Seeing R.E.D.

With the amount of 'superhero' movies that came out recently, I expected R.E.D. (Retired. Extremely Dangerous) to be extremely good or extremely bad - even though it isn't about superheros, but retired spies for the C.I.A. The plot was very simple, someone in the government issued a hit list, including some retired agents, and they attempt to discover why and whom. Of course, this being an action movie, there are lots of shootings, explosives, massive machinery, and yet the hero calmly walks away.

My first thought when I saw John Malkovich appear was 'Wait...wasn't he a big part of that other movie Secretariat?!?' In any case, he pulled off his role as a kooky, paranoid ex-spy perfectly. The decoy and real houses, the tree and bush covers all fit perfectly with people's characterizations of paranoids. The use of the pig to portray dejection is amazingly kiddish, which makes it even more hilarious when we discover its true use.

Helen Mirren was the obligatory female ex-spy. Everything she did/said was about missing killing for killing's sake, and also letting drop that she took some contracts (on the side). She was cool, collected, and looked awesome in a white sheath gown. (Heroes in movies tend to wear white...so the blood stands out.) Her scene with Mary-Louise Parker was entertaining, especially because the phrase 'I'll kill you' is so frequently used, and not meant.

pic from empiremovies.com

There were, of course, some not so great shots in R.E.D. One that truly bothered me was the 360 shot showing Frank's house and neighborhood. For some reason, I felt as though the entire shot was blurry and out of focus; it kind of gave me a headache to watch it, but I am unsure whether it was just me. Another was when Frank kicked the wall next to the vault and somehow unlocked it, but when the next shot showed the inside - nothing seemed to be damaged (plus, wouldn't the records-keeper have heard the wall breaking?)

One shot that truly bothered me was the line-trace. In the scene set-up, they show Cooper outside the interrogation room with the guy tracing the line around the corner. Then for some reason, when signalling the 'keep-going' to Cooper, the director had the tracer KNOCK ON THE WINDOW to get his attention. Um...excuse me? You're both outside the freaking room!! And then, surprise surprise, when they get the actual address from the line tap, he walks it over to Cooper...a walk of about 10 steps! >.< I think the director just wanted the window knock to be honest.

pic from brucewillismovies.net

Despite those plot holes, R.E.D. had some great shots and transitions. I love that they reiterated some shots in order to emphasize them, like the clock and the vault. The transitions were done perfectly between the eye and bullet; the panning of the wall and cubicle when on the phone. I also really enjoyed the C.I.A. shots showing Sara's boredom while waiting for Frank, while Frank was frantically trying to beat Cooper in a fight. Another really good scene was the slow-motion scene of Frank stepping out of the car as it spun and just missing his leg, yet he was still and didn't move out of its way at all.

The humorous shots of Cooper sliding off the back of the limo, 'hidden' Marvin looking through the window at Victoria, and the epilogue were just icing on the cake in this movie. Overall, it was fun, well-made and I would definitely re-watch it. B+/A-

Graffiti

I went with friends on Sunday to the Live Graffiti Battle taking place in Oakland. While we were supposed to have met up with them at 3 pm, the bus not only came late, but the bus driver decided to chat to passengers waiting at the bus stops instead of driving to the next stop. When I planned the trip using the bus schedules, I allowed myself 15 minutes in order to transfer to the next bus at MacArthur Bart.

Unfortunately, when I got there, the 26 had just left and the next bus wouldn't be there for another half-hour. So I decided that I would walk down to Market and attempt to catch the 88 instead. After hitting Market I realized waiting for the bus would probably take about as long for me to just walk to the event, so I decided to walk along the 88 bus route until I hit 18th, at which I would walk down to Adeline. If the bus came during that time I would catch it, if not, I'd be there anyway.

I managed to walk the entire way from the Bart to the Park without seeing one bus >.< When I got there, my friend told me that I had essentially walked ~25 blocks in one of the worst parts of Oakland - West Oakland. Surprisingly I thought the area I walked through was pretty nice, for Oakland at least.

In any case, we had a fabulous time looking at all the pretty art pieces that were created, did some drawing, and got hungry because we didn't want to pay for food. I had 3 favorite pieces and apparently they were all Bay Area style graffiti, which is logical considering I don't even know what the difference between Bay Area style and Brooklyn style is.

We didn't stick around long enough to hear who the winner was; it got really cold and the sun hid behind lots of clouds so we decided to leg it and go eat dinner. 

They had other cool things to see and do besides the watching the graffiti artists. There were large pictures with oil pastels for people to color, stencils to spray-paint whatever you want, a random graffiti-ed car, a skate-park, and a dance floor. We saw some tiny kids skateboarding at the makeshift park and they were doing tricks! I noticed one guy in his 20s blading like Apolo Ohno and doing really cool rail tricks. Overall it was a fun day filled with lots of art.

Not Reading Manuals...and the Trouble it gets you in

Undercovers S01E02 Instructions

From the first few minutes of the episode, I got a sense of the military. Some cool stunts were shown, especially the first shot of the SUV flying over the bump/pothole. The montage of shots first showing the kitchen was well-done, however, the flambe looked too yellow to be real - I wonder if it was done in special effects.

The comedy once again was good timing, from the story arc of Steven not reading manuals, to Hoyt's over-enthusiasm, to the 'hotel' manager (really the CIA agent) dragging out his sentence of 'I'll be frank, coming here asking you to fly to an exotic locale, hoping that your...rusty epsionage skills will be sufficient enough to do the job pains me...deeply...in the groin.' That was the most perfect line ever uttered. The reaction shots also were a big help for the comedy.

Their mission is to rescue a woman who specializes in microbombs. Unfortunately, their intel was a little faulty and they managed to catch (and lose) the main guy of the operation. The writers wisely used the comedic plot point of Steven not reading manuals to allow for his mistake with the electronic tracer. This also led to another character being semi-permanently assigned to their fledgling team, the agent rescued in the earlier episode - Leo Nash. He plays a smart-ass and does it brilliantly to great comedic effect.

The team discovers that the bad guy took a bomb to a conference and heads there to hopefully stop it before it blows. I find it hilarious that the show made the convention so high-class that each cell-phone was bagged and put in a little cubicle. Does that actually happen? Or is it more toss them all together...though I can't really see any modern conference not allowing cell-phones through.

The idea of the bomb engineer constantly falling unconscious in the middle of telling Hoyt how to defuse the bomb is hilarious, and yet the possibility is not unlikely. They made it even more funny by having Hoyt talking to the unconscious woman, especially when he yelled 'It worked! It worked! Do you understand? You can't hear me.'

I'm really hoping that viewers will keep this show alive because it hasn't exactly been getting the ratings. Unfortunately it seems as though this show is on the chopping block right now.

Making Families

I went to another free screening with some friends; this time for Life as We Know It. We were pretty psyched to watch it because we had seen the previews while watching The Switch, and it was one that we turned to each other and said...'Let's go watch that'. 

Life as We Know It is a movie about two god-parents who have been willed custody of a baby to raise and the challenges it creates in their relationship. Well okay...they don't start off having a good relationship. In fact, the movie began with their first (blind) date where the guy, Eric Messer (what a fabulous name the writers gave someone who always has a different girl,) makes plans to be with another girl in front of his date, Holly.

Holly manages to meet her dream guy Sam, but before she can date him, a horrible event occurs - her friends die in a car accident leaving Sophie (their baby) orphaned. Surprisingly she discovers that she, along with Messer, are named as guardians.

Considering that they barely could get on in the best of times, it seemed like an impossible task to both take care of Sophie, especially while in the throes of grief. But they manage to do so, to great comedic effect. While both are seeing people on the side, living in a house and raising a child together evokes some fondness and eventually love within them.

The grief in the movie was well-portrayed, and almost the entire theater was crying at some points. Luckily there were some great comedic points to balance it, so it wasn't one constant stream of tears.

A character that always provoked laughter was the Social Services woman. While she was supposed to do surprise check-ups on the two, she always managed to pick the exact worst time - there was drunkenness, drugs, and drama. I found it hilarious that she was supposed to be proper and professional, but she swore and cried and definitely was NOT professional.

The movie deals well with issues that develop from child-raising, not just the sleeplessness, but the difficulty in getting the baby to eat and sleep, the difficulty of finding a babysitter when needed, as well as the cost problems. 

I absolutely love the way they chose to end the movie; it was very reminiscent of how they began the movie allowing the story to have come full-circle. They had truly become a family.

pic from flixster.com

The beginning and premise of this movie was very original, allowing the grief to become a part of the writing. Unfortunately midway through the movie, once they started doing drugs, it devolved back into the genre of classic rom-com and became very predictable.

Luckily the acting and writing were portrayed well-enough that the entire theater would laugh or cry along with the characters. I would give this movie a B/B+ because it almost broke the stereotype, but didn't quite get there. Besides, it had me crying for a good portion of the movie, so it definitely evoked some emotion in me.

Personal Prints

Project Runway S08E10 There's a Pattern Here

The challenge this week is to create their own print and create a garment, which immediately reminds me of Emilio Sosa's 'branding' from last season. Although I didn't like what he created, it was memorable, which a fabric should be. However, there was one limitation, their inspiration for their fabric had to be a moment from their past, so when they entered the workroom the computers were set up with several photos of when they were younger.

Some of the designer's stories are very touching, like April's parent's divorce and Mondo's HIV positive status. After going to Mood, the designers received visitors - their loved ones, and also got to spend the rest of the day with them. Seeing April's mother reminds me of how young April is because her mother looks like she's in her 40's. It was really heartwarming to see and hear all their little stories.

Unfortunately the designers had to go back to work the next day and take their minds off the visit. Andy  was one who definitely couldn't put his head back where he needed it to be and no one thought it looked like his style. Funny enough, Michael C. made a turnaround in the other designers' minds.

The Final Looks

 I love the fabric April created. Her design was pretty edgy and very April. The way the fabric hides and pops out makes it stand out even more. The bottom was great because as the model walked, it let the other fabric peek through. However, I wish she hadn't put that little ballerina frou frou on the dress.

pic courtesy of mylifetime.com

Andy's fabric is very bland. I don't like the long top with the short shorts, although I think the top was well created. The piping around the bust area seems odd.

Mondo's fabric is very coloful, and again he mixed fabrics well. I absolutely love the shape he created, though the pants seem really high-waisted.

pic courtesy of mylifetime.com

Valerie's fabric is really bold and colorful as well. I like that she muted the color a bit by placing a sheer black overlay. However, the top portion reminds me of the dress she created out of the wedding dress, and the bottom portion reminds me of the dress she made from the party supplies.

I don't like Gretchen's fabric because it is really plain and boring. Her design is nice, but I wish she hadn't put the two sunbursts on where the model's breasts were. Also, I've noticed that several of her designs use a razorback, and I can't remember a time where she didn't use one. >.>

Michael C's print is pretty cool and definitely very fabric-like. I don't really like his design, but it seems to have been constructed well.

Chris's fabric is very boring and I absolutely hate it. However, he did make some nice clothes - very wearable, but off the rack looking.

The judges thought Gretchen needed help with the fabric and was 'almost' there in the entire process. They were reminded of menswear with Michael's dress, and once they mentioned it I saw immediately saw it; styling was also wrong. My comments were spot-on with Chris, Andy, April, Valerie and Mondo.

Mondo won for the third time in a row, and I'm really happy for him. I have the feeling that he's definitely going to make it to the final three. The bottom two this time around were Andy and Valerie. I thought Andy should have gone home because it was very noticeable that he basically gave up on this challenge. Unfortunately, Valerie got sent home instead, which I don't like because she had some great designs before.

JJ's Promotion

Criminal Minds S06E02 JJ

This is the saddest episode of Criminal Minds I have ever watched, mainly because I adored AJ's role in the show. With an official job title of Media Liaison, she was the face of the BAU to the world, and thus had to be more sympathetic and emotional than the rest of the team. After the birth of her baby, she was allowed even more freedom, this time to show the parent's struggle to the rest of the team, if they ever lost the plot.

While I can understand why the producers needed her to be written out (budget crisis means cuts of non-essential personnel), not having her will be a struggle that the writers need to work around without making the rest of the team lose its effectiveness. I liked that the writers chose to portray her reluctance to leave the team, paralleling the reality of AJ not wanting to leave the show, and yet not having her contract renewed - a decision made above her head.

The way this episode was written and acted was very deceiving. Usually in these shows, I can suss out who the unsub was simply by certain items/acts the director(s) portray to complete the picture. In this episode, I constantly kept changing my mind because the good-looking guy was so indifferent, the follower guy was so quiet, and the father was so reluctant to leave, that it came off as though he knew something and wasn't telling anyone. Overall, superb acting.

Some nice ideas were used to smooth the edit cuts. Using the closing of the elevator doors to allow for the intro to the title credits was a great idea because the title credits have an effect that looks like they're opening up from the middle so the audience gets a sense of the doors closing and the titles opening. Another good cut was the use of yelling to switch scenes. The prisoner reacted to the sound of the yelling and took the audience along with him.

One great thing about this episode was seeing the contrast between the staid clothing of the BAU unit and the colorful splash of Penelope Garcia. Props to the wardrobe department!

From High in the Sky to Under the Sea

America's Next Top Model S15E04 Matthew Rolston

O.o What is up with top models always calling up the guy models to 'hang out'? I mean it's cool, but seriously, you're in the middle of a competition...and it's only one girl who wants them (i.e. Shaw) over. *awkward* More drama occurred later, with everyone ganging up on Kacey, and calling her out for her fakeness. 

The challenge this week is to model through a roller coaster ride. The only 'photographer' was the normal camera that takes everyone's pictures. Those who pulled it off: Liz, Jane, and Kayla. Chris pulled through her fear to get on the roller coaster and was super proud of it, even though she wasn't able to take a good picture. Luckily for her, she was chosen by Liz (the winner) to go along with her on a photoshoot with Tyra, along with Kayla.

Their photo shoot is to model with undersea creatures, jewelry, underneath a film of water, and Matthew Rolston as their photographer.

pic courtesy of the cw

Final Pictures

Kacey - jaw looks super large
Kayla - regal, pretty
Esther - old-fashioned
Ann - pretty, shows off the jewelry
Chris - hmm...weird
Jane - nice, but mouth a little tight
Lexie - very pretty
Rhianna - uncomfortable looking
Kendal - dull looking
Chelsea - looks bland
Liz - flat, excuses (not good >.<)

pic courtesy of the cw

It is surprising that most of the pictures turned out so well, in the judges opinion. In my opinion, I didn't really think all the shots were that pretty. Ann got best picture - again. Most of the girls seem a bit jealous about this, so I think some big drama will come out in the upcoming weeks. Kacey managed to snag runner-up (what?) Kayla turned out near the bottom of the calling list, which I don't agree with. Liz and Rhianna are the bottom two, for Liz's excuses and Rhianna's failure to be versatile. Rhianna was sent home and without her calming presence who knows what'll happen in the top model house.