Hello friends and comrades,
I've been assigned to work 4 nights, 5 days in our neighboring state of Eastern Washington. Its a strange land, where they helpfully have the same currency as us in Western Washington, the dollar.
First off, the weather... Its amazingly sunny out here. In Tacoma, the highs for the next 4 days should be 71, 71, 68, 66 with partially cloudy/patchy fog type weather. Here in Yakima, its 81, 81, 80, and 76 and completely clear, literally, not a cloud in the sky. So for all the people who grump and grouch about "where's summer?", you should take the 2 hour, 40 minute drive over the scary mountains and visit the Palm Springs of Washington.
Second, the grocery store. Top Foods is Top Foods.. which is true, but i was startled by the size of the hispanic foods aisle. At the Top Foods on Union Street back in Tacoma, the Hispanic Foods sections occupies about 3-4 bays, where as at the Top Foods at Union Gap, Yakima, the same section occupies one whole long side of an aisle. There's one bay devoted entirely to bagged masa (the corn flour used to make primarily tamales) and another that's nothing but canned chiles of different varieties. Also, in the bulk foods area, theres an immense bin of dried pinto beans.
This may be because according to the best (and quickest) source I found, the population mix is 69% white and 34% hispanic/latino. Now beyond the obvious that this adds up to more than 100% and that african american/pacific islander/native americans are somehow in the negative percent, there's a substantial hispanic population here, compared to Tacoma's 60% white and 7% latino.
Finally, the Yakima Mall area... It looks normal enough, with 2 stories and what not. The bottom story was the normal mix of clothing stores, a hallmark, an orange julius, nothing to speak of. The top floor had a 3 restaurant food court - a pizzeria, a chinese place, and the very tasty Bruchis cheesesteaks. To the left of the pizzeria was a framed picture store, and to the right of the other 2 were a Christian bookstore and a huge military recruiting area (that has banners visible from downstairs). It was a really weird and quiet floor with the eerie feeling you get when devout photographers, glasses wearing Jesus biography readers, and the military. And tasty cheesesteaks and a bored looking chinese lady and the most stereotypical Italian guy working at the pizzeria (his name might have been Tony and the special was spaghetti with meatballs).
The rest of the mall area looks like someone saw the Lakewood Town Centre and decided to place the same bunch of stores, except not in a neat grouping where they all face inwards and you park inbetween them. Instead, the Union Gap mall area has the same 10-12 stores (Borders, Petco, Shopco, Bed Bath and Beyond, etc.) all in one huge interconnected parking lot facing pell mell in every direction so you have to drive around to each one separately in the least convienient way possible. This would be a problem in Lakewood, except at this town center, there was literally no one there (I know its Thursday afternoon, but still) so getting around would only waste your gas and not your time.
Got to go earn my keep and go to work and have some folks guess at some Skittles.
That's all I have to say about that... For now
Patrick
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Machete!
Robert Rodriguez really needs the credit for being one of the premier action directors of modern film. Seriously, think about it... Desperado, Sin City, Dusk Till Dawn, Grindhouse, and now Machete... Even his more flawed films like Faculty and Once Upon a Time in Mexico definitely have great kinetic energy to them.
A lot of people like to point at the Spy Kids Trilogy, Sharkboy/Lavagirl, and Shorts as his weak points. He has a family and wants to make movies for his kids too... I've got no problem with that. The fact that his kids inspired him to make the Spy Kids and helped him write Sharkboy and Shorts is really cool in my book. I can't picture many other directors making big studio movies inspired by their kids stories... That said...
MACHETE!
Saw it at a 1:50 matinee, which to me is the perfect time to see a movie like this and wow, was this awesome... Tonewise, somewhere between Once Upon a Time in Mexico and Planet Terror... Exactly what I thought it'd be, so just some bullet points...
Danny Trejo finally gets his starring role and channels his inner Charles Bronson... Yep, he doesn't have a lot of range at all, but no one plays the quiet badass better...
Steven Seagal's hispanic accent was worth the $8.00 matinee price.
Pretty much every Rodriguez supporting favorite showing up... even the doctor and twin babysitters from Planet Terror... and Daryl Sabara, the boy from the Spy Kids movies... and James Parks as Sheriff McGraw (who was also in Kill Bill and Grindhouse as the same character)
Although Jessica Alba can't act at all... it seemed more appropriate here.
Why has it taken this long for Michelle Rodriguez to show up in a Robert Rodriguez film?
If you've been reading my blog for a while, you'll know I loved Shea Whigham in Splinter... and he's in a smaller supporting role here too, and does pretty well...
The Hungarian bodyguard is played by Rodriguez's buddy, Nimrod Antal, who directed Predators.
Geez this was bloody, but not as bloody as Piranha 3-D
There's a lot of plot here, but the final fight sequence is worth the price of admission..
Eli Roth, get on that Thanksgiving movie next!!
Downside... there's a little too much plot and a few too many characters... but I have to give an overall rating - 7.5/10... the extra .5 for the last 10 seconds, which made me laugh out loud.
A lot of people like to point at the Spy Kids Trilogy, Sharkboy/Lavagirl, and Shorts as his weak points. He has a family and wants to make movies for his kids too... I've got no problem with that. The fact that his kids inspired him to make the Spy Kids and helped him write Sharkboy and Shorts is really cool in my book. I can't picture many other directors making big studio movies inspired by their kids stories... That said...
MACHETE!
Saw it at a 1:50 matinee, which to me is the perfect time to see a movie like this and wow, was this awesome... Tonewise, somewhere between Once Upon a Time in Mexico and Planet Terror... Exactly what I thought it'd be, so just some bullet points...
Danny Trejo finally gets his starring role and channels his inner Charles Bronson... Yep, he doesn't have a lot of range at all, but no one plays the quiet badass better...
Steven Seagal's hispanic accent was worth the $8.00 matinee price.
Pretty much every Rodriguez supporting favorite showing up... even the doctor and twin babysitters from Planet Terror... and Daryl Sabara, the boy from the Spy Kids movies... and James Parks as Sheriff McGraw (who was also in Kill Bill and Grindhouse as the same character)
Although Jessica Alba can't act at all... it seemed more appropriate here.
Why has it taken this long for Michelle Rodriguez to show up in a Robert Rodriguez film?
If you've been reading my blog for a while, you'll know I loved Shea Whigham in Splinter... and he's in a smaller supporting role here too, and does pretty well...
The Hungarian bodyguard is played by Rodriguez's buddy, Nimrod Antal, who directed Predators.
Geez this was bloody, but not as bloody as Piranha 3-D
There's a lot of plot here, but the final fight sequence is worth the price of admission..
Eli Roth, get on that Thanksgiving movie next!!
Downside... there's a little too much plot and a few too many characters... but I have to give an overall rating - 7.5/10... the extra .5 for the last 10 seconds, which made me laugh out loud.
Monday, September 13, 2010
Gratuitious Fun
So this summer, most of the movies that I wanted to see all showed up in mid to late August. So some quick thoughts about some of those movies...
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World - 8/10
Ridiculous energy, really fun fight sequences, and three great villains (cocky Chris Evans being utilized properly, schmarmy Jason Schwartzmann, and an amazingly great job by Brandon Routh). Michael Cera wasn't as irritating as usual and I actually liked him as a badass hero. The soundtrack fits the movie really well, with most of the music by Cera's band, Sex Bob-Omb written by Beck and the songs of another band written by Metric. The crazily kinetic and frenetic visual style really fits the story, and Edgar Wright does for retro video games here what he did with zombies in Shaun of the Dead and action movies in Hot Fuzz. Its a shame that Simon Pegg and Nick Frost are a little too old to be involved with the teenage-20something action. The reason why this movie doesn't get a perfect 10/10... Mary Elizabeth Wimstead as Ramona Flowers was fairly weak to me as the "dream girl." She seemed actually a little realistic and mopey and not as desirable as the movie tried to make her. Also, the first half hour of this movie seems like "Not Another Michael Cera Movie" as it takes a while for the first evil ex to show up and the inbetween time is fairly bland and not that interesting.
Expendables - 6/10
I really wanted to like this one and I liked the energy, but the movie was more a Stallone-Statham piece with most of the other big name action stars relegated to supporting roles or almost cameos. In particular, the iconic Jet Li only gets a lame series of "short" jokes and actually has to be saved by Stallone on multiple occasions. The Stallone-Willis-Governator scene is definitely the high point, but its far too short. I understand that Arnold has other commitments, but I've had liked to seen Bruce Willis be in the movie more (maybe showing up at the end as a surprise mastermind villain). Many of the fight scenes are annoyingly shot in close up shaky cam and a lot of the martial arts and fighting prowess of the different actors is lost by the poor editing. The entire last sequence is a total throwback to the glorious excess of 80s action movies especially Commando and I really loved Terry Crews' weapon as well as the Statham/Li double team move (anything else would be too serious of spoilers). The Expendables is worth seeing, its fun and mindless, but there's a lot of wasted potential that I hope a future sequel could fix.
Piranha 3-D - 9/10
As to the movie filled to the brim with glorious excess, I bring you Piranha 3-D. Featuring a super eclectic cast, the most nudity in a non-pornographic movie that I possibly have ever seen, and a ridiculously gory 3rd act, this movie delivered in every way I hoped it could. It was really fun to see director Alexandre Aja's humorous side, as his previous films (High Tension, Hills Have Eyes, and Mirrors) were all somber and serious. The actors were all having a blast, with special props going to a Doc Brown channeling Christopher Lloyd, Wild Wild Girls director Jerry O'Connell (finally someone letting him ham things up), and Ving Rhames once again playing the badass (I hate that his best scene was ruined by the previews).
I've heard this movie had a tough time achieving the R rating, I'm frankly flabbergasted as to how some of the different scenes made it past the MPAA, and I can't believe what the eventual unrated director's cut will look like. On the bad side, all the characterization is straight out of film stereotypes 101, some of the jokes do fall a bit flat, and the first hour or so of the movie doesn't have much carnage at all. Also, wayy too many of the good scenes are ruined by the trailer, including the last shot of the movie! For the love of God, Hollywood, please stop showing the end of movies in the preview... But if you want some pure adult escapism, check out Piranha 3-D complete with not awful yet fun 3-D effects.
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World - 8/10
Ridiculous energy, really fun fight sequences, and three great villains (cocky Chris Evans being utilized properly, schmarmy Jason Schwartzmann, and an amazingly great job by Brandon Routh). Michael Cera wasn't as irritating as usual and I actually liked him as a badass hero. The soundtrack fits the movie really well, with most of the music by Cera's band, Sex Bob-Omb written by Beck and the songs of another band written by Metric. The crazily kinetic and frenetic visual style really fits the story, and Edgar Wright does for retro video games here what he did with zombies in Shaun of the Dead and action movies in Hot Fuzz. Its a shame that Simon Pegg and Nick Frost are a little too old to be involved with the teenage-20something action. The reason why this movie doesn't get a perfect 10/10... Mary Elizabeth Wimstead as Ramona Flowers was fairly weak to me as the "dream girl." She seemed actually a little realistic and mopey and not as desirable as the movie tried to make her. Also, the first half hour of this movie seems like "Not Another Michael Cera Movie" as it takes a while for the first evil ex to show up and the inbetween time is fairly bland and not that interesting.
Expendables - 6/10
I really wanted to like this one and I liked the energy, but the movie was more a Stallone-Statham piece with most of the other big name action stars relegated to supporting roles or almost cameos. In particular, the iconic Jet Li only gets a lame series of "short" jokes and actually has to be saved by Stallone on multiple occasions. The Stallone-Willis-Governator scene is definitely the high point, but its far too short. I understand that Arnold has other commitments, but I've had liked to seen Bruce Willis be in the movie more (maybe showing up at the end as a surprise mastermind villain). Many of the fight scenes are annoyingly shot in close up shaky cam and a lot of the martial arts and fighting prowess of the different actors is lost by the poor editing. The entire last sequence is a total throwback to the glorious excess of 80s action movies especially Commando and I really loved Terry Crews' weapon as well as the Statham/Li double team move (anything else would be too serious of spoilers). The Expendables is worth seeing, its fun and mindless, but there's a lot of wasted potential that I hope a future sequel could fix.
Piranha 3-D - 9/10
As to the movie filled to the brim with glorious excess, I bring you Piranha 3-D. Featuring a super eclectic cast, the most nudity in a non-pornographic movie that I possibly have ever seen, and a ridiculously gory 3rd act, this movie delivered in every way I hoped it could. It was really fun to see director Alexandre Aja's humorous side, as his previous films (High Tension, Hills Have Eyes, and Mirrors) were all somber and serious. The actors were all having a blast, with special props going to a Doc Brown channeling Christopher Lloyd, Wild Wild Girls director Jerry O'Connell (finally someone letting him ham things up), and Ving Rhames once again playing the badass (I hate that his best scene was ruined by the previews).
I've heard this movie had a tough time achieving the R rating, I'm frankly flabbergasted as to how some of the different scenes made it past the MPAA, and I can't believe what the eventual unrated director's cut will look like. On the bad side, all the characterization is straight out of film stereotypes 101, some of the jokes do fall a bit flat, and the first hour or so of the movie doesn't have much carnage at all. Also, wayy too many of the good scenes are ruined by the trailer, including the last shot of the movie! For the love of God, Hollywood, please stop showing the end of movies in the preview... But if you want some pure adult escapism, check out Piranha 3-D complete with not awful yet fun 3-D effects.
Updates on this blog
Okay,
If you look down through the archives, 2 long time posts that I've been working on and off on are finally up.
My top 7 movies from 2009 (finally!) and my top 7 directors/alternate cuts of movies (in April 2010).
I'm not sure why Blogspot does this, but my posts get posted in the order they got started, not the order I finish them in. I have a bad habit of starting lots of posts and not finishing any... so I apologize if it looks like I don't have any new content when I actually do.
Thanks.
Patrick
If you look down through the archives, 2 long time posts that I've been working on and off on are finally up.
My top 7 movies from 2009 (finally!) and my top 7 directors/alternate cuts of movies (in April 2010).
I'm not sure why Blogspot does this, but my posts get posted in the order they got started, not the order I finish them in. I have a bad habit of starting lots of posts and not finishing any... so I apologize if it looks like I don't have any new content when I actually do.
Thanks.
Patrick
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