Balmorra we logged in to a surprise.
That's a player dancing up there. No idea how he got there. But he was having a good time. lol.
Surprise datacron! In Bugtown there's a locked chest on the middle of a split bridge. Found the key with the Junk Dealer vendor across the lake by the shuttle. Cost 5,000 credits but I decided to risk it and we were so glad I did. Since we were grouped, it allowed him to get it as well. Awesome!
Loved that Balmorra sky!
Hard to reach vantage point, but what a view!
Jealously guarded power coupling?
Dude was not doing very well holding in his lunch. Bleah!
Impressive bot, no?
Tatooine again! I was busy. lol.
Destroyed land cargo ship, still fresh.
Some nice Sand People art!
Now to Minecraft.
The guys have been busy! I finally got back to road building.
There's a Skelleton riding a spider in here. The graphics got weird and riding was done in more than one way. o.O
The kids have changed the wall around the village. I think this looks way cool!
A friend of their has figured out how to make the blocks for a huge circle and it making a round high rise. Looking pretty cool! Haven't checked out the obelisk nearby yet. Once I get a road over there though...
Wow, I didn't take pics of my place. AGAIN! Argh! lol. Finally got all the stone replaced with the mossy stone brick. Looks so good!
That's it for this week. Enjoy!
Close up of my Jedi (couldn't remember if I'd shared it before) Tarrah
And finally a close up of my Imperial Spy Larana. I find them both terribly beautiful, each in their own way. No?
On Balmorra with the Jedi.
Super cool moving 3D hologram of a weapons driod. If you click for the bigger version you can see labels that pop up around it describing systems and whatnot. So cool!
Some super deep elevator shafts at the Droid Factory.
The huge assembly line was way cool.
And what is a giant factory without giant energy couplings!
We were down here twice, second time we found this! Bwahahahaha! (Dang it! I misplaced the coordinates! To get to it though, you have to go to the floor with the assembly line. This one is at the super deep elevator shaft. Behind one of the conveyor belts, there's a recess. You blink, you'll miss it, hubby did. Hee! Had to call him back over.)
Floating dead guy. Heh heh. And he kept swinging his light stick like he was practicing baseball.
A closeup of the datacron.
Now onto Tatooine with the spy.
Jawas doing what Jawas do best.
Starting Imperial town with their trusty Imperial robot guards keeping the streets safe from Republic interlopers. :P
Took my close up pic from this one. Totally a coincidence the sidekick ended up the same race. lol. I got more bling.
Mos Ila Cantina.
Love the look of the gate area.
Interesting hallway of the medcenter
Love those houses.
Back on Balmorra we logged in to a surprise.
That's a player dancing up there. No idea how he got there. But he was having a good time. lol.
Surprise datacron! In Bugtown there's a locked chest on the middle of a split bridge. Found the key with the Junk Dealer vendor across the lake by the shuttle. Cost 5,000 credits but I decided to risk it and we were so glad I did. Since we were grouped, it allowed him to get it as well. Awesome!
Loved that Balmorra sky!
Hard to reach vantage point, but what a view!
Jealously guarded power coupling?
Dude was not doing very well holding in his lunch. Bleah!
Impressive bot, no?
Tatooine again! I was busy. lol.
Destroyed land cargo ship, still fresh.
Some nice Sand People art!
Now to Minecraft.
The guys have been busy! I finally got back to road building.
There's a Skelleton riding a spider in here. The graphics got weird and riding was done in more than one way. o.O
The kids have changed the wall around the village. I think this looks way cool!
A friend of their has figured out how to make the blocks for a huge circle and it making a round high rise. Looking pretty cool! Haven't checked out the obelisk nearby yet. Once I get a road over there though...
Wow, I didn't take pics of my place. AGAIN! Argh! lol. Finally got all the stone replaced with the mossy stone brick. Looks so good!
That's it for this week. Enjoy!
March 30, 2012
Movie Review - Mirror Mirror
Mirror Mirror
Starring: Julia Roberts, Lily Collins, Armie Hammer, Nathan Lane, Jordan Prentice, Mark Povinelli, Joe Gnoffo, Danny Woodburn, Sebastian Saraceno, Martin Klebba, Ronald Lee Clark, Robert Emms, Mare Winningham, Sean Bean, and more...
Directed by: Tarsem Sighn Dhandwar Original Story by: Jacob Grimm and Wilhelm Grimm Screenplay by: Melissa Wallack and Jason Keller Original Music by: Alan Menken
Premise: The Queen of a small kingdom decides she must rid herself of her departed husband's daughter as Snow White begins to outshine her as the most beautiful woman of the realm. (Rated PG)
Review:
1) Acting - Thumbs Up - Julia Roberts was a hoot as the vain evil queen. Nathan Lane delivered any number of great lines and was the perfect toady. Lily Collins made a great Snow White, especially at the end when she showed the steel beneath the fair maiden! I have always enjoyed the work of Danny Woodburn, Jordan Prentice, and Martin Klebba. Now I have four more great actors to add to the list as well. The seven of them made a great team and looked to have had a lot of fun making the film and it shows. Armie Hammer brought a great air for Prince Alcott, whose ego suffered a few blows, but he learned in time. He pulled off the puppy love scenes hilariously. Robert Emms, though he unfortunately did not return in the latter part of the film, was a lot of fun as well. Great chemistry between all the cast.
2) Special Effects - Total Thumbs Up - From the gorgeous CGI castle, to the Beast, and the super amazing killer puppets, the special effects were outstanding. The integration of the Queen as she walked through the Mirror to the other world was amazing. And I totally enjoyed the cartoonish addition of hearts to the Prince as the Queen's potion took effect. Adorable! The beginning of the film as the Queen told her tale with the dolls was nicely done.
Totally loved the ships used during the chess match. Especially when they proved to be somewhat functional!
3) Plot/Story - Thumbs Up - The screenwriters took a story that has been retold countless times yet tweaked things up enough to make it fresh. Expect many of the bits one normally ties to Snow White, though not always in the same order or to the same effect, but are there for those who know the story - whether it be from the original Grimm tales or Disney. The tack taken with the Seven Dwarves was fun and made them more real. There's also a story twist, with plenty of hints so viewers might get there before our heroine does.
Comedic moments and one liners abound. The entire feel of the piece kept crossing boundaries, but also made sure to remain light even on dark subjects. Loved the direction they took on the concept of the mirror itself.
4) Stunts - Thumbs Up - There is a lot of fun swordplay. The stilt scenes with all the acrobatics during the robberies were great to watch.
5) Locations/Cinematography - Thumbs Up - Lovely sweeping views of the forest and the CGI kingdom. Totally loved the fact that the Queen's open bedroom, showing the sky outside, would match the Queen's moods. The forest views and locations of interest there looked real and believable.
6) Costuming/Makeup - Thumbs Up - They had a lot of fun with this. The Queen's costumes were always large and grand, to compensate for her fading beauty. The wedding dress she wore was a monstrous affair but lovely. Trying to look at all the costumes at the ball totally entertained. Some truly innovative thinking - see if you can spot the sheep. The walrus took a minute to figure out, but it was totally outlandish! And all were outdone by the eye burning colors of the wigs and clothes of the attendees at the Queen's wedding. You almost got the sense they were trying to compensate for their ever growing unhappiness.
Watching Snow go through clothes for just the right thief look was fun. By the time they find just the thing, you're agreeing one hundred percent with the choice!
Conclusion: Mirror, Mirror is a fun film enjoyable by the entire family. It is funny and light, with several surprises and cute moments. Well worth a watch. The in-joke to Bollywood during the closing credits (possibly a poke at the director?) was a lot of fun!
Rating: 4 out of 5 (Hubby's Rating: Worth Price of Admission)
Starring: Julia Roberts, Lily Collins, Armie Hammer, Nathan Lane, Jordan Prentice, Mark Povinelli, Joe Gnoffo, Danny Woodburn, Sebastian Saraceno, Martin Klebba, Ronald Lee Clark, Robert Emms, Mare Winningham, Sean Bean, and more...
Directed by: Tarsem Sighn Dhandwar Original Story by: Jacob Grimm and Wilhelm Grimm Screenplay by: Melissa Wallack and Jason Keller Original Music by: Alan Menken
Premise: The Queen of a small kingdom decides she must rid herself of her departed husband's daughter as Snow White begins to outshine her as the most beautiful woman of the realm. (Rated PG)
Review:
1) Acting - Thumbs Up - Julia Roberts was a hoot as the vain evil queen. Nathan Lane delivered any number of great lines and was the perfect toady. Lily Collins made a great Snow White, especially at the end when she showed the steel beneath the fair maiden! I have always enjoyed the work of Danny Woodburn, Jordan Prentice, and Martin Klebba. Now I have four more great actors to add to the list as well. The seven of them made a great team and looked to have had a lot of fun making the film and it shows. Armie Hammer brought a great air for Prince Alcott, whose ego suffered a few blows, but he learned in time. He pulled off the puppy love scenes hilariously. Robert Emms, though he unfortunately did not return in the latter part of the film, was a lot of fun as well. Great chemistry between all the cast.
2) Special Effects - Total Thumbs Up - From the gorgeous CGI castle, to the Beast, and the super amazing killer puppets, the special effects were outstanding. The integration of the Queen as she walked through the Mirror to the other world was amazing. And I totally enjoyed the cartoonish addition of hearts to the Prince as the Queen's potion took effect. Adorable! The beginning of the film as the Queen told her tale with the dolls was nicely done.
Totally loved the ships used during the chess match. Especially when they proved to be somewhat functional!
3) Plot/Story - Thumbs Up - The screenwriters took a story that has been retold countless times yet tweaked things up enough to make it fresh. Expect many of the bits one normally ties to Snow White, though not always in the same order or to the same effect, but are there for those who know the story - whether it be from the original Grimm tales or Disney. The tack taken with the Seven Dwarves was fun and made them more real. There's also a story twist, with plenty of hints so viewers might get there before our heroine does.
Comedic moments and one liners abound. The entire feel of the piece kept crossing boundaries, but also made sure to remain light even on dark subjects. Loved the direction they took on the concept of the mirror itself.
4) Stunts - Thumbs Up - There is a lot of fun swordplay. The stilt scenes with all the acrobatics during the robberies were great to watch.
5) Locations/Cinematography - Thumbs Up - Lovely sweeping views of the forest and the CGI kingdom. Totally loved the fact that the Queen's open bedroom, showing the sky outside, would match the Queen's moods. The forest views and locations of interest there looked real and believable.
6) Costuming/Makeup - Thumbs Up - They had a lot of fun with this. The Queen's costumes were always large and grand, to compensate for her fading beauty. The wedding dress she wore was a monstrous affair but lovely. Trying to look at all the costumes at the ball totally entertained. Some truly innovative thinking - see if you can spot the sheep. The walrus took a minute to figure out, but it was totally outlandish! And all were outdone by the eye burning colors of the wigs and clothes of the attendees at the Queen's wedding. You almost got the sense they were trying to compensate for their ever growing unhappiness.
Watching Snow go through clothes for just the right thief look was fun. By the time they find just the thing, you're agreeing one hundred percent with the choice!
Conclusion: Mirror, Mirror is a fun film enjoyable by the entire family. It is funny and light, with several surprises and cute moments. Well worth a watch. The in-joke to Bollywood during the closing credits (possibly a poke at the director?) was a lot of fun!
Rating: 4 out of 5 (Hubby's Rating: Worth Price of Admission)
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