RIP: Paul Kantner of The Jefferson Airplane
vendredi 29 janvier 2016
The Hateful Eight
dimanche 24 janvier 2016
The Hateful Eight (2015)
Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Walton Goggins, Damian Bilchir, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Bruce Dern. Written and directed by Quentin Tarantino.
(I’m writing this so as not to spoil anything about what I think is a film worth avoiding spoilers for, even though I don’t recommend the film)
Eight men (and one woman) are trapped in a haberdashery in a violent blizzard. Some of them are bounty hunters. Some of them claim to be lawmen. Some fought for the Confederacy; some fought for the union. One of them is black. This is the perfect setting for Quentin Tarantino’s love of storytelling, dialogue, and suspense, and The Hateful Eight is some of the director’s best film-making. You know that Christopher Walken scene in Pulp Fiction, where Walken’s character gives the young Butch character his father’s watch? There are a few scenes like that, extended monlogues that take the viewer out of the cabin and into whatever tale is being told, and although some of it gets long (and even boring), most of it is quite well done.
Ennio Morricone, my favorite movie soundtrack composer ever (he did all those Clint Eastwood spaghetti westerns, and the unforgettable soundtrack for The Mission), composed the film’s score, and it’s beautiful and magnificent, and probably destined to lose out to John Williams for Star Wars in the Oscar race this year. That score is fantastic, but this one’s just as good.
This being a Tarantino flick, there are also generous doses of violence and blood, and here is where the film is kind of ruined for me. I have a feeling I’m going to have to see it again in order to see it better, but I was made very uncomfortable by some of the violence done to one of the characters. The character has done some terrible things (it seems they all have), probably much worse than what he or she receives during parts of this movie. At first, it looks like some kind of torture porn, one use of the medium I think is inherently evil, but Tarantino’s a better (and more enlightened) writer than that. Giving him the benefit of the doubt, I believe he’s trying to make a statement about people’s attitudes toward violence, possibly about violence in his movies in particular. If just one aspect of the character were different, I think, my discomfort with the violence would nearly be eliminated. Is this one of Tarantino’s points? If it is, it’s effective, and I think I’m convinced, but that doesn’t change the fact that I was horrified by what I saw, so uncomfortable that my horror outweighed all the other good stuff put together.
Roger Ebert wrote that if you’re trying to make a parody of porn, even just to make a statement, you’re still pretty much making porn. Tarantino made me endure something I was very uncomfortable with, then held up a mirror, and gave me something to think about. But I still resent having to endure, and unless I can get over that with a second viewing, I can’t like this movie.
7/10 (IMDb rating)
72/100 (Criticker rating)
The Hateful Eight
Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Walton Goggins, Damian Bilchir, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Bruce Dern. Written and directed by Quentin Tarantino.
(I’m writing this so as not to spoil anything about what I think is a film worth avoiding spoilers for, even though I don’t recommend the film)
Eight men (and one woman) are trapped in a haberdashery in a violent blizzard. Some of them are bounty hunters. Some of them claim to be lawmen. Some fought for the Confederacy; some fought for the union. One of them is black. This is the perfect setting for Quentin Tarantino’s love of storytelling, dialogue, and suspense, and The Hateful Eight is some of the director’s best film-making. You know that Christopher Walken scene in Pulp Fiction, where Walken’s character gives the young Butch character his father’s watch? There are a few scenes like that, extended monlogues that take the viewer out of the cabin and into whatever tale is being told, and although some of it gets long (and even boring), most of it is quite well done.
Ennio Morricone, my favorite movie soundtrack composer ever (he did all those Clint Eastwood spaghetti westerns, and the unforgettable soundtrack for The Mission), composed the film’s score, and it’s beautiful and magnificent, and probably destined to lose out to John Williams for Star Wars in the Oscar race this year. That score is fantastic, but this one’s just as good.
This being a Tarantino flick, there are also generous doses of violence and blood, and here is where the film is kind of ruined for me. I have a feeling I’m going to have to see it again in order to see it better, but I was made very uncomfortable by some of the violence done to one of the characters. The character has done some terrible things (it seems they all have), probably much worse than what he or she receives during parts of this movie. At first, it looks like some kind of torture porn, one use of the medium I think is inherently evil, but Tarantino’s a better (and more enlightened) writer than that. Giving him the benefit of the doubt, I believe he’s trying to make a statement about people’s attitudes toward violence, possibly about violence in his movies in particular. If just one aspect of the character were different, I think, my discomfort with the violence would nearly be eliminated. Is this one of Tarantino’s points? If it is, it’s effective, and I think I’m convinced, but that doesn’t change the fact that I was horrified by what I saw, so uncomfortable that my horror outweighed all the other good stuff put together.
Roger Ebert wrote that if you’re trying to make a parody of porn, even just to make a statement, you’re still pretty much making porn. Tarantino made me endure something I was very uncomfortable with, then held up a mirror, and gave me something to think about. But I still resent having to endure, and unless I can get over that with a second viewing, I can’t like this movie.
7/10 (IMDb rating)
72/100 (Criticker rating)
Audio Directions Ltd home audio/video store
jeudi 21 janvier 2016
Some of you who are into high end home audio need to know that Stewart Ono, the proprietor of the quaint high end audio shop passed away early last month, December.
With his passing, his shop on Young St. (just mauka of the McCully Bicycle/Sporting Goods parking lot) had closed, and any individual who had equipment there for repairs and/or consignment will be contacted (according to Stewart's mentor) to pick up their equipment.
He was my high end friendly home audio dealer since I first stepped foot in his shop back in 1985 when it was called 'Audio Design' upstairs in the Manoa Marketplace.
I miss him tremendously!
It is a sad period in high end audio...
Audio Directions Ltd home audio/video store
With his passing, his shop on Young St. (just mauka of the McCully Bicycle/Sporting Goods parking lot) had closed, and any individual who had equipment there for repairs and/or consignment will be contacted (according to Stewart's mentor) to pick up their equipment.
He was my high end friendly home audio dealer since I first stepped foot in his shop back in 1985 when it was called 'Audio Design' upstairs in the Manoa Marketplace.
I miss him tremendously!
It is a sad period in high end audio...
RIP: Glenn Frey
lundi 18 janvier 2016
Glenn Frey was one of the original members of the rock band The Eagles. He passed away today of complications from an illness.
http://ift.tt/1WpWYRv
I remember seeing The Eagles in concert back in 1976. He started the show by just announcing "We're the Eagles" and they started with "Take It Easy" one of many signature songs Glenn wrote and sang for the group.
The Eagles are one of my many favorite rock groups. Frey will be missed.
RIP: Glenn Frey
http://ift.tt/1WpWYRv
I remember seeing The Eagles in concert back in 1976. He started the show by just announcing "We're the Eagles" and they started with "Take It Easy" one of many signature songs Glenn wrote and sang for the group.
The Eagles are one of my many favorite rock groups. Frey will be missed.
medpot as seen on craigslist now
mardi 12 janvier 2016
free medical marijuana in honolulu (honolulu)
free quarter of a gram for MMJ patients. BlackBerry Cheesecake. willing to provide Hawaii MMJ patients
medpot as seen on craigslist now
free quarter of a gram for MMJ patients. BlackBerry Cheesecake. willing to provide Hawaii MMJ patients
"Scorpion" on CBS
lundi 11 janvier 2016
I am a little surprised that this show has not been brought up here because it is one of the best that came out last year.
Now in its second season Scorpion stars Elyes Gabel as Walter O'Brien. O'Brien leads a team of geniuses who tackle problems each week. Here is their IMDB page.
As an added bonus Katharine McPhee stars in this show too. :)
"Scorpion" on CBS
Now in its second season Scorpion stars Elyes Gabel as Walter O'Brien. O'Brien leads a team of geniuses who tackle problems each week. Here is their IMDB page.
As an added bonus Katharine McPhee stars in this show too. :)
RIP: Pat Harrington Jr. of One Day at a Time
vendredi 8 janvier 2016
http://ift.tt/1ZhKmB3
Supah Schneider was the wacky neighbor who would go into the main character's apartment without knocking like Cosmo Kramer and Ed Norton.
RIP: Pat Harrington Jr. of One Day at a Time
Supah Schneider was the wacky neighbor who would go into the main character's apartment without knocking like Cosmo Kramer and Ed Norton.
"Quantico" on ABC
mercredi 6 janvier 2016
Almost finished binge watching Quantico via the ABC web site.
I haven't seen this series when it first aired and I was aware of the existence of it during the fall of 2015 but I didn't think much of it.
ABC aired the first two episodes this past Sunday (1/3/16) and the web site has all 11 episodes available, I don't know how long that will last.
Anyway the series takes places in two separate time lines centered around a group of FBI agents in training (they train in Quantico, Virginia) and roughly 9 months later in New York City after a bomb blast destroys a train station there. There is a tip that one of those new agent plated a bomb there and right now they are blaming one agent.
"Quantico" on ABC
I haven't seen this series when it first aired and I was aware of the existence of it during the fall of 2015 but I didn't think much of it.
ABC aired the first two episodes this past Sunday (1/3/16) and the web site has all 11 episodes available, I don't know how long that will last.
Anyway the series takes places in two separate time lines centered around a group of FBI agents in training (they train in Quantico, Virginia) and roughly 9 months later in New York City after a bomb blast destroys a train station there. There is a tip that one of those new agent plated a bomb there and right now they are blaming one agent.
The Big Short
vendredi 1 janvier 2016
Went to an afternoon showing of The Big Short at the Ward Theater today (1/1/16) with a friend.
The movie is about the events leading up to the United States' mortgage housing crisis during the years of 2005 to 2008 as seen by three different groups of people from across the United Status.
The Big Short
The movie is about the events leading up to the United States' mortgage housing crisis during the years of 2005 to 2008 as seen by three different groups of people from across the United Status.
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