Swingers

Swingers (Miramax Collector's Series)I watched this movie over a week ago and forgot to post about it. Maybe I forgot to post because I hated it so much and wanted to forget about it as soon as possible.

In real life I can’t stand people who talk just for the sake of talking. Annoying! Why would anyone want to watch a movie with a character like this? The best part of the movie was the ending when one of the characters finally stopped talking about his ex-girlfriend and then his friend (the talker) didn’t know what to say. It was silence…welcome silence.

Not much else to say about this movie really. There were scenes in Vegas so that was my highlight. I give it a D+.

Digital Fortress

Digital Fortress : A ThrillerAnother great one by Dan Brown, but ranks 3rd of the three I’ve read so far. This one is a thriller based around the Cryptology department of the NSA. One of the agency’s former employees has created an unbreakable encryption algorithm and threatens to release it to the world if the NSA does not let the country know about their super code breaking computer. As you might guess, things take a turn for the worse.

The character development is very well done, just like Brown’s other books, but it wasn’t as interesting. Some of the computer stuff was obviously interesting to me, but the plot didn’t feel right at times. He spent way too much time going back to the relationship between two of the main characters in the book. Most of it could have been left out.

After reading this 3rd book by Brown I’ve realized a few things:

  • They all take place in a 24-48 hour period.
  • Short chapters are the way to tell a good story.
  • Brown uses 3-4 different parts of the story all at once, but in seperate chapters. This keeps you reading. For instance, you are reading about part 1 and when you finish the chapter, you have to read a few more chapters before getting back to part 1. while you are reading these other chapters, the same thing happens. You never want to put the book down!
  • I love reading about code breaking in his books.

I give Digital Fortress a B+.


Angels & Demons

Angels & DemonsAnother great book by Dan Brown, author of The Da Vinci Code. I read the majority of the book on the flights to and from Sacramento, and finished up the rest last night. It was another page turner with a lot of suspense.

Just like the previous book I read by Brown there was a lot of code breaking which I really liked. This book was about the Catholic church and the Illuminati, who were attempting to get revenge on the church and destroy it’s following. Robert Langdon, a Harvard professor was the main character again. The character developments done by Brown are awesome. Throughout the story he throws in flashbacks for many of the characters explaining one of their fears or how they came to be where they are in their lives.

There was an insane amount of history in this book again. Brown must research for months and read hundreds of books before he dives into writing his own books, because his facts are top-notch. If you’ve read any of his other books, you should also read this one. I give it a rare A+.

Halo: The Flood

The Flood (Halo)Great book if you liked the XBOX game Halo, but then again, who doesn’t like that game? As I was reading the book I could recall the exact places in the game that they were mentioning. It makes me want to beat the game again (for like the 5th time).

What I really liked about the book was that I learned about all of the action that happened away from Master Chief on the planet Halo. There was a lot of fighting between the humans and the Covenant that is never mentioned or shown while playing through the game. On the other hand, there are a lot of things that Master Chief does in the game that are skipped in the book, so it is a nice combination between the two.

I do have a complaint though. Halo: Fall of Reach was the first book in the series and was a great book. This book was released second so I read it next, which was great. I picked up what is supposed to be the third book (Halo: First Strike), which was released after The Flood, but the action takes place in between the two books. I’m confused and didn’t like the idea so I decided not to read it right now. Maybe in a few weeks I’ll pick it back up and then might be able to understand why it was done this way.

For now, I give this book an A-.


Troy

Troy (Two-Disc Widescreen Edition)I went to see it last night with my friends Hater and Casey. Awesome movie! All of the previews being played lately do this movie justice. Make plans the next night you are free to go see this movie.

The acting was very well done and Brad Pitt played one of his best roles ever as Achilles, the great greek warrior. I learned some valuable history tidbits from this movie which was pretty cool. It’s amazing how they fought wars throughout history compared to how it is done today.

We watched this movie in a theater with Dolby Digital signs as you walked in, so the battle scenes turned out to be a pretty sweet experience to view and hear. I would definitely recommend seeing this one in a theater for the full experience.

I give it an A.


The Last Samurai

The Last Samurai (Widescreen Edition)I remember seeing the movie trailers on TV and thinking, “Tom Cruise as a samurai!” I thought the movie was going to be a joke, but I was wrong. It was a really good movie.

Tom did a great job, but Ken Watanabe may have done even better in his role as the Lord of the Samurai. I learned a lot about their way of life…the dedication, the discipline, and the belief in what they did. It’s a good example to learn from for our own lives. We should battle each day for what we believe in, so that we may achieve our goals.

I don’t want to give away too much about the movie, but it was a joy to watch. I have to give it an A-.


Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World

Master and Commander - The Far Side of the World (Widescreen Collector's Edition)I’m not a big fan for old time war movies so I’ll try to review this movie for it’s value and not on personal taste. With that said, it’s a good movie, but not “The best movie of the year” as the cover claims.

Russell Crowe did an excellent job as Captain Jack Aubrey, or “Lucky Jack” as his crew referred to him. He played the part of a leader like few others could have done, but I’m starting to expect that from Crowe after all of his other successful films in the past few years. The plot revolves around Crowe’s ship (British) being stalked by a French vessel. Crowe takes it personal and attempts to return the favor.

Overall, the acting was very believable and the actors fit their parts. One thing that blew me away was the sound effects during the battle sequences. My new surround sound setup was thumping! For this reason I’m bumping my grade up to a B-.


Kill Bill: Volume 1

Kill Bill, Volume 1I was pleasantly suprised by how good this movie is. I wasn’t looking for much after the previews I’ve seen, but I should have known better for a Quentin Tarantino film.

The story revolves around Uma Thurman’s character, “The Bride.” She once was part of an assassination crew, who turned and attempted to kill her on her wedding day. Roughly 4 years later, she wakes up from a coma and is out for revenge. The movie makes an abrupt halt at the end, which is to be expected since this was volume 1 (2 is in the theaters now).

The martial arts and all of the sword fighting are fantastic in this movie. The acting is exactly as I’d expect for a weird movie, but it really adds to the overall effect. One neat thing about the movie is that it is told in a series of chapters like a book, so events are skipping around. It’s a very nice touch.

Since I can’t wait to see how the story ends in Volume 2, I have to give this movie a B+.


School Of Rock

School of Rock (Widescreen Edition)I’ve heard quite a few favorite reviews about this movie so I thought I’d see what it was all about. It was a pretty good movie, but probably not one that I would watch again.

Jack Black plays a guy lost in a dream to start a rock band. When he can’t pay his rent, he is forced to lie and take a substitute teaching position. Once he finds out that the kid in his class have musical talent, he uses them to create his dream band.

I really thought there would be more humor in the movie since Black was the star, but there wasn’t. There was some good music in the movie and it’s always cool to see kids rebel against their prep school.

I have to give it a B-.


Halo: The Fall Of Reach

The Fall of Reach (Halo)If you are a fan of the XBOX game Halo then this book is for you.

It is the first in a series of books based on the video game. I really liked how it fills in all of the gaps in the story. The Fall of Reach explains what happened up until the opening sequences of the game. You learn where Master Chief came from and how he became such a kickass soldier.

I wouldn’t recommend it for someone who can’t appreciate the game, but if was a good read for me. The character developments and plot where more than I could ask for in a book about a video game. It really adds to the whole Halo experience. Now I’m on to the next book, The Flood, which is supposed to tell the story that takes place during the game. So far it’s holding true to form.

I’ll give this book a B+, but only that low because it didn’t knock me off my feet.