Homeland Season Finale thoughts

Homeland Season Finale thoughts

 There will be spoilers.

I wasn't really digging the first half of this episode and thought it was rather boring. I really liked how the season progressed given that they completely changed gears from the first half of the season. I didn't see that coming with the big reveal that Brody changes sides, to a certain degree.

-Well, the bombing wasn't a complete shock, but damn that scene with the burned and hollowed out building shot was haunting. We get to see the true damage the bomb caused. There is an oh shit moment when you know there aren't going to be too many people coming out alive in that explosion.

-Speaking of the bomb, they pretty much wipe out half of the cast with this bomb. That means most of those plot threads are now gone. That's ballsy move.

-Mandy Patinkin as Saul Berenson: Mandy has a lot range in this episode. He goes from being pissed to fatherly to heartbroken in one episode. Mandy is great in this episode.  "You're the smartest and the dumbest fucking person I've ever known".

While the show took a few missteps this season, mainly everything dealing with Brody's daughter, the show took a lot of chances. The show shifted gears mid-season and never looked back. In many ways, it follows a similar pattern to 24 each season. But, that ending is disturbing and haunting at the same time, and I liked the way they ended the show this season. 

"Can you hear me now?  Good."

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The Hobbit (Thoughts)

The Hobbit (Thoughts)

Despite some pacing and camera issues, I really enjoyed The Hobbit. It felt like nice prequel to the LOTR movies. The interactions between the Dwarfs and Bilbo are some of the best scenes, but the action scenes are also cool to look at and remind you of Fellowship of the Ring. And, many scenes do recall Fellowship. Keep in mind, this is only the first half of a story too.

-MGM: Unlike the first trilogy, New Line isn't the only studio making this film this time around. MGM shares producing the film with New Line. It seems a bit strange at first, but I guess that was part of the legal settlement.

-Martin Freeman : Freeman is very good as the young Bilbo. He is a very charming Hobbit and seems to channel Ian Holm in every way. Freeman fits into the Middle Earth world nicely.

-Ian McKellen : He is back as Gandalf. He's playing him as a slightly younger version from Lord of the Rings. He's a blue wizard in this movie where as the first series has a gray outfit.

-The FX is much better in this movie. It shows what a decade makes in CGI effects. Gollumis even better in this movie. Somehow, they've made him even more lifelike. Plus, there are some nice action scenes with FX too.

-48 Frames: Now, this is where the problem with the film rears its ugly head. The extra frames really bother me and make the film look cheap in the non-FX driven scenes. This is a major problem with the look of the film. The movement are so smooth that it looks downright cheap. I couldn't help distance myself from the original trilogy. It felt more suited for a videogame than a movie. I am fine with a crisp picture, but this isn't what I wanted. It needs a bit of work before they do this again.

Overall, I really dug the story and the character interactions, but the 48fps are too distracting for many scenes that it brings this movie down a bit. However, it is good to see the world of Middle Earth again, and Howard Shore's score brings back the memories. Plus, it was also nice to see some characters from the LOTR as well. So, if they can get back to 24 fps, the second movie will be watchable.

Grade: B

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Sega VR: We are VR!

Sega VR

I discovered an old Sega Magazine (1993) that had a full two-page story on a product I've never heard of before. The magazine mention all the “amazing” features within the VR hardware. They even made announcement of four games for the system add-on for the Genesis. Sega VR was another attempt to extend the life of the Sega Genesis. The dream of VR was never to be for Sega.

I thought it was amusing that Sega had another product that failed to catch fire even out the gate. The reason I say this is because it was never released outside the prototype. Some people claimed the system actually caused headaches. If it isn't Dubstep, causing headaches aren't the best ways to win your consumers.

The best part about the Sega VR is that it made you look like Geordi from TNG, but other than that it looked silly.

From Sega 16.com ((Dubbed the Sega VR, the project consisted of a complex IDEO headset which would allow the gamer almost total immersion in the game they were playing. Its dual LCD screens were accompanied by stereo headphones and the entire unit rested on a comfortable headband that would fit the shape of the user's head. An adjustable elastomeric band which ran lengthwise over the head helped minimize its weight and reduce strain.))

And, it should be noted that Sega had their idea for VR way before the sheer shitty Virtual Boy. For a while, everyone was on this VR kick.

I found this promotional video to be amusing.

-Nice loud shirt, presenter.

-“It's like you got a movie living in your head”: Yeah, it is just like that, sure.

-Fake acting: I love the fake act-playing from the “actors”.

- “It makes me feel like anything is possible”: Except releasing the system.  

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Forever Alone: Michelle Jenneke, Alone Forever

Michelle Jenneke: Has a bit of fun.

I found this video over here and I got a kick out of it.

Anyone that is that bouncy and happy has to rub off on you. I'm sure people discover the answers to humanity’s biggest issues through her bouncy dance.

-Michelle holding Playstation controllers: bonus! Or should I say boner?

-Eating Pancakes with nunchucks: Badass.

-Any girl with a sense of humor: It makes her that much cuter.  

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Phat Girls/Fat Girls on the check.

Now that's a “fat” check...

Do you remember that racist Asian remark on that one check from a year ago? It reminds me of that story. Okay, that was mean, but I laughed a little bit.

From the Huffington Post, (("I got the bill, and I was like, why does the receipt say, 'fat girls?'" Duran told News 10. At first, her friends didn't even believe her. "[Huerta] was like, 'You're lying,' And I was like, 'No, I'm serious. Look at it.' She was like, 'fat girls?'"))

Perhaps, Jeff (the host) thought you all were “Phat Girls” and not the rude one. Like, “Hey, those girls are so fly that they're Phat, yo. I need to put that on their bill, yo.”

Okay, Jeff meant the other “Fat”. My bad.

25.50 for three people.  That's pretty good.  

What I really can't comprehend is why would you leave your evidence in written/printed form? This kind of deed is screaming viral. Remember, everyone has a Twitter/Facebook page to vent their “outrage” now. It either takes big balls to write something insulting or this guy just wanted a way to get fired from his job.

Supposedly, Jeff or whomever wrote it found himself without a job. From Daily Mail UK, ((A waiter at a California lounge who caused an outrage last week after labeling a trio of female customers as ‘fat girls’ on their receipt has been fired over the weekend, according to the establishment’s Facebook page. 

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2246433/Christine-Duran-check-Waiter-called-women-diners-FAT-GIRLS-receipt-FIRED-amid-public-outcry.html#ixzz2F3HqGY00
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook))

Yeah, it might be a smart move to NOT to insult the type of husky people like myself that will pay more money than skinny people, because we like food more.

From Daily Mail, ((‘My family is embarrassed and we are holding a full staff meeting to re-train all of our remaining employees so that this never happens again. In no manner do we want to be associated with this type of behavior and it is devastating that one persons behavior has reflected on our family's establishment. ))

That was well written. Anyway, while I wouldn't mind if I saw “Black Guy” on my check, I would be a little pissed if I read “N-Word in a black jacket” plastered over it though.  

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Oliver Stone is at it again

Oliver Stone is at it again

 I watched his Untold History of the United States (one episode). It was an episode about the US and USSR relations post WWII. In the episode, Stone bent over backwards to make the communist seem like good guys. Uh, Stalin is no hero, Stone.

While nicely produced, Stone seems to can't get out of his far-left leaning stance even when telling history. I do tend to lean left on many issues, but I've always felt that Stone leans too far left to even be entertaining anymore. People forget that his Wall Street 2 movie is so wrapped up in it preaching that it doesn’t even bother telling a cohesive story. The movie literally gives up telling a story and starts hand slapping us for the economic collapse that happened a few years ago. I actually agree with Stone's view of Wall Street in his movie, but at least make the movie interesting and not so boring.

Let's not forget the mess that was the movie “W”. It misses the complete point by simply rushing the movie into the theaters. There is a huge difference between the way he directed JFK and “W”.

This was a great director that has fallen into bitterness and extreme political views in the same way that certain people behave on the right. To be fair, he has openly defended himself from some of the few negative attacks he has received over his show.

Others have really put to task the truthfulness of show and the book. Make sure to read it.

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Mr. Plinkett Reviews Titanic

Mr. Plinkett Reviews Titanic

Man, I love this guy, in a non-homosexual kind of way. I have to agree that James Cameron's story is a bit too simple. However, he does really care about the construction of the film. Cameron keeps it so simple that it actually harms the characters in his stories. I don't remember he him doing this with Aliens. However, he did take this route with Avatar.

-Kate Winslet does look like Rose McGowan in this movie except a little darker. Winslet did this movie and McGowan did “Read to Rumble”.

-The Fleshlight is one of the best prank calls ever.

-By the way, some of the deleted scenes are on YouTube. Check them out. 

-Check your facts!

I hope Plinkett does do a review on Star Trek V.  

  

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