Friday, July 18, 2008
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
bah, slightly frustrated
well, there's too much backlog now to keep track of everything, so i'll just list some stuff.
watched death note; for some reason i never noted that here. in addition, i saw hancock last weekend and will be seeing the dark knight soon. also of note this summer were iron man and wall-e, though i've seen neither. nothing else jumps out at me for now.
gonna try listening to some iron maiden either during the work day or once i get home.
watched death note; for some reason i never noted that here. in addition, i saw hancock last weekend and will be seeing the dark knight soon. also of note this summer were iron man and wall-e, though i've seen neither. nothing else jumps out at me for now.
gonna try listening to some iron maiden either during the work day or once i get home.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
list of stuff so that i don't forget
played demon's crest and tetris attack.
watched night at the roxbury.
read count of monte cristo.
watched night at the roxbury.
read count of monte cristo.
Saturday, May 10, 2008
there will be blood (anderson 2007) (there will be vagueness)
based on upton sinclair's oil, there will be blood chronicles the actions of daniel plainview, an entrepreneur who discovers gold out west in the early 1900s. the 'message' is familiar: greed corrupts. the execution is special.
from the very beginning, there is darkness and noise. the entirety of the film, actually, is extremely noisy. because of the constant presence of oil-drilling, rhythmic banging forms the bassline of much of there will be blood's soundtrack. hints to the current tone are concealed under the crashing sound of hydraulics, metal, and bubbling oil.
the visuals are dramatic and suitably so. in the style of classic westerns, the epic desert dominates any outdoor scene. there will be blood cuts harshly between the blackened, sordid pits of the oil wells and the blinding sand of california. every character is dark and flawed, and the costuming shows it. half the time characters on screen have their faces smothered in black oil. daniel day-lewis, whenever presenting a public image, is shot as having impossibly shiny, smooth hair and skin, as if his flesh and blood are made of oil.
and man, the shots it takes are just great. the oil itself is the most disgusting thing you've ever seen. in one scene, it explodes out of the ground and forms a geyser. a hundred-foot geyser that catches fire. it is a very, very cool sight.
of course the greatness of the film is in the acting. daniel day-lewis is, well, just as good as everyone has been saying he is. theatrical when pitching his sales, nervy when discussing the past, and throughly unhinged when mentally unquiet. the degradation of his character is remarkable, and, in what i found to be an incredibly bizarre twist, the film's tone becomes more comical as day-lewis really loses it. the drama and tension of the first two hours of the movie slowly dissolve into an equally tense but strangely humorous epilogue. the final scene in particular is a blend of pure slapstick and evil.
it's quite a long movie, and you'll start to feel it at around an hour and a half into it. it'll feel like an epic tale, which it rightfully is. but if you persist, you'll find that there is a ton of entertainment to be found here, too. and damn, it is good.
from the very beginning, there is darkness and noise. the entirety of the film, actually, is extremely noisy. because of the constant presence of oil-drilling, rhythmic banging forms the bassline of much of there will be blood's soundtrack. hints to the current tone are concealed under the crashing sound of hydraulics, metal, and bubbling oil.
the visuals are dramatic and suitably so. in the style of classic westerns, the epic desert dominates any outdoor scene. there will be blood cuts harshly between the blackened, sordid pits of the oil wells and the blinding sand of california. every character is dark and flawed, and the costuming shows it. half the time characters on screen have their faces smothered in black oil. daniel day-lewis, whenever presenting a public image, is shot as having impossibly shiny, smooth hair and skin, as if his flesh and blood are made of oil.
and man, the shots it takes are just great. the oil itself is the most disgusting thing you've ever seen. in one scene, it explodes out of the ground and forms a geyser. a hundred-foot geyser that catches fire. it is a very, very cool sight.
of course the greatness of the film is in the acting. daniel day-lewis is, well, just as good as everyone has been saying he is. theatrical when pitching his sales, nervy when discussing the past, and throughly unhinged when mentally unquiet. the degradation of his character is remarkable, and, in what i found to be an incredibly bizarre twist, the film's tone becomes more comical as day-lewis really loses it. the drama and tension of the first two hours of the movie slowly dissolve into an equally tense but strangely humorous epilogue. the final scene in particular is a blend of pure slapstick and evil.
it's quite a long movie, and you'll start to feel it at around an hour and a half into it. it'll feel like an epic tale, which it rightfully is. but if you persist, you'll find that there is a ton of entertainment to be found here, too. and damn, it is good.
great teacher onizuka - thoughts on the second half and closing statements
well, i finished great teacher onizuka. have my overall thoughts changed? objectively it is much of the same. cliches and lazy writing abound in the dialogue, artwork, music, pacing, and basically everything. was it more enjoyable? sure.
i guess part of it is just the length of the series. as the show continues, i just tend to feel more connected to the characters. therefore, while onizuka himself ain't a great protagonist, i did manage to find that 'favorite side character' in the mid-20s, and she definitely helped to raise the overall rating of the show.
the concluding arcs of the show raise some serious business drama. unfortunately, the show suffers when it tries major drama. while gto's high points are generally darker and more serious, they are definitely not the scenes that result in dramatic gasps and predictable revelations.
how is the show overall? i certainly wouldn't call it simple, heartwarming tripe. i suppose it's got its comedic elements as well. but the 'life lessons' often feel a bit too forced. the show succeeds best when it it just lets its characters flow naturally.
grand teacher onizuka is not too long of a watch and it goes by fairly quickly. the humor is really funny sometimes. onizuka does have some great moments. it's generally feel-good, and it's got a great character. when it's serious it can be very touching. downsides have been methodically listed already. it's cliche-dependent, juvenile, visually unappealing, unbelievable within its own realms. but admist the sea of mediocrity it's got its moments. if you want a high school anime, are willing to wait for these moments, and can withstand some pure idiocy, watch gto. otherwise, wait for the next review!
i guess part of it is just the length of the series. as the show continues, i just tend to feel more connected to the characters. therefore, while onizuka himself ain't a great protagonist, i did manage to find that 'favorite side character' in the mid-20s, and she definitely helped to raise the overall rating of the show.
the concluding arcs of the show raise some serious business drama. unfortunately, the show suffers when it tries major drama. while gto's high points are generally darker and more serious, they are definitely not the scenes that result in dramatic gasps and predictable revelations.
how is the show overall? i certainly wouldn't call it simple, heartwarming tripe. i suppose it's got its comedic elements as well. but the 'life lessons' often feel a bit too forced. the show succeeds best when it it just lets its characters flow naturally.
grand teacher onizuka is not too long of a watch and it goes by fairly quickly. the humor is really funny sometimes. onizuka does have some great moments. it's generally feel-good, and it's got a great character. when it's serious it can be very touching. downsides have been methodically listed already. it's cliche-dependent, juvenile, visually unappealing, unbelievable within its own realms. but admist the sea of mediocrity it's got its moments. if you want a high school anime, are willing to wait for these moments, and can withstand some pure idiocy, watch gto. otherwise, wait for the next review!
Monday, May 5, 2008
gto (1-21, sub)
invested a bit of time and watched episodes 12 thru 21 tonight. mixed bag. some episodes killed me with how unoriginal they were, but often the subsequent episodes would compensate.
for example, episode 12 began a mini-arc of three episodes in which 12 and 13 were abysmal, focusing on a completely stereotypical character: a top-tier university graduate who couldn't look at onizuka without exuding snobbery and elitism. meanwhile, he has no redeeming characteristics. he is cowardly and will not even help his stalkee when she drops her stuff, though he does talk greasily to her. he is maniacal and attacks onizuka to the point where he breaks his own computer because he suspects onizuka likes his stalkee. he decorates his walls with pictures of his stalkee and spies on her from his apartment window. he licks his tutee's foot to ingratiate himself with her politically powerful parents.
and yet episode 14 manages to pull it all together, somehow. while the character receives no redemption, his plans to boot onizuka from the school are soundly foiled, and in such a manner that it downplays his existence at all. phew. call it fixing a mistake or just the development of the plot; i was just glad that ended.
the best episodes of the batch focused on a distinctly more complex character - a problematic student who never shows up to class but allegedly has an iq of over 200. while the development of her storyline was entirely standard, as a character she was very well drawn, well acted, and surprisingly well written. the episodes involving her were the most enjoyable of the series.
she fell into another mini-arc that continued the somewhat monster-of-the-week formula of gto. onizuka doesn't really develop as a teacher, but different students or adults will 'get in his way,' and it'll be up to him to set them straight.
for a series so lauded for its humor, i cannot support this popularity so far. onizuka's humor ostensibly stems largely from the fact that he is a twenty-two-year-old guy who's never had any experience with women and is a complete pervert. however, this idea is subverted so often with his maturity that it's a complete nuisance when it does occur. it feels like the show undermines onizuka's self-control when it makes him this pathetic sex-crazed maniac. like, i understand how it's supposed to be funny, and it could have been were onizuka someone like, say, satou from nhk ni youkoso! - but he's not. he's a jacked black belt with good looks and complete courage in himself. he's almost too perfect, which wouldn't be a problem in itself, except the show tries to play off his 'flaws' and tries to make him too much of a vulnerable character. compare to kenshin, where the series is all about how indestructible kenshin is and how he finds his own limits.
we know he's invulnerable. putting him 'in jeopardy' just doesn't work. and trying to play 'faults' seems like a waste of time, knowing onizuka's own invulnerability.
for example, episode 12 began a mini-arc of three episodes in which 12 and 13 were abysmal, focusing on a completely stereotypical character: a top-tier university graduate who couldn't look at onizuka without exuding snobbery and elitism. meanwhile, he has no redeeming characteristics. he is cowardly and will not even help his stalkee when she drops her stuff, though he does talk greasily to her. he is maniacal and attacks onizuka to the point where he breaks his own computer because he suspects onizuka likes his stalkee. he decorates his walls with pictures of his stalkee and spies on her from his apartment window. he licks his tutee's foot to ingratiate himself with her politically powerful parents.
and yet episode 14 manages to pull it all together, somehow. while the character receives no redemption, his plans to boot onizuka from the school are soundly foiled, and in such a manner that it downplays his existence at all. phew. call it fixing a mistake or just the development of the plot; i was just glad that ended.
the best episodes of the batch focused on a distinctly more complex character - a problematic student who never shows up to class but allegedly has an iq of over 200. while the development of her storyline was entirely standard, as a character she was very well drawn, well acted, and surprisingly well written. the episodes involving her were the most enjoyable of the series.
she fell into another mini-arc that continued the somewhat monster-of-the-week formula of gto. onizuka doesn't really develop as a teacher, but different students or adults will 'get in his way,' and it'll be up to him to set them straight.
for a series so lauded for its humor, i cannot support this popularity so far. onizuka's humor ostensibly stems largely from the fact that he is a twenty-two-year-old guy who's never had any experience with women and is a complete pervert. however, this idea is subverted so often with his maturity that it's a complete nuisance when it does occur. it feels like the show undermines onizuka's self-control when it makes him this pathetic sex-crazed maniac. like, i understand how it's supposed to be funny, and it could have been were onizuka someone like, say, satou from nhk ni youkoso! - but he's not. he's a jacked black belt with good looks and complete courage in himself. he's almost too perfect, which wouldn't be a problem in itself, except the show tries to play off his 'flaws' and tries to make him too much of a vulnerable character. compare to kenshin, where the series is all about how indestructible kenshin is and how he finds his own limits.
we know he's invulnerable. putting him 'in jeopardy' just doesn't work. and trying to play 'faults' seems like a waste of time, knowing onizuka's own invulnerability.
Sunday, May 4, 2008
great teacher onizuka (1-11, sub)
did not feel in the mood for studying today - who ever does? - so i watched the first eleven episodes of great teacher onizuka. the first two episodes of this show were a pain, and then it rose up to a level resembling mediocrity. it's a feel-good anime with kinda poor execution. the humor doesn't do it for me that much, and anime cliches abound. for example, playstation games make blip bloop beep sounds like nes games. right after a girl jumps in a pool, she starts crying, and for some reason the tears are marked extremely clearly on her face. when a leader of a bunch of insignificant characters says something, the others just smirk in knowing agreement; you can practically her them saying 'baaaa.' all male characters are obsessed with middle/high school girls' panties.
there are some upsides. onizuka's a pretty good protagonist and the humor is good at times. in particular there was this instance where onizuka whipped out an attack complete with high-pitched howls reminiscent of kim kaphwan and swung his arms with fading just like rock or geese's shinkuu nage. not sure if it was a direct homage but i certainly enjoyed it. the perspective of the storyline is nice, too. at first the episodes were very onizuka-centric, but gradually they shifted more toward student-trouble, onizuka-fixing. it's a tried and true formula. echoes of early episodes of monster, where kenzou tenma visited various members of the german countryside and helped with their problems, and of mushishi, where ginko travels the world to assist with mushi.
as a final note, this is the first show where i willingly picked sub over dub after having downloaded both options. some of the dialogue is just atrociously delivered in the dub. while the same is probably true in the sub, i can't understand them, and their weird tones of voice can be attributed to 'oh it's just 'cause they're japanese' - and then miraculously it bothers me less.
yeah. look for more comments on gto same place same time tomorrow night!
there are some upsides. onizuka's a pretty good protagonist and the humor is good at times. in particular there was this instance where onizuka whipped out an attack complete with high-pitched howls reminiscent of kim kaphwan and swung his arms with fading just like rock or geese's shinkuu nage. not sure if it was a direct homage but i certainly enjoyed it. the perspective of the storyline is nice, too. at first the episodes were very onizuka-centric, but gradually they shifted more toward student-trouble, onizuka-fixing. it's a tried and true formula. echoes of early episodes of monster, where kenzou tenma visited various members of the german countryside and helped with their problems, and of mushishi, where ginko travels the world to assist with mushi.
as a final note, this is the first show where i willingly picked sub over dub after having downloaded both options. some of the dialogue is just atrociously delivered in the dub. while the same is probably true in the sub, i can't understand them, and their weird tones of voice can be attributed to 'oh it's just 'cause they're japanese' - and then miraculously it bothers me less.
yeah. look for more comments on gto same place same time tomorrow night!
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