Kung Fu Panda

I wasnt sure what to expect with this, but the first thing you will notice is that it looks really good... Awesome animation! Jack Black makes Po lovable, and with an all star cast that brings their all to each of their characters, its a great story that looks this good, definitely recommend it for adults as well as kids...

'"Kung Fu Panda" features Jack Black as Po the Panda, a lowly waiter in a noodle restaurant, who is a kung fu fanatic but whose shape doesn't exactly lend itself to kung fu fighting. In fact, Po's defining characteristic appears to be that he is the laziest of all the animals in ancient China. That's a problem because powerful enemies are at the gates, and all hopes have been pinned on a prophesy naming Po as the "Chosen One" to save the day. A group of martial arts masters are going to need a black belt in patience if they are going to turn this slacker panda into a kung fu fighter before it's too late. -- © DreamWorks '

Burn After Reading

This I did want to see at the cinema, but we were too early at one time and too late at another... I am glad... My expectation that it would be funny, but it just come off as confused, that they were trying so hard to make all of these lives correlate... I guess they pulled it off, but not well... If you like other Coen brothers films you will like this, I just don't fit into that category... I didnt think it sucked, but I wouldn't watch it again...


'With their overtly comedic follow-up BURN AFTER READING, the Coen Brothers return--about a third of the way--from the dark, dank recesses of the human psyche they traversed in their Oscar-winning NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN. For those unfamiliar with the landscape of modern movie psychoanalysis, this puts the fraternal filmmakers square in the cruel, misanthropic, and farcical realm of their 1990s-era body of work, somewhere between the tragicomic crime thriller of FARGO and the disconnected noir-homage anti-storytelling of THE BIG LEBOWSKI, with 2007's NO COUNTRY retroactively adding new nihilism-tinged dimensions of smart skepticism to the proceedings. In a more linear trajectory, BURN AFTER READING also stands as the third entry, after BLOOD SIMPLE and FARGO, in what could be an unofficial Tragedy of Human Idiocy trilogy, wherein characters make the most outlandishly moronic moves to devastating consequences simply by adhering to true human behavior. Indeed, Carter Burwell's emotionally weighty score, which washes over biting scenes of explosive, anesthetizing belly laughs, is very reminiscent of his FARGO work. BURN is ostensibly structured and propelled by a spy-thriller plotline involving a classified CD lost by a disgraced CIA spook and found by two simple gym employees. But, in actuality, it's simply--amazingly--a collection of brilliant caricature studies interwoven by veracious, if Coenesque, social interactions, as epitomized by the pathos of the Frances McDormand character's precipitous quest for cosmetic surgery. The CIA superior who learns of the film's events (always second-hand and sometimes along with the viewer) doesn't know what to make of it, and why would he? This is the first Coen film in almost 20 years not shot by cinematographer Roger Deakins, yet the "new" guy, Emmanuel Lubezki (CHILDREN OF MEN), has created as visceral and emotionally fraught a high-definition cartoon as any since BARTON FINK.' www.rottentomatoes.com

The Bucket List

When this was at the movies I thought it might be worth checking, but not worth going out for... We watched it as a part of my life on the couch and it was well worth it... It debuted to mixed reviews, but I found the performances and the sentiment to be touching and would definitely recommend it... It is a bit sad, and has no problem pulling the heart strings, but its a really nice, well told story... Even Mark liked it!

'Academy Award winners Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman star in the comedy drama "The Bucket List," directed by Rob Reiner, a touching, no-holds-barred adventure that shows it's never too late to live life to its fullest. A long time ago, Carter Chambers' (Morgan Freeman) freshman year philosophy professor suggested that his students compose a "bucket list," a collection of all the things they wanted to do, see and experience in life before they kicked the bucket. But while Carter was still trying to define his private dreams and plans, reality intruded. Marriage, children, myriad responsibilities and, ultimately, a 46-year job as an auto mechanic gradually turned his concept of a bucket list into little more than a bittersweet memory of lost opportunities and a mental exercise he occasionally thought about to pass the time while working under the hood of a car. Meanwhile, corporate billionaire Edward Cole (Jack Nicholson) never saw a list without a bottom line. He was always too busy making money and building an empire to think about what his deeper needs might be beyond the next big acquisition or cup of gourmet coffee. Then life delivered an urgent and unexpected wake-up call to both of them. Carter and Edward found themselves sharing a hospital room with plenty of time to think about what might happen next--and about how much of that was in their hands. For all their apparent differences, they soon discovered they had two very important things in common: an unrealized need to come to terms with who they were and the choices they'd made, and a pressing desire to spend the time they had left doing everything they ever wanted to do. The list wasn't just a mental exercise anymore. It was an agenda. So, against doctor's orders and all good sense, these two virtual strangers check themselves out of the hospital and hit the road together for the adventure of a lifetime--from the Taj Mahal to the Serengeti, the finest restaurants to the seediest tattoo parlors, the cockpit of vintage race cars to the open door of a prop plane--with just a sheet of paper and their passion for life to guide them. Adding and crossing items off their list while taking in the grandeur and beauty of the world, they will grapple with the difficult questions and the even more difficult answers that plague all of us. And, without even realizing it, become true friends. With humor, insight, heart...and a fair amount of attitude. Sometimes you just need a deadline to get your life in gear. --© Warner Bros. '

Nike Air Max 90 - White - Neon Turqoise - Rave Pink

Oh my, these are divine... Apparently they will be released all over the world... Gonna have to keep my eyes (read: credit card) peeled!!!

ALIFE - A.R.C. Sports Store - NYC

A.R.C. Sports Store
Open daily:
Monday through Saturday from Noon to 8 PM
Sunday from Noon to 6 PM
157 Rivington Street
New York, NY 10002
TEL #: 212-253-0363
Across the street from Alife


ALIFE is growing, opening a sports store to house their ever growing collabs in the sports realm... Looking forward to checking this when we hit NYC again in 09...

Taken - 2008

Taken is one of those films that you are pretty sure will just be more of the same... It does surprise, and Liam Neeson puts in a great performance... His character absolutely kills it in the way that you wish Jack Bouer (Kiefer Sutherland - 24) would... I definitely recommend checking it, its not too long either, so it doesnt drag out...

rottentomatoes.com

'Liam Neeson is an unstoppable force in this adrenaline-fueled thriller from director Pierre Morel. Bryan (Neeson) has taken early retirement from the CIA in order to live closer to his teenage daughter, Kim (Maggie Grace). Bryan's government work kept him away from Kim for much of her childhood, and he's now trying to make up for lost time. When Kim announces that she's taking a trip to Paris with her friend Amanda (Katie Cassidy), Bryan is apprehensive about her traveling on her own. His worst fear is soon realized, as Kim and Amanda are abducted upon their arrival in France. Bryan immediately springs into action, using his well-honed CIA skills to piece together clues from a single, frantic phone call he received from Kim. He hops a plane to Paris, determined to rescue his daughter before she falls off the grid completely. With some help from his old CIA buddies, he tracks down the kidnappers--an Albanian crime ring known for selling young girls into the sex trade. He quickly takes matters into his own hands, plowing his way through Paris's underworld as the clock ticks down and the bullets fly. His search propels him into the upper echelons of a massive crime ring, putting him closer and closer to his beloved daughter. Neeson is known for tackling extremely cerebral roles, so it is interesting to see him in full-on action-hero mode. In TAKEN he is no less than a crime-fighting machine--a Bourne/Bond hybrid with a deathly serious baritone. And while he spends most of the film firing Uzis and snapping necks, he still manages to deliver a moving performance as an estranged father fighting for what he loves most in the world. The film undeniably owes a lot to Neeson's acting chops. He manages to raise this rather thinly plotted, deeply violent film a bar above your typical action fare.'

A Thousand Splendid Suns - Khaled Hosseini

From the website
'A Thousand Splendid Suns is a breathtaking story set against the volatile events of Afghanistan’s last thirty years—from the Soviet invasion to the reign of the Taliban to the post-Taliban rebuilding—that puts the violence, fear, hope, and faith of this country in intimate, human terms. It is a tale of two generations of characters brought jarringly together by the tragic sweep of war, where personal lives—the struggle to survive, raise a family, find happiness—are inextricable from the history playing out around them.Propelled by the same storytelling instinct that made The Kite Runner a beloved classic, A Thousand Splendid Suns is at once a remarkable chronicle of three decades of Afghan history and a deeply moving account of family and friendship. It is a striking, heart-wrenching novel of an unforgiving time, an unlikely friendship, and an indestructible love—a stunning accomplishment'

I read this a last month, but hadn't got around to writing about it... It didn't feel like Kite Runner in its urgency to tell the story, but it did suck me in unwittingly the same way that Kite Runner did... What the blurb doesn't say is that its a story of women, and their relationships with the people around them, and each other in such a turbulent environment... It also compelled me to think for a long time about women everywhere and all of the stories that are out there, not yet told... Allowing us to assume that all women have it as easy as they do here... The story did break my heart, definitely emotive stuff.. Characters that made you worry about them, love them and hate them...

Street Kings 2008 DVD Release

''In STREET KINGS, a police thriller directed by David Ayer, Keanu Reeves plays Tom Ludlow, a veteran LAPD Vice Detective. Ludlow sets out on a quest to discover the killers of his former partner, Detective Terrance Washington (Terry Crews). Academy® Award winner Forest Whitaker plays Captain Wander, Ludlow’s supervisor, whose duties include keeping him within the confines of the law and out of the clutches of Internal Affairs Captain Biggs (Hugh Laurie). Ludlow teams up with a young Robbery Homicide Detective (Chris Evans) to track Washington’s killers through the diverse communities of Los Angeles. Their determination pays off when the two Detectives track down Washington’s murderers and confront them in an attempt to bring them to justice. --© Fox Searchlight'

Street Kings reminded me from the get go of The Shield... Dirty cop, breaking rules to get things done... But if you read this blog you know I love The Shield, unfortunately, this film had nothing on the show... Predictable in a long sense, spent much of it aware that it was time I was never going to get back... A plot 'twist' that didnt really twist anything... I have no love for Forst Whitaker and Keanu Reeves seems to only act like himself as opposed to differernt characters in films...

Blegh... Dont bother...

St Trinians

We caught this film mostly because Russell Brand was in it, oh and because we don't watch enough British films or TV really... This was not a good example, not even Russell's hotness could save it...

The story was really crappy, the acting was mediocre, there were some moments of eye candy, but that isn't enough to watch a film for an our and a half... Rupert Everett just annoyed me, non stop the whole time... Unfortunately there is nothing good to say about it...

Don't bother...

Appreciate Clothes now online!

Appreciate Clothes
www.appreciateclothing.com

A long time coming, Appreciates new line is here for the holiday season 08/09... In mens and womens sizes, available online and in Obese records...

Entourage Season 5

Entourage season 5 started out poorly, there was none of the hedonistic party fun that is the main draw card, the boys were split, Vince couldn't work, Ari was too nice, it felt like the fundamental reasons for watching this had dissipated... As the season progressed and things got a little better it still didn't get as good as it could have... Entourage has never struck me as a show you watch for the highs and low, low, lows, its not like Oz, its a fun to watch show - but this season it didn't deliver... Still watchable but by far the worst season yet... Highlights include Aris smack down and Turtle dating Jamie Lynn Siegler, who is looking goooood!

Grace After Midnight - Felicia 'snoop' Pearson

Grace After Midnight - Felicia 'snoop' Pearson

After a hard day at work I thought I would snuggle in with this memoir that I had bought Mark for his birthday... Its not a long story, I thought two days max, 2 hours later it was over, not a long story at all...

This is Felicia 'snoop' Pearson's memoir, she played the role of Snoop on 'The Wire'... In her memoir she tells her story, which has its moments, one about her memories of her mother which shook me... Then there are others, her time on the street, in jail, out of jail, and getting a part on The Wire, but it doesn't go very deep... There isn't much retrospective thought, it is very 'I did that, didn't feel it just did it' attitude, which leaves you wondering what more is there in Felicia's psyche?

I did enjoy it, thought maybe with another 20 years life experience this book would have gripped me for many hours, taking you through her whole story, but at this stage it just seems like the start of it...

21 - Film - DVD release

Meant to catch this at the cinema, but it didn't happen... On a rainy summers night in we put it on... I wasn't disappointed, it had the thrill of card counting in Vegas, it had Vegas, which was the most important thing... The casting was pretty good, though I think Kate Bosworth has been sliding down the scale since the start of her career, she just isn't believable as the hottest girl in school... Kevin Spacey puts in an awesome performance... The story was good, not too much background into the characters, which I like... And with Vegas as the background you cant go wrong... Didn't wonder what time it was the whole time, which is always a good sign...

Only problem was once it was over and we went to bed, I couldn't stop thinking about Vegas, far too stimulating... Its going to be years before we get back there *sigh*

Freaks and Geeks DVD 1999

On recommendations from several friends we watched Freaks and Geeks this past week... To start with I wasn't overly interested in it, not finding any of the characters very likable, but at some point that changed... And soon after it was over... Shame that this didn't continue for another season or more because it was really nice to see the character development making me want to see more...

A pretty well known cast before they were well known... Mr Feig and Apatow knew what they were doing here...

Russell Brand in Arthur remake...

It looks like Russell may have won himself the role of Arthur in the remake of the 1981 film... Its about a boozehound playboy rascal (might not need to act) who is set to inherit a fortune if he marries an heiress, but he falls in love with a working-class woman and ends up having to choose between money and love...

I am at that point in my infatuation with Mr Brand that I would quite happily sit through anything he was in :)

The Shield - Seasons 1 - 7

We were slow on the uptake of this series... Always on the list of things to watch, but we didn't even get around to starting it until our trip to Cairns in October... I bought Mark the first three series on DVD for Christmas last year, and we didn't even touch them until we started packing for this holiday, and so it began...

In the beginning I really struggled with Vic Mackey, the show itself had sucked me in, and I wanted more and more, but Vic was ultimately a bad guy... I remember saying to Mark that I didn't think I could keep watching it with such an evil dude as the hero, especially when starting it was already up to season 7 on TV, so you knew that he wouldn't die, or pay for his sins for many seasons... But eventually I got over it, seeing other sides to the character which charm as well as keeping the knowledge that there would be trouble later, many episodes are based on this...

By the end I had love for most of the characters, was definitely attached, which made some of the choices made in the series really distressing... And now its over I keep thinking about it... Its a shame that there isn't more, but it definitely tied up all loose ends, and didn't leave much room for speculation, or hope that somehow it might come back...

Awesome show overall... Watch it!

Nokia N97

Oooh this looks nice... have not had any desire for an iphone, but this does float my boat... I wonder when its coming to aus... not due for a new phone for awhile so we will see...

'Though somewhat late to the game, the N97 might just be the game changer and the true “iPhone Killer” everyone is talking about. Iterated by Nokia executives as a “mobile computer” and rightfully so, the Nokia N97 is awash in features that users been demanding for sometime. Dominated by a 3.5-inch touch screen with a full QWERTY keyboard that slide out, the new phone combine the best of both Apple iPhone and RIM Blackberry.

Other features include:
- A whopping 32GB of storage and is expandable to 48GB

- Wi-Fi, FM Radio, A-GPS

- 2 cameras, including a 5-megapixel with autofocus, dual-LED flash, and Carl Zeiss lens

- Easy access to online contents and web sites, including Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter

The Nokia N97 will launch in Europe early 2009 with US soon to follow. For more photos and demo videos after jump.'

hypebeast

Giorgios Restaurant - Malvern

Giorgios Restaurant
http://www.giorgiosrestaurant.com.au/

1235 High St

Malvern

VIC 3144

(03) 9822 4664

I remember coming here alot when I was much younger... Cricket and I were looking for a halfway meeting spot for breakfast and I thought we should try it... Good choice... We both had the eggs Benedict, though their version comes with ham and spinach, so I opted out of the spinach... At $16.50 it was a little more then I usually pay for eggs ben, but when it came with 3 eggs and a chunky slice of char grilled tomato, with that yummy smoky taste, I thought it was really good and unexpected value! Staff were friendly and efficient... Overall a very impressive Saturday morning breakfast experience...

Nike SB Dunk Low - “Off” Bug Sample

I was just saying to the girls the other day that I couldn't find 'off' anywhere, having to settle for stinky aeroguard... Then I stumbled across it, and then these... Too bad they aren't in the Aus version of the packing, orange...

Nike Sportswear Womens 2009 Spring Air Max 90 Patent

Finally some semi decent releases for next season... Not really into patent, but at least they are mixing it up a little... The patent also has a sparkle treatment, because all girls like sparkly shiny things, or so they think...