Theater: Knowing

Film: Knowing
Year: 2009
Director: Alex Proyas




Allie's Review
Rating: 3.5 out of 5

I thought Knowing would be everything that I love in a movie – disasters on a global scale, unexplained mysteries, creepy children... sounds awesome! Well, as much as I really wanted to love, looove, LOVE this movie, but unfortunately, it was only ok. The plot was really captivating at first. Some may say cheesy, but I'm flexible. I liked it. It kept my interest and the special effects were awesome! The disasters scenes were really intense. As the mystery unraveled, I was really wondering where things would lead to. I won't ruin the ending, but let me just say that there is something to be said for the unexplained, and no answer would have been better than a lazy or uncreative answer. Overall, good filmmaking, lame story telling.

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Jon's Review
Rating: 2.5 out of 5

When I first saw the trailer for Knowing, I told Allie it was Next meets The Davinci Code meets The Day After Tomorrow. In short, a disaster movie with a chain of disasters instead of just one (plus Nick Cage). Allie loves disaster movies (plus Nick Cage), so this comment actually worked against me. However, this film took a different route than I expected. Sometimes the dialog was corny, Nick Cage's acting was usually bad, some plot points felt rushed, but the twists at least kept me interested. I did feel that this movie (like many in recent years) explains away too much - I like a little mystery, and lately the trend in Hollywood sci-fi and fantasy is to leave no mystery at all and no question unanswered. To their credit, they were pretty thorough in that regard. The only question I had when I left the theater was "WTF?" And keep your eyes out for the biblical references. I probably missed a lot of them, but I could feel the overall tone heading that direction.

Netflix: Blindness

Film: Blindness
Year: 2008
Director: Fernando Meirelles
Whose Netflix Queue: Allie's




Allie's Review
Rating: 4 out of 5

The movie Blindness is about an outbreak of some sort of disease that causes everyone to go blind. In the beginning of the outbreak they start to quarantine people, and the leading lady (Julianne Moore) fakes blindness to be able to stay with her blind husband who is being taken away. The twist is that she doesn't end up going blind – for some reason she keeps her eyesight when everyone else looses their vision. She lives in this quarantine area, essentially a prison, with dozens of blind people, and eventually all hell breaks loose. I thought the movie would be more "Outbreak" style, with doctors and scientists rushing to find a cure for the disease... more of a drama/thriller. Oh was I wrong. It was a really dark, disturbing movie about survival. You'd thinking being the only one able to see would be a blessing, but it turns out to be more of a curse. There are several twists in the movie, so I won't ruin it for potential viewers, but they were really clever plot points and great twists. One interesting point is that no one is called by their names in the movie – the movie ends and you don't know any characters names. And there were some really great moments about family and community. My only complaint is that it was a bit slow in the middle, but it picks up again and had a really great ending. Definitely check it out.


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Jon's Review
Rating: 4 out of 5

This film sounds like another 'disease-disaster' movie; i.e., "Mommy I don't feel so good" followed by "You've all been quarantined" followed by "Mr. President, if we don't find this formula, everybody will die" followed by resolution and/or apocalypse. However, it quickly becomes apparent that Blindness is not that type of film. Yes, there is an epidemic, and yes people get quarantined, but the movie focuses instead on what happens when people live in small isolated groups - first the 200 or so in quarantine, and later the small, familial group that escapes. The message was fairly clear to me, that smaller groups are more beneficial for everyone involved, while a comparatively large, semi-structureless society will inevitably fall into chaos. I liked this film because the issues explored were not what I expected, given the premise that I read about.

Jellyfish

Here is a collection of pictures from Florida of all the freakin' jellyfish we saw! All their slimy dead bodies on the beach!! Ugg... they freaked me out.






I threw this one back in the water to see what would happen.... nothing.


BLUE?!?!


These were two of the BIGGEST ones we saw. That is my sister Megan's size 7 feet between the dead jellyfish blobby bodies.


This one was still alive, but Jon wouldn't let me push it back in!!


Creepy, creepy things, jellyfish.

Florida

Sorry for the delay in posts - Jon and I were out of town for a week in Pensacola, Florida. My sister Megan had a soft ball tournament down there for a week and we thought we'd go along for the ride! We had a really good time, lots of good food, and some nice warm weather. I'll get more posts (and cool photos) up as the week goes, but here are a few photos of my sister playing ball! She's the star pitcher! :)

Netflix: Teeth

Film: Teeth
Year: 2007
Director: Mitchell Lichtenstein



Tonight we have a guest film review - my dear Ashley! She watched Teeth with us on Monday, and decided she wanted to write a review too. I was going to write a review about the flim's themes of sexuality, purity, self understanding, and women's empowerment.... Ashley simply wrote a limerick.


"There once was a girl named Dawn,
With a nuclear plant in her lawn.
A boy touched her bajingo,
Oh shit, where'd his thing go?!
Her vagina has teeth oh dear gawd!"


'Nuff said.

Dance Dance Dance

So a while back there was an awesome internet video going around... A DANCING CAT!!




Today at Hot Topic I saw an AMAZING t-shirt!! It wasn't the right sizes or I was a second away from getting it for Jon.



I am amused.

<3

Love you, Ashley.

Theater: Watchmen

Film: Watchmen
Year: 2009
Director: Zack Snyder



---------------------------------
Allie's Review
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Jon has been dying to see Watchmen for a while now, so we caught an early afternoon showing on opening day. I'm a consistent fan of comic book movies, thought not really comic books, so I definitely expected to enjoy Watchmen. I really, really loved it! The film's strengths were so clearly the writing and the story. I was completely captivated by the story and it didn't miss a beat the entire time. I loved that they were superheroes without real superpowers – a nice little twist the slew of superhero movies these days. There was also some very creative directing and special effects in the film – some slow-mo type of stuff.

Even though most of the movie's actors weren't big names, most everyone did solid work. They all meshed together really well and played off each other nicely. I really became invested in the characters and they were all pretty believable.

The movie also had some pretty strong themes throughout – anti-war, anti-nuclear, justice, power, right and wrong... the list goes on!

My only complaint is some of the makeup was not the best. There were a lot of scenes at different points in time and the aging makeup was a bit creepy looking.

Oh, and also, amazing soundtrack!

Overall, a really solid, well done movie.

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Jon's Review
Rating: 4.9 out of 5

I had *very* high expectations after I read the comic, and I would say this film *almost* lived up to them. It is an excellent, amazing movie, but not perfect. The comic is very complex, layered, and exciting, and so was this film. From the opening scene, I was riveted. The plot and characters of Watchmen will draw you in and keep you in suspense until the credits roll. If you haven't read the comic, you will love it. If you have read the comic, you will love it - you will notice some differences, but I believe they all worked well. There really were so many great things about this movie that I can only list a few: the casting, the cinematography, the soundtrack, the story, the interplay of the characters, and so much more. I highly recommend it to anyone who's a fan of action, romance, mystery, science fiction, cold war poitical drama... pretty much everybody. If you like movies, you'll love Watchmen. I should warn you - it's a bit long (2 hours, 43 minutes), but most great movies are.

Netflix: Lakeview Terrace

Film: Lakeview Terrace
Year: 2008
Director: Neil Labute
Whose Netflix Queue: Allie's



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Allie's Review:

Rating: 3 out of 5

What I thought would be a decent, but run-of-the-mill thriller turned out to be a pretty complex movie with some interesting themes. I thought "Lakeview Terrace" was just about some neighbors not getting along and Samuel L. Jackson being his usual bad ass self. Really though, film dealt with some pretty serious issues, including racism, police brutality, sexism, and loss. "Lakeview Terrace" had some pretty powerful symbolism and was intense and entertaining the entire time. There were some unrealistic moments, but overall, I was pretty happy with the movie.

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Jon's Review:

3.5 out of 5

A couple in suburban LA is terrorized, first psychologically and then in increasingly criminal ways, by their neighbor who happens to be a cop (played by Samuel L. Jackson). I actually enjoyed this film more than I thought I would - it was a bit predictable and shallow at times, but Mr. Jackson delivered a slightly-crazy but frightening performance as a man who refuses to stop until he gets his way and forces his new neighbors to move.

Mew

Random kitty foot prints in the fresh snow last week! (not my cats prints - they live inside. they only go outside when they push the screen out of an open window and randomly escape... this seems to happen about once a year!)

Kaufman Lake

Jon, Scruff, and I went for a walk around Kaufman Lake in Champaign this weekend. We'd never been to the little lake before, and its always fun to go somewhere different. Its a very small lake (I think man-made), and actually not in that great of shape. But we had a good time and Scruffy LOVED sniffing all the goose poop.



Some evidence of beavers!



Munch munch!



Not quite there yet!



And lastly, Jon took this REALLY beautiful shot with the panoramic mode. The lake really isn't that beautiful, but it looks so nice here!

Tats

Earlier this week I went with my buddy Grant to get his latest tattoo. We've both been tattooed by this artis (Grant several times) and he's a really fun and talented guy. No Regrets Tattoos rules!! Ask for Matt D.

Even though I didn't get to stay for the entire tattoo, I photo-documented what I could!


Grant is startled!


Before.


The stencil.


Black and gray plus some shading.


The finished product (the next day).


Congrats Grant! Hopefully my next tattoo post will be my own! :D

Netflix: The Ten

Film: The Ten
Year: 2007
Director: David Wain
Whose Netflix Queue: Jon's



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Allie's Review:

Rating - 3.5 out of 5

Jon and I were looking for a movie to watch while we wait for out next Netfilx dvds to arrive in the mail. Netfilx has some movies streaming online, so we sorta randomly picked one, and that's how we ended up watching "The Ten."

"The Ten" is a completely wacky movie made up of 10 small stories, each one loosely based on each of the 10 commandments. Each story is about one of the commandments, just in a totally strange or backwards way. The movie has a really great cast and the acting is great. They have just the right amount of over-the-top dramatics and totally strange humor. The ten stories are sort of connected, but sort of unrelated and random as well. If nothing else, it's always good to see a little fun poked at religion. A wacky, fun little movie. Plus, Famke Janssen is in it, and she is HOT!

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Jon's Review:

3.5 out of 5

Bizarre humor often manifests itself in strange movie formats. The Ten is no exception - ten short stories that illustrate (or at least reference) each of the Ten Commandments in some way. This was a pretty funny film but with a very very bizzare and unusually twisted sense of humor. An enjoyable cast (Paul Rudd, Winona Ryder, Liev Schreiber, Rob Corddry, Kerri Kenney-Silver) combined with the ridiculous humor of writers from The State made this movie funny, but some may find its humor offensive or at least crude.

Netflix: Ghost Town

Film: Ghost Town
Year: 2008
Director: David Koepp
Whose Netflix Queue: Jon's



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Allie's Review:

Rating - 4 out of 5

I'm not a huge fan of British humor... in fact, I mostly hate it. All of it makes me think of Benny Hill.Ugh. Even though it is the original and the US version is one of my favorite tv shows of all time, I didn't like the British version of "The Office" at all, so I wasn't dying to see "Ghost Town" (both star Ricky Gervais).

In "Ghost Town," Gervais' character, Bertram Pincus, is a rude, narcissistic dentist who hates people. He just does not like people. He goes into the hospital for a medical test and dies during the procedure. The doctors bring him back to life, but for some reason he can now see ghosts – spirits that have unfinished business and are still hanging around. He is now pestered by several ghosts wanting his help. The most aggressive ghost is a man wants Pincus to prevent his widow from marrying a new guy who is kind of a douche bag. Pincus agrees to try to stop the relationship, mostly get the ghosts to leave him alone, and decides he'll make the widow fall in love with him instead. Unfortunately for Pincus, he's mostly a jerk and he is a hard sell. Through some really funny scenes, he and the woman form a quirky relationship, and both grow to love each other. Pincus hasn't really changed from his self centered ways though, and he looses her. He finally learns that life isn't worth living without other people, and helps a lot of the other ghosts solve their unfinished business. This was one of the best parts of the whole movie. You could see a real change in his character. In the end, he pretty much gets the girl, allowing the ghost to move on.

The movie was very creative in that even though it dealt with such serious topics, it was really light hearted and very funny. The only thing that wasn't completely believable was how quickly Pincus and the woman fell in love. I wish they would have taken a bit more time to develop their relationship. At times, it felt more like a good friendship rather than a romance. Overall though, I really liked the movie... and I now think Ricky Gervais is quite funny.

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Jon's Review:

Rating - 5 out of 5

Ricky Gervais, (creator of The Office, and star of the UK version) in his first leading film role, plays a misanthropic dentist who inadvertently gains the ability to see and communicate with the recently deceased. As it turns out, they all have unresolved issues with the still-living, and he's the only one who can help. This film was very funny and also at times very touching as we watch Dr. Pincus' (Gervais) antisocial facade melt away as he falls in love with Tea Leoni's character. I loved Gervais' acting in this film and sincerely hope it leads to more! Almost as funny as the film itself is the outtakes reel, which revealed Gervais to be very giggle-prone.

Netflix: Diary of the Dead

Jon and I have Netflix and we get 2 movies at a time – one from my list and one from his. We have some movies that we both like, but we also have a lot of movies that we disagree on. I would say my taste in movies is better because I had a minor in Cinema Studies in college. Jon would mostly say that I like bad movies. We usually end up watching 4 – 8 movies a month, so I thought it'd be nice to each write our own review of the movie to see how our opinions differ.


Film: Diary of the Dead
Year: 2007
Director: George Romero
Whose Netflix Queue: Allie's



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Allie's Review:

Rating - 3.5 out of 5

I love thrillers and horror movies, but I want to see some real violence and gore when I watch one! I usually avoid the slew of PG-13 horror movies that come out because they can't really swear, show much nudity, or really chop someone's head off with a chainsaw with that rating. So when "Diary of the Dead" was rated R, I knew I wanted to see it. The movie is directed by George Romero, the famous zombie movie director. He directed the original "Night of the Living Dead" in 1968, followed by "Dawn of the Dead" in '78, after which came by "Day of the Dead" in '85, "Land of the Dead" in 2005, and now "Diary of the Dead" in 2007. I haven't seen them all, but I have seen lots of zombie movies! Zombies are freaking freaky. Nuff said.

"Diary of the Dead" was a typical zombie movie set in present day, but added an interesting element of technology. The film is supposed to be a documentary made by some college kids who were alive during this zombie outbreak. Throughout the movie they upload their footage to MySpace and watched other people's experiences with the zombies on YouTube. The tagline for the film is the ironic and dual meaning "Shoot the Dead." The spent the whole movie shooting zombies... with bullets and with cameras.

There were some cliché characters and the plot was fairly predictable, but I was scared by the zombies and cared if the characters lived or died. Overall, an entertaining movie with some good zombie action!


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Jon's Review:

Rating - 3 out of 5

This film is an interesting twist on the traditional zombie film from the father of zombie films himself, George A. Romero, with a twist of tween angstiness. It's best described as Night of the Living Dead meets Cloverfield meets, unfortunately, Scream. Cinematography-obsessed Jason (incidentally the cameras that Jason and friends used were the source of all the film's footage) and his rag-tag group of friends go on the road to escape the zombie panic in Pittsburgh, PA. Eventually, as always, the plague of undeath catches up to them and, one by one, they become the walking dead. I personally felt this film was a bit too familiar. The only exception is the 21st century angle of the underground journalists - bloggers, video bloggers, etc - trying to inform the public of what's "really going on" while the mainstream media refuses to go into specifics. Even that, I felt was not explored as fully as it could have been.

Parker

My sister has a dog named Parker. He's a big dopey 85 pound black lab mix. You could hit this dog with a baseball bat and he would think you are petting him. He's pretty good at "stay" and we like to take advantage of that. I was emptying my camera, and it was amazing how many photos I had of us torturing him!! :)






And yes, here we have rubberbanded a treat to his face. WE ARE SO MEAN.

Mmm, sky nachos!

The Colbert ReportMon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

Tip/Wag - Monkey on the Lam

Colbert Report Full Episodes
Funny Political News

Christian Bale Parody
Joke of the Day

I love my little land fishies.

Scruffy and balloons!!

We recently discovered that Scruffy loves balloons!

Qapla'

No, dear friends, this was not my husband.


Man robs Colo. store with Star Trek sword

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - Colorado police say a man with too much "Star Trek" on his mind used a sword modeled after the weapon carried by Klingon warriors to demand money from two convenience stores.

Investigators say the man took an unknown amount of cash from a 7-Eleven store Wednesday but left empty-handed when he tried to rob another store about 25 minutes later.

Police Lt. David Whitlock says no one was injured.

The StarTrek.com Web site says the double-pointed sword used by the Klingons on "Star Trek" is crescent-shaped and about a yard long. Police did not specify what material it was made of.

No one has been charged in the incident.

Mew Woof

Nothin' here but random pet photos! :)


Edgar is stretchy!



Why my couch cushions are so saggy!