The Grudge

     Yes, I actually went to see it. My friend Andrew and I went out Tuesday night to see "The Grudge." The movie theater near us has a $4 Tuesday special. You can see any new movie that has been out for at least one week, plus, they give you a coupon for free popcorn! It's only the popcorn that they sweep up off the floor, but hey! Just think of it as more flavor.
     At the time, it was a choice between that and "Shaun of the Dead." We should have picked the latter. "The Grudge" was interesting up until about halfway through the film. It had a mystery element to it, with a few genuine scares here and there. It was the kind of terror that builds on itself, the truly scary brand of terror. The problem was, it left you cold. The story led up to a conclusion that made no sense. By the end of the film you are thinking, "they can't end it like that!" But they do. It was almost as bad as the ending to the Matrix Trilogy.
     Thankfully, we only spent four bucks on the night. It was cheap enough to leave the theater without feeling completely cheated. Seriously, folks, I would not recommend spending any more than that for this movie. It was little more than a waste of time. I am actually surprised that the movie turned out so poor; it was directed by Sam Raimi. He has done a decent job with the two Spider-Man films, why was this one so bad? There was some potential with this story! This does not compute!
     Well, next week we will see "Shaun of the Dead." I've heard it is funny. Has anyone else seen it? I would like to hear some reviews if you have them.

     One movie in the horror genre I have especially enjoyed is "Resident Evil: Apocalypse." I was really unnerved in the beginning of the movie because I thought Paul Anderson was messing around and would make it stupid. Thankfully, he explained everything, and the movie turned out to be pretty good! I was very happy with the attention to detail in the film. The Umbrella logo is everywhere, just like in the games. (Can you tell I am a fan?) Not to mention that they nailed the Nemesis dead on! It looked, and acted, like he came straight out of the game. "Apocalypse" serves as proof that you CAN make good movies that are based on video games and/or comic books. It would be interesting to see them make a third film. I'd pay $4 to see it. I would pay more, because I know it would be worth seeing. I think it will be a long while until we come across one of those kinds of movies again.

Back to Work I've Gone!

At last! I am finally recovering from the Bronchitis! One cough at a time. Anyhow, things are looking up. I just finished my first bridge design at work this week! It was part of my training; I will be moving on to another project hopefully by next week. This co-op is getting to be pretty good. I hope it keeps up.

Stuck At Home. Sick.

     I have been out of work for the past few days with a lovely bout of bronchitis. I will return to work tomorrow. In the meantime, I am catching up on several movies I have been meaning to see. I sat down yesterday to watch the original Star Wars trilogy. It just came out on DVD and I was glad to see how well the film has held up! The original stories had style, something that the new films sadly lack.
     The stories were very well written for the first two films. I used to think Return of the Jedi was the best, but after seeing it again, I realized how much of a letdown it really was. The ending was a happy one albeit mediocre, but the story of the third film was pretty much a rehash of the first film. Come on, George! You couldn't think of something more interesting than a second Death Star?! It left me feeling just like I had walked out of Matrix: Revolutions. Well, I'll give George some more credit than that--at least his ending had a definite sense of finality to it. Still, I thought it could have been better.
     Plus, I was dissappointed with the lack of standards in the Star Wars universe. There were so many things that had no point or purpose; so many things that looked like they were placed there because George Lucas made them up as he went along. (Case-in-point: the harpoon guns on the Snowspeeders. Those were just too perfectly contrived for the story. No ship like that would only have a harpoon gun for it's aft weapons!) I can see this writing style echoed in the new films, which is one of the reasons why they are so lame. Not setting up a definite standard gives the illusion of freedom in a story, but in Lucas' case, it has opened more plotholes than "doors."

     I will always enjoy the original Star Wars trilogy, but I have to admit that I enjoy Star Trek much better for the reasons just described. There is a definite standard to that universe, and there are many more stories to enjoy. Farscape is another excellent show that does this. I admit, the newest Trek show, Enterprise, is pushing the envelope as far as canon goes, but it hasn't upset me enough to hate it entirely. It has kept inside the standards.
     As you can see, I've had a lot of time to think about these things. I should take my own advice and keep those poor writing elements out of my own story and posts. Oh! Did I forget to tell you about that? I'm sorry. I am writing a story, a sci-fi story. I am only a few paragraphs into the second chapter, but I have already planned most of the story out on paper. My goal is to finish it before I graduate from Drexel. I'll tell you more about it later, trust me. Right now, I feel a great disturbance in the Force... it's pulling me back to the couch... the TV...... it is my destiny...... at least until tomorrow.

This Should Be Interesting...

Okay, so I'm new to blogging. I've never been a big fan of Xanga or anything else like that, so why am I doing this?! Good question. If you're still reading, and I hope you are, allow myself to introduce.... myself. Check out my profile. Feel free to leave me some ideas or questions, you know, something to get me started. I'll be posting as soon as I get any ideas! Take care!