Saw 3D

Here it is...



I went to see "the final chapter" of the Saw franchise, Saw 3D, on 10/30. It has been quite a few days since I saw it and have had time to cool down and process what I paid to see.

Initial thoughts: It was terrible.
Thoughts after letting things simmer: It was terrible.

It wasn't the 3D that made this movie bad, surprisingly enough. It was the script, the acting, the traps, the execution of the story, the rushed 90-minute time slot, etc.. Nothing came together in this movie. There were way too many traps that didn't have anything to do with what was supposed to be going on (specifically the public trap), the underlying plot of Bobby Dagen was fucking retarded and way too similar to William's game in Saw VI... the list could just go on and on:

The opening credits sequence was ridiculous. Kevin, I thought you said you hated the sequence in Saw V. Why make it so similar?
Gibson was the dumbest character in the history of Saw. His dialogue was nothing but lulz and he fell into a trap way too easily.
Tobin Bell was hardly in this movie. You see him dressed as a gangster getting a book signed and that's it. I understand he's dead but he all know the significance and possibility of flashbacks at this point. Come on.
Bringing back the RBT yet again was dumb.
Jill's dream sequence was both hilarious and dumb. Her dead body snapping in half with her fake tits flying at your face was just too much.


The main things I hated:

They made Jill too much of a pussy in this movie. Looking back on Saw IV, V, and VI she proved that although she didn't necessarily agree with John's work she was able to do what he requested of her (RBT on Hoffman, framing Strahm). In this one, she runs scared to the Police and it turns out to be her kiss of death. The main mistake she made in Saw VI was leaving Hoffman's fate to chance which is where she differed from John. If I would have written this script I would have had Jill either outsmart Hoffman and get killed in the process or have her flat out leave town and disappear. Making her out to be capable of at least some of John's tasks and then making her a helpless weakling was a mistake.

They didn't emphasize just how crazy Hoffman had become. I mean, the asshole ran around the Police Dept. stabbing people in the throat for like 5 minutes. Not only that but he has a mega God complex which allows him to set up William's trap, get caught in the RBT, rip up his face escaping the RBT, sew up his ripped open face without bleeding to death, set up Bobby's game, set up the public trap, set up the car trap, set up a trap to catch Gibson, and catch Jill. All in a day's work without breaking a sweat. I mean come on. The fact that Jill went to the Police claiming Hoffman was after her didn't get enough attention which is why they fell into his traps.

I also didn't get why people weren't alarmed that Erickson and Perez mysteriously disappeared (aka, died at the hands of Hoffman in an FBI facility). They were fucking FBI agents. Someone would have noticed their absence and investigated it fully.

Gabby West, the winner of Scream Queens 2, got severely screwed over. I swear if you yawned you would have missed her. Tanedra Howard, the winner of season 1, had a good 5-6 minutes of total screen time in Saw VI and appeared in Saw 3D. Gabby was on the ground under a car tire screaming for like 10 seconds. That was it. She went through hell on a reality show against some mega bitches to win absolutely nothing.
An interesting side note that I got from Youtube and HOJ: Gabby's role was the girlfriend of a man part of a white supremacist group. She was one of two white girls in the Top 3 and wound up being the only white person in the Top 2. Having blonde hair just worked in her favor for being "perfect for THIS role." Either way you spin it the contestants of Scream Queens 2 got played.



Pretty much either way you spin it, this movie sucked.

I'll talk about how shitty the ending was later.

Top 50 Horror Films...

According to Rotten Tomatoes these are the Top 50 Horror Films of all time.

50. Misery (1990)
49. Eraserhead (1977)
48. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
47. The Mummy (1932)
46. Carrie (1976)
45. Fright Night (1985)
44. Zombieland (2009)
43. I Walked With a Zombie (1943)
42. Shaun of the Dead (2004)
41. Cat People (1942)
40. Suspiria (1977)
39. The Wicker Man (1974)
38. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931)
37. Village of the Damned (1960)
36. Nosferatu: Phantom der Nacht (Nosferatu the Vampyre) (1979)
35. Peeping Tom (1960)
34. Halloween (1978)
33. Dawn of the Dead (1978)
32. Ringu (1998)
31. Martin (1978)
30. Drag Me to Hell (2009)
29. The Wolf Man (1941)
28. A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
27. Dracula (1931)
26. Don't Look Now (1973)
25. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)
24. The Birds (1963)
23. Dead of Night (1945)
22. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
21. Night of the Living Dead (1968)
20. Freaks (1932)
19. Evil Dead 2 (1987)
18. Låt den Rätte Komma In (Let the Right One In) (2008)
17. Eyes Without a Face (1962)
16. Vampyr - Der Traum des Allan Grey (1931)
15. The Night of the Hunter (1955)
14. Rosemary's Baby (1968)
13. The Evil Dead (1981)
12. Jaws (1975)
11. Aliens (1986)
10. The Invisible Man (1933)
09. Alien (1979)
08. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)
07. Frankenstein (1931)
06. Repulsion (1997)
05. Das Cabinet des Caligari (The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari) (1919)
04. Nosferatu, a Symphony of Horror (1922)
03. King Kong (1933)
02. The Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
01. Psycho (1960)


I think Carrie and Misery should have been higher on the list and there was a serious lack of the first Saw movie. Not a bad list, though. I'm starting to really like Rotten Tomatoes.

Paranormal Activity 2...

I will admit I wasn't a fan of the first Paranormal Activity but I decided to give the sequel a chance. 20 minutes into this movie I regretted my decision. It was the same slow paced, boring technique the first film used. I thought having more characters would give you more to go off of, but it actually made it sloppy.

The scares were not there.
The script sucked.
The camera angles they repeated (the front door and the pool) were retarded.
etc..

Not to mention the fact that it was actually a prequel and both Micah and Katie showing up was utterly ridiculous. It takes place in August 2006. The first movie took place in late September 2006 and went into October. They tell you right at the beginning that it is within the final 60 days of Micah's life. They try to touch on the back story of Katie and her sister but they still don't get there. Katie refuses to talk about anything despite being picked on my Micah and her sister's husband.

The advertising tricks you, as well. Trust me when I say all the "scares" present in the movie are in the TV spots. You are not missing anything but seeing a baby sleep, repeated footage of the front door, and an automatic pool cleaner cleaning the pool. I expected more and was extremely disappointed. If they make a third one they won't be getting my $8.

Just to say...

I hate:

Glee
Twilight
Justin Bieber
Hannah Montana
Dora the Explorer
Baby Einsteins


No wonder our kids are getting dumber by the second.

Seeing that I'm still intrigued...

Another thing I have done since August is get addicted to a new movie. I went and saw Let Me In with some friends as my birthday celebration and I wound up seeing it again this past Monday.

Let me tell you... I don't know why this movie hooked me so much or why I liked it so much, but I really did enjoy it. I have seen the original film, Let the Right One In, and I have to say I liked the American version a little bit more. The acting danced circles around what the Swedish actors laid down, it was more intense, and it didn't drag as much.

Chloe Moretz is a phenomenal actress for being 13-years old. I had to constantly remind myself that she was that young while watching this movie. I thought she was great in Kick-Ass, but she was even better in Let Me In. As a viewer I felt like I was able to understand and feel everything her character, Abby, was showing in her facial expressions and her body language. Most actors wish they could do that as well as she can. She has a very bright future ahead of her. I can't wait to see her in future films.
This was the first glimpse I got of Kodi Smit-McPhee and I was also very impressed. He had a very sweet, innocent quality that made you not want to look away from him. The emotion he was able to relay to the audience was fantastic.

One thing I was very happy with was the fact that they got kids that were the same age to play the roles. Most movies and TV shows these days have actors that are much older than the characters they are supposed to be playing (like Robert Pattinson playing a 17-year old at age 24 or the Harry Potter kids all hitting puberty after the very first movie). Both Kodi and Chloe would have been 12 or 13, depending on birth date, at the time of filming. I liked how they got kids that are really at that level of innocence to portray the characters.

What I didn't like is the fact that they don't specify exactly who Abby's caretaker was and how Abby's real age wasn't revealed. Was Richard Jenkins' character supposed to be a family member, a pedophile, or just another boy like Owen who stuck with her for so long? I can deal without knowing that because it is heavily implied that he was just another boy who loved Abby and stuck around until he couldn't do it anymore. The one thing I really would have wanted to know is how old Abby was. She said she had been 12 for a very long time, but how long is a long time? I have heard in interviews with Chloe Moretz and director Matt Reeves saying she was supposed to be somewhere around 250-years old. I think that should have been hinted at a little more than just having old puzzles in her apartment.

Anyway... I really did love this movie. It was very emotionally intriguing and moving. The children in this movie were phenomenal and they really interpreted the story well. I would recommend it to anyone, especially if you saw Let the Right One In.

9/10 for me.

Been a while...

I have seriously been neglecting this thing. Let me think of what has happened since August 19th...

One of my co-workers retired and another is retiring in two weeks.
I turned 22 on 9/30.
I got two more tattoos.
I saw Avenged Sevenfold and Disturbed in concert.
I found out another friend is going on a Mormon mission to Argentina. Damn it.
I've seen a lot of movies.


I can't think of anything else. Just life.

In other news...

Since I went on a True Blood rant about last week's episode I guess I'll go on another one about this past episode...


Why the F are Bill and Sookie still together?

FRANKLIN IS DEAD!!!

Jason is a dumbass. Crystal is retarded and he's going to get himself killed.

Speaking of Crystal's family, what the hell is up with Sam? He is going to pay dearly for beating the hell out of her father at Merlotte's.

Tommy is an asshole.

Holly is really, really creepy. Bon Temps sure knows how to attract the creepy ones.

Eric is a Virgo (LOL). In all seriousness, I'm surprised the Authority completely ignored him. They can't really ignore what he said after what Russell did on the nightly news. Ripping out someone's sternum will get lots of attention.

EPIC

This has to be the most epic wedding cake I have ever seen.

http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/food/9-awesome-wedding-cake-toppers-2227128#photoViewer=9


AN EFFING ZOMBIE CAKE!

Ok...

True Blood is really starting to turn into a shit storm. Tonight's episode was just... I don't even know how to describe what I'm thinking. There are way too many storylines going on at one time.

Sookie is afraid of Bill so they break up. Jason wants her to press assault charges on Bill for nearly killing her in Alcide's van. Sookie declines claiming she still loves Bill and that he was just plain hungry and couldn't control himself.

But wait... Jessica is very pleased with Bill coming home and can't resist hugging him and crying. However, Bill doesn't want her around anymore, releases her, and tells her to leave. She's not happy with that, refuses to leave, and he winds up teaching her shit that he should have taught her from the beginning such as combat and how to be faster.

Now there's more... Talbot is having problems adjusting to Russell's power trip and is angry that not only has Russell married the Queen of Louisiana, Sophie-Anne, and wants to leave Mississippi again to bring Sookie back to his home but that Sookie staked Lorena and Franklin's brain tissue won't wash out of the sheets. Russell strikes a deal with Eric to keep him with Talbot while he is away with his wolves in an attempt to fetch Sookie.

There's more! Now we have Jason and his idiotic quest to kill Bill for hurting Sookie, right? Kind of. That chick with the really square jaw and thin neck, Crystal, comes running to his house with a black eye and tries to take his truck so she can flee. His infatuation suckers her into sleeping with him and he leaves her in his house and runs off to her drug lair and threatens her family.

Speaking of her family, they came barging into Merlotte's asking Sam whether they had seen Crystal and claimed his truck was parked in the lot outside. Tommy, who had just left his parents to stay with Sam, tries to pick a fight with them and with Hoyt. Sam tells him to calm down and kicks Crystal's family out of his bar. He also mentions to Tommy to leave Tara alone and that he hopes Tommy will find something he will want to live for or build.

Speaking of Tara... she just returned from Mississippi with Sookie and Alcide after being held captive by an obsessive, creeper vampire named Franklin. She escaped him by bashing his head in while he was sleeping. We all know he's not dead because she didn't stake him but that's for another episode. She keeps trying to convince Sookie that she is stupid for still loving Bill and claims that he is just as cold and crazy as any other vampire. Her cousin, Lafayette, is trying to comfort her and get whatever happened while she disappeared out of her.

While we're on Lafayette, he has become infatuated and semi-involved with his mother's nurse Jesus. After Jesus discovers Lafayette is a drug dealer he runs away. However, Lafayette's mother escapes from her care facility and runs to his house to protect him from the evil of the world. Jesus comes and decides to make out with Lafayette after discovering that his boy toy is being forced to sell substances.

Who is forcing him? Mr. Eric Northman who is stuck playing chess with Talbot while Russell is away. Talbot gets bored and decides to have sex with Eric. Mind you Eric found out earlier that Russell was the one who killed his Viking family while he was still human after finding his father's crown in Russell's display case. He claims the only way to get his revenge and distract the King of Mississippi was to get to those close to him. Therefore, he stakes Talbot while they are having sex.

Almost simultaneous to Talbot's death, we find Sookie waiting in her house with a shotgun looking out at Werewolves in her front yard. Debbie, Alcide's ex-fiance, has sworn revenge on Sookie and Alcide because her current fiance, Coot, was shot and killed by Alcide. Bill and Jessica show up to attack the wolves and protect Sookie but are ambushed by Russell. He takes Jessica hostage, bites her, throws her to a wolf to be destroyed, and goes after Bill. While attacking Bill the women upstairs are still fighting. Sookie gains an advantage and gets Debbie out of her house. As soon as Russell gains an advantage on Bill he feels the death of Talbot and flies away. Sookie and Bill embrace each other and have the most graphic sex scene in the entire series so far.




The basic point of all that... there is way too much going on. That was all in one episode and there was even more that I didn't summarize.
I know what Sookie is because I know what happens in the books. I also know that her attitude towards Bill is still not accurate to the books. It is starting to irritate me because at this point it needs to be somewhat accurate or else they might as well not even try to follow anything else the books put forth. Bill and Eric should have been out of the picture by now.

Personally, I think the storylines of Arlene & Terry, Tara & Franklin, Lafayette & Jesus, Sam & the Mickens', and Hoyt & Jessica are completely pointless. Sookie and Bill is getting old, too. They need to move it along.

Sick, sick bubblegum...

MAYHEM WAS AMAZING!!!


I know it was Sunday and I'm just writing about it now, but I was recovering.

After waiting in line since 12:45ish, and not getting in until around 2:30, I saw people drunk off their shit in 100 degree weather, fights, baby bunnies hopping around the grounds (I hope they all made it), sloppy sunburned women, Nazis, and only 10 black people. In a way I felt like I was at a white power festival but I accept it. I would have been the minority at Jay-Z.

Here's a breakdown of the sets and the stages...

Silver Star Stage:
In This Moment
Norma Jean
Atreyu
3 Inches of Blood

Jagermeister Stage:
Winds of Plague
Shadows Fall
Chimaira
Hatebreed

Rockstar Energy Main Stage:
Five Finger Death Punch
Lamb of God
Rob Zombie
Korn

The best bands of the day, by far, were Rob Zombie, Korn, Chimaira, and Shadows Fall.
Five Finger Death Punch surprised me, though. I wasn't a huge fan going in, and they overhyped the fact that their singer lives in Denver, but they put on a fun show. I didn't realize until after that he was also in Motograter back in the day. I lol'd.
I could take or leave Lamb of God. They're not one of my favorites and I don't think their set was that great. When you have to constantly tell the crowd to rock out you're doing something wrong. That place was more than alive when Zombie and Korn took the stage.
Speaking of Zombie, he rocked it so hard. His set was off the chain. By far one of the best shows I have ever witnessed. He was playing White Zombie songs, he was getting the crowd going, he was funny, and he didn't babble. He even came back for an encore to play "Dragula." I can't even describe how awesome. Just search for his 2010 Mayhem stuff on YouTube and you'll see.
Korn was good but not as good, in my opinion. Their set was cut short because of the curfew and because Zombie ran long. I give Jonathan Davis props for busting out the bagpipes, though. I was not expecting to hear "Shoots and Ladders."


Despite the sunburn I still have and the incredible heat (peaked at 103 F) I would do it again. I drank water all day. The only thing I would do different is bring an umbrella to shield the sun a little. That's all.

Go if you can. It's worth it.

Got me thinking...

I was listening to and reading news about the BP oil spill in the Gulf and I thought of something... what if they don't want the oil to stop gushing out?

It has taken them this long to develop caps and test them and when they found something that was working they had to remove it. In the meantime our administration has been grilling BP and pushing the move toward green energy on the US and using the spill as an example. If the problem was fixed they wouldn't have a disaster to use as an example in an attempt to show us how "evil" fossil fuels are. They want us all walking and biking to and from. They want us taking mass transit everywhere. They want us using low flow toilets and shower heads that use just as much water when you think about it. They want energy star washers and dryers that use less water but take forever and don't clean as well because they use almost no water and just spin your soapy clothes around for an hour. It's all a joke and this oil spill might be one of the few things that I see where the conspiracy nuts are coming from. It's all too convenient to create or use a crisis and milk it for all it's worth to try and prove a point.

I'll close by quoting our current administration... "Never waste a crisis."

NL is the winner...

I am so excited the National League was able to beat the American League. It's the first time since 1996 and it feels great. My favorite pitcher started for the NL and went two scoreless innings. Tulowitzki had tough luck being injured but at least he was in the dugout. He deserved to be there for sure.

Let's go for 2 in a row and win it next year too.

The Traps Come Alive...

So... now Saw VII is Saw 3D: The Traps Come Alive. I hope Lionsgate goes bankrupt for this one.

First they make Saw VII in 3D despite how much the true fans (aka, their gross income) barked against it. Then they screw over Kevin Greutert via a contractual clause. Now they give the movie a dumb as fuck title? Hell no.

This is retarded.

I want to see...

I was thinking about some of the movies that are coming out this summer, and the rest of the year, and I realized I want to see a decent amount of them...

Predators
Inception
Salt
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
Piranha 3D
The Last Exorcism
Resident Evil: Afterlife
Saw VII
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader



Movie theaters will be the end of my bank account.

Hmm...

I just haven't had much of anything to say recently.














Knibb High football rules.

On fire...

Ubaldo Jimenez!
13-1 with a 1.15 ERA.

This kid is amazing and we need to hang onto him for years and years. If he keeps this up he's going to sail to the All Star Game and potentially win the NL Cy Young. No doubt in my mind that he can do it. He doesn't even have a no decision this season. That W-L record is in 14 starts. Only 4 people have had a start this great since 1920; Roger Clemens, Lefty Grove, Lefty Gomez, and Ubaldo Jimenez.

Happy Memorial Day...

To all of our current, retired, DAV, and fallen service members,


Thank you for your service. Your sacrifice is never forgotten.

LEE DEWYZE!!!

I could not be happier right now. Lee has won American Idol and triumphed over yet another judge's pet. This is the 4th year in a row that this has happened and I am happy.

Jordin Sparks slid by the beatboxing favorite Blake Lewis.
David Cook beat the adorable yet boring favorite David Archuleta.
Kris Allen surprisingly crushed the overly praised and obvious favorite Adam Lambert.
And now, Lee DeWyze has beaten Crystal "Mamasox" Bowersox to claim the Season 9 title.

Don't get me wrong, I didn't dislike Crystal. I actually like her a lot. I think she has a neat sound and she is very interesting and unique. However, I like Lee more. He appears to be normal and genuine and he never once looked arrogant and never once gave the impression that the voters needed to know he deserved it. He was a true competitor. I look forward to hearing more from him and I love him to death. I intend to enjoy myself while watching him perform in August.







PS... This is also the 4th year in a row that I have predicted the winner from early in the season. I pegged Lee back in Hollywood week as one we would be watching in the finals. I predicted Kris a winner, or at least a finalist, when he sang "Man in the Mirror" in the Top 36. I said David Cook was one to watch and I said Jordin was going to win when she sang "Broken Wing" during Country Week.
I still got it baby.

Almost over already...

It's hard to believe May is almost over already. Time seems to be flying by faster than ever before.

A couple things have had my mind occupied for the past couple of weeks, though...

I bought a new computer on impulse. I really didn't need it but I wanted it.
I'm still in the process of packing away old stuff and de-cluttering my walls a little bit.
The kid I have considered a little brother for many, many years is graduating high school this weekend. I am so proud of him and couldn't be happier.
I bought Daria on DVD and have been watching nonstop. I really know where I got it now.
My Stanley Cup prediction got flushed down the toilet. Damn Flyers.
I still need to decide whether I'm going to go to the reception or not.

Out of all these things, I think the most important is the fact that I really need to decide whether I'm going back to school or not. I just don't really care. I have wasted enough money and time already on something that I never cared about. I hate college. Hell, I hate school. I always have. I've been saying since high school that if I could get somewhere to do something I love without having to be formally educated I would be the happiest camper ever. I always feel like I'm underwater when I am in school. I don't absorb anything, I suck at tests, and I have a hard time communicating with people. The fact that I passed a communications class with such ease shocks me still.
I never even wanted to go to college. I went to Metro State to make my parents happy. That's all it was. I didn't know what I wanted to major in, what career I wanted, or even who I wanted to be. When I realized I hated college so much I figured transferring to community college was a good option because it would be similar to high school in terms of ease and accessibility. I quickly found out that I hated it there too. How I lasted as long as I did will always remain a mystery. I failed classes, didn't show up for a lot of them, and had to take 2 remedial math courses. For as smart as I am, and yes I do believe I am, I don't feel like it sometimes. I don't know how someone who graduated with a 3.7 GPA could be such an academic failure 2 years later. School was always a breeze. I hardly studied, half-assed my homework, didn't care, and I still passed with flying colors. The only classes I had to devote any time to were any math course, Architectural Drawing (roof plots were a pain), and Chemistry. Physical Science was simple, Biology was even easier, English was always easy, Social Studies felt like kindergarten, and electives were electives.
I wasn't popular, despite being in honors classes with all the popular people, but I was alright with that. I didn't participate in much, attend school activities, or worry about what college I was going to as early as 9th grade. I didn't even worry about it in 12th grade. I briefly toyed with going to the University of Georgia because they had a great biology program with an emphasis on forensic sciences but I realized how in debt I would be and how far away from home I would be. It's one thing to go an hour away, like to CSU or UNC, but Georgia was on the other side of the country in an area that I had never been before. I'm not ashamed to say it scared me. That is the main reason I declined Berklee College of Music despite the scholarship I kept a secret from everyone. Not only was it more expensive than it was worth but I didn't want to live in Boston. I had never been there and it was even farther away.
But to tell the main reason why I didn't leave... I felt like it was financially dumb. I had no goals and no motivation from the start. Knowing my parents were paying my tuition and fees wasn't something I wanted to take advantage of no matter where I went. Sorry to say it but I learned from observing my brother's college experience. My parents paid for him to go to the Colorado School of Mines and we all watched him earn an engineering degree. He's making pizzas at a restaurant in Minnesota 6 years later and my dad is still paying off the student loans. I know my parents want me to get an education but they also have the typical parental thought process of wanting their children to be happy. The problem is I'm not happy even when I'm not in school. I know what I would love and I am sure that I would have a blast doing it. I just don't want to sit through earning the $30,000 a year piece of paper to prove it.
When it comes down to it, college is a waste of time and money. Half of the student body at any given university is wasting someone's money and time. They're too busy ditching class, getting wasted, getting laid, and cramming for exams at the last minute because they haven't been to the lectures all semester. Naturally there are exceptions but come on, just how many are there? Take a poll on campus and ask how many students have gotten drunk or partied since they've been in college. All of my friends went away to school and I have heard a lot of their stories. The fact that people actually pass their classes is what shocks me. I didn't do 99.9% of what they, or their friends, have done and I'm the one that failed classes. Really?

Maybe there is just something wrong with me. I've felt like there was since as far back as I can remember.

Give me your heart and soul...

I have been addicted to the Muse song "Hysteria" for the past 3 days. Something about the bass/synth riff is just an eargasm for me.

So much of one that I felt the need to learn it on drums this afternoon... My hands hurt now. On the bright side, it only took 4 play throughs. Well, 4.5.