Terminator Salvation

broderic on May 29, 2009

Terminator Salvation. Even the title doesn't make sense.There are at least several movies residing in the latest Terminator
flick. There's the story of the new cyborg, Markus. Is he a terminator
or man's salvior? There's the story of John Connor. How does he become
the great leader he is made out to be in the previous movies? There's
the story of Kyle Reese. How did he become the cool, crafty veteran
that made John Connor send him back to the first movie? Then there's
the story of humanity after judgement day. How did we survive and what
are we doing to win? These would be interesting stories in and of
themselves. They would make perfectly good movies. But mash them into
one film and you have a mess.Terminator Salvation wants to tell it all, and in so doing, tells us
nothing. It's very disjointed. First, we meet Markus, a condemned
prisoner, before judgement day. Then we're off to John Connor who
wasn't even the leader of the resistance. He finds something or other
and blah, blah, blah, we're needing to go follow this yadda-yadda-yadda.
(I still don't know what that was all about!). Next comes Kyle Reese
and his meet up with cyborg Markus. He's just a kid! Finally, we get
explosions in a factory harkening back to all the previous Terminator
movies — melt then freeze then crush. In the end, it's all about
heart.Wait for this movie on sci fi network.1 of 5 stars.http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0438488/

Still in last place

broderic on May 24, 2009

Watching and listening to the Orioles play the Nationals. Going into this series, I was incredulous that we were as bad as that team. I mean, they’re the worst in the majors we’re better, right? Not so fast. Our hitters at the end of the order are just as bad. Just as bad is our pitching.

But we’ve done well so far these last two games.

We’ve won 4-2 in extra innings last night and 2-1 with only three hits tonight. Amazing. Both teams are evenly matched.

We are just as bad but just a little bit better than them.

For she is kami-sama

broderic on May 22, 2009

It’s been three years since the original showing of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya was broadcast in Japan. It has been a long wait for the second season. As you know, I’ve been waiting, then not waiting for the second season.

At first the original season was going to be broadcast, but this time in the chronological order similar to the story path in the light novels. This is when I explain that the original broadcast order was funky with the first four chronological episodes, the literal light novel story, where interspersed with other stories from the SOS Brigade.

It seems like they’ll follow chronologically the story so it will take a while for the second season to be fully released

If you can’t wait like me, and don’t want to get your bit torrent client up and running, then you can follow along as the new episodes of Haruhi are release by reading some anime bloggers.

Tsundere Goodness

broderic on May 21, 2009

Kei-chan bringing the tsundere

Grade S on the zettai ryouki scale: grade A thigh high stockings, twin tails, tsundere goodness. Kei-chan!

Good sixth episode for Hatsukoi Limited. The mangaka, Kawashita-sensei, previously did Ichigo 100%. Whereas Ichigo 100% focuses on harem style, love triangle fun, Hatsukoi Limited focuses on love dodecahdron style. Every girl likes some guy who likes some other girl who likes another guy. It’s a nice short read in manga about 4 volumes or so. The anime is faithful to the story because it is so compact. The animation is faithful to Kawashita-sensei’s style. In fact, I think Kei Enomoto is drawn better in the anime. Yet, Kawashita-sensei still rulez with her trademark curvy girls.

Star Trek

broderic on May 13, 2009

I’ll go ahead and say it, “Star Trek was fun.”

There were space battles. And worm holes. And Vulcans. And Romulans. Big space ships from the future and the Starship Enterprise. There was sexy Uhura and ninja-tastic Sulu. Scotty, his pal, and their tribble show up. Bones McCoy came as the curmudgeon of the group while a young Checkov exhibited the youthful exuberance of a young Checkov. And Winona Rider.

But Star Trek is Kirk and Spock. They take center stage in this movie as it explores how these ambitious and talented Starfleet officers became rivals and then friends. Yes, at first, they are rivals in the way they command a ship to the woman they bed. Kirk, all cocky and brash, makes a joke of the Kobyashi Maru excercise which Spocked programmed. He beat it, but misses the finer the point of the lesson. Kirk, all cocky and brash, thinks that he can woo Uhura, then he finds out she’s got a thing for Spock. D’oh! Both of theses officers may be the best that Starfleet has produced, but neither one will budge on who should be the leader.

In the end it that leader is Spock, but not of this movie, our Spock whom imdb lists as Spock Prime. (Like Earth Prime of the DC universe). Spock is that leader. As the universal ambassador in our universe, he tried to save the Romulus only to have sparked a time conundrum which kicks off our movie. So, the acts in this film are not done in the same universe as what we’ve watched in the last forty years. It is an alternative which may spark some interesting stories.

What makes this film fun is the introduction of old friends. It may not be the way true diehard Star Trek Trekkies know how each character came to be, but for us simple Trekkers it’s okay as we meet our good friends at a much younger and adventurous time. This film doesn’t foolishly retcon new backstories to the characters, but re-imagines their lives in this alternative univers. It’s like they are given a different face, but remain the same person as they always were.

This new Star Trek is pretty geeky, but accessible. I think I want to see it again in the theatre.

5 of 5 stars.

More Mysterious

broderic on May 12, 2009

Umm. I wonder who could this be?

If they’ve cracked the code, or if they got those software sweatshops in India on the case, we’re in fro some trouble.