December

Catching Up On Movie Reviews

Thu 31 Dec 2009

Spirited Away

I can’t remember the last time I reviewed a movie. It’s been months, if not years. I’m planning to go see Avatar in 3D next Monday, and I heard it’s revolutionary. In this last post of the year, before I embark in a new world by Cameron, I might as well quickly review the movies I’ve seen since the past two years, started with the one I’ve seen the earliest.

Spider-Man 3 (2007)

Splendid visual effects. But really, go back to comic books, Marvel. Please. 3/5

Transformers (2007)

Bunch of robots transforming. Nice visual effects, but that’s it. 3/5

The Simpsons Movie (2007)

Glad they kept their “ugliness” for the movie. Good twists on some old jokes, and funny in general. Subtle usage of computer graphics. 4/5

Speed Racer (2008)

Poor adaptation for hyperactive kids of a great anime series. Distinct visuals, but maybe too distinct. 1/5

WALL-E (2008)

Quality animation like I always expect from Pixar. Cute love story. The background story is also interesting. 4/5

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)

Great adaptation of the same-title short story. Superb seamless integration of CGI. Realistic performance by the actors. 5/5

The Dark Knight (2009)

Shows us a darker, more obscure tone to Batman and the Joker. Must see. 4/5

Okuribito (or “Departures,” Japanese, 2008)

Touching story of a man with a job he didn’t expect to do. The last scene was the most moving. 5/5

Star Trek (2009)

Spectacular reboot of the series. Good to see it start anew instead of trying to work around more than 40 years of continuity. Plus, Leonard Nimoy was amazing. 5/5

Terminator Salvation (2009)

The machines are more detailed, the visual effects are more spectacular. Short cameo appearance by Arnold. Good to see, but the first two Terminator films will always be the best. Why can James Connor hack an autonomous motorcycle via a USB port? 2/5

The Hangover (2009)

Glad I saw it instead of Transformers 2 that night. (I just saw half of that one later and I hate it.) Really funny. 4/5

Brüno (2009)

Wow! Is this film trying to tell me being gay is the new straight? Great one, though Sacha reuses a few gags from his previous movies. Remember, what is seen cannot be unseen. 4/5

Acadieman vs le CMA 2009 (French, 2009)

Hilarious cultural references to Acadians. Must see, if you’re an Acadian. Hate the ending. Hope there’s a sequel to make me feel better about it. It can also be watched for free online, divided by episodes. 4/5

District 9 (2009)

Magnificient adaptation of the short movie Alive in Joburg, which is also good. Actual puppets used for the aliens rather than CGI overdose. 5/5

9 (2009)

Excellent adaptation of the same-title movie which didn’t have voices. Great storyline and animation. The ending was a bit cheesy, trying to hard to make the audience feel at ease about what happens to some characters. 5/5

Moon (2009)

Sentimental science-fiction. Really poignant. Interesting twist on an old character archetype. Must see. 5/5

Evangelion 1.0: You are (not) alone (2007, released in Canada in 2009)

Great to see Evangelion after so many years. Saw it a week before moving in Japan. Good semi-reboot with curious new details on the Evas and Angels. Can’t wait to see the second and third movies, which will diverge further from the original series. Don’t get the deal with the title. 4/5

The Re-Animator (1985)

Typical science-fiction horror film of the movie. Bad movie, but entertaining nevertheless. 3/5

Two-Lane Blacktop (1971)

Intriguing circular theme, repeating itself through out the movie. Bizarre ending too. A strangely gripping movie in general. 3/5

Bright Star (2009)

Expecting a chick flick. Unexpectedly got a stimulating movie about the life of a poet. Better if you see it with your lover, however. 3/5

Borat (2006)

Seen this after Brüno. That’s when I realized Sacha just reuses same jokes with different stereotypes. Still funny. 4/5

Spirited Away (2001)

Glad to finally see this animation movie. Fascinating art with fine details like you expect from a Miyazaki film. Captivating storyline and characters. 5/5

Grizzly Man (2005)

Engaging analysis of a man many just thought was crazy. (And maybe he was.) Compelling narration. Fascinating documentary. 4/5

That’s it, that’s all. Now I’m ready to see Avatar. Happy new year!

Photo: A frame from the movie “Spirited Away.” (Source.)

Just A Few Days Before 2010

Thu 24 Dec 2009

Christmas already started here in Japan two hours and a half ago, so here’s a fuzzy personal message on behalf of my girlfriend and myself from Saitama for the holidays. Aww…

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2010!

Joyeux Noël et Bonne Année 2010 !

メリクリと平成２２年良いお年を！

I’ll soon write about my first experience of the holidays in Japan on Edojin. Stay tuned!

An Awkward Epiphany

Sun 13 Dec 2009

I have something really embarrassing to share with the world.

I’ve been maintaining this site for 12 years. That’s all right. Rémino had countless designs and a few name changes. What is a shame, however, is that I’ve never been successful during that entire time. People don’t write comments and perhaps I get around 10 hits on a good day.

After asking the MetaFilter community about tips on how to write a successful blog, I finally arrived to a conclusion. During all this time, I focused too much on how the site looks and I tried to cram all my interests into one single site.

Let’s say, what would have happened if, 12 years ago, I started a site about Japan and write about all the details about my learning of the Japanese language? Or what if I started writing tips and tricks about computers back then? I imagine today, my creation would be getting a lot of attention. Starting to do so today feels too late.

Then again, in that time, I was too focused to trying to make a “mega site” while complaining about my daily life in a journal and making it look the best as possible. Finally, after all that time, I realise that I’ve done a huge mistake and I should have put all my efforts into one topic instead.

Why did it take me all that time?

Intermission

Thu 10 Dec 2009

Obervez votre étape

It’s been weeks since I wrote here, but if you’ve been reading Rémino for a while, I’m pretty sure you’re used at these gaps. Then again, if you’ve been following me on Twitter and reading Edojin, my new blog about my life in Japan (which also has its own Twitter account), you know what’s going on in my life everyday. Otherwise, you’ve been missing out on a lot of what I’ve been doing.

And yes, I used the word “blog.” It’s still a word I hate, yet it found its way into the dictionary, and not only in English. Larousse also adopted the word in its French dictionary. Can’t wait to see how Académie française will moderate that in the future tenth edition of their dictionary! We may have to wait a few decades for that. Quebec is already okay with it. Oxford just doesn’t care and will accept any neologisms, like “double double,” just to try to be “cool.” It sounds like everyone forgot the origin of the word “blog,” which is just short for “web log.” I prefer to say “journal,” but I feel no one understands what I mean by that.

Let’s end this post with some electronic remixes.

Photo: Talking of words, here’s a sign with a typo in the French translation of a sign seen in a Tim Horton’s, downtown Ottawa, on September 27, 2009. How did they leave the “s” out of the verb “observez” and have no one notice it?