A lazy afternoon

I had a wedding reception Sat night so I was out pretty late. This knocked my system out of kilter so I was a bit out of it Sunday. I did manage to get a tonne of housework done and watch one of my top 10 fav’s Conan the Barbarian. I also managed to watch the end of Akira, the japanese anime flick that started it all, way back in the 80’s. My buddy Sean recommended this to me as he is a big Anime guy. I just wanted more of a background and a feel for the genre.

It was an interesting movie, very dark and apocalyptic, but with a happy ending (I think!). Reminds me of Robotech, or at least now I know where Robotech got it’s inspiration from. I also managed to watch half of the 13th Warrior, which I plan to finish tonight. Although not one of my top 10, I do like it alot and I especially like the theme, as it reminds me of one of my favorite books of all time, The Walking Drum. This was written by Louis L’Amour (Yes, the Western’s dude) and is a really great read. I’ve read it 5 or 6 times, and I gave it to my girlfriend to read.

I once read Conan to her (Robert E Howard) and she really enjoyed that. That being said, she caught part of the movie last night, and hadn’t seen it before. I guess I’ll have to sit down and watch it with her! The Conan stories are awesome, as he defeats all kinds of enemies. And it has the greatest line of all time in there. Bonus points to anyone but Jay-Ro and Thumbs who know what it is!

How you can Transform 2 hours and $12 into a black void…

Okay first off I will start by stating that I will be dissapointed by the following movie: Transformers.

Why? Everyone I know has been raving about the trailer seen here.

I guess.

It looks a bit too much like shock and awe to me. First off the Transformers were never so jagged. Second, Transformers and GI JOE have an appeal you can’t really capture in a movie. For an example of butchering a great theme like this please see Street Fighter the movie.  A great movie was Mortal Kombat. This ladies and gentlemen, is no Mortal Kombat… 

But here is my movie pick for 2007.

Why will this be a great movie? A great movie requires the following:

1. Voice over by either Morgan Freeman or James Earl Jones

• Check

2. A nobody as the star (e.g. Brad Pitt in 7, Arnold in Conan, and the Star Wars cast)

• Check

3. A theme loosely based on two Arnold movies (in this case Conan and Predator)

• Check

4. Germanic or Middle Eastern bad guys (see also Die Hard1 and 3 or any of the Indiana Jones flicks)

• Check

So there you have it, my movie forecast for Spring to Summer 2007.

The World’s Worst Fajita Wrapper

For some reason I’ve never been able to get this down. I don’t know why. I make messy fajita’s but they is still some good.  I’ve been too lazy to upload my Asia trip pics. I still have to do that. I’m still recovering from my vacation. Slowly getting back into gear and taking care of a litany of personal things. This will be just in time for me to start studying again. I plan on having my next poker tournament on March 17th ( a switch from March 3rd).

I’ve been preoccupied with some personal things that is taking up some mental capital so I haven’t been as inspired to write. In other news, I’ve moved into 2nd/3rd place in my MBA hockey pool, am in 2nd/3rd in Jay Ro’s keeper league and am in a tight 3 way race in the Mal Andrews memorial pool. This may be the first time that Jay Ro has ever won. The irony is that Jay Ro knows every sport stat in the world, but usually performs mediocerely in pools. I’m glad to see him prosper. I on the other hand have been 3rd, 2nd, 2nd, and it looks like 2nd this year again. I don’t know why I am cursed to finish as the first loser in this pool…

   

Asian Movie Review – The Promise

When I was in Hong Kong I picked up a bunch of flicks and this is one of them. This is a recent movie and was entered into the Cannes film festival under China. First of all, the cinematography is spectacular and so are the costumes. The story is about a young girl who makes a promise that in return for beauty all men that she loves she will lose.

It was just over 2 hours and involved lots of amazing computer graphics, amazing fight scenes, and a great story line. Another two thumbs up. I’m trying to pick up some Chinese from these flicks and so far have mastered yes. It sounds like shi shi or something like that I think!

Movie Review – Blood Diamond

This movie is about conflict diamonds, or diamonds that were mined through the use of slave labour or force. It stars Leaonardo di Caprio and Jennifer Connolly. I am not a big fan of Miss Connolly although I know the Tournament Specialist is. Not really sure why she is in this move, oh wait, yes I do…

Leonardo actually does a pretyy good job and the movie is pretty gripping. It was actually my girlfriends choice which was funny cuz she spent half the movie mortified. The director does not know how to pan away: example : Guy aboout to get his hand cut off, I wait for the pan away, still waiting, still waiting, yup I just saw his hand get chopped off.

A good story, a good cast and overall a good movie. I would give it 2 thumbs up but my hand just got chopped off…

The Hong Kong movie fest continues…

I watched a Better Tomorrow and the start of a Touch of Zen. A Better Tomorrow seems to be the classic Hong Kong style action flick with gangsters and cops and hundreds of people dying. A pretty good movie but totally cliche with classic John Woo style gunplay. A Touch of Zen is a kung fu flick from the early 70’s. I’ve only seen the first 20 minutes but already one of the heroes reminds me of my good friend Snook.

I’m hoping to be posting more lately, especially given the recent spate of cold weather. Catching up on household stuff has kept me busy and the first week back after the trip I suffered pretty brutal jet lag. I seem to be recovered so hopefully will be able to offer my daily commentary. Next poker tourney is tentatively scheduled for March 3rd… Official invite to follow shortly…

Thanks to the Chairman…

I now have a new favorite movie in my Top 10 List. The God of Gamblers. This movie is awesome!!! Without giving too much away, Chow Yun Fat plays the greatest gambler of all time, who falls and has amnesia. He is taken in by a small time gambler and the twists are very entertaining. Chow Yun Fat also plays the role really well. He reminds me of the Chinese version of Arnold. 

I’m working on getting some pics and stories of my Asia trip together. I apologise for the lack of posts, but hopefully they will pick up. This  has to do with catching up after my trip on miscellaneous things and getting adjusted to the jet lag. It has been tough and I’ve been getting up at 2-4AM every morning. I have passed out the last couple of nights from sheer exhaustion…

Back from Holidays!

Just recovering from jet lag. I have lots of stories and lots of pics. Will try and put some coherent posts together this weekend.