Posted 1 month ago at 21:00. 0 comments
OK, so I’m a fanboy, but go check out Joss’ latest project, Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, anyway. Episodes I and II are online already, with the final episode scheduled for Saturday.
Neil Patrick Harris steals the show so far, but Nathan Fillion never fails to entertain, going from comically over-archetypal superhero to penis…erm, dick at the drop of a hat. Does Nathan remind anyone else of a young Elvis, or is it just me and my man-crush?
Current Tunes: Nothing | Filed under Movies, Music, TV, Video
Posted 2 years, 5 months ago at 11:37. 0 comments
I recommend Me and You and Everyone We Know: a charming and hilarious, if sometimes uncomfortable, look at the search for connection in the modern age.
Current Tunes: Robert Miles - Release Me, courtesy of Pandora | Filed under Movies
Posted 2 years, 7 months ago at 10:19. 0 comments
Like most people, I was initially put off by the length of the Lord of the Rings movies. 3+ hours is a long time for anyone, especially those with a penchant for purchasing 32oz beverages at the concession stand, to sit still in a theatre.
Over the past few weeks, I’ve had the pleasure of re-watching all three movies on DVD. This was the way these films were meant to be enjoyed, and the ability to pause and return to them at your leisure is key. I highly recommend watching the bonus features as well; the sheer scope of the undertaking is quite impressive in and of itself.
Current Tunes: Ministry - Thieves | Filed under Movies
Posted 2 years, 7 months ago at 17:27. 0 comments
In vaguely chronological order:
Best wishes to everyone in 2006!
Posted 2 years, 8 months ago at 16:25. 0 comments
Serenity was released on DVD today. You should probably go buy it.
Current Tunes: Paul Oakenfold - Live @ Gatecrasher Vs Godskitchen in Birmingham - 2001-10-28 | Filed under Movies
Posted 2 years, 10 months ago at 14:19. 0 comments
Tycho’s take on Serenity is pretty much bang on, IMO.
Current Tunes: GrooveSalad, courtesy of somafm | Filed under Movies
Posted 2 years, 10 months ago at 11:17. 1 comment
Air Canada did two things today to impress me:
Oh yes, and Calgary’s airport is still teh yay.
Current Tunes: GrooveSalad, courtesy of somafm | Filed under Movies, Travel
Posted 2 years, 10 months ago at 10:49. 0 comments
I can’t remember the last time I was in a casino prior to this trip, if in fact I’ve ever been in one at all. I’m pretty glad that someone “arranged” the Casino Job because it gave me a chance to visit the cultural icon that is Las Vegas without any of the necessary pretense of gambling or strip clubs. I was doubly thankful that we were staying with Ian’s friends, Chris and Sarah, rather than on the Strip, because it helped put the whole Las Vegas phenomenon into context. Real people do live here too.
I use the term “arranged” above to describe the Casino Job very loosely because there was a depressing lack if organization. I guess we know now why the Browncoats lost. If Chris hadn’t stepped in at the last minute and arranged the midnight showing, the whole thing would likely have fallen apart.
Ian and I did not attend the midnight showing on Thursday, of course. We arrived in Vegas late in the afternoon the next day. We met up briefly with the remnants of the Browncoats pool party (honestly, I think I’m glad I missed that part), made plans to see Serenity with a few of them later that evening, and then set off to wander the strip.
As a monument to excess, the Las Vegas strip is without parallel. From the Imperial Palace, we wandered north up the Strip towards the Stratosphere before catching the mono…d’oh! at the Sahara back down to the MGM Grand. Chris is right: the MGM Grand is the fricking Death Star. It just goes on and on and on…
It was dark by this time, and though the Strip is impressive during the day, the lights at night are spectacular. With our meeting time for the Serenity premiere looming, we made a quick jaunt south to take some pictures of the Luxor at night, before hoofing it north again to get back to the Imperial Palace and our car.
As luck would have it, just as we were sprinting past the Bellagio, the music blared and we got to have our own little Ocean’s Eleven moment, only to the tune of Elvis instead of Debussy.
Despite the delay (as if we weren’t going to stop for the fountain), we made it to the Palms with fully 10 minutes to spare. I was disappointed to note that the theatre was only about half full. I guess there are too many distractions in Vegas for plain-jane movies, even big damn ones, to be a very big draw.
My thoughts on Serenity after a second viewing: awesome. Despite it’s initial awesomeness, I had some problems coming to grips with the way things played out after seeing the preview screening. All I can say to people who feel the same is this: see it a second time. With the shock value gone, you’re able to fully appreciate the movie.
Meanwhile, back in Vegas, our intrepid heroes were lured by the evils of poor Casino Job planning to the Karaoke bar at the Imperial Palace. Unable to endure more than one horrible Jimmy Buffet cover, we quickly escaped with some like-minded Browncoats to more mellow surroundings at a bar just off the casino floor.
We bid the other Browncoats adieu around midnight, and headed home. I don’t know what time we finally went to bed though, because sleep got pre-empted by a full prime rib dinner at Jerry’s Nugget at 1:30am. Vegas is always open for business.
Posted 2 years, 10 months ago at 10:15. 0 comments
Ian and I headed out to Venice tonight, largely to fulfill my White Men Can’t Jump fantasies. Shortly after arriving, we passed by a restaurant called Bite that billed itself as serving Asian street food. This piqued our interest enough to get us in the door, and the sake samplers and excellent nibblies kept us there for a good while. Sadly though by the time we left the restaurant, Muscle Beach, the courts, and well, just about everything else was deserted. We wandered the canals for a bit before heading home, marvelling at the eerie glow from the fires that lit the horizon to the north.
Current Tunes: Nothing | Filed under Dining, Movies, Travel
Posted 2 years, 11 months ago at 08:17. 2 comments
Thanks to the good people of the Ottawa browncoats, Kris, Kev and I were able to take in a pre-screening of Serenity tonight.
Spoiler-free synopsis: great acting, good action and smart funny, but what else would you expect with Whedon writing? Recommended.
Current Tunes: GrooveSalad, courtesy of somafm | Filed under Movies
