Stargate: SG-1 Season Two & Three (TV Show)

What can I say about this show? It's amazing. And any sane person would love it. I just finished the third season. I think I actually watched about 10 episodes just today (called in sick to work). No I didn't call in sick just so I could watch Stargate. I was actually sick. But when you're sick, sometimes there's nothing better to do than to watch TV. And Stargate fit my craving.

This show is innovative, creative, and captivating. While very episodic, there are serialistic elements to it. Some form of story line continues throughout the show. But even though it doesn't follow the movie-like serials like Lost or Heroes, it is right up there with the best shows ever created, in my opinion. I would easily put it up there with Lost, Heroes, and probably even ABOVE Smallville.

Third best show ever? Quite possibly. Do yourself a favor: rewatch the original movie, then pick up season 1, it picks up right from where the movie left off.

My Rating: 5/5
My Recommendation: SSEEEEEE IIIIITTTTTT!!!!

Stargate: SG-1 Season One (TV Show)

Ever seen the movie Stargate? If you have, I'm sure you'll agree it's a great movie. Even my wife liked it and she isn't much of a sci-fi fan.

If you didn't know (I'm always surprised how many people don't), Stargate became a TV series in 1997. It was amazing. I just rewatched the whole first season (2nd time seeing it) and I'm getting ready to start season 2. The show has 10 seasons.

Stargate SG-1 is action packed sci-fi bliss. The story lines are original and entertaining, and, while episodic, they tend to maintain some sort of running storyline.

I remember watching seasons 4 and 5 with my parents after my mission. Friday night was Round Table and Stargate Night. This show was so good that I'd have friends call me to hang out and I opted to stay because I didn't want to miss the show (that was in the days before DVR).

Even though I've seen the first 5 seasons, rewatching season 1 was still VERY entertaining (I had forgotten a lot). I'm excited to move on to season two and eventually catch up to where I had left off. I left for college after season 5 and never watched the rest of it.

My Rating: 5/5 (amazing show)

My Recommendation: SEE IT. Go netflix season 1. You won't be disapointed.

Get Smart (movie)

General Zod, Hiro Nakamura, Steve Carrell and the Rock... Best Cast Ever.

I LOVED Get Smart as a kid. Even though it was before my time I loved watching the old series. This movie adaption did not disappoint. It was clever, funny, creative and paid the right ammount of homage while keeping real with the times.

The types of jokes in Get Smart could have easily been over the top and silly/stupid rather than funny, but (thankfully) the director had a good eye for when too much was too much. The end result was an amazingly funny movie.

Steve Carrell is brilliant as he is in every movie. General Zod (known on some planets as Terrance Stamp) is just awesome because he is Zod. Hiro Nakamura is awesome because, well, DUH! And the Rock, Dwayne Johnson.... I've got to say this was my favorite performance of his. It was very real and believable.

I can't say that I saw the "twist" at the end coming, but then again I wasn't really looking for one.

If I had one complaint it'd be a couple of "yeah right" moments throughout the film. Like when Zod pulls out a key chain that has a little laser that cuts through concrete or titnaium or something like that: YEAH RIGHT.

All in all, I am still in shock a day later that this movie wasn't cheesier than it was. Given what they had to base a film off of, and given today's ideas about what is "funny" in a family film, it could have been a disaster. Thankfully it was far from disaster; it was a success.

My Rating: 4.5/5

My Recommendation: See it. Rent it at least. If you're the kind of person that likes to pop in a random comedy every now and then, buy it.

Wall-E (movie)

I finally got around to seeing this. I've been wanting to ever since it came out in the theaters. It was well worth the wait. Wall-E is a fantastic movie.

I don't know how they did it, but they managed to make robots cute. And I just loved every time Eva would say "Wall-E." So cute!

The movie was extremely entertaining. The plot was thin (humans dirty and fat, they destroy planet, they feel bad and try again), and the acting... well... not only was it CGI but there were hardly any words in the movie at all so I can't really comment on acting.

If there was one downfall, it'd be the blatant Dan Quail-ism. It was like the movie was screaming at me to stop being so fat and lazy. Oh, and if you litter or don't recycle, you're the scum of the Earth.

Sounds like I'm saying only "bad" stuff, but... it's really not. Good CGI, very entertaining, continuous movement of story....

I don't know what else to say about this movie. It's good. Watch it.

My Rating: 4/5 (I give a lot of 4 out of 5's don't I? I think I want to reserve the 5's for stellar, nearly-perfect, favorite movies. A 4 is any other really great movie that I wouldn't classify as a top 10) p.s. I reserve the right to have more than 10 on my top 10 list. :P

My Recommendation: Get it, rent it, buy it, watch it, see it

The Day The Earth Stood Still (movie - 2008)

I was very excited to see this movie when I saw the preview and, while it wasn't the most epic and fantastic movie of our day, it did not dissapoint.

Keanu Reeves, interestingly enough, is probably one of the worst actors ever, but he makes great movies. I must admit that I've pretty much liked every movie I've seen him in even though he himself pretty much sucks (Bill & Teds, Speed, Matrix Trillogy, and this movie).

This modern day adaption of the 1951 movie kept to the original story line fairly well but deviated enough to keep modern day audiences interested. As a matter of fact, while interesting, I found the original movie mostly dull and boring. This one, however, I would buy and add to my collection.

All that said, I would also agree that this movie is perhaps for a more sci-fi discriminating fan. Those who are not avid (or at least moderate) sci-fi lovers might find this movie a bit odd or strange, and perhaps even slow at parts.

I found it to be a great mixture of story, special FX, acting, emotion, and culture.

There is one major flaw, however, and it involves a spoiler. So if you plan on seeing it (and you should) then stop reading here.

The Flaw (spoiler alert): At the end of the movie, Klaatu agrees with the woman and the scientist that Earth deserves a second chance because it is only in the face of annilation that a culture can change. They assure him that they can change. So Klaatu stops Earth from being destroyed. But this informtion NEVER gets out to anyone! So far as the rest of the BILLIONS of people on the plannet, some weird things happened inexplicably and then they suddenly stopped and now everything is back to normal. What's to make them change??? No one ever told them that they SHOULD change! In this respect, the original movie was much better.

Also, the Earth "standing still" played little to no part in this movie. That was dumb.

My Rating: 4/5

My Recommendation: Buy it, See it. If you're not into sci-fi, rent it, you still may enjoy it.

James Bond: Quantum of Solace (movie)

I love Bond flicks. Who doesn't? No matter how many they make, they are always entertaining and somehow, suprisingly, they manage to drum up newer and newer ways for action scenes to be at least somewhat original.

This was the "chase" movie in my opinion. They had some pretty good chases on foot, in cars, on boats, and even one in airplanes. These writers didn't let any idea pass over thier desks without snatching it up.

Daniel Craig did a great job, of course. But I do miss the nonchelant, nothing worries me, suave smile of Pierce Brosnan. I didn't start watching Bond movies until Pierce's first movie so for me, he is my Bond in the same way that Christopher Reeve is my Superman. I love Daniel Craig, but he just seems so emotionally distraught by everything around him. It's like a new side of Bond: inner termoil.

Now for the negative stuff. The movie took place in La Paz Bolivia, where I lived for 2 years. The problem is that none of the movie was actually filmed in Bolivia, and it was very apparant to someone like me who spent so much time there. Thankfully these things would not be noticed by others. The hats the "Bolivian" women wore were so obviously peruvian. The streets in the movie were all paved (95% of Bolivian streets are stone or dirt, rarely do you find a paved road).

And one more thing: What the heck is "Quantum of Solace" and what does it have to do with this movie? It was never explained (or if it was, it was brief and not obvious). I would have rather this movie been called: "Bond Blows Up Bolivia." That would fit nicely.

My Rating: 4/5

My Recommendation: Rent it. Buy it if you're a Bond fan, Rent it if you want a good popcorn flick for a night.

The Incredible Hulk - 2008 (movie)

Well let me start out by saying that this film far surpassed its 2003 predecessor--but I expected no less from Edward Norton.

The Incredible Hulk did something AMAZING in the first 5 minutes of the movie. It did something that Superman Returns sorely lacked. This was, in fact, a sequel to the 2003 film, which I was not expecting (I thought it was going to be a reboot). But instead of just assuming that everyone knew the back story and going on (like Superman Returns did), they spent about 5 minutes flashing newspaper headlines and flashbacks to remind (or even tell) audiences what the upcoming move was based on. After seeing this superbly played out, I sincerely believe that if Superman Returns had used this same tactic, it would have been twice as successful as it actually was.

The Incredible Hulk was super entertaining, had pretty good (though not perfect) cgi, and some awesome action and fight scenes, but it was not without its flaws.

Edward Norton is pretty much great in every movie he's in, and while this was no oscar-worthy performance, he did a fine job. The movie was complete with a great King Kong scene on the cliff in the rain, a cameo by Lou Ferrigno (original Hulk from the 1978 TV series), and of course a cameo by Stan Lee, and even paraded Liv Tyler's pouty-face, slow-walking, teary-eyed poor excuse for acting.

If I had to find flaws in the movie (other than Liv Tyler), it would be, one, why on earth can't the Hulk talk when he becomes the Hulk? He suddenly becomes Frankenstein or something. Weird. And two, the plot. While a pretty awesome movie, the plot was basically: "Me am green monster, Army chase me. The End." Aside from VERY small side stories here and there, that was basically the premise of the movie. Oh well, guess you can't win them all.

My Rating: 4/5 (for poor plot and some bad cgi -- though most of it was good)

My Recommendation: See it! Great movie. Maybe rent it. I'm on the border between rent and buy. I guess it depends if you're a super hero fan or not. If you're not huge into super hero movies, then just rent it, you'll still like it. If your a hero-nerd like me, buy it.

Eagle Eye (movie)

If you know anything about me, you know I love conspiracies and shadow governments. Eagle Eye was about a computer that has access to EVERY form of media and can basically control the country by itself by hacking into cell phones, survelaince cameras, etc.

Shia LsBeouf (Transformers, Disturbia) did a good job. I like him as an actor, though I'm starting to think he plays the same character in every movie.

The plot was only somewhat original. I felt like I had seen most of it in other movies. The computer was basically a straight copy of HAL from 2001: A Space Odyssey, right down to the scene in which the computer has to read lips in order to "hear" what they're saying.

The action scenes were very well done but I felt that they were too few. I expected more in a movie like this.

My Rating: 3.3/5

My Recommendation: See it. 3.3 may sound low but hear me out: this was not a top-notch movie and doesn't belong on anyone's top 10 list of all-time greats, but it was very entertaining and well worth your time. I say Red Box it.

The Recruit (movie)

When this movie came out I really wanted to see it but never got around to it. Some friends told me it wasn't as good as it looked in the previews. I, however, like to make my own judgments as I have hated many movies that most people liked (a la Phantom of the Opera) and I've liked many movies that most people hated (a la Starship Troopers).

The Recruit was a good movie. It kept me guessing throughout. The setup of the movie is that Colin Ferrel goes through CIA training camp where he's given lots of tests. Then he's put on a real assignment but, no, it's a test. Then he's put on a REAL real assignment, but is it really a test?

The premise itself seemed to be predictable. About halfway through the movie felt I was being really clever in determining what was fake and what was real. I thought I had it all figured out. But, thankfully, the direction and writing did in fact keep me guessing. I won't venture to say that it was the most unpredictable movie ever, but it held its own.

It's tough to say too much about the movie without giving things away. But I will say that the ending was quite anti-climactic. The buildup was intense and deep. Twists and turns seemed to be the norm right up to the end. When you find out who the bad guy is and who is really behind everything it just leaves a sour taste in your mouth. It didn't live up to the expectation that they promoted, in my opinion.

Colin Ferrel and Al Pacino both gave great performances, but if you want a REALLY GOOD movie that keeps you guessing as to what is fake and what is real, I recommend: The Game. Now THAT was a fantastic movie.

My Rating: 3.9/5 (I was all ready to give this a 4/5 for it's entertainment, acting, direction, execution, etc, but that ending was anticlimactic enough to send it into the "3" realm for me)

My Recommendation: Rent it. It's worth a viewing. It's a fun movie for a night at home.

24 - Season 1 (TV Show)

This show came out one school semester before I went off to BYU. I watched the first 6 episodes or so and loved it. My brother and I would talk about the show throughout the week, speculating and waiting for the next episode. I then went off to college and never saw an episode of 24 again. I've always wanted to see the show.

So now I've finally done it. I just finished watching season 1. It was an amazing show from start to finish. It wasn't perfect but it was well worth my time and I can't wait to start season 2.

What was good:

• The acting. Everything was believable. No one seemed amateur. Sutherland was awesome, and so was the Allstate Insurance guy that played Senator Palmer.
• The story. There's actually a "con" with "the story" as well (see below) but it was a "pro" as well. The story was VERY in depth and naturally as a writer I thought about the writing process as I watched. It was very hard for me to conceive of how the writers of the show could put together such an intricate and twisting plot line. Well done guys.
• Intensity. I love Lost and Heroes because they keep you on the edge of your seat and the story continues from episode to episode as if it were one long movie. 24 fit that same bill. I knew the good guys would win but there was no telling how right up to the last few minutes.

What was bad:

• The filming. I loved the split screen affect they did, showing a number of things going on at one time, but I kid you not, twice I saw a camerman in plain view off to the side of the screen. One time I had to pause and just stare at it because it was so perposterous. Unbelievable. Fire the guy in the editing room!
• WARNING. THIS "CON" HAS A SPOILER: Moles. There were a couple of people in the CTU (Counter Terrorist Unit) that were moles (working for the bad guys). But the one they revealed at the very end was SO STUPID. There was NO WAY this person was a mole. I can point out a dozen things she did earlier in the show that are perfectly against her end goal if she were a bad guy. There were many times that she went out of her way, on her own, by herself, to help Jack. But if she really wanted him dead, then why did she do those things? It was more than silly. It was perposterous!
• The Story. It was interesting to see everything happen in real time because you couldn't argue with the fact that a lot of stuff could really happen in 24 hours; you were watching it happen. Still... there was just TOO much stuff that happened in 24 hours. When you sit back and look at everything that happened, it's... just... insane and highly inprobable. On the otherhand, it made for awesome entertainment value.
• The commercials. This was a mistake right up there with the cameramen off screen. The show takes place in real time. This means that when you go to a commercial your TV will tell you that the time is 8:43:23 and when you come back from commercial it's 8:47:11. Okay so 4 minutes have passed while we were away at commercial. Then why is Jack still closing the same car door he was closing before we went to commercial? Why is the bad guy still loading the cartridge into the same gun? Why is Nina still hanging up the phone after a disturbing phone call? You get my point. While they tried to make a realtime show, including commercial time, they didn't do it correctly. I'm hoping this is a problem they fixed in future years of the show.

So there it is. 24 Season 1 has finally made my list. If you like Lost or Heroes, I HIGHLY recommend this show. Netflix it. Buy it. Rent it. There are even websites online where you can watch it for free.

My Rating: 5/5 (even though I pointed out a bunch of flaws, that was only for the sake of the review. The show was amazing and easily deserving of a 5).
My Recommendation: See above: Netflix it. Buy it. Rent it. SEE IT!

Next (movie)

Anybody that knows my taste in fiction knows that I love science fiction, and that, more specifically, I like the element of time travel.

Next is the story of a man (Nicolas Cage) that can see 2 minutes into his own future. This means he knows exactly where each punch will be thrown in a fight, he knows exactly where bullets will hit him if he walks toward someone firing at him, and he knows if he's going to win at black jack.

It's a very interesting premise and it was portrayed satisfactorily.

The direction and vision were executed well. I had a great time watching Nick Cage view all the possible outcomes of the near future. Especially toward the end they did a great job showing how this all worked.

The acting? Fairly good. The only complaint I would have about this is that Nicolas Cage is a great actor but he only plays one part. Have you ever seen him in a movie? Then you've seen him in this one too. He makes great movies but his performance gets old after the first 124 movies you've seen him in.

The only complaint I have is that the cgi needed a bit of work in the major avalanche scene. There was a lot of apparent green/blue screen work and some sub-par visual FX added in the mix. See the movie and you'll see what I mean. The avalanche looked more like a video game rendition. But if you can look past that, the rest was well done.

It was an action flick but I wouldn't say it was action packed. It was somewhat intense but not edge-of-your-chair intense. The plot was good, but not all that thick.

On another note, the major dilema in the movie was that a bunch of terrorists were going to nuke Los Angeles, but there was never a mention of their motive. WHY did they want to blow up the city? It was all just kind of overlooked.

My Rating: 3.8/5 (even though it's a 3, it's a high 3, almost a 4)
My Recommendation: Rent it (definitely see it but not worth the buy unless you're a fanatic about buying every DVD you watch)

21 (movie)

Years back I watched the documentary: Breaking Vegas (which is on my list now to re-watch). It was the true story of a team of MIT students who devised a way to count cards as a team and beat the Vegas system. It was an interesting show.

When 21 came out in the theaters, I was interested in it because I knew the original story.

The movie starred Keven Spacy, Kate Bosworth, and Jim Sturgess--three great actors. I knew going in that the movie would take liberties with the actual story (I had been warned by others) so it didn't bother me that the movie was probably 60% fiction.

It was entertaining and exciting. I love watching people win lots of money. I wish they had gone into more depth on the card counting strategy and showed a bit more of their game play, money earned, and money spent. But as it was, they spend most of the time showing the relationships between the team and what not to do (screw over the team leader).

My Rating: 3.8
My Recommendation: It's worth a rental. Get some popcorn, enjoy the movie.

Ocean's 13

The Ocean movies are very fun. I just finished watching this one. First, I would have to say that it was very entertaining and better than the second movie. Honestly I thought it paralleled the first movie.

In this one they go back to Vegas and rip off another big casino billionaire. But this time they're not really in it for the money themselves; they just want the casino manager to get screwed.

The way they set the whole thing up is, as expected, very detailed and meticulous. It was far from predictable (except for the fact that you know from the start that Danny Ocean and his crew are going to come out victorious), but if you know the format of these movies, you know that things aren't what they seem. When someone is caught by the gaming commission and exposed, you know that it's a setup. When a plan fails, you know they have a backup plan, etc.

Still, the pace was fast and steady. Drawbacks? Julia Roberts wasn't in this one. I thought she was very good in the first two movies. I also didn't like that they don't really explain how they seem to have access to EVERYTHING. They can get into every room in the casino, they can get ahold of any uniform they need, etc. Also, Danny Ocean and his crew are basically known for having ripped off Terry Benedict in the first movie; there's no way they'd be allowed to just walk around in a new casino and not questioned. It was weird how they just seemed to brush over all of that.

Still, a very good movie and worth your time. A great popcorn flick.

My Rating: 4.5/5 (almost a 5, but hey, I can't give every movie a 5)
My Recommendation: Get some friends together, pop some popcorn and rent it or buy it.

The Simpsons Movie

I love the Simpsons. I remember watching them as a small child and I'm so glad that the show has stuck around this long.

The Simpsons Movie was incredibly funny though I can't say it was MORE creative than the regular TV show. Still, it was like watching a really good 1.5 hour episode of the Simpons and you can't beat that. I am glad, however, that I didn't pay $10 to see it in the theaters. It was funny, entertaining, well-planned, etc... but it was still just a long episode of the Simpsons.

The only drawback was that I felt there were a few times that they did things or said things merely because they knew they could get away with it in a PG-13 rating. You know, things they couldn't do on TV and now all of a sudden they're like "hey it's PG-13 and we can get away with saying one really bad swear word so let's shimmy one in right here!" It felt contrived to have occasional bad language, an inappropriate innuendo or a quick shot of Bart's... uh... nevermind. They could have done without it; it wasn't necessary. Don't get me wrong, the movie isn't riddled with these things, but when it had them, it stood out because it was out of place.

My Rating: 3.5/5
My Recommendation: Rent it, Red Box it, Netflix it. I wouldn't say buy it... I really liked it but I'm not sure I'd ever watch it again. Then again, if you're a collector like I am, then go ahead, it'll make a nice addition to your collection.