A Poem for Bruce: 11/27/40 – 7/20/73

The Real Chow

Like Water:
Excerpts from Bruce Lee’s Last Interview

Hong Kong, July, 1973

I guess it all adds up to bad karma, man.

My father used to talk about these demons

that shadowed my life like rain clouds

crawling over an April afternoon.

Always there. But there’s more

to me than demons.

***

I’m serious.

Dismiss what I do. Chop-socky Kung-fu,

you might say. But that’s my art. Not just ass-kicking and

a wa-taa here and there. That jazz isn’t about

self-defense, man, it’s about saving

my self. And baby, every day I leave my soul out there,

bloody and tired. Honestly. Expressing. Myself. That

can’t be taken away,

no matter what.

***

See, I’m not a superstar.

That’s an illusion, man. I mean, a star

just burns up and fades into the seconds that

disappear on the horizon. But I got nowhere

else to be, but here. Tell…

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Trailer Review: Pan

Now this is a trailer that I really like. Which is kind of funny because I am not a Peter Pan fan at all (except for Finding Neverland). This trailer looks fun and magical. And it might actually add something fresh to the classic story. I think a Peter Pan prequel has a lot of potential to be interesting.
I love that one of my favorite directors, Joe Wright, is directing. He makes surprising and innovative choices. Joe Wright is not afraid to take risks and I hope this movie reflects that. Hugh Jackman looks great as Blackbeard. He’s pretty creepy looking and it looks like he had a lot of fun. And I also love that Rooney Mara is playing Tiger Lily. The casting choice pissed off a lot of people (since she’s not Native), and I can understand why, but she is one of the best actresses out there. She can pull it off. I don’t think I’ve seen Garrett Hedlund in anything before, but he looks promising as Hook. And the boy playing Peter, Levi Miller, seems perfect for the role. Also, the music in this trailer is really great and accentuates the story.
I think what appeals to me the most about this movie is that it is a little dark. Disney versions of fairytales tend to ignore this aspect of their stories. But Warner Brothers is producing Pan, not Disney. So they are more willing to go dark and take risks Disney would not. I will definitely be in line to see Pan when it arrives in theaters July 17, 2015. Will you?

Trailer Review: Jurassic World

“You just went and made a new dinosaur? Probably not a good idea.” Understatement of the year Chris Pratt.
I don’t know what I was expecting from this trailer and movie. But I don’t like it. I guess I was hoping it would be something different than the old films. But this just looks like the same old Jurassic Park with better effects and minus Jeff Goldblum (laaaame). I also hate the music in the trailer. It sounds like every other action movie trailer ever made. I am so sick of them all sounding the same.
There are two reasons I might still go see this film. 1) That giant alligator like dinosaur that comes out of the water and eats the shark looks pretty cool (alligators are my favorite animal). 2) Chris Pratt. He is so much fun to watch and I liked the scene where he is on a motorcycle as raptors are running around him. That simply looked fun.
The kid in me does kind of want to see this. Jurassic World comes out June 12, 2015.

Platoon (1986)

I didn’t love this film. It’s hard to love a war film, especially one like this, one that seeks to show the harsh realities of it. Platoon focuses on Chris (Charlie Sheen) a young man growing up while serving in the Vietnam War. My favorite part of this movie was when the audience is seeing strictly from Chris’s perspective. This instances really pulled me into the film and into the experience of war. I also enjoyed Chris’s letter (or letters? Can’t quite remember) to his grandmother. I thought it was an effective way to give a little bit of a commentary without being too exposition heavy. I really enjoyed watching Chris grow and how he was affected by both the war and the people he was surrounded by.

Elias (Willem Dafoe), Chris (Charlie Sheen), and Barnes (Tom Berenger).

A highlight of this film for me was the superb acting and presence of Willem Dafoe as Elias. Elias (other than maybe Chris) is the most likeable character in Platoon. There were times when Willem came on screen, smiling that smile of his, which made me smile in return. I’ve always known he was a great actor, but this is the first time Willem’s acting has truly affected me (I haven’t seen very many of his films).
The other thing that I found unique and interesting about Platoon was the use of lighting. It was atmospheric (I guess?). Lighting that would actual exist in the real world, not fake movie lighting. The way the light falls through the canopy of leaves or a face barely illuminated in the dark. It really struck me as did the score. The music is perfect and used sparingly, making it all the more effective. I found it quite refreshing since these days there seems to be a lot of background music in films and it can be distracting.

Oh yeah, young Johnny Depp! I think he only speaks once or twice, but whatever.

I’m not a big fan of war movies, so my reaction to this film is a little subdued. I can see how people more interested in these kinds of films would enjoy Platoon more. I’m glad I watched it, but it’s not a film I will be revisiting anytime soon. 7/10

Trailer Review: Cinderella

As a young girl my least favorite Disney movie was Cinderella. I loved Aladdin, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, and Sleeping Beauty. But I only watched Cinderella once or twice. There are no fun songs, no cool animals, and worst of all Cinderella herself is incredibly boring. She seemed so dull and too goody two shoes. She didn’t make any mistakes or any daring choices. She didn’t seem to have much of a desire to do anything other than attend some stupid ball. She just put up with abuse and never said anything against it because Cinderella is a ‘good girl.’
My apathy for Cinderella persists to this day and this new live action adaptation starring Lily James, Cate Blanchett, Helena Bonham Carter, and Stellan Skarsgård does nothing to change that. Cinderella has the misfortune of coming out the year after Maleficent, which was a generally good re-telling of a classic Disney fairytale. Maleficent also had the great advantage of an interesting protagonist (played wonderfully by Angelina Jolie). Cinderella instead centers on boring Ella, played by Lily James. Lily seems fine in the role, but she doesn’t have any charisma to engage an audience (at least not from this trailer).
I really hate the narration of Ella’s mother about how good she is, etc. *yawn* I hate how the trailer is hammering the viewer over the head with its message. And I like my characters to be real and flawed, not perfect. All the Disney films I listed that I like have flawed characters. They all do something that may be wrong, but they also learn something. Cinderella just leaves the party a little late. Which is plain old dumb.
There are a few things I like about the trailer. First of all, the cast. Cate, Helena, and Stellan are some of my favorite actors. The whole time I watched this I kept wondering, what drew such great talent to this project? Whatever it was, I don’t see it (other than maybe a big paycheck). Cate’s costumes are wonderful, just amazing. Visually she is the most striking of anyone, more so than Cinderella. Cate was great as a villain in Hanna, one of my favorite action films (see it if you haven’t!) So it will be fun to see her being evil once again, she does it so well. Aside from Cate’s I don’t like any of the other costumes, the step sisters in particular look silly. Helena Bonham Carter brings some fun and humor to the trailer. She looks like she had a blast playing the Fairy Godmother.
I forgot that Kenneth Branagh is directing this film. Now that I remember that I feel so disappointed. I think he is a talented director and actor. But this feels generic and totally unoriginal. This adaptation feels unnecessary and doesn’t look any different than the animated classic. I’ll be skipping this one when it comes out March 13, 2015. If I want to hear “Kindness is magic” I’d much rather watch Ricky Gervais’s TV show, Derek, again.

Marvelous Mondays: X-Men First Class (2011) by The Girl That Loved to Review

I recently reviewed one of my favorite comic book movies, X-Men: First Class, over on Life of This City Girl. Go check it out if you haven’t already!

Life of this city girl

Today’s Marvel installment is by Sherise, who has an absolutely fantastic blog over at The Girl That Loved to Review. If you are not already following Sherise, you are missing out on some excellent blogging and I suggest you rectify this matter verrrry quickly :). Thanks for taking part, Sherise!

This may be incredibly unbelievable to some of you, but I have never seen any of the movies in the X-Men trilogy. Never. The only one I had seen before First Class was X-Men Origins: Wolverine. It’s very weird when I think about it because I loved the animated X-Men cartoon show as a kid. So basically when I saw X-Men: First Class I was viewing it with fresh eyes. I knew generally about the most famous X-Men characters, but that was about it.

What drew me to the theater to see First Class it’s opening weekend, despite…

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How to Get Away with Murder: Episode 8; He Has a Wife.

This episode had a lot going on, but I’m not sure how much of it was really anything new. There are flashbacks to Lila (Megan West) when she was alive and dating Mr. Darcy. I was glad to finally see her since it has been hard to feel bad about her murder without knowing anything about her. But her scenes are all that interesting. It is mostly information that the audience has already heard from Sam and Rebecca. Lila would have been more interesting about 5 episodes ago. Rebecca is also made more likeable by her scenes with Lila. Although I find it funny that they had their girl talks while snorting coke. The show is just so nonchalant about it, I find it kind of strange. Anyways, this was an okay episode, not the best, but not the worst either.
Tidbits:
• Laurel’s (Karla Souza) facial expression never changes. It doesn’t matter whether she is happy or sad. She always looks pissed off. She’s the Kristen Stewart of the show, I guess.
• “Anyone else feel like we do all her work for her?” Michaela talking about Bonnie (Liza Weil). Finally, someone says what everyone else has been thinking for weeks now.
• Asher yet again dances and acts like a fool. Pure awesomeness.
• Why the hell does Connor want to study with Wes and Kristen Stewart (formerly known as Laurel or Bitch Face)? Normally the only one who cares about exams is Michaela. Although I enjoy how he bans her from the group.
• So I guess Wes has stronger feelings for Rebecca than for Annalise. Huh. How romantic (*puke*)
• Yet again, how can Cop Boy Toy do anything? He himself says he lost his job!
• Sam is being a dick to Rebecca (no surprise there). Maybe Wes killed Sam to protect her?
• “Are you good for anything or can you only do your job when you’re screwing evidence out of someone?” Annalise to Connor. Harsh but…true?
• The way Annalise bitches out Bonnie is frightening; “your pathetic. Mousy presence”. I don’t like Bonnie, but even I wanted to give her a hug. Damn. In reality, Annalise is more pathetic than Bonnie for staying with that SOB of a husband.
• Laurel and Guy Whose Name I Forget fucking is not hot no matter how much groovy music plays in the background.
• Laurel moaning…eww!
• Asher tells Bonnie that Annalise shouldn’t have bitched her out. Finally something happens between these two to establish some kind of relationship.
• “This is what I get. This is what happens when you screw somebody else’s husband. You become sad, barren. Even a dead girl is more of a woman than you.” Annalise’s little speech broke my heart. I feel for her, but it’s not easy when she is such a bitch.
• Lila: “Bad things happen when you have sex.” Umm, yeah, when it’s with someone else’s husband…and/or without a condom.
• “See what happens when you use your brain instead of your penis?” Michaela finally gets in a dig on Connor.
• Annalise can relate to her Client of the Week because they both have d-bag husbands. “You’ll thank me one day.” Maybe Annalise could learn something.
o Yeah, no, she definitely doesn’t learn anything.
• Michaela’s Monster in Law is evil, but really fun to watch.
• K-Stew to Frank (I remembered his name): “Hurry, I have a study group.” What is this, high school?
• Frank has a sexy girlfriend hahahahahahaha. K-Stew is just “the student of the month.” His girlfriend is so hot why would he cheat on her with Bitch Face?
• Sam is so annoying, I can’t wait for him to die already. He isn’t even hot!
• Sam proceeds to kiss Bonnie. He is a master manipulator. Why do these women want him? As I said, he’s not hot!

Bye Bye Bonnie (Liza Weil)

• “He’s not a good man, Annalise.” Bonnie tells Annalise her husband is a d-bag. Annalise kicks Bonnie out instead of her scumbag husband. Why?!?!?! Is he really good in bed??? I don’t understand it. Doesn’t matter since he dies in a week.

Seriously, there is nothing appealing about this man physically or mentally.

Trailer Review: Fifty Shades of Grey

I’ve never read any of the Fifty Shades books. I try to be fairly open with what I’m willing to watch, so there’s a chance I would watch the Fifty Shades of Grey movie. But it is hard to get past the perception that the movie will only appeal to a certain demographic, namely middle aged women.
I will admit to being a little curious about the Fifty Shades movie. But wow, this trailer is boring. Maybe if the movie was rated NC 17, maybe if they were really willing to push the envelope this would be an interesting film. But instead it seems they are censoring it and taking the more kinky elements out. Which I can understand, too much sex and kink might just become a porno (although Nymphomaniac is a case against that line of thought).
Anyways, the biggest problem with this movie, which is very evident in the trailer, is that there is a severe lack of a plot. There is nothing going on story wise other than a girl engaging in S&M for the first time. I like films that are character driven and the two characters here (as well as the actors) come off as boring and bland. I don’t want to watch two wet pieces of cardboard get it on, I want to see Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt! I guess the point of the Fifty Shades books is that Anastasia (Dakota Johnson) is plain enough and so underwritten that anyone woman could imagine themselves in her place. But I don’t think that can translate onto the screen very well. Also I guess Christian Grey is supposed to be intimidating and drop dead sexy. But I’m not getting that vibe from Jamie Dornan at all. He is like a limp fish far as I can tell.
“Why are you trying to change me?” “I’m not. You’re the one that’s changing me.” The dialogue is clunky and cheesy. And to make matters worse, this movie is arriving in theaters on Valentine’s Day, 2015.
My say something nice: normally I hate Beyonce, but I really like the music in the trailer.

How to Get Away with Murder: Episode 7; He Deserved to Die.

Asher has such a way with words.

“Voodoo penis.” One of few highlights this episode. Okay, I’ve been pretty slow with my HTGAWM (WTF????) recaps these days. But at least I’m getting this one up before tonight’s new episode! Okay, last week’s episode was pretty boring, one of the worst ones to me. It seemed like nothing happened until the revelation at the very end. I think this episode was boring because it’s the ‘Rebecca’ episode. And she is extremely unlikeable and annoying. I agree with Annalise when she calls Rebecca a ‘terrorist.’ This episode she holds everything interesting about the show hostage.
Tidbits:
• Did Rebecca kill Sam? She says she did it and her story makes sense but… I think she might be taking the fall for Wes. I could see him killing Sam in order to avenge Annalise and protect Rebecca. I think that would be more interesting anyways.
• Asher (Matt McGorry) is my new favorite character, sorry Connor. He just has all the funny lines these days. “Play on playa.”
• Annalise reveals that she had a series of miscarriages previously. There’s some heavy handed fore-shadowing for you.
• I love how Asher hugs the trophy to him during class.
• “You forgot his name and he’s still into you? What, do you have some sort of voodoo penis?” hahahaha, Asher, you so funny. I also love how he admires Connor and his skills, “I’m so mad I wasn’t born gay.”
• How can Annalise’s Cop Boy Toy still get her any information? I thought he was fired or demoted or something.
• “This works on women as well as men.” You can say that again Connor (Jack Falahee).
• “Hey, uh, there seems to be a problem with my phone…your number’s not in it.” Asher’s pick up line.
• “She said leave.” At this point Bonnie is not showing any favoritism or interest in Asher… so how the hell do they end up screwing?!
• The bitching between Annalise and that other female lawyer was pretty funny.

Wes (Alfred Enoch) and Rebecca (Katie Findlay).

• Rebecca and Wes finally have sex. That’s nice and all, but I’m still waiting for Annalise to pounce on him.
• The Wes/Rebecca sex scene is contrasted with Lila’s second autopsy…eww, way to kill the mood!!!

Yeah, Oliver is one lucky bastard.

• Connor goes to give Oliver flowers, but some big, sexy guy answers the door instead. Nerdy Oliver gets all the hot guys!!
• Laurel admits feelings for Bearded Dude Whose Name I Forget. They also finally get it on.
• Cop Boy Toy and Rebecca align against Sam.
• Of course Ice Queen (Bonnie) interrupts Sam and Annalise potentially getting it on. She must stand at the door with her ear to the key hole.
• Lila was pregnant! And it can’t be by her chaste, Christian boyfriend who had taken a vow of silence…. It was you Sam!! Shocker!! (Not really, but whatev)
• Sam is a dirt bag, but Annalise will never break up with him. Hard to like her when she consistently lets him walk all over her.

Trailer Review: Mortdecai

Oh, how the mighty have fallen. Johnny Depp, what have you done to your career?! Once he was on top of the planet. A celebrated character actor, who could also wow in big blockbuster films. Now… he’s become a caricature of himself. And this silly movie is not going to put his career back on track again. If anything it shows that he has finally reached the bottom of the barrel. I remember when Johnny did movies because he wanted to, not because he wanted a cash grab.
Johnny Depp plays Mortdecai, an art dealer looking for a lost painting that’s worth a lot of money. Or something like that. This movie is basically just an excuse for Johnny to ham it up. Also in the movie are Olivia Munn, Ewan McGregor, Gwyneth Paltrow, Paul Bettany, and Jeff Goldblum. A bit of a mixed bag that cast. This is kind of reminding me of The Tourist in that it’s a heist movie (I think?) with Johnny Depp trying to be funny. This is not a good thing to be reminded of. At least this film (Mortdecai) doesn’t seem to take itself too seriously.
Johnny’s accent is making me cringe. It might be funny in the movie, but in the trailer it seems over the top and ridiculous. And just down right annoying. I am so saddened by what Johnny Depp has become. Okay, enough whining, I’m going to go cry in the corner as I picture Johnny Depp grabbing Olivia Munn’s boob. How the mighty have fallen indeed. Mortdecai is in theaters January 23, 2015.