The Pop Culture Addict’s Blog

So I haven’t seen the 1951 version but the 2008 version of The Day the Earth Stood Still is pretty decent. It has a very similar story to The Happening although more overt I suppose with the “save the earth” theme. I thought Keanu Reeves did a good job. He sort of had the Agent Smith demeanor Hugo Weaving had in The Matrix. The suspense and action were interesting enough. Seeing it in IMAX enhanced the experience of course.

You may recall Hoop Dreams. Gunnin for That #1 Spot is a fascinating documentary by Beastie Boy Adam Yauch about the first Elite 24 High School All-American Game at Rucker Park in Harlem by the top high school basketball players in the country. It is by invitation and it is for the love of the game. The actual game is presented almost like a music video. There is a lot of style, a great soundtrack and great content. It made me want to see the extras on the dvd. I watched it in movie form on demand so I will have to get my additional info other sources. The official website has some info. The eight starting players are featured including 2008 NBA first-round draft picks Kevin Love (UCLA/Minnesota Timberwolves), Michael Beasley (Kansas State/Miami Heat), and Jerryd Bayless (Arizona/Portland Trail Blazers). These three barely played in college before they went pro. It is fascinating to see these kids play.

Planet B-Boy is another documentary about a physically demanding competition that features incredibly talented young ‘uns. These b-boy dancers range in age from 12 to early 20s.  They are passionate about what they do and have the skills to back up their dreams. The pay off for these kids is not like the NBA contracts. But there is the potential for commercial gigs and such. It is very Asian-heavy. The defending team, Gamblerz, is Korean. Then there are strong contenders from Korea (Last For One) and Japan (Ichegeki). It’s a kick to watch. I recognized members of the American crew, Knucklehead Zoo, as being in Super Cr3w, the winners of MTV’s America’s Best Dance Crew Season 2. Anyway, fun stuff to watch.

Britz

I read a blurb about Britz in EW or US Weekly or maybe Time Out NY. No, it was definitely in EW. This isn’t the blurb but it is related: Riz Ahmed in EW. Anyway, I saw it was on demand on BBC America so I took a gander. I ended up watching both parts back to back. It is very intense. It flows very easily for such a heavy subject. I felt like I was watching something happen before my eyes. It has certainly stayed on my mind since watching it. I am not even sure what I want to say about it aside from the fact that I watched it and I haven’t stopped thinking about it.

I don’t really know much about Naruto aside from the fact that kids watch this show, play the game and are awaiting this movie on dvd.  But I am taken by the phenomenon that non-Asian kids are pronouncing “Naruto” with the right accent saying the “r” with the difficult combo “r/l” sound unique to Asian languages.

Genius, or I think iTunes is stalking me

I’m not sure what I think of this new iTunes function Genius. At first it freaked me out because it seemed like it wanted to take control of my computer. Then I thought it was amazing because it created interesting playlists and gave me good ideas for songs to add to my iPods from my own library. I also thought the Genius song suggestions had potential. Now, I am starting to think it is stalking me because I noticed the function in the iTunes store that says “Genius Just For You.” It has playlists created for me that I can purchase on iTunes. It is based on what I have in my library. I know I willingly gave iTunes access to my music library and it is culling from other people’s libraries to create playlists for all of us like-minded listeners. Still, it is sort of eerie seeing bands that I love being suggested back to me. I don’t know. You go look at your “Genius Just For You” and see how it makes you feel. I mean, I know TiVo and Amazon have similiar functions where they look at your preferences and say, hey, we think we know your tastes now and want to recommend some similar shows, books, movies and miscellaneous items for your home. It is good marketing. There is just a Terminator feeling about it letting a machine do my thinking and feeling for me. But I still like how Genius pulls out songs from my library not regularly on rotation for a listen. Let me think about the other thing and report back later.

Addendum: I took a break while writing this and watched The Ruins. Yikes! The least friendly plants ever! The movie was pretty effective for what it was. It is suspenseful, scary and has good-looking 20-somethings running around trying to survive. This movie is not for the faint of heart though.

Oh, I just remembered that I recently re-watched The Godfather Part III, inspired by my relatively recent theater-viewing of The Godfather Part II. It was not as bad as I remembered it being. In fact, Godfather III is alright. I still feel they should have found it in the budget to pay Robert Duvall his asking price instead of axing his character from the story. Sofia Coppola, a fine filmmaker, was not as awkward in Godfather III as I feared and remembered. To be fair, she only acted in it as a favor to her father and has not acted since. Anyway, I think all three Godfather movies hold up over time.

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Bolt was an adorable movie. Watching it in 3D did enhance the cuteness. Seeing it in IMAX format was cool too. I couldn’t quite tell it was IMAX because instead of being one of the gigantic screens, the screen was converted from a regular movie theater to IMAX. I’m not sure what was done for this conversion. Anyway, pet owners/animal lovers will adore this movie. Kids will enjoy it. It’s very sweet and funny. I actually cared about Bolt and his sidekicks. They formed a believable bond. The owner-pet/dog-person relationship was not too saccharine for me. The action was interesting. The pigeons were funny both groups, NYC and Hollywood. I even liked the duet by Miley Cyrus (the girl) and John Travolta (Bolt).

On the other end of the spectrum is Milk. I thought it turned out well. Gus Van Sant put together all the elements successfully. The source material is historically rich and poignant. Sean Penn is a great actor. Gus Van Sant has his unique artistic vision. But while he made Elephant, he also made Good Will Hunting. GVS says Milk is a very straightforward movie. The story is straightforward, but Gus Van Sant definitely puts his mark on it. James Franco and Emile Hirsch stood out. Josh Brolin did a good job with a difficult role. Sean Penn gives a convincing performance. In a weird way, it made me think of him in Carlito’s Way. He melted into that role. The only thing that was awkward in my eyes was the character played by Diego Luna. It was a little jarring from the flow of the movie. He belonged in a different film. I don’t know if he was a real person (easy enough to look up I suppose) but it was distracting to watch him. Maybe his role was to show how Harvey Milk’s personal life was messy while his political aims were more focused. The other thing Gus Van Sant did well was to intertwine archive footage with the footage he filmed. It was highly effective from the opening credits until the last scenes.

As I mentioned earlier, I’ve been avidly re-watching Lost. It seems fitting to remind everyone that Lost Season 4 is due out shortly (12/9). Lost Season 5 begins January 21, 2009.

The other dvd I am anticipating is Dr. Horrible’s Sing Along Blog. There is a musical commentary and more conventional spoken commentary. I can’t wait!

I’m not that into Beyonce as an actress. But as a singer, she has put out some unforgettable tunes. I give her my vote for single of the year with Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It). What a great song! Never mind she got married this year, she convincingly sings her heart out on this fantastic song.

Books

Just a quick round off. I was very happy to see that T is for Trespass by Sue Grafton came out in paperback. I got it and read through it very quickly, enjoying every page. I’m glad I resisted getting it in hardback considering how fast I went through it. Next, a fellow Pop Culture Addict gave me Dangerous Admissions: Secrets of a Closet Sleuth by Jane O’Connor. I had never heard of it but have been enjoying it. It is very Gossip Girl-like, set in the world of a NYC private school. But there is also a mystery that unravels over the story of these prep school kids, their parents and a powerful college counselor. I’m not sure what I’ll read next.

Movie-wise, I still have to see Rachel At The Wedding and Australia.

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