MOVIE REVIEW [Capsulefest] . Mission: Impossible III, Art School Confidential, Hollow Man 2

Mission Impossible III - See Tom bleed. See, wait no, now the blood is missing. See Tom bleed again. Oh, but oh no, gone again. In the first few cuts (no pun intended), it is evident that we either have an anal retentive director or Mr. Cruise is setting his acting [...]

Shohei Imamura has passed away

From IMDB:
Japanese director Shohei Imamura has died of liver cancer. He was 79. Tokyo-born Imamura was hailed as one of the cinematic icons of Japan’s New Wave movement, twice winning the prestigious Palme d’Or at France’s prestigious Cannes Film Festival. Famed for concentrating on gritty social issues, he frequently raised eyebrows [...]

MOVIE REVIEW . The Great Yokai War

With director Takashi Miike, you’re never quite sure what you’re going to get. Whether stoic dramas (Sabu), gonzo comedies (Zebraman), gross-out masterpieces (Ichi the Killer) or radical takes on tried and true genres (Gozu), you can be sure you’re in for something you’ve never seen before. This film has been described as a live [...]

MOVIE REVIEW [Capsulefest] . Longinus, Kekko Kamen, The Promise

Longinus – This 40 minute action fest, concerning a battle between soldiers and vampires over the legendary Spear of Longinus (aka: the Spear of Destiny) has just about everything you would expect from director Ryuhei Kitamura: Mexican standoffs, macho dialogue, exploding heads, and yes, another terribly tedious story. Kitamura excels at creating visually interesting yet [...]

Hollywood sets its sights on Wong Kar Wai and Gong Li

So the Hollywood juggernaut continues its tradition of taking well known Chinese actors and directors and paring them with mediocre scripts and American stars of the week Look at what happened with Jet Li (paired with DMX and Aaliyah), Chow Yun-Fat (paired with Mira Sorvino and Sean William Scott), and Jackie Chan (Owen Wilson, Jennifer [...]

Pssst. Pandemic Prep for Sale.. Real Cheap, man

Pssst hey buddy, woulda like to buy some top of the line genuine Flu Pandemic Prep? Come on, you know you need it, you know you want it, everybody’s doing it. Whatsamatter, you can’t spare $5 billion? You don’t get just one, but 5,000 ramped-up acute care hospitals. It makes a [...]

Office Hazards in May: Trees and Guns

Last night some freaky strong wind broke a heavy-duty tree branch that bashed two of our employees’ vehicles and blocked in five more building patrons. This morning “shots” rang out at the White House resulting in an aggressive lock-down, baby. Now the popo and Mr. Bill Pickle (the Senate Sergeant at Arms and [...]

DVD REVIEW [PRE-RELEASE] . The Uninvited

They say some memories are lost for a reason. Some are simply unimportant, resulting in near immediate dismissal, while others the mind chooses to bury in an effort to cope; events whose recollections would prove spiritually and emotionally crippling. Furthermore, they say experience of such a traumatic event can fundamentally alter one’s perception of reality. [...]

Nintendo Wii to cost only $250! WHEEEEEE!

Nintendo has finally announced the cost of its new system, the Nintendo Wii. At $250, the Wii will definitely be the most affordable system of the big three. Kris and I are die hard Gamecube and DS fans (I think the DS is officially my favorite system now), and I must say, we are looking [...]

Damn Punks!

WANTED: Three caucasian males in their late teens/early twenties for loitering and suspicious activities. The three were wearing black pants with black shirts probably depicting the devil music they listen to these days. Their obvious ringleader was wearing a leather bracelet (fairy!) with faux metal spikes. His dirty blonde hair was also [...]

MOVIE REVIEW [Capsule Fest] Da Vinci Code, Waiting, and MoH Incident On and Off a Mountain Road

Here’s another round of quick throughts on recent mainstream releases.
The Da Vinci Code. Not bad. Not bad at all. I’m one of those elitist “I read contemporary literature” types that scoffed at reading Dan Brown’s novel, much like I continue to scoff at adults who read Harry Potter, so I did not run into any [...]

New Superman poster complete with secret message?

I must say, there’s something funny about the placement of Florida in this picture. Perhaps a reference to Supe’s newfound reproductive prowess? Or possibly a subversive message from director Brian Singer? Possibly to the studio to expect bigger than Brokeback size returns? I’ll admit, it’s not as blatant as the original cover for the Little [...]

DVD REVIEW . Tokyo Psycho

I first noticed Tokyo Psycho at Asia Star in San Francisco. The cover immediately caught my eye (see left), and seemed to promise something far more disturbing than anything I’d seen in quite some time Shortly thereafter I saw the Panik House release at Amoeba, complete with amazing jigsaw puzzle of the cover graphic, and [...]

Two-for-one

Separated at Birth: George Clooney and Miguel Ferrer

MUNCHIES . Atebara Gourmet Taro Chips

If you like crispity kettle-cooked type potato chips, you’ll love Atebara Gourmet Taro Chips. And you’d have to at over $5 per bag before shipping (if you purchase them here online to the Mainland via airmail). Even though “kettle-cooked” to me usually means “hard as hell”, these are thin enough to be pleasantly crispy [...]

CSI Season Finale

Ooh I love CSI. So many serious people in serious serious jobs, yet it’s so entertaining. Damn you Bruckheimer. Beyond the cool techno-gadgets and terminology, the trippy special effects and awesome background electronica, there’s a killer offbeat “something for everyone” cast. Why, there’s “I prefer bugs over women” Grissom, cutie nerdy [...]

Red Coconut Balls munchies review

I love coconut. Co-co-nut. But I never thought I’d like it formed into bite-sized balls rolled in sugar and dyed a bright crayola red. It’s dewy and chewy in the center with a crispy coating of gravelly granulated sugar. Because the candies are held together with corn syrup, and corn syrup and sugar come [...]