Saturday, May 9, 2009

To Boldly Go Where No Man Has Gone Before



I'm just gonna go ahead and say first off that JJ Abrams is an entertainment genius. I loved this movie and was totally pumped when we left the theater. Would I go see it again instead of holding out for the DVD? Yes! I've been waiting for this movie ever since I saw the first trailer.

Star Trek had everything a Trekkie could want. Excellent special effects, a gorgeous cast, adventure, throwbacks to the original series, dramatic music score, wit, danger, humor and so much more. I'll admit the emotional opening sequence actually made my eyes well up a bit. Abrams really knows how to tug at the heartstrings.

I think the casting was brilliant. Chris Pine gave an excellent performance as James T. Kirk. He was cocky and rough and imitated Shatner's version just enough without being campy. Zachary Quinto and Karl Urban were perfect at Spock and "Bones" McCoy respectively. Zoe Saldana turned out to be a great Uhura and I really warmed up to Simon Pegg as Scotty and John Cho as Sulu. Also noteworthy was Anton Yelchin and his killer accent as Checkov.

The movie had deep, timeless themes such as abiding friendship, defiance, consequences of the past and the future, honor and destiny, which I believe are a tribute to Gene Roddenberry's original creation and JJ Abrams' vision. This was all set on board a fantastic and beautiful Starship Enterprise with a magnificent score by Michael Giacchino.

I think this movie has totally reengerized a brilliant and imaginative series. The original show got started in the 1960's and has remained and enduring part of TV and sci-fi history. I'm sure a new generation of Trekkies will emerge following this movie and old Trekkies will hopefully feel revitalized by the fresh film.

I believe Roddenberry can rest in peace knowing his original characters will "live long and prosper."

Friday, May 8, 2009

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

I Just Felt Like Posting a Britney Video



My friend sent me videos of the Circus concert we attended in DC and that put me in the mood for some Britney. Allow her to entertain you!

Monday, May 4, 2009

Censorship: "They" Know What's Best for You

Recently I've noticed that there's some censorship going on and I'm not a fan. Normally, my ears are only plugged into my iPod so I don't take much notice of the radio or even MTV or VH1. But I did have a friend recently inform me of the radio edit version of If U Seek Amy; then I heard it for myself. The edit turns the controversial phrase into If U See Amy, so I totally feel cheated out of Britney's genius lyrics.

I recall watching MTV when I was in middle school and I saw Color Me Badd's video for "I Wanna Sex You Up." In my opinion those lyrics and video were way more provocative than Britney's double entendre.



Also currently censored is Lady Gaga's "Poker Face." Yes, in the year 2009 you're not allowed to say the words gun or Russian Roulette on the radio or MTV. Viewers and listeners have no common sense see? They might take this literally and try a game of Russian Roulette themselves. You know what? Why don't they censor the gambling terms out of the music as well? I mean gambling is an addictive disease and we don't want anyone to catch it from a music video right?

I guess the word gun is censored because it denotes violence. All this censorship makes me think Cher had it right on in Clueless when she said "Until mankind is peaceful enough not to have violence on the news, there's no point in taking it out of shows that need it for entertainment value."

That’s all I am allowed have to say.

Sunday, May 3, 2009

X-Men Movie Hits the Spot









X-Men Origins: Wolverine was definitely a great way to start off the string of summer movie blockbusters. Superheroes and Hugh Jackman are always a winning combo. This movie had lots of delightful surprises for me, starting with the cast. Dominic Monaghan aka Merry (LOTR) aka Charlie Pace (Lost) was in the movie, as was Kevin Durand aka Martin Keamy (Lost). Also included were Will I Am, Ryan Reynolds and Taylor Kitsch.

I thought the casting was brilliant although I wish we could've seen more from the other characters. Of course each one has unique powers and I really enjoy seeing how they're wielded. True to the title though, this movie was mainly about Wolverine and how he actually became such. There was just enough reference to the X-Men trilogy to allow followers to put some pieces together. I thought the writing was great too and the dialogue had plenty of witty banter.

This movie got me thinking about one of my all time favorite hypothetical questions, "If you could have one superpower, what would it be?" I'd totally go for teleportation! Think Jumper sans the consequences.

I really enjoyed Wolverine and recommend it to X-Men and Hugh Jackman fans alike. It's a win-win!