Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Sam Worthington - Hilarious Interview

Hilarious as Hell interview with Sam Worthington (My AV) on a Talk show. He's so casual he went on stage in shorts, sandals & brought wine with him,
throwing the F bomb everywhere.

MUST watch. Oh, it's a #Youtube video.




J.



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Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Caprica (2009) IMDB Submission


My IMDB post has FINALLY been approved:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0799862/usercomments-44


Here is my content (Review) that I've submitted to IMDB through my account. It is currently pending submission, but I have no doubts that it will be declined. So here is my review contents until it is approved by IMDB for publication.


The Caprica episode (S01E01) is well done as a pilot. Really, this episode is the exact same content as the DVD pilot release. That having been said, episode 01 gives a very substantive background of the very popular "Battlestar Galactica" series (both the original and the 2007 remake). It significantly applies most to the 2007 series. As is the trending plots of sci-fi of late, this series explores "Virtual" life or environment. On top of this, we are given much background on the Adama family line as well as their relationship with the unrevealed (in the Battlestar Galactica series) creator of the Cylons. To the most part, this first episode revolves around the popular topic of "Virtual" life and (as is expected) early life of the colonies, and the birth of the Cylons.

Over all, I rather enjoyed this episode. Although, it was not new material for myself or anyone that has already seen the DVD release of the Caprica pilot, the series seems very promising. As is the case with many pilots, episode 01 leaves us with a cliff-hanger so to ensure a follow by an audience (sci-fi community). I'm definitely going to keep watching for resolve as well as development.

I give this series 8 stars







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Lost and Found: Season 6 premiere of LOST

"LOST" Season 06 premiere
(02 Feb 2010)



The season premiere of the last season of ABC's 'Lost'. "Lost and Found", is the title I'm giving this entry. A play on words really. With this last season, somehow, our friends, villains, others et. al. will somehow find there way off the island to civilization, or will remain on the island which they call home.


Tonight (02 Feb 2010 -- Tuesday), we were given a very unique experience, as far as TV series go. In a very "J.J. Abrams'", fashion, we were given quite the treat. We began our voyage with 3 hours of "Lost" entertainment. Lost Season 06E00 (the summary of season 5), Episode 01 (LAX part 1) Episode 2 (LAX part 2) were the much anticipated episodes of all Lost fans. We were not disappointed for our long wait.

"J.J. Abrams'", is a very active Tweep (Twitter member/user). He has a firm grasp of the power of social media hubs. Something that many other corporations have yet to master. He is down with the people, and talking to the people (in general mostly vs. individually). Many of "J.J. Abrams'" productions are highly intense, with a mass audience.

A summary of tonight's Season 06 atmosphere.
We (Losties as fans have come to be known) have been introduced to many concepts since season 03. Many Losties, in fact, could not keep up with the different concepts being thrown at the audience. We very quickly moved from the shows pilot of "mystery" and "fantasy" into the realm of science fiction. This was a problem for "Losties" that had no science fiction under their belts.
The shows flavor, quickly shifted from episodes seen in present tense, to episodes from 3yrs into the future with reference to the past on the island; Present tense to future tense referencing the past. You can see how this can blow your mind out of the water. The big kicker was, that the audience was never aware that the episodes were in the past, being referenced from the future, until the last two episodes of season 3. Very, very hard to keep up with for many. But most of us held true.
Season 4 brought us right into the future, 3 yrs from the rescue of Oceanic flight 815 (If you're getting 'Lost', you're not alone. You really have to be a hard-core "Lostie" to understand.)

To shorten this up, at the end of season 05, we are left with the conundrum of our main characters being in the past (in the Dharma initiative in the early 1970's), but some also being in the future.
The last we saw, was Jack attempting to implode the Swan station with a nuclear device, in the hopes that it will correct time and all of their woes and worries of being in the island, will somehow disappear through some temporal paradox of some kind. The last few minutes of Season 05 we see the juicy. The explosion that "kills" our characters in the past, and the "Jacob" we've all been hearing about for 5 years, being killed. What a way to end a season.

-- Season 06:
Finally. The fun of it all. We begin our episode 1 (LAX part 1) with all of our characters (including old and deceased ones) aboard the original Oceanic flight 815. Yes! They did it. They changed the past and prevented the catastrophes endured on the island. Everyone accounted for. That should be the end of the story of All things 'Lost'.

Of course it wasn't. We still have the rest of the season to fill. A sci-fi concept introduced to the show ( by "J.J. Abrams'" is the entire "Quantum mechanics" seen in many of our popular sci-fi shows such as the entire 'Star Trek' franchise, Stargates (all of them) etc. The idea, that time is not linear. The past, present and future are not always in that order. Further, in this sci-fi concept, two events, seeming to be mutually exclusive, actually are not.

The big question we've all been waiting for.
Q: "Did they do it?! Did the prevent Oceanic flight 815 from crash landing on the island with that HUGE explosion?"
A: Yes, and no.

Don't be so linear in thought; So 3-Dimensional. We have experienced a temporal paradox. I'm not really sure which one, as far as sci-fi standards go. Funny that eh. Causality maybe. (Look it up in Star-Trek-o-pedia or something).

We find that despite all of our main characters aboard Oceanic flight 815, that the original characters (from the future) are still trapped on the island; Seemingly 3-1/2 yrs in the future from our opening scene on Oceanic flight 815. Try to keep up. It gets really complicated in 3 hours of tying up loose ends.

Situation 1: Jacob is dead, killed by Benjamin Linus, at the order of "John". It turns out that "John" is actually the Smoke Monster. But really, just Jacob's nemesis, who found "a loop hole".

Situation 2: Our main characters, still on the island find themselves at what appears to be "The hatch" from the "Swan station". This, shortly after destroying what would've been the "Swan Station" SOB! Not to worry. We learn from a dying Juliet (who should've died in the nuclear detonation (keep up, I'm covering a lot in a very short time)) that they are actually NOT in the past where that detonation occurred, and that the "blown hatch" they found, is indeed the rubble of the nuclear detonation they made. There were no Dharma members to be found. In fact, the only thing we see, is "Jacob". Yes. The one who died an hour earlier (from the perspective of the show.) Quickly:
Jacob's orders:
1. Get to the temple to revive Sayid.
2. Give the guitar to whoever/whatever they find in the temple.
3. Tell the "Other's" (new leader now) that he (Jacob) is dead.
These orders are followed to the letter. Everybody in the temple runs and pours ashes around the inside of the temple, so as to protect themselves from "John" A.K.A. "The smoke monster".
Flare warnings are shot to warn everybody on the island.

Huge discovery here. All characters have somehow converged into the present. That is, the present in a time line as seen by the audience (3-1/2 yrs after the original crash of Oceanic flight 815. You know. The one that arrived safely at LAX 3-1/2 yrs earlier.

Still with me? Final scene in the "present", "John" A.K.A. "The smoke monster" has a score to settle with Richard. Richard is referenced as someone who wore chains at sometime. Into the jungle they both go, where nobody knows.

Situation 3: We continue to see flashes of the cast landing at LAX, safe and sound. Many things play themselves out in the order we would've expected from day 1 of the series pilot. However, there is one exception. Jack's father and coffin, still are missing.

All things seem to be where we would expected them (in a very fragmented sort of way). Let's end the show, and wait for next week. The cliff hanger we've all come to know.
Something is missing. Oh. Sayid who died at the temple, suddenly comes to life with the words, "What's happened?" My guess is that it is actually "Jacob" now. Just a poke in the dark.

I'll come back and clean up, this is my basic skeletal structure for the premiere of season 06 "Lost". Will they be or have they been found? Come back next week and read some more of the juicy.

"Lost and Found: Season 6 premiere"

"Jerry Zambrano"





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Friday, December 18, 2009

Avatar (2009)

AVATAR (2009) - Thursday Mid-night show - 12.17.2009 (SLC, UT)



IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0499549/

When I realized that #Avatar (Twitter lingo) was one week away from release, I went straight aways to Megaplextheaters (SLC) online to purchase my ticket. I have to say, I didn't realize I was going to sign up for the Thursday mid-night showing. I'm rather glad I did. Usually, whenever a really good movie is released, I like to attend opening night. This is how I make a determination on a movie's over-all viewer experience. If a movie that is highly anticipated meets the expectation of the audience, there almost always will be a huge viewer involvement. The Star Wars trilogy (both of them) is a perfect example. No one can forget standing in line over night (errr... so I hear anyway) for a ticket. Standing in line just to show off your light-saber and your Darth Maul costume (that was my favorite by the way). But the best part was being inside the theater to feel the excitement in the air. Every time there was a kick or laser fire or any action sequence, the crowd roared. If it was a funny scene, the crowd laughed almost hysterically. These are the tell-tail signs I was looking for while watching Avatar. Sadly, there was very little audience involvement in both the action or humor scenes. My first impression: It's over hyped and the reviews will not go well.

The Plot:
Who are we kidding. All one has to do, is watch the movie trailers (Online in HD @ Apple® Trailers) and the entire plot is unfolded for you. If this is what's going to make the movie for you, then you might want to wait to watch it at a matinee showing. But definitely worth more than the dollar showing a few months later. Much of the movie reminds me of several other animated movies. I saw a bit of Disney's "Pocahontas" and the entire "mother earth" theme, DreamWork's "Prince of Egypt" and the "Moses" theme, Peyo's "Smurfs" (1981, not the 2011) - for the blue characters, and even James Cameron's "Aliens". This last one due to the alien features of the creatures. One can even see a body-armor robotic suit, very similar to the one Sigourney Weaver wore in Aliens. Imagine that. Sigourney Weaver in an alien themed movie with "loaders", fan-driven air crafts, rescue mission, etc. Truth be told, only Sigourney can get away with that. Does anyone remember the "Aliens" sequence where Sigourney is in full body armor robotic "loader", where she comes to save the day yelling out, "Get away from her you B!T@H" Something to that effect you'll see. All that's missing, from Aliens, is Sigourney running around in her underwear. Wait, does she run around in her under wear in Avatar? Dunno.


Q: Aliens? or Avatar?


In the movie itself, all plots and sub-plots are very predictable and obvious. Each development or obstacle in the movie, comes along with it, a very transparent resolve. In fact, you can pretty much put the whole thing together just by reading the IMDB summary and viewing the trailers (exactly what I said at the beginning of the "Plot" summary).

However, do we really watch a movie solely for the anticipation of a plot development or to see a sudden reversal in role or theme? Well, I suppose the answer is yes. But, if you're a big FX enthusiast, or a gamer who loves his video rendering, then you'll enjoy, if nothing else, the visual experience in and of itself.

Visual experience:
I didn't watch the 3D version of it, so I can't speak for it. In the regular showing, the colors and textures are bright and vibrant (sounds very generic and cliche, but there it is). Actually the mix of computer generated textures and actual physical textures, are remarkably seamless, and make for a good marriage. I'm including some screen shots here (no spoilers, there all screen shots from the trailer/teaser). Feel free to click on them for the much larger version.

Action:
You are going to love the action and the hand to hand combat and all conflict scenes. I was very impressed by those scenes.  If you're anything like me, you'll go to the theater and watch Avatar for the action as well as the for the visual experience.  It's a really good adrenalin rush! I don't want to say too much more on this.  You're just going to have to experience it yourself.  If this is what will make the movie for you, then you're in for a treat.










My Rating:
Visual experience: 9/10
Action: 9/10
Story/plot development: 6/10 (not very original)

However, my personal take on it is this:
I'm watching it again tomorrow at the matinee show. Well worth it for me.
For me it was the heart-pounding experience, despite the obvious plot developments. The visual affects and all of the fight sequences that grabbed the "Military" or "Marine" in me. To a less degree, It was also the "Avatar" nature of it. Social media hubs or cyber-living has given us the idea of a virtual self. "A rebirth" to borrow the phrase from "Avatar".
Go and watch it, and figure out if you like it.

Oh, I almost forgot. If you're a "Lost" (of ABC) fan, you'll be excited to see "Anna Lucia Cortez" (Michelle Rodriguez). The same actress that plays Trudy Chacon in the movie.







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Monday, November 2, 2009

Dexter S04E06 720p HDTV


Dexter S04E06 720p HDTV




Title: If I Had a Hammer
Here is what TV.com had to say about this episode:
"Dexter knows it's only a matter of time before the Trinity Killer's latest handiwork is discovered by Miami Metro. He has to work doubly hard to stay one step ahead of their investigation. Debra is shut out from her own case. She considers risking her career and bending the rules in the name of justice. LaGuerta and Batista realize that by playing by the rules they may have painted themselves into a corner. Dexter gleans relationship advice from a most unlikely source when the friction between Rita and Dexter comes to a head."

First of all, I'd like to begin by letting everyone know just how disturbed I am by seeing a naked John Lithgow. Not a pleasant sight. I'm almost laughing on the inside, really.

It's interesting to note that throughout this episode, Dexter continues to see parts of himself in "The Trinity Killer" (Arthur Mitchell as played by John Lithgow).



Since the season began, baby already haven been born, Dexter and Rita marital problems have only grown. In the last episode, Rita finally finds out that Dexter never rid himself of his old apartment. As usual, Dexter's people skills only worsen the situation.
In comes family therapy. Dexter admits that he hasn't a clue on how to communicate with Rita. This leads Dexter to look for answers. Back to Arthur Mitchel AKA: The Trinity Killer. Since Dexter is seeing so much of himself in Arthur, Dex decides to find some life's lessons from Arthur's own life; Managing his serial killings and his model family. Of course, this splits Dexter's focus. Family vs hunting down The Trinity Killer.

Answer: "Two birds with one stone". At least that's how I see it. In following and studying Arthur Mitchell for the inevitable chopping table, Dexter is learning the tricks of the trade. Since season 1 of Dexter, we've always known that he sees himself as mimicking life and emotions. But is learning from The Trinity Killer another lesson in imitation? Who knows. Dexter freely admits that he cannot see his life without Rita and the kids.

Back to Miami PD. La Guerta and Batista are facing transfer due to their "official" relationship statement. How to resolve. Career or relationship first. Well, the resolve on this is somewhat sad, but the obvious development if we're to keep all of our regular or favorite characters. Career before relationship. I never really was one for office romance anyway. It never ends good. At least, in this episode both La Guerta and Batista go their own ways without creating a hostile work environment.

Dexter is still on the prowl. Finding clue after clue; Pushing Arthur's buttons for a reaction. If Dexter only had a hammer? Well, it would seem that in the end The Trinity Killer gives Dexter his very own "starter kit", hammer included.

I rather liked this episode. I always like all or most Dexter episodes. I'm sure that next week we will be met with yet another suspenseful episode. And for those of us that are caught up with the slogan "Dexter: America's most likable serial-killer", we just can't wait to see Arthur Mitchell on Dexter's chopping block... errrr I mean table.


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