Archives
Archives
Jurassic Park
III
[ 7-18-01 ][ 8:28 p.m. pst ][ By Rice ]
Surprisingly
enough, JP3 was actually better than JP2... but not by much. The dinosaur CGI
was better than ever, but since the original Jurassic Park, it's all basically
a glorified "been there, done that" kind of deal. The plot was somewhat
stupid, and devoid of any suspense. It's the typical stranded crew surrounded
by monsters storyline. Think Deep Blue Sea or Alien: Resurrection... except
on an island full of supposedly extinct carnivores. Any semi movie enthusiast
would have no problem predicting who was going to survive or die. The actors
all did commendable albeit unremarkable jobs. However, I was disappointed that
Tea Leoni wasn't as hot as she was in the Family Man. Sigh. =/
What redeemed the movie was its action. Although predictable, it was not completely devoid of excitement. You get to see a variety of dinosaurs, created by Industrial Light and Magic, tear through flesh and shrubbery alike. The director wasted no time with superfluous dialogue, but instead had the audience in the mix as soon as possible. As a result, JP3 was pretty short. A somewhat solid C movie in my books. Catch it on a matinee if you've got nothing else to do that day.
With that brief review/blurb aside, I can get to work on the Alaska cruise report. Finally got the pictures developed at Costco. What kind of irked me was this anal cashier who told me I couldn't use my mom's Costco membership card if she wasn't around herself. Truth to tell, I've used her card a couple of times already, and was never stopped before. Anyways, I convinced him to let me keep the developed photo's, but couldn't stop him from confiscating the card. Now my mom has to go pick it up from the customer service counter the next time she goes there. Pain.
Which reminds me, one of the times in which I purchased at Costco solo was when I picked up the Unbreakable DVD for $18.49 or so. That night, I played it back via my now-departed cousin's PlayStation 2, and it worked like a dream. Unbreakable was as awesome as I remembered it to be. I still can't believe so many people didn't like the movie. WHAT'S WRONG WITH ALL OF YOU?!
Man, I miss that PS2...
Movies Galore: Part Deux
[ 7-15-01 ][ 3:03 p.m. pst ][ By Rice ]
"But unlike a perfect fairy tale of the older Disney movies, Atlantis was more of a true adventure movie than a romance fairy tale."
The above Atlantis review is courtesy of a longtime visitor of Rice World and close personal friend of mine, Leo. The next review, Final Fantasy, is from yours truly. Dig in, everyone. =)
"...And really, that's why despite the overwhelming negativity I regurgetated, I still highly recommend this film."
Sony's Incredible PlayStation 2
[ 7-12-01 ][ 2:11 a.m. pst ][ By Rice ]
My cousin Tony from Seattle came down a couple of days ago to visit, and in his travel bag was the motherlode of all console systems: a PlayStation 2! I must say, the machine is simply superb. I owe Sony an apology because I was one of the many who scoffed at the PS2's bold assertions upon its launch. And although they did have their share of bumps in the beginning, it's all water under the bridge now. In hindsight, Sega's decision to drop the Dreamcast was a smart one. They just can't compete head to head with the two headed monster known as the PS2. DC owners, eat your heart out. ;)
What really impressed me was Gran Tourismo 3. We rented that from Blockbuster earlier today, and the graphics for it are just mindblowing. I have never seen anything like it on the supposedly superior PC platform. The intro cutscene looked so real that for a split second, I thought I forgot to switch the TV to video and was watching a NASCAR report on the evening news. The car models for GT3 are smooth and round, and the environment shadow and reflections are subtle and effective. Don't judge by screenshots online, because they do them absolutely no justice. The gameplay is likewise diverse, with choices of street-car racing to Formula-1 to Mountain Rallying. The best part is there is absolutely no hint of lag even when playing split-screen multiplayer. Friggin' awesome...
And I haven't even tried its DVD playing capabilities yet. Planning to head off to Costco to develop film and pick up a copy of the 2-disc DVD of Unbreakable tomorrow, so I'll post an update later on my experiences. One thing's for sure, The PS2 is going to be occupying a lot of my time until Tony leaves Monday. I'd get one myself if I wasn't so darn unemployed. =P
A.I.: Artificial Intelligence
[ 7-6-01 ][ 5:34 p.m. pst ][ By Rice ]
"Despite weaving a web that traps itself, A.I. is still a highly recommended film to watch. It toys around with the question of life in general and ponders the mysteries and boundaries of a special kind of love..."
Happy Belated 4th
[ 7-5-01 ][ 8:48 p.m. pst ][ By Rice ]
Hope everyone enjoyed their 4th of July. For me, I feel it's truly a gift to be able to live in the United States. Growing up in Taiwan was none too fun, but now I'm having the time of my life here.
More often than not, one may be overwhelmed by their daily schedule and priorities. Sometimes, we just have to hit the pause button on our frantic lives and take a step back to observe the bigger picture. War continues to rage on in the Middle East. Communism still exists. People are starving to death in 3rd world contries. And here, we're sitting in our executive leather chairs in front of broadband internet connection complaining how miserable our lives are? July 4th offers the opportunity to simply appreciate what we have and thank our lucky stars we live in the greatest nation on Earth. God bless America.
Be back later to post the A.I. review. Oh, and maybe a Disney's Atlantis review as well from a guest writer if we're lucky. Cheers. =)
Around The Rice
[ 7-3-01 ][ 12:00 a.m. pst ][ By Rice ]
Home sweet home. No matter how luxurious the vacation, and how pampering the waiters are, there ain't nothing like the comforts under your own roof. I do, however, detest the weather. I was wearing layers of sweaters and jackets just a couple of days ago, and now I'm roasting in smoggy SoCal sun. Arrgh...
The cruise to Alaska was fantastic. The weekend stay in Vancouver afterwards was less so, but it passed by quickly enough. As usual, a full report accompanied by color photographs of my vacation will be posted once I drag my lazy ass out to develop the film. I'll try to get Gerry's accounts as well, but the man's balancing a full time job along with summer school, so that's not a certainty.
Back to work on the site! I saw Disney's Atlantis prior to my departure, and had plans on reviewing it until I realized I don't actually remember much about the movie anymore. Perhaps I'll still get one up, but if not, you'll at least see a blurb mentioning it on the front page sometime in the near future. I also saw A.I. earlier today, $4 matinee style, baby! Full blown movie review for it in the works.
In other events of my life, I'm still searching for a summer job. Before, I had aimed pretty high, looking for something that would advance my computer science career. Now, I guess I'd be satisfied as long as the job as a computer I can tinker with. Soon, I'll be desperate enough to turn in a fast food restaurant application. Ack... hopefully not, though. Just thinking about that motivates me..... to a certain degree. ;) Anyone with any connections I can use in the L.A. area? I'd be eternally grateful.
I'm also learning how to cook. My Mom taught me a couple of dishes, but she's on the other side of the world for now, so my cooking repetoire is currently limited. It's not as bad as I thought it would be, but it certainly ain't a walk in the park. I messed up trying to fry a snowfish for lunch today. It's T-minus 3 months before I have to master this art, lest I starve!
I shall end my ramblings here, and pick it up some other time. It's good to be back. =) Cheers, all.