Timecode (2000)

Starring – Salma Hayek, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Stellan Skarsgard, Holly Hunter, Steven Weber, Leslie Mann, Saffron Burrows, Xander Berkeley
Director – Mike Figgis
Domestic Gross – $1,057,750
Running Time - 97 minutes

This is one of the most ambitious and difficult films I’ve ever seen. There are 4 stories being told that intertwine, but rather than edit them together the director filmed them all and showed them all continuously. The screen is split into quadrants with each one playing one of the perspectives. The audio is then played from whichever the Director has decided is important at the time. At times it is even playing more than one audio track at a time. It is exceptionally confusing because nothing cues you as to which one section of the screen you are listening to. That said the filmmaking is very impressive. All 4 perspectives were shot in continuous takes from a basic outline and improvised by all the actors. As a result the story was simplistic, but still fairly entertaining. If you are interested in the craft of filmmaking I would recommend watching this. If not, go ahead and skip it. Otherwise, you’ll end up with a splitting headache. Also, do not attempt to watch this on a small screen. It could be hazardous to your health.

I’m Mike D and I approve this message.

Book Review – The Shack by William P Young (2008)

This book that started as a gift from Mr. Young to his children has now become a bestseller with over one million sold. Good for Mr. Young since after being turned away by all the non-secular publishers decided to self publish with two LA ministers. The Shack is the story of Mackenzie Philips whose daughter is brutally murdered and subsequently falls in to a deep depression. One year after his daughter’s murder he receives a strange letter prompting him to return to the scene of the crime signed by God. When he arrives he spends a weekend essentially conversing with the Holy Trinity. I suppose before I give any criticism I should say that I am not a religious person let alone a practicing Catholic. Having given that disclaimer I think that this is a great read for anyone who is and even those who may just want a little perspective. It’s only about 250 pages and could probably be read in a day or so. Like all the religious fiction I’ve ever read it does get a little preachy at times, but it also does not stick to any single dogma. Instead it espouses a love of all religions and a communion amongst them. I’ll pretty much recommend anything that does that. Just make sure you go in with the right frame of mind since I could easily have put this down had I not been.

I’m Mike D and I approve this message.

Notorious (2009)

Starring – Jamal Woolard, Derek Luke, Angela Basset, Anthony Mackie
Director – George Tillman, Jr
Domestic Gross – $25 Million as of 1/22/09
Running Time - 122 minutes

I’m not sure I ever knew what the term lackluster meant. After seeing Notorious though I think I’ve got a handle on it. This is a reasonably factually biopic of Christopher Wallace aka The Notorious B.I.G. Clearly this is told from a less than objective source given that it was produced by Sean “Diddy” Combs and the late rapper’s mother so it tells a somewhat sunnier story than I’m sure the truth is. That said I was entertained from start to finish. Woolard was very good in his first role. Naturi Naughton and Antonique Smith were great as Lil’ Kim and Faith Evans respectively. Angela Bassett couldn’t seem to remember if she was supposed to have a Jamaican accent from minute to minute which is a little suprising given that she was the most accmoplished actress in the film. And Derek Luke was more or less wasted as Diddy, but hilarious each time he did the Diddy Dance. Overall, it was an entertaining, but mostly forgettable two hour effort. Wait for DVD on this one.

I’m Mike D and I approve this message.

Book Review – Proven Guilty by Jim Butcher (2007)

Book 8 of The Dresden Files

Harry Dresden is what Harry Potter would be in 20 years after immigrating to Chicago and becoming a private investigator. Dresden is a wise-ass PI who protects the world (or at least the Midwest) from things that go bump in the night. Each novel is self-contained and could be read as a one off, but to get the full depth and background you’ll have to go in for the whole series. Or at least watch the DVD set from the too-soon-cancelled “Dresden Files” which aired on SciFi in 2007. In Proven Guilty, Dresden must accept his new position as a Warden of the White Council (the governing body of wizards) while balancing his loyalty to his friend Michael. The battle that ensues is epic. With each novel the Dresden character becomes a little more flushed out. Seeing as I’m already half way done with the next book I’m pretty sure I recommend not only Proven Guilty, but all of Butcher’s Dresden series.

I’m Mike D and I approve this message.

Movie Review - Taken (2009)

Taken (2009)
Starring – Liam Neeson & Maggie Grace
Director – Pierre Morel
Domestic Gross – Not Yet Released
Running Time - 93 minutes

What would happen if someone tried to kidnap Jason Bourne’s kid?! If you’re curious you should definitely check out Taken when it’s released later this week. The film starts out a little slow explaining how Bryan Mills (Neeson) came to live in LA. He is a former government operative who retired to reconnect with his daughter. He then begrudgingly allows his daughter to go to Paris on vacation. Then, as you’ve no doubt seen in the trailers, she is abducted. That’s where the fun begins. Mills goes apeshit over the next 96 hours in an attempt to get his daughter back. It is fast-paced and exciting and should be enjoyed on the big screen. Definitely check it out!

I’m Mike D and I approve this message.

Migration Habits of the Homeless

I spent last weekend in Seattle. Before the trip everyone I told that I was planning to go replied "Seattle, huh... Lots of homeless there." Not anything about the Space Needle or the mountains. No less than 6 people remarked about the homeless population in Seattle. During my trip I did notice quite a few including the gentlemen who puked all over the sidewalk at 10:30am. That's what I call making a memory. That aside though it didn't seem like there were THAT many. It did beg the question to me though... If you are homeless why would you stay in a place that is cloudy / raining 2 out of every 3 days?! Why not just start walking south? San Diego is about 1250 miles south. There they have sun and dry weather more than 2 our of every 3 days and the temperature never ventures in to dangerous territory (hot or cold). It just seems to make sense. Most people would love to live in San Diego, but have ties that keep them where they are or simply can't afford housing there. In general, the homeless lack strong ties to a region and can't afford housing anywhere so that aspect is moot. In conclusion, if I ever have the misfortune of becoming homeless I'm walking. From Boston it's just under 3000 miles.

I'm Mike D and I approve this message.

Movie Review - Rambo (2008)

Starring – Big Sly and no one else you really care about though Julie Benz of Buffy/Angel/Dexter fame makes a useless appearance.
Director – Also Sly
Domestic Gross - $42,754,105
Running Time - 93 minutes

Plot? What plot? This movie runs like a string of clips from YouTube featuring awesome explosions and bloody deaths. And it was AWESOME! I was watching this with my fiancé and when Stallone started talking she made me rewind twice because he was just grunting and grumbling through the dialogue. I swear that made it better because I didn’t even have to try and follow plot. I could just hear a grunt and then watch mayhem ensue. I especially enjoyed when Rambo takes over the enemy 50 cal and proceeds to annihilate legitimately a hundred plus guys. It was absurd and fantastic. In the final showdown with the big bad (who never speaks the entire film) he disembowels the guy with the famous Rambo knife. It was like Jem… Truly outrageous. (Yeah, I did). I hope Stallone is done trying to reboot franchises because while enjoyable they are still just caricatures of the once great characters he played a LONG, LONG time ago. I probably won’t watch this one again unless I can rally a bunch of boys together to watch while drinking. That’s about the only way it would be worth taking up another 90 minutes of my life.

~I'm Mike D and I approve this message.

Book Review - Eclipse by Stephanie Meyer (2007)

This is a review of Book 3 of Meyer's "Twilight" Series. I have read the previous two, but in keeping with only reviewing stuff I've recently seen / read I'll stick with Book 3.

If it's teen drama as well as a national sensation then you can be pretty sure that I'm going to check it out... Hell I've seen High School The Musical 1 & 2 (and I'll probably check out 3 to complete the voyage when it hits DVD). The "Twilight" Series is no exception. I'll admit I haven't seen the movie yet. Mostly because I can't get anyone to go with me and it would be super creepy for a man in his late 20s to go to this movie alone. Mothers would be clutching their daughters close or at the very least pointing to me and then warning them to "avoid that man". Regardless, I started reading the book in December and recently finished this 3rd book of the series. The first one was really good. It melded supernatural with some of the best teen melodrama I've seen in a while. So, if the first book rivaled the writing of the second season of "Dawson's Creek" or "Freaks and Geeks" then this third installment was "Saved by the Bell - The College Years". I swear it could have been ghostwritten by the writers of "General Hospital" or "Swan's Crossing" (for those who remember that). Add to that the title of the book came from one of the most groan-inducing dialogues is evidence that Meyer should have found a way to wrap this up in Book 1 rather than diving in to a pile of money Scrooge McDuck style with the ensuing 3 books. If I haven't made it clear it's awful... And I'll probably be reading book 4 soon just to appease my need to finish series that I've started.

~I'm Mike D and I approve this message.

Movie Review - Henry Fool (1998)

Starring - Thomas Jay Ryan, James Urbaniak & Parker Posey
Director - Hal Hartley
Domestic Gross - $1,338,335
Running Time - 137 minutes

I can't remember who recommended this movie. Lucky for them because if I do remember somebody's gettin' bitch slapped. Not only was this movie a bucket of suck, but it was a 2 hour and 17 minute bucket. It was completely all over the place. Somehow this guy who is being tormented by locals for being "half-a-retard" ends up a Nobel Laureate for some type of DH Lawrence type poetry. But along the way his friend Henry Fool bangs his mom and impregnates his sister who then throws boiling water in his face. Sound absurd? It absolutely was. Seeing as I've already wasted more than two hours on this I will waste no more except to say... "Don't... Just don't".

~I'm Mike D and I approve this message.

Why are mustaches creepier on red heads?

I read an article on MSN.com recently about how mustaches are back. They had pictures of Orlando Bloom attempting to look like a man sporting a mustache as opposed to being a hot chick again like in "Lord of the Rings". They also had Brad Pitt sporting a sweet stache for the new Tarantino film "Inglorious Bastards". Now, by no means do I consider myself in the same league as these gentlemen who are perpetually on People's Sexiest Men lists, but I am curious as to why when I post a picture of myself online with a well-grown stache the comments are uniformly accusing me of various acts of pedophelia? For the record the comments under the pics of Orlando and Brad were far less accusing and more like written orgasms. I'm just sayin...

~I'm Mike D and I approve this message.