It's Aang! Like BANG, not BONG!

Ok, outside of the inexplicable mispronunciation of several major characters' names, The Last Airbender was not nearly as horrifically bad as the critics (nearly all of them) would have you believe. I'm not exactly sure from whence all this vitriol comes. It's certainly not the worst movie ever to disgrace the big screen (shoots side-eye at Van Helsing). I'm not really buying the whole "they didn't cast Asians" whine-o-rama. The Fire Nation seemed predominantly Indian--um, otherwise known as Asian--and the entire Earth Nation seemed to be East Asian. As far as Aang, I don't know the actor's ancestry, but the kid looks and sounds like Aang to me. And as for Katara and Sokka, in the cartoon, they have blue eyes. I don't know many blue-eyed Asians. The cartoon relies heavily on Asian influences and aesthetics (ie: Chinese calligraphy, martial arts, Kiyoshi warriors, etc), but it's a freakin' cartoon, people, and an American one, at that! Get over it!

ANYway, the biggest problems I had with the movie (besides the mispronunciation of names) were the less-than-creative dialogue, which translated into slightly wooden performances, and the feeling that it was very, I dunno, rushed, I guess. It seemed like Shamalamadingdong was trying to just get it over with before the studio shut him down or something. If I hadn't already been familiar with the story, I could see myself being a little confused.

On the up side:

1. Appa! (yip yip)
2. F/X were decent
3. Uncle Iroh--not much like his cartoon counterpart, but better, methinks

How many ants are needed to fill an apartment?

Ten ants!

Researchers at Texas A&M have proposed battling invasive South American fire ants with the phorid fly (aka the humpback fly). The fly lays eggs in the ant's body, and the resulting maggot eats through the ant's brain. The ant becomes disoriented and staggers around until eventually its head falls off.

wtf???

I spent $$ for THIS?

Top 10 Worst Movies I've Ever Seen

1. Van Helsing--two words: Kate Beckinsale sucks (ok, three words)

2. Hannibal--just gross.

3. Top Gun--first movie I ever fell asleep at.

4. Jaws: The Revenge--better subtitle: The Refund

5. Indiana Jones & the Temple of Doom--two words: Kate Capshaw

6. Pearl Harbor--Pro: Mako's in it Con: Kate Beckinsale doesn't get kamikaze'd

7. Transformers 2--a robot humps Megan Fox's leg. WTF?

8. Stayin' Alive--Frank Stallone sings! Jesus tap dancing Christ...

9. 2012--why couldn't the world have ended before this
movie did?

10. Pink Panther 2--Bambi got more laughs than this

In my defense, I did not actually pay to see Pink Panther 2--it was playing on the bus I took to Boston (both freakin' ways).

Calamari Wrestler

This highly-anticipated, highly-recommended Netflix movie arrived last week. Finally got a chance to see it Wednesday night as part of my post-finals celebration (which also involved a REALLY amazing bottle of Riesling from Germany, courtesy of Hiroya-san).

It's exactly what the title would have you believe. A freakin' giant squid wrestler. But it's done with such clear affection and a seriousness that belies it's kee-razy premise. And the "Making Of" special feature--pretty funny.

I give it "Two Tentacles Up"!

School Shmool

So, after agonizing for weeks over whether or not to take physics this summer (that just SOUNDS wrong), I have decided that my health--nay--my very SANITY, hinges on my taking the summer off. So take it off, I shall. The summer, that is.

Zombie Nazis ruin EVERYTHING!

I think maybe the only thing worse than a Nazi is a zombie Nazi. Like Nazis aren't bad enough, now they gotta eat brains, too? Dead Snow is my second foray (Shock Waves is first) into this sub-genre of zombie movies--or is it the sub-genre of Nazi movies? Anyway, vacationing group of 20-somethings (already, they deserve to die), a cabin in remote Norway, Sweden, Finland--somewhere cold and Nordic, creepiness ensues: blood, entrails, chainsaws, self-amputation, etc. Most awesome! I think that Nazis are the only group that you can openly and safely hate these days without being labelled politically incorrect. Remember when it used to be the Russians (Rocky IV anyone)? Now we have the warm fuzzies for our comrades. But Nazis? Those guys are just total dinks. I predict that they will remain the quintessential Hollywood bad guys well into the next century, unless in the next 100 years, some new and reviled baddies come along. But I really doubt it. Nazis are just too perfectly evil to ever go out of style.

options...

It's easy to say you don't want something when having it is still an option.