Saturday, June 12, 2010--So I saw Splice today. I went into Splice expecting your standard cheesy monster horror flick, complete with characters that exist solely to be killed, corny one-liners, and a cabinet full of Hollywood cliches. Instead, I was treated to a well-executed sci-fi thriller that's a full grade above pretty much everything else the genre has produced in recent years.
Rather than relying on gratuitous violence and bloody killings, Splice focused on the character relationships between the two rogue scientst as they spiral deeper and deeper into their forbidden experiment, as well as the development of their pet project, lovingly named "Dren". As the movie progresses, you start to sympathize with them, and you can even understand why they're doing what they're doing, even if you completely disagree with them.
Sure, the movie suffers from a few Hollywood cliches. The science is bad (disclaimer: I am not a genetic biologist, so I don't actually know if the science is in fact bad), and the scientists make brain-dead stupid decisions. But let's face it, in Hollywood, the science is always bad, and if the scientists didn't make stupid decisions, there wouldn't be a movie. (Disclaimer #2: this movie was made in Canada, not Hollywood.)
The movie isn't without its flaws, though. There are a few shots that make you think, "Wow that was really really stupid. What the hell was the director thinking?" And the last 15 minutes in particular were just way out there, but at the same time completely predictable. But despite all that, the movie still worked as a whole and presented an enjoyable experience overall.
If you're not already a fan of the sci-fi thriller/monster horror genre, though, I would advise you to stay away from this movie. For all the praise I've given it in the last N paragraphs, it still follows a lot of the same conventions and cliches of the genre.
But if you *are* a fan of sci-fi thriller/monster horror movies... Well, you're probably already planning on seeing this movie, and you're probably pre-disposed to enjoy it.
(Side-note: Apparently, the guy who directed Splice (Vincenzo Natali) also directed Cube. And one of the minor characters in Splice is played by McKay from Stargate, who was also in Cube and pretty much every other movie made by Natali. Sadly, I don't think Splice will have the same cult following Cube had.)
On this day:
In 2009: RIP Brian Baker...
In 2005: I beat Xenosaga 2... it sucked.
After dinner, I grabbed dinner at Henry's in Bellevue. Here's my Yelp Review:
Henry's Taiwan
As a fan of the original Henry's in the International District/Chinatown, I was excited to hear that Henry's opened a new location a little closer to home. (You can probably already see my bias at this point.)
So I finally got a chance to try them out today. Sadly, Henry himself was out of town, so I didn't get to interact with him. (Side note: Some people can't stand Henry. I personally think he's awesome, and he's half the fun of eating at Henry's.)
The food was delicious and everything I hoped it would be. I ordered the Ground Pork Over Rice and the Ma La Pietan Stinky Tofu. The Ground Pork Over Rice was flavorful and juicy, and the Stinky Tofu was quite delicious, with just the right amount of spice and sauce.
My friends ordered the Pork Chop & Rice and the "Chicken Chop" & Rice, and I took a sample of both. The pork had just the right texture on the outside and was fatty and juicy on the inside, just the way I like it. The chicken was the same, except they covered it with a sauce that enhanced its juiciness as well as its flavor.
The only downside is that I couldn't actually smell the Stinky Tofu. It was completely odorless, even by watered-down American standards. Which is unfortunate, because half the fun of eating Stinky Tofu is smelling it. (The other half is freaking out your American friends with the smell.) But it still tasted good, so *shrug*.
And somehow, the Chinese pop music in the background made the whole experience feel even more authentic.
And while the waitstaff isn't perfect, they're very attentive.
I loved the original Henry's, and now that Henry has opened a new location closer to home with actual parking spaces, I can enjoy delicious Taiwanese food that much more often!
OVERALL SCORE: 5 out of 5
Friday, June 11, 2010--
Journal of Bizarre Dreams, Vol. N+8
Last night, I dreamt that I was a high school kid again. Fairly normal, yes, but that's just the backdrop.
So apparently, in this dream, Dakota Fanning also goes to my high school. And I'm tasked with tutoring her in math.
...I have no idea. Maybe my dream is the remake of Stand and Deliver except with an Asian math tutor and yuppie white girls instead?
Also, I saw A-Team today, and I thought it delivered everything it promised. The characterization was spot on, and the plans were ridiculous. Ridiculous in a *good* way.
Sure, there were some flaws. The first half of the movie was much better than the second half, mainly because the first half half was ridiculous fun while the second half took itself a little too seriously trying to wrap up the plot. But the second half was still ridiculous fun, so it all works out in the end.
To paraphrase my co-worker, he went in expecting it to be cheesy ridiculous, but instead it was well-done ridiculous. I wholeheartedly approve.
It also amuses me that the guy from District 9 played Murdock.
Thursday, June 10, 2010--
Journal of Bizarre Dreams, Vol. N+7
Last night, I dreamt that there was a war going on. (Well, I guess technically there is, but when I say "there was a war going on", I mean like fighting everywhere, having to take shelter in bomb shelters when the air raid siren goes off, World War 2 in London style "there was a war going on".)
And apparently, in this dream, I was tasked with building mechs for the war effort.
Kinda like Iron Man, except with mechs instead of armored suits. And without the heart reactor.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010--
On this day:
In 2004: I get all 300 missions in FFTA.
Friday, June 4, 2010--If you've been paying attention, you'll notice that I've been bringing my red-black Vamps to FNM week in, week out. Well, I finally got tired of playing Vamps, so I decided to bring back Gobs, but modify it to Quest Gobs (net-decked from somewhere). And then took it to FNM.
[Note to self: Fill this entry in with details from my MTG notepad later.]
Thursday, June 3, 2010--Today, at work I was given a sticky note that said "something something something". So I wrote "dark side" underneath it. MLIA
On this day:
In 2004: I beat FFTA.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010--
On this day:
In 2005: Chao C makes his first appearance on my bloop.