Slowly Learning...

So I had time tonight, and decided to see this movie. It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't all that great either. Steve Martin is at his best, like always, and Bonnie Hunt does a great job as the mother too (although you do wonder how she pumped out 12 kids and kept that figure). But the real highlight is a very strong rebelious teen role played by Tom "Superman" Welling. What makes the character even better is his antagonist, DEAN! That's right, it's the battle of the WB stars on the big screen! However, like most things in the movie, the anti-relationship is not developed. Of course it is hard to develope too much when you basically have 14 main characters. That's still no excuse though. The movie moves along rather briskly, with too much happening as nothing really happens. Martin and Hunt try to pull the movie through, but the lack of any depth in the script drags it down. Of course Hilliary Duff's less than stellar proformance doesn't help matters much either. I haven't seen any of her other work (apart from her role on Punk'd), but she sure sucked it up in this one. Her character was shallow (in spirit and script) and all her dialogue seemed forced. But then we move on to the other end of the Punk'd spectrum, Ashton Kutcher. He's doesn't have a role that's nearly as large as the trailers lead you to believe, which is a good thing. There are already enough people trying to work their way into the story. However, his role is comical as he portrays a pretty boy who makes it by on his looks alone (as he states outright in one scene) which is how many people feel he did get started in real life. In the end putting a family of 14 into a 98 min story is a bit too much. I enjoyed Martin, and the WB elemetns, but the lack of depth to the story and characters sunk this ship.

RATING: Worth a (very) cheap ticket, worth a Netflix rental (if you've got nothing else you want to see)

Posted by Thom at 12:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

So the time has finally come. After all these years it has finally died. It's been terminal and on life support for about 2.5 years now, but it's time to pull the plug. I am, of course, speaking of my car. The good old '91 Grand Prix has finally met its end. It really is amazing that it has survived as long as it has though. I got many a good mile out of that thing. Just to summerize what the car has managed to make it through (in semi-chronological order):

-The car sat out in the elements for about 6 years (91-97) braving numerous winters while acumulating about no miles.

-I turned 16 and "inherited" the car.

-Air conditioning fails, brakes are replaced (for the first of several times)

-I'm allowed to drive after 9, therefore I officially become the DD. The car is used to shuttle 2 car loads (trips of 6 and 8 people) from major HS kegger, as well as numerous other drunken shuttle trips.

-I rear end Katrina West on the way to school for Halloween (Glad it was a friend, cause overwise I would've had to explain to the cops why I'm dressed in lepard print tight clothing and wearing makeup). Oh, and I smash in all of my front lights while also recieving other minor cosmetic damages to the car.

-Also manage to hit a couple curbs, tires replaced

-Car goes on excursions till 4 in the morning, hood gets dented from laying on it/walking on it.

-Steering wheel begins to smoke on occasion. Eh, no visible fires so no need to worry.

-I manage to rip off the side view mirror while backing out of the garage

-Car begins to leak oil. Just put a piece of wood paneling under the car in the garage, problem solved!

-Check Gauges and Low Gas lights become permanently fixed in the ON position (I guess by this time I really should constantly monitor the gauges though)

-Hit a couple snowbanks during the winter (some intentional, some not). No real damage, but still fun.

-Air coniditioning is leaking, again, so it gets patched up. (Never worked right after though)

-Car gets limited use while I'm in my first years of college (time to recover) but still gets multiple 1.5 hour round trips as I travel back and forth the Batavia.

-Parking brake stops functioning, who needs that in hilly Ithaca anyway?

-Car is totalled when I'm rear-ended by a drunk driver at 2 in the afternoon on a Tuesday (ask for the full story if you haven't heard it yet, it's a doozy). Driver's seat no longer sits right, tail end is smashed in, trunk won't close all the way. Does this stop the car? Hell no! Just pull out the rear end a little so the trunk will close (not too much though, or the end will completely fall off due to massive rusting).

-Car is kept running and "passes" yearly inspections from my cousin (i.e. we get inspection stickers from my cousin who makes sure the car won't explode on me).

-Oil leak increases. Mechanic advises against fixing the problem (he's worried the whole engine will fall out if we start to meddle). Solution, put a freash quart of oil in every two weeks. Plus side, no need for oil changes anymore!

-Brakes start to hiss and squeal terriblly. Seems they had "locked" and were worn down to almost nothing. New brakes installed, yet again.

-Car refuses to stop unless brake pedal is pushed through the floor of the car. Hmm, seems we were leaking brake fluid now too. Brakes are still under warrenty though, easily fixed.

-On top of all other leaks the car begins to leak gasoline as well.

At this point it is decided that the expenses outway the proformance. The car is finally put down for good. It's a sad day for all, but we knew it was coming. We had some good times, but now it's time to move on. Farewell old friend.

Posted by Thom at 2:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

37, woo!

Posted by Thom at 2:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

So two quick thoughts for ya'll.

First, good songs don't make good videos. If you are doing a Top SomeNumber Video Countdown the quality of a video is more important that the song. Just cause the new Briteny single is #1, doesn't mean the video is worth a damn (cause it probably isn't). So stop doing stupid videoes of the band/singer playing/singing. And stop doing rap videos of rappers in clubs or by the pool with their bitches in bikinis flashing their bling bling around. It's boring, it's unimaginative, it's been done. Even a shitty song can be redeemed with a good video (see White Stripes with the shitty song over the lego video).

Secondly, Jews rock. They may feel left out at this time of year, with the whole no xmas thing, but they really have the right idea: Chinese food and movies. What better way to celebrate the most played out holiday! That is like my dream night, up until the Chinese food catches up to me and I have to spend the end of it in the bathroom, but then again I enjoy my bathroom time. The only way to make the day any better would be having some cute asian chick waiting for me in my bed at the end of the night. So to all you Jews out there, keep up the good work! And if you can somehow work a cute asian girl into the night too, well, I may just have to convert.

Posted by Thom at 2:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

So finally! I'd been hearing about it, even tried to go see it once, but I had no luck. But I finally saw Bubba Ho-Tep last night at the Little in Rochester. I must say it was worth the wait too.

A quick overview of the movie: Elderly Elvis and JFK fight off an evil soul sucking Mummy who's feeding off the elderly's souls at their retirement home. I know what you're thinking, cause I thought the same thing when I heard of this, "Damn them! I had that idea a year ago, I just didn't get around to making it yet!" Well, sorry, it's too late now. It's been done, and done well! Bruce Campbell makes an outstanding Elvis, and Ossie Davis (yes Ossie Davis) does a solid job as JFK.

Yes, some of the production values (like the big bugs) aren't exaclty first rate, but the rough edges at certain points just add to the classic feel of the movie. It may not have the all-around cult classic feel of Campbell's other classic Army of Darkness, but this movie should end up gaining its own cult following. There's plenty of humour and even a sense of a deep friendship between the two leads. The camera work and lighting effects add a very nice eerie effect to the atmosphere at night during the attacks, and it's contrasted beautifully by the day time sight of a quaint little retirement home in a peaceful little location.

So far I'd have to put this up there with one of the best movies I've seen this year. If you are lucky enough to have it playing near you, go see it right away. If you aren't the lucky, go find some place that is showing it so you can see it.

RATING: Definitely Worth Full Price, Definite DVD Purchase

Posted by Thom at 5:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

So it may be a little old, but I still keep hearing about Christina Aguilera no longer being the innocent little genie girl anymore. And I can't help wonder to myself, when was she innocent? Ok sure she wasn't running around in her underwear like now, but she wasn't exactly fully clothed either. And let's look at lyrics..."I'm a genie in a bottle, you gotta rub me the right way." Hmmm, yes, talking about rubbing a woman the right way, very innocent. Look, maybe she's more mature, but she was never innocent.

Posted by Thom at 12:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

So I have a question for anyone listening. This has been bothering me as I ponder it at work. When are the twelve days of Christmas? Do they start on Christmas or is the twelth day Dec. 25th? Or, and this is my theory, do the days start on the 21st, making Christmas day the 5th day? To me that would be the best option, cause who the hell would want those other gifts on Christmas day? I'm thinking most true loves would want those damn golden rings that day. Leaves the dancing, milking freaks and the stupid birds to the other days around it. Plus that way it would end on New Year's Day, which would be fun. Imagine ringing in the New Year with 11 men piping it up and then 12 dudes banging on the drums come midnight! How cool is that? I am however open to other theories that people may have.

PS - While writing this I managed to look it up and the 12 days are some Christian thing that start on Christmas day and run till the beginning of Epiphany. Also the 12th night is when you're supposed to take down all the Christmas decorations, not the middle of April as some people like to do.

Posted by Thom at 3:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

So being the foolish clutz that I am, I managed to trip while hopping over stuff in my room the other day. I proceeded to trip, twist my leg and smash my knee into the carpet, fucking up my knee nicely (while also giving me a nice rug burn). But don't worry, I still made it to my opening day screening of Return of the King in time. I've also managed to hobble my way through work the last 4 days as well. As I have been informed, I probably should have iced it up to deal with swelling and such, and probably should have rested it some too insted of running around wegmans for 8 hours a day, but c'est la vie. It still has managed to heal semi-nicely. Right now it feels sort of like a loose bandaide that's just hanging on over a semi-recent scar. It's sort of nunb and tingly and every once in a while (when I bend wrong or something) it gives that painful tug, like the bandaide pulling at leg hair. Or when I smash it into things (which I still do from time to time) it hurts like a mother freaker, just as if I smacked some sharp object into some other cut below a bandaide. The weird part of the whole thing is that it sort of seems to go away at times. For part of the day I'll be limping around slowly, but then a little while later (for no apparent reason) I seem fine and am walking like normal. This bothers me cause I'm sure it seems like I may be faking it to the outside observer. I have even wondered to myself if I could be faking it. But then I just kneel on it and the shooting pains that flatten me out as I curl into the fetal position, rocking back and forth, grabbing my knee and cursing. And after that I'm assured that I am not faking it, until a few hours later when the whole process repeats itself. But, I am doing all I can to help it heal. I've been working, on my feet, for 8 hours staight the last 4 days (soon to be 5) straight days. I also plan to do lots of running around as I scurry from place to place in an attempt to celebrate the holidays to the fullest back in Rochester, followed by another 4 days straight of work. And of course I will do my best to make sure the swelling stays up as I fail to put ice on it during my few down times. Cause I love my body, and it loves me right back

Posted by Thom at 2:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

So I was a little slow on the ticket front, and I underestimated the
Ithaca crowd, and couldn't see the movie at Midnight, or at the other
latter times on Wed, but I did manage to get a ticket for the noon
showing. I also watched the extended versions of the first two films on
the days leading up to the 3rd, so I can feel rather confident about my
comparisons.

Return of the King was a great movie. The acting was as good as ever,
the action was fierce and well paced, and the story was great. The
script writing...well at times it was a bit too hollywood for me, in
comparison to the first two films. This is coming from someone who
never got around to reading the books, so I don't know how much of that
was Tolken and how much was the writers. I also can't say how well it
followed the book, but I'm sure it's missing some things in there (it's
impossible to get such a long book into a single movie, even one that
runs at 3.5 hours in length). I can say that it was a very brisk 3 and
a half hours though. There are enough stories going on and enough
action to keep the film moving along at a good pace. For those of you
that aren't into the series, you may not fully enjoy the movie. It
might work for you, but it's better if you've seen the first two and
know what is going on. I don't expect that this movie will bring any
new fans to the series, but it should please the ones who've been along
for the ride so far.

However, if I were to rank the three films I'd have to put them in order
I think. Although many will disagree with me I still think that
Fellowship is the best of the group. It may be personal taste, but I
enjoyed the story the best in that one. I also am more of a fan of
intimate battle scenes like the fight in the mines with the cave troll,
or the ending battle with the orks. It gives you more of a personal
feel in the battle as you can keep track of what's happening. Plus it
also just seems more believable to me that the stronger fighters would
always survive in the smaller skirmishes where there is less of a chance
of being taken out by accident or something. I also like the fact that
the hobbits are the foolish creatures (makes sense since they never
leave their homes and are mischivous to start with) insted of the dwarf
who should be proud and tough, not comical and stupid. Fellowship also
has a more straightforward story without lots of unexplained magic/luck
(maybe it's explained in the books, but the movies don't always cover
it).

Two Towers also had its moments. Upon rewatching Helms Deep I did
change my mind about the battle some. Still I have a couple problems
(throwing the dwarf, 2 vs. Infinity on the bridge, etc.) but it was
better the second time around. The whole appearance of Gandolf the
White was a bit glossed over though. You do have to give points to the
whole Golem thing though. He did have a good role in Towers with a nice
little speech/arguement. Maybe it was the uniqueness and newness factor
playing a part, but his role in King just wasn't the same in my mind.
Something was off with his actions and lines. He deserved a supporting
actor nod for Towers, not for King.

Maybe after seeing Return of the King again (in the theatre or on DVD)
I'll get to like it better, and maybe it'll pass Two Towers on my list,
but I doubt it'll ever be better than Fellowship for me. Basically what
it comes down to in my ranking is the Legolas factor. He was awsomely
cool in Fellowship with his marksmanship and his agility. He started to
go a bit over the top with the shield riding stunt (and the horse
mounting grab, but that was just awsome) in Two Towers. He just really
freaked it all out with the Elaphant mount/distruction in Return of the
King. Play up the Elf, but give him limitations people.

RATING: Definite Full Price, Worth a Purchase

Posted by Thom at 3:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Some made it, others didn't. These ones were close, but not quite
(alphabetically):

12 Monkeys
This is possiblly the only movie that addressed time travel in a way
that I found exceptable. It also has a great fucked up Brad Pitt role
to go with good old Bruce Willis (in a non-action themed movie). Terry
Gilliam, good work.

Amelie
Cute, foreign, funny. Yes, it's one of those "readers," unless you
speak french. It may have a typical chick flick story line to it, but
it's still very funny and very cute, in a good non-sickening way.

American Beauty
"I Rule!" Yes you do Mr. Spacey. What can I say, I'm a sucker for
Kevin Spacey's work. More than just that though, this movie has a
cleverly different story that seems almost real, while outlandishly
insane at the same time.

The Big Lebowski
I have never seen a greater collection of characters (The Dude, Walter,
The Jesus, Donny, Mr. Lebowski, etc.). All of them are gathered into
this hillarious story about a simple living dude who just likes to bowl.
Comedy at it's finest.

Big Trouble in Little China
Cult classic. Cheesy Chinese action, cheesy dialogue, cheesy story,
cheesy all around. How can you not love it?!?

Fight Club
Another of my favorite actors, Brad Pitt. Classic story of a man too
caught up in his own dillusions to realize it as he beats up himself and
others in an attempt to bring about major social revolution. But behind
that mundane story line is a very heart warming love story.

Identity
A clever twist on the murder mystery, although it does give itself away
sort of early on. But it's still clever none the less. As with most
who-done-it's you can guess who it is before the end by the simple idea
of picking the least likely character. Oh well, in the end it's always
obvious I guess.

Kids in the Hall: Brain Candy
You loved the TV show? You'll love the movie! You hated the TV show?
What the hell's wrong with you!?! (But you may still like the movie!)
Thankfully the cast didn't fall into the trap of forcing in too many
characters from the series (only reall have 3 or 4 of them). I wish
Dave Folley was a little more involved too, but hey he was off doing
great work on News Radio (well great work until Phil Hartman died, then
the show tanked).

Monsters, Inc.
I'm usually not much on kid oriented animated movies, and I haven't
really liked the previous pixar projects. This one is different though.
Maybe it's the clever "monsters in the closet" business plan, maybe it's
the voice cast (doubt it, cause famous voices usually just ruin the
characters), maybe it's the underlying theme of overcoming fear and
prejudice. Whatever it is, it's a good movie, and pretty to look at
too.

Princess Mononoke
Anyone who knows me knows that I have developed a taste for Japanese
culture. This movie is part of that taste. It's not ground breaking in
the animation or story department, but it's still great in both. And
please people, watch it in Japanese. The english voice talent/work is
respectable, but it's just not right.

The Ring
I haven't seen the original Japanese version, but the American version
is actually one of the scarier movies I've seen. And I don't scare
easily at films. Maybe what scares me the most is the unfinished ending
to it all. If the movie doesnt show you how to kill the mosters, what
happens when they come for you in real life?

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
A classic children's tale becomes a classic quasi-musical. The film
teaches us how greed will ruin us, while generousity and kindness will
get us a factory of chocolate that's operated by little green haired
orange men that sing and dance!

Those are the "almosts," so stay tuned in for the Top 13 DVD list, can
you guess who's on it?

Posted by Thom at 1:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Well it's 2 for Tuesday here on my blog, on Friday...

At first I saw the previews and thought, "oh god, this is gonna be some
overly crude attempt to be funny and is gonna suck." Then I heard what
people were saying and thought, "Hmmm, maybe the trailers actually gave
away the worst parts of the movie for once. This could be good after
all!" And I was right, both times. It's crude (overly crude at times)
but it's made to be a plotless crude-fest by the trailers and
commercials. In the end it was good, and bad. I would like to say
however that I don't feel that this movie is evil cause it portrays
santa as a drinking womanizer. To those people I say "suck it up and
shut up." I don't want to hear your bitching and moaning cause santa is
not some religious icon. He's an icon of a commercial holiday and
should be exploited to make money, that's his purpose. The film is
sometimes crude for the sake of crudeness, but it's funny too. Where
they actually get into problem areas I thought was when they try to
involve too much story, as it is kind of weak. And of course you have
to have the serious end that turns tragic and happy, it is a hollywood
movie after all. The movie is worth a good number of cheap laughes
though. And who doesn't love seeing Lauren Graham (Loreli) doing Billy
Bob while screaming "I'm fucking Santa, I'm fucking Santa..."

RATING: Worth a possible Mantinee, Worth a possible rental (no rush
though)

Posted by Thom at 1:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

So I've tried to explain this movie to a couple poeple and they just
tend to look at me funny when I tell them about how it's about this
dwarf, and... (that's about as far as I get). It's probably just as
well that that's as far as I get, cause I'm not quite sure how to put
it, but that does sum it up nicely in a way, seeing as how it deals a
lot with how the dwarf feels like an outcast and freakshow cause of his
size. Who really cares about that though. What I do know is that this
is a fantastically done movie. I may not be able to sum up the plot,
but I can tell you that the story is extremely well written, well
played, and well acted all around. Peter Dinklage especially stands out
(and not just cause he's 4 feet tall). He gives an outstandingly
believable proformance that I doubt anyone else could have duplicated
(be them dwarf, regularly sized, or giant). You do feel like you're
left a little hanging at the end as everything is not fully cleared up
and settled, but that's just how life is. The group goes through their
rough patch and comes out the other side stronger for the journey, but
fully aware that more trouble is still to come.

RATING: Worth Full Price, Worth a Rental/Possible Purchase

Posted by Thom at 1:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I wanted to complain about people complaining, but I'm too tired and
worn out to do it right now. Insted I will give you a list of things
that are upseting to me that you can aruge with me about on your own
time. Here's the list:

Bad Santa = Evil Blasphemy
Playmakers = Minnie Mouse as a Whore
All good music was made between '63 and '72
Free Speach is too free

More to come later...(lots of stupid people annoy me)

Posted by Thom at 1:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

It's been a while since I've done any writing here, so I figured I'd
pile it on tonight for those of you who still do check in from time to
time (God bless your hearts).

I've been working on my list of Top 13 DVDs and finally have it all
worked out, but not tonight. For the list (and the
'almost-on-the-list') movies I'm planning to do a little write up about
each explaining my choices a little. I don't have time for that
tonight. It's 3.30 already and I need to get to bed sometime, so it'll
have to wait. For now I will give you 4 DVDs that didn't quite qualify
for the list, but are worth looking into anyway for special reasons.
Enjoy....

1 - Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within
Ok, ok, this one is really a movie. It's just not the greatest movie
ever made. It has some issues with the story and acting and writing and
such, but damn is it pretty. This is the best looking film I've seen.
The computer animation is phenominal and looks almost real (still a few
little issues to work out with some of the facial things). Maybe the
best thing about the movie, it proves we can have Ben Affleck in a movie
without actually having to have him acting in it!

B - Goldeneye
Yes, this one is a real movie too, but it comes from a great series of
movies (The James Bond series of movies for those of you who don't
know). It's a great flick, but not Top 13 in my mind. However it does
deserve special note since it is, in my opinion (which I know will be
debated), the best of all the Bond films. Pierce makes a fantastic
Bond, with a great story, very good supporting cast (Judi Dench, ,
Desmond Llewelyn, and NO Denise Richards), and great villians (Sean Bean
as Alec, Famke Janssen as Xenia, and who doesn't love Alan Cumming as
Boris?). And if that wasn't enough it also made one of the greatest 1st
person shooters for the N64 (Hell, it was one of the best 1st person
shooters ever!).

#3 - How the Grinch Stole Christmas
A christmas classic! Anybody who hasn't seen this Dr. Seuss classic is
missing out (and no, seeing the retarded live action one does not
count). This cartoon has stood the test of time and is still being
shown almost 40 years after it's birth (originally made in 1966). It
has even survived Ron Howard's attempt to destroy it with his live
action movie in 2000 (with the help of genius writer Jeffery Price, who
let him get back behind a typewritter after Wild, Wild, West?!?).
Clever rhymes, oddly beautiful artwork, and a hauntingly deep song. Can
you ask for more out of a Christmas Classic?

IV - FLCL (a.k.a. Furi Kuri)
True, this one should go into TV shows, but I don't have a seperate list
for those. Plus, it's only 6 episodes long, so it runs about the length
of a movie (and fits snugly onto a single disc depending on which
version you get). The plot? An inter-stellar vespa riding woman comes
to this weird town to live with a young boy who sprouts robots out of
his head after he was clobbered on the head with a bass guitar and the
two of the along with a magical medical robot that pops out of the boys
head fight off the ensuing robots that emerge from his cranium in an
attempt to do...well we don't really know and I don't want to give too
much away. Let's just say it has something to do with the factory that
has no entrance and is shaped like a giant iron. Yes, it's japanese.
Yes, it has subtitles. Yes, it has a decent american voice cast if you
must. Yes, they have trouble sticking to a single form of animation at
some points. Yes, they do refer to the show in the show. Yes,
everything isn't really fully explained at the end. Yes, it is
fantastic!

Coming soon...
THE ALMOST LIST
THE TOP 13 LIST
THE REVIEW OF MINORITY REPORT
(finally)
(maybe)
MORE NONSENSICAL JABBERINGS
STAY TUNED!

Posted by Thom at 4:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

So I went into this movie expecting the worst. I was expecting
something along the lines of The Patriot (terrible epic) meets Minority
Report (terrible Tom Cruise). However I walked out quite surprised and
very pleased. Most of the issues that I took away from the trailers for
this film were non-exisent, or at least done well.

Expected Problem #1: Why does every person in 1870's Japan speak
English?
Solution: They don't! We are just led to believe this cause american
audiences are lazy bums who wouldn't go to a movie because they'd be
forced to read subtitles. Yes, some of the Japanese people in the movie
speak english, but it's a select few. And the ones that do are
understandable. Yes, the western motivated money grubbing dude speaks
it. Yes, the emperor who is trying to westernize Japan speaks it. Yes,
the head rebel against over-westernizing speaks it...wait? What? Oh
well, 2 out of 3 isn't bad, and it's still played well enough to work
out plausibly. He speaks broken english most of the time and is an
educated man who isn't necessarily against the west, he's just trying to
cling to the past some too.

Problem #2: This is gonna have some gay ass forced love interest
between Tom Cruise and the Japanese lady.
Solution: Not really. In fact for at least half of the movie she hates
him and can't stand him. Only in the end when she sees the true (or
changed) him does she start to change. Even then we aren't subject to
some stupid forced love scene that's shoved in just so the mindless
audience can understand that they like each other.

Expected Problem #3: How the hell does Tom Cruise's character adapt so
well into the ways of swordsmen and to the language and culture of
Japan?
Solution: Well he has a lot of time to do it in. He's not stuck in
their village for like a week. He's there for like 8 or 9 months. And
he also has some linguistic abilities and a talent for strange languages
(he's also learned some Native American toungues). And even after all
is said and done he isn't exactly a native speaker, but insted knows
enough to get around and understand what is happening.

In the end Hollywood seems to have somehow not fucked up a mainstream
movie! It was a well done movie all around, although the ending was a
little sappy-ish. I did enjoy how it sort of showed america as the
enemy of sorts and how you can sort of trace Tom Cruise to causing Pearl
Harbor (it's a stretch, but maybe). One good thing I can say about the
ending, however, is that they didn't make it the typical hollywood
ending of the good guy conquering the odds and winning, at least not
totally.

Final review, a good solid film, I didn't even notice the 2.5 hour
length really. Everything seemed historically decent (I'm not an expert
on Japanese history so I'll hold off full comment on that till I have
confirmation from Cross). I do have to say the sword throwing was a bit
too much for me though (you'll know when you see it).

RATING: Worth Full Price, Worth a Purchase

Posted by Thom at 3:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)