Thursday, June 25, 2009
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen
Just got out of Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen midnight showing about an hour ago..and now its time for a review.
There aren't any spoilers in this review, so read on, even if you haven't seen the movie yet.
Preface: I've heard a lot of people talking trash about the movie, saying how its filled with overdramatic camera shots, corny lines, too much action, and a simple/predictable storyline. What I have to say about that is that this is a Michael Bay movie based on an 80's cartoon of giant transforming robots. You should know what to expect from him before you even see a trailer of the movie. Don't expect to see some deep and meaningful movie like Crash, X, or Citizen Kane. If that's not your type of movie, you probably won't like it. But it's like going to see Up and saying its bad because you prefer live action movies instead of animated movies. With that being said, lets proceed:
We Showin' You The Good:
This movie was filled with essentially nonstop action like the first, along with wide angle rotating panning shots, some great shots of landscapes and cityscapes, slow motion explosions, dramatic music, amazing special effects, long fight scenes and humor accompanying even more Autobots and Decepticons than the first movie, and of course, Megan Fox running in slow motion.
The overall story of the movie was done fairly well, although it could've been executed better in delivery of certain scenes. They did a decent job at taking you along the journey while also stopping to explain what's going on,although some parts seemed useless. It's all basically straight forward and laid out in front of you, which people may or not like. I think with a movie like Transformers, that should be expected though. I don't go to see an action movie with giant transforming robots to see a movie that will make me think on a philosophical level. I go to be entertained.
Another good thing was seeing specific Autobots/Decepticons and parts of the story from the original series.
They managed to (attempt to) insert a lot of humor in this sequel. There were several corny lines, but I expected those coming from a Transformers movie. Some of the humor worked well, some of it came across as trying too hard and could've been delivered better, and some was just a swing and a miss. Needless to say, there was a lot more humor than in the first, and several lines/scenes had the entire theater laughing.
The Bad:
Be prepared for a long movie. Two and a half hours long. Although I definitely thought this movie was long, I also thought The Dark Knight was long, but still good. The first thing it reminded me of was Bad Boys II, with its long run time and a long fight/action scene at the end. Now that I actually think about it, these movies are very similar with their overall plot setup, insertion of humor and action, and of course, directing style.
The Ugly:
Just like the last one, the special effects were amazing. At times, much like the first one it was hard to tell exactly what was going on in the fight scenes because there were so many pieces of metal flying around and they were all the same color, making them blend together when the two bots clashed. I don't see much of a clear cut solution, and I'd much rather have these more realistic looking bots with incredible detail than a bright pink Autobot fighting a neon blue Decepticon with clear fake outlines that make them look like unused ideas from Power Rangers.
Also, at times, even for a Michael Bay movie there were some unneeded wide angled rotating camera shots..ie. someone just getting out of a car. I think the main issue with this one compared to the last was execution wasn't done correctly on certain scenes.
This Is For The Hood:
The movie was a lot more overtly sexual and much more vulgar than the last. This can go either way on whether or not it makes the movie better or worse. At times I thought some of the profanity was too childish or unnecessary and detracted from the movies overall appeal, but at other times it helped make the scene/line as funny as it was.
As far as the movie being over-hyped, I think thats another thing that's all personal opinion. Its a sequel to a movie that's grossed over 708 million dollars, and also based on a hugely popular 80's cartoon which in itself spawned it's own wave of movies, toys, lunch boxes, apparel, etc. So I think it is to be expected that this sequel will be heavily marketed. Whether or not the consumer falls into this 'over-hyped' movie is all up to them. I think many people have fallen into it, especially those who have never even seen the original series or toys. But I also think there are people who just liked the first movie and hope the second one is just as good, if not better.
You Got, To Love Me:
As far as whether or not it's better than the first, I think that's more up to personal opinion. I thought it fell short of the first one mainly because certain scenes should've been much better than they were. But I still look forward to seeing it again in theaters, only at the IMAX the second time around. Overall this was a fun and enjoyable movie which surprisingly had me emotionally attached to several characters, drawing out anger, laughter, sadness and happiness. If you liked the first one, you'll like, if not love the second one. This movie was worth my $9.50, being surrounded by high schoolers (who made me feel really old) and waiting in line for over two hours to insure good seats.
There aren't any spoilers in this review, so read on, even if you haven't seen the movie yet.
Preface: I've heard a lot of people talking trash about the movie, saying how its filled with overdramatic camera shots, corny lines, too much action, and a simple/predictable storyline. What I have to say about that is that this is a Michael Bay movie based on an 80's cartoon of giant transforming robots. You should know what to expect from him before you even see a trailer of the movie. Don't expect to see some deep and meaningful movie like Crash, X, or Citizen Kane. If that's not your type of movie, you probably won't like it. But it's like going to see Up and saying its bad because you prefer live action movies instead of animated movies. With that being said, lets proceed:
We Showin' You The Good:
This movie was filled with essentially nonstop action like the first, along with wide angle rotating panning shots, some great shots of landscapes and cityscapes, slow motion explosions, dramatic music, amazing special effects, long fight scenes and humor accompanying even more Autobots and Decepticons than the first movie, and of course, Megan Fox running in slow motion.
The overall story of the movie was done fairly well, although it could've been executed better in delivery of certain scenes. They did a decent job at taking you along the journey while also stopping to explain what's going on,although some parts seemed useless. It's all basically straight forward and laid out in front of you, which people may or not like. I think with a movie like Transformers, that should be expected though. I don't go to see an action movie with giant transforming robots to see a movie that will make me think on a philosophical level. I go to be entertained.
Another good thing was seeing specific Autobots/Decepticons and parts of the story from the original series.
They managed to (attempt to) insert a lot of humor in this sequel. There were several corny lines, but I expected those coming from a Transformers movie. Some of the humor worked well, some of it came across as trying too hard and could've been delivered better, and some was just a swing and a miss. Needless to say, there was a lot more humor than in the first, and several lines/scenes had the entire theater laughing.
The Bad:
Be prepared for a long movie. Two and a half hours long. Although I definitely thought this movie was long, I also thought The Dark Knight was long, but still good. The first thing it reminded me of was Bad Boys II, with its long run time and a long fight/action scene at the end. Now that I actually think about it, these movies are very similar with their overall plot setup, insertion of humor and action, and of course, directing style.
The Ugly:
Just like the last one, the special effects were amazing. At times, much like the first one it was hard to tell exactly what was going on in the fight scenes because there were so many pieces of metal flying around and they were all the same color, making them blend together when the two bots clashed. I don't see much of a clear cut solution, and I'd much rather have these more realistic looking bots with incredible detail than a bright pink Autobot fighting a neon blue Decepticon with clear fake outlines that make them look like unused ideas from Power Rangers.
Also, at times, even for a Michael Bay movie there were some unneeded wide angled rotating camera shots..ie. someone just getting out of a car. I think the main issue with this one compared to the last was execution wasn't done correctly on certain scenes.
This Is For The Hood:
The movie was a lot more overtly sexual and much more vulgar than the last. This can go either way on whether or not it makes the movie better or worse. At times I thought some of the profanity was too childish or unnecessary and detracted from the movies overall appeal, but at other times it helped make the scene/line as funny as it was.
As far as the movie being over-hyped, I think thats another thing that's all personal opinion. Its a sequel to a movie that's grossed over 708 million dollars, and also based on a hugely popular 80's cartoon which in itself spawned it's own wave of movies, toys, lunch boxes, apparel, etc. So I think it is to be expected that this sequel will be heavily marketed. Whether or not the consumer falls into this 'over-hyped' movie is all up to them. I think many people have fallen into it, especially those who have never even seen the original series or toys. But I also think there are people who just liked the first movie and hope the second one is just as good, if not better.
You Got, To Love Me:
As far as whether or not it's better than the first, I think that's more up to personal opinion. I thought it fell short of the first one mainly because certain scenes should've been much better than they were. But I still look forward to seeing it again in theaters, only at the IMAX the second time around. Overall this was a fun and enjoyable movie which surprisingly had me emotionally attached to several characters, drawing out anger, laughter, sadness and happiness. If you liked the first one, you'll like, if not love the second one. This movie was worth my $9.50, being surrounded by high schoolers (who made me feel really old) and waiting in line for over two hours to insure good seats.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
In the jungle with the leaders
Haven't updated with any real content in awhile...hopefully i'll do that later today. Heading up to Beaverton for a hopefully smooth dentist appointment in an hour :/
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Friday, May 22, 2009
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
F#@&!!!
I hate not being in control of my life.
I hate people fucking me over.
I hate people telling me one thing, then going back on their word, resulting in the previous.
I hate people not following through with important things they tell me they will do.
I hate people feeding me bullshit.
I hate people being late on me when I'm on a fairly tight schedule.
I hate bees.
I hate letting people down.
I hate when people let me down.
I hate people talking useless shit to an undeserving person.
I hate allergies.
I hate being under appreciated.
I hate being sick.
I hate seeing people suffer and not being able to help them.
I hate trusting people.
I hate where I am in life.
I hate people fucking me over.
I hate people telling me one thing, then going back on their word, resulting in the previous.
I hate people not following through with important things they tell me they will do.
I hate people feeding me bullshit.
I hate people being late on me when I'm on a fairly tight schedule.
I hate bees.
I hate letting people down.
I hate when people let me down.
I hate people talking useless shit to an undeserving person.
I hate allergies.
I hate being under appreciated.
I hate being sick.
I hate seeing people suffer and not being able to help them.
I hate trusting people.
I hate where I am in life.
Monday, March 9, 2009
Beats By Dre Tour Review
So I recently made an impulse buy on the Monster Beats By Dre Tour in-ear headphones, and I thought I'd review them out of boredom. First off, here's some quick notes about them:
Made By: Monster
Retail Price: $149.95
Comes with: carrying travel case and 5 sets of earbuds
Onto the review.
Presentation & Style:
Even before opening the box you can tell that these are a very stylish pair of earphones. The overly done Apple-influenced Monster package looks nice, but isn't necessary, and most likely adds on ~$15-25 to the market price.
After taking the cover-sleeve off, a magnetically sealed case is inside. Inside the case we find the earphones and travel case housed in a nicely felt lined display along with a booklet insert with manual, warranty information, waste disposal information and a small advertisement for other Monster sound products.
The earphones themselves are definitely bold and unique looking. The red cable alone attracts attention.
The signature 'b' logo is placed on top of a brushed aluminum circle on each earphone. The red color used looks nice and gives them a unique style without looking overly flashy. I've taken these out in public twice and gotten positive comments on them both times.
Sound quality:
First off, I hope people don't expect these to sound as good as the full headphones, because they don't. That's not to say that they sound bad, however. These are obviously made for bass-heavy sound, specifically hip-hop music. I tried these hooked up directly to my computer and also on my ipod. On the ipod they seem to work best with the EQ's turned off, but some computer program's EQs enhance the sound. The sound gets too overpowered with 'Hip-Hop' and 'Heavy Bass' setting on the ipod. They also do a decent job of noise canceling, but probably not good enough for some people.
I ran through several Dre tracks to test them out with his own music, and they passed with flying colors. The bass isn't too heavy or overpowering and has a nice clear sound. The highs could be a bit louder, but the sound quality was still good. I tested them with all sorts of music, from hip-hop to emo to techno and they all sounded good.
Functionality/Practicality:
This is an area Monster has consistently made a selling point with its revolutionary tangle-free cord that took ten years to perfect. It's much thinner and slimmer than I expected it to be, and has worked out as Monster promised so far. The cable also has a piece that keeps the cable straight near the plug end of it, most likely to prevent the wires from bending harshly and going out quickly like most headphones do. The cord is a good size, probably too long for some though. The bulk of it is 3ft long, then it splits into the earphone cords which are ~15" long each, giving you ~51" of total cord.
Despite the tangle-free cord and hefty length, this is probably where the earphones take the biggest hit.
The first and probably biggest downside is with the earbuds. Although they come with five different sets, none of these seem to fit well for me, and many other reviewers. The default ones probably fit best, but still don't do a very good job. When sitting in place they work alright, but still aren't comfortable. I haven't used these for longer than a few hours at a time, but even then they get uncomfortable and start to hurt my ears. I think this is because of the large speaker size used. On the go these earbuds let me down even more. They consistently fell out of my ears about every 30 seconds while walking to/from class. I think part of this has to do with a rubber part on the cord acting as a weight, pulling them down out of my ears. They also stick out of your ears more than normal earphones, which is probably another factor. Unless you're going to sit perfectly still or have abnormal ears, plan on re-adjusting these earphones frequently.
Extras:
Some people complained about having a very hard time switching out earbuds, but I didn't run into any trouble at all. Directly pulling them straight off feels like i might rip them, but twisting them on/off seemed to work well for me. Also, you can definitely tell when you have these inserted in your ears properly from a sound quality that jumps up several notches.
Bottom Line:
The quality of these headphones are good, but the earbud fitting and bad build for on-the-go use ruins these for me. I feel like I can only use these when stationary, and I would have just gone and spent a little more for the full headphones if I had known that were the case. Also, it should be made clear that you aren't paying $150 purely for sound quality. You're paying for good sound quality and a giant markup price because of the Monster and Dr. Dre names attached and for the style. I see many people complaining about the overpriced pricetag attached to these headphones, but at the same time have an Apple computer. After so many years of Apple's form over function marketing it should be clear that anything with the name Monster, Apple, Louis Vuitton, or even Nike attached to the front of it is going to be overpriced. In the end, if these had fit my ears better I would have been completely satisfied with them for the under-retail price I got them for. If you do end up paying retail, I highly suggest you try a pair out first, or buy them somewhere that has a good return policy.
Made By: Monster
Retail Price: $149.95
Comes with: carrying travel case and 5 sets of earbuds
Onto the review.
Presentation & Style:
Even before opening the box you can tell that these are a very stylish pair of earphones. The overly done Apple-influenced Monster package looks nice, but isn't necessary, and most likely adds on ~$15-25 to the market price.
After taking the cover-sleeve off, a magnetically sealed case is inside. Inside the case we find the earphones and travel case housed in a nicely felt lined display along with a booklet insert with manual, warranty information, waste disposal information and a small advertisement for other Monster sound products.
The earphones themselves are definitely bold and unique looking. The red cable alone attracts attention.
The signature 'b' logo is placed on top of a brushed aluminum circle on each earphone. The red color used looks nice and gives them a unique style without looking overly flashy. I've taken these out in public twice and gotten positive comments on them both times.
Sound quality:
First off, I hope people don't expect these to sound as good as the full headphones, because they don't. That's not to say that they sound bad, however. These are obviously made for bass-heavy sound, specifically hip-hop music. I tried these hooked up directly to my computer and also on my ipod. On the ipod they seem to work best with the EQ's turned off, but some computer program's EQs enhance the sound. The sound gets too overpowered with 'Hip-Hop' and 'Heavy Bass' setting on the ipod. They also do a decent job of noise canceling, but probably not good enough for some people.
I ran through several Dre tracks to test them out with his own music, and they passed with flying colors. The bass isn't too heavy or overpowering and has a nice clear sound. The highs could be a bit louder, but the sound quality was still good. I tested them with all sorts of music, from hip-hop to emo to techno and they all sounded good.
Functionality/Practicality:
This is an area Monster has consistently made a selling point with its revolutionary tangle-free cord that took ten years to perfect. It's much thinner and slimmer than I expected it to be, and has worked out as Monster promised so far. The cable also has a piece that keeps the cable straight near the plug end of it, most likely to prevent the wires from bending harshly and going out quickly like most headphones do. The cord is a good size, probably too long for some though. The bulk of it is 3ft long, then it splits into the earphone cords which are ~15" long each, giving you ~51" of total cord.
Despite the tangle-free cord and hefty length, this is probably where the earphones take the biggest hit.
The first and probably biggest downside is with the earbuds. Although they come with five different sets, none of these seem to fit well for me, and many other reviewers. The default ones probably fit best, but still don't do a very good job. When sitting in place they work alright, but still aren't comfortable. I haven't used these for longer than a few hours at a time, but even then they get uncomfortable and start to hurt my ears. I think this is because of the large speaker size used. On the go these earbuds let me down even more. They consistently fell out of my ears about every 30 seconds while walking to/from class. I think part of this has to do with a rubber part on the cord acting as a weight, pulling them down out of my ears. They also stick out of your ears more than normal earphones, which is probably another factor. Unless you're going to sit perfectly still or have abnormal ears, plan on re-adjusting these earphones frequently.
Extras:
Some people complained about having a very hard time switching out earbuds, but I didn't run into any trouble at all. Directly pulling them straight off feels like i might rip them, but twisting them on/off seemed to work well for me. Also, you can definitely tell when you have these inserted in your ears properly from a sound quality that jumps up several notches.
Bottom Line:
The quality of these headphones are good, but the earbud fitting and bad build for on-the-go use ruins these for me. I feel like I can only use these when stationary, and I would have just gone and spent a little more for the full headphones if I had known that were the case. Also, it should be made clear that you aren't paying $150 purely for sound quality. You're paying for good sound quality and a giant markup price because of the Monster and Dr. Dre names attached and for the style. I see many people complaining about the overpriced pricetag attached to these headphones, but at the same time have an Apple computer. After so many years of Apple's form over function marketing it should be clear that anything with the name Monster, Apple, Louis Vuitton, or even Nike attached to the front of it is going to be overpriced. In the end, if these had fit my ears better I would have been completely satisfied with them for the under-retail price I got them for. If you do end up paying retail, I highly suggest you try a pair out first, or buy them somewhere that has a good return policy.
Day N Nite..
This song has been out for what seems like forever now, the remix has been somewhat of a house anthem for just about as long, and the video has now been out for awhile too, but I'm bored and so I thought I'd post it up, regardless of my tardiness.
I never thought this song was anything amazing, but definitely not bad. But this version of the video brings this song to another level. The editing style was pulled off nicely and the video has virtually seamless transitions that work well with whats going on in the video and also connect well with the lyrics.
I never thought this song was anything amazing, but definitely not bad. But this version of the video brings this song to another level. The editing style was pulled off nicely and the video has virtually seamless transitions that work well with whats going on in the video and also connect well with the lyrics.
Pick ups
been too busy with school to post on here recently..not that there's ever been anything worth posting about anyways. Spent 20 hours at the library within 2 days, slept at 7AM and then 2:30PM the next day..it wasn't too fun.
Anyways..heres some random crap i've picked up recently..well most of its recent.
And finally..having a sweet tooth + sales = bad..
Anyways..heres some random crap i've picked up recently..well most of its recent.
And finally..having a sweet tooth + sales = bad..
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Hello, Again, and goodbye.
Haven't posted or even gone on here in a long time.. been too busy :( Not that I ever post anything of actual content anyways. Hopefully I'll post some more sometime soon..
For now,
R.I.P Dorothy Kiekhaufer; 1917-2009.
Always Loved,
Forever missed,
Never Forgotten.
For now,
Always Loved,
Forever missed,
Never Forgotten.
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