entertainment, technology and more
In: Movie Review
6 Dec 2009If Pandorum’s goal is to create another cult classic like Event Horizon, the finished product is far from perfect. Pandorum asks the audience to follow along a psychological thriller where the crew of the space ship Elysium awakens to deal with memory loss, hallucinations and creepy humanoid creatures. Lieutenant Payton (Dennis Quaid) and Corporal Bower (Ben Fosters) are likely the only survivor as the spaceship launched from Earth long, long, long time ago to their new home.
This tale from the 22nd century clocks in at around 108 minute mark, and yet the movie feels too recycled and boring. If you thought ogling at futuristic yet dark corridors for that period of time would be fun, you’re gravely mistaken. This movie feels very much like Alien, with the creature’s fast speed, agility, ability to jump out of vents, but since it is derivative of a movie franchise that’s been done to death, it is tough to find something worth cheering for. Earth is destroyed and humanity’s only hope rests with these handful survivors… yet their tale is surprisingly uninteresting. Visuals are so-so (when they’re not too dark and you can actually make out the details), special effects are pretty bland and the only redeeming quality would be Dennis Quaid’s performance.
This isn’t a space masterpiece of horror and sci-fi, just another interesting idea that didn’t spend enough time in the oven.
Rating: 30%
In: Movie Review
18 Oct 2009There are lots of movies featuring zombies (if you doubt that, you can look at the listing on Wikipedia), and Zombieland is one of the easiest to recommend comedic zombie films. The movie follows the story of Columbus, played by Jesse Eisenberg, who has avoided human contact as much as possible and now that an infection has ravaged through the country, he must band together with the remaining survivors in order to defeat the hordes of zombies.
Shy and timid Columbus meets Tallahassee, played by Woody Harrelson, who is almost an expert zombie killing machine reluctantly takes Columbus under his wings and together they travel: Columbus back to see his parents, and Tallahassee to find a Twinkie.
On the way they meet 2 sisters Little Rock and Wichita (since everyone in this movie is named after a city, in order to not develop any personal attachment) which complicate feelings as Columbus is a… virgin. As all these movies tend to do, the parties end up at an amusement park in the West Coast for the big finale.
The movie is a simple guilty and violent pleasure: plenty of zombies get killed in various ways, plenty of humans get killed and yet we develop a personal connection to the 4 survivors. The movie doesn’t have too many actors as this is a road trip of these 4 survivors: there is a cameo by a pretty big name actor as a human survivor, who feels very appropriate. In the end, this is one of the best zombie comedy movies (almost as good as Shawn of the Dead). If you are even remotely interested in a zombie comedy, make sure to visit Zombieland for some good fun.
Rating: 80%
In: Uncategorized
3 Sep 2009Harmony remotes are one of the best universal remotes available thanks to their ease of use and Activities, where you can program the remote based on the things you do, such as Watch TV or Listen to Music. Logitech has just unveiled an entry level remote at just $149. You can control up to 6 devices, and it comes with rechargeable batteries (although you will need to plug it through the USB port as there is no dedicated charging cradle). For a review of how Harmony remotes function, read my post about Harmony One.
In: Electronics| Internet
25 Aug 2009
Sony has finally unveiled its Kindle fighter, calling it Sony Reader Daily Edition. Apart from lacking a catchy name, it does feature a 7″ screen as well as 3G connectivity through AT&T. Just like the Kindle, there is no monthly fee to get connected. Sony is implementing a virtual library system where you can digitally “borrow” a book for a limited time, after which it will be automatically deleted from the device. Priced at $399, it is $100 pricier than Kindle 2 with 6″ screen, but $90 less than the Kindle DX with bigger screen…
Full press release after the jump:
In: Movie Review
1 Aug 2009Sacha Baron Cohen is Bruno, a disgraced gay fashion reporter from Austria that seeks fame in the United States through a series of staged and not-so-staged events, very reminiscent of his previous movie Borat.
The movie is pretty short (at just 80 minutes) but if you have an open mind, and realize Bruno is not real – or not as real as some people seem to think – you will have a very enjoyable ride.
The gags here include an interview with Paula Abdul in an empty house, and using Mexicans as furniture. It is quite funny to watch Paula Abdul sit uncomfortably on a Mexican trying to go through the interview. Another out-of-this-world gag includes Bruno luring Ron Paul, yes the Presidential candidate Ron Paul, into a hotel room in order to create a scandalous sex tape to further his career.
Sasha Baron Cohen knows how to incite the public with going to the morning show with his adopted baby that he swapped in Africa for an iPod, as well as caged wrestling match that turns out to be not as advertised.
If you enjoyed Borat, you will surely enjoy the new movie. Just keep in mind that the film features outrageous scene, as well as full frontal nudity…
In: Movie Review
21 Jun 2009Nicolas Cage is in another movie where future predictions come true. In Next, Nicolas Cage could constantly see the future. In Knowing, he discovers a piece of paper that has been buried for 5 decades that can somehow predict all the major disasters, including the end of the world. He tries to prevent the disasters from happening and keep his family safe.
The premise is interesting, and the graphics of some disasters are pretty good, but the movie’s premise wears out thin when shadowy mysterious figures enter the picture. Who are they? What are they doing? Those questions are answered at the end of the movie, in what has to be the most disappointing and depressing movie ending I have seen in quite some time.
Without spoiling any of the major plot points, all I can say is watch the movie without thinking too much about the story progression or its coherence. Nicolas Cage does a decent job with the given material, but this movie seems even more pointless than Next.
Rating: 25%
In: Toy
9 Jun 2009When Ugobe shut down and sold all its assets, the future of Pleo was in flux. Today Jetta Company Limited, the company that was contracted to manufacture the dinosaur robots by Ugobe, announced acquisition of necessary IP and manufacturing rights to resume production.
Hong Kong – Jetta Company Limited acquired the assets of Ugobe and will be re-launching "Pleo" in the near future. Established in 1977, Jetta has focused on manufacturing an extended range of toy, consumer electronics, juvenile, robotic and gift products and is one of the most recognized engineering and OEM companies within the toy industry. Headquartered in Hong Kong, Jetta currently operates five production campuses in Guangdong Province which combined has over 4.5 million square feet of production floor space. At the forefront of the fast-paced toy and robotics industries, Jetta continues to strive for "excellence" and is pleased to add "Ugobe" to its operations.
In: TV
8 Jun 2009Good news, everyone. Comedy Central has officially green-lit Futurama’s production. Currently slated for a 13-episode run in the upcoming new season after a long hiatus as Comedy Central has finished showing all the episodes and all 4 direct-to-DVD movies. No news yet on when the new episodes might air, but still good news nonetheless.