Transformers 2

Blog No. 176: Transformers: The Revenge of The Fallen

There's a lot of blockbuster sequels coming out now... I guess this year is the Revenge of the Blockbusters so to speak...

So, my mom and I decided to go see the new Transformers movie. Why she wanted to see it, I have no idea. Personally, I'm kind of fed up with these sequels. It's hard to tell whether they're telling the full story or they're milking the franchise...

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Movie Review: Transformers II

I won't guarantee no spoilers. As if I ever did.

The storyline goes like this: Sam Whitwickey is college bound and continuing his normal life as if he had not nearly died from an onslaught of Decepticons all too recently. Then, when going through his stuff, he found a sliver of the destroyed All Spark cube thing, which, when he touches it, transfers alien information which burns into his brain and eventually gives him the crazies.

On top of that, it becomes apparent that the Decepticons are not all defeated. Apparently, one of the first Decepticons, calling himself "The Fallen," (yep, it's just one guy), is calling all the shots, sending out minions to steal back the All Spark shard and the frozen body of Megatron. What The Fallen really needs is the key to help finding energy for their race, which so happens to be imprinted on Sam's mind.

First off, I found that there are way too many conveniences. Like how Sam ends up finding a sliver of the All Spark in some dirty laundry, or how "The Fallen" is only able to be stopped by any one of the ancestors, or desdendants, who call themselves "Prime." Long story short, Optimus Prime DIES. (Oops. Spoiler. XP)

I should also mention, and this is entirely subjective, but a lot of the comedy went further down the gutter and down the storm drain, poisoning our river/ocean wildlife. With some of the added characters and weird moments, you get some more jokes that, like the first movie, you might want the kiddies to wait until they grow up a little more. I just remembered that the giant robot tearing away at the pyramid apparently had some male gonads hanging out.

Nudity Alert: You get to see that weird Sector 7 guy's derriere in bikini form. It gets right in the camera for extreme emphasis.

Seeing as it's the cliched blockbuster action movie, it has the stereotypical blockbuster action movie qualities, (the explosions, the stunts, the hot ladies), which, if you desire this kind of thing, might not be so bad. We all should have some intensive action in our lives once in awhile, right?

OK, now some Pros...

For a movie about a war of a mechanical transforming alien race, you'd expect some special effects, obviously. Special effects, in my opinion, should just be just that, a "special" effect, as in added as icing on the cake. However, when the movie requires the CGI effects in order for the story to be told, you might as well pull out all the stops, which this movie does very well.

For what plotline the movie had, it did satisfy its intent, telling the story. There were some romantic, cutesie moments, especially in the beginning between Sam and Makayla. There was also a crossroads kind of moment, where Sam had to decide between continuing to try and live a normal life or accept his destiny and save the world, again. There was also a keep-the-faith moment where Sam still held on to the matrix that powers that machine, even when it disintegrated into powder.

Let's see... a little romance, a sprinkle of crossroads, a dash of keep-the-faith... all just on top of the big helping of action and CGI effects. XP

We love the characters, the new and the old. Sam, Makayla, Sgt. Lennox, the Sector 7 guy, and all the Autobots return in this movie, along with adding Leo*, the slapstick Autobot twins, and some new Decepticons. Starscream stands out as Megatron's right hand in this movie. Sadly, they removed the cute computer analyst from the first film, which was kind of a drag for me...

Also, in the end, when "The Fallen" falls, after all the nutty puns of defeat, Megatron and Starscream escapes, making it very likely of a third movie... Joy.

My Rating: 3-ish Out of 5 Thumbs Up --> See it to believe it, but leave little Abagail at home for now.

Fin...

Technically the movie review is over, but I think I want to start something along with these reviews... Just to make it a little more interesting. Here's a go at it:

*Singled Out: Ramon Rodriguez as the horny and cowardly Leo Spitz.

Leo is the new roommate in Sam's dorm, granting him some access to Sam's life, (like the secret robot alien race that plots to take over the world). He's the stereotypical computer nerd who tries too hard when it comes to the opposite sex. When Sam starts freaking out, Leo is there trying to calm him down, which turns out to be his biggest regret in his life.

In this movie, he's generally the whiniest person there. However, when it seriously comes down to it, he's you, (that's right readers, I'm pointing at YOU). Face the facts, man. He's pretty much how we would react in this situation, no matter how many sci-fi/special effects movies we've seen, no matter how much duct tape and shotgun bullets we've stocked up. Sure Leo puts on the tough guy bravado, but when something surreal happens he releases the whiny inner child. There's no way to prepare for the apocalypse, so why hide your fear?

When it's real, you'll accidentally taze your balls, too. Congrats Leo, you've been singled out. XD

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You know, Micheal Jackson probably died while we were watching the Transformers movie... I wonder if that means something... Alas, the Blockbuster movies claimed their first life:

RIP Michael Jackson.

May you orgasm in your pants on the cloudy and blindingly lit stage in the sky. XP

...

Figured I should do something in memorandum for America's most famous white pop star...

I also saw a preview of this in the theater:

Totally cannot wait! XP

That is all.

Time To Brawl

Blog No. 175: Time To Brawl

Taka called me up today, desperate to try and find something to do for today, 5/24. I suggested the standbys: Tennis? Frisbee? Watch Whose Line?

Well, Taka wanted to play Super Smash Bros. Brawl and asked if I had it. Well, I had it in my possession, but it is technically John's game and he recently let his nephew borrow it. So I got to thinking, "Hmm. I would say it's about time that I should have my own copy of this game!" Of course, when I thought of this, I said it aloud, (hence the quotes format, not the italicized format). XP

Once I said that, it was pretty much decided without me.

In thirty minutes, King and Taka arrived to pick me up to take me to the Gamestop near my house. We went looking in the store, found a few zombie shooting games Taka wanted, but could not find any used SSBrawl games.

So we headed over to the nearby Fry's Electronics store, where my mom used to work for most of my childhood. Back then, it was Incredible Universe, where there was a kids area, it had a lot more technology, and it didn't have the weird murals on the wall... I remembered being there when I was little, visiting my mom at work, and I would just end up playing some of the video games available in the center of the store. My mom had worked overtime a lot so some of those trips ended when my aunt picked me up... Anyways, Taka and King saw some other asian people they knew who worked there. XP

Then we wheeled around to Wendy's, where we each got burgers and fries. Then we decided to eat them at the house.

Around this time, my sister and Lennox came home from visiting my mom at the apartment. Taka and King got to see the baby in all his cuteness, as well as meet my immediate family. XP

We ate around my grandma's dining nook in the back of the living room. We talked about how different fast food chains had different tastes to their burgers. Wendy's burgers had square shaped burgers and some salty hamburger buns compared to other restaurants. Taka still preferred Burger King over anything. XP

Then the three of us headed upstairs, where we played SSBrawl for about 3 hours on the big TV in the loft. Taka had also fooled around with our computer's stylus and pad on Photoshop. Most of the time was spent kicking eachother's butt on SSBrawl. I think King won most of the rounds, but I got the most kills in. It's usually how it ends up. XP

King and I dropped Taka off at her place, went to school, learned about Greek thought, (which was basically a review session, again, from what I learned from high school), then King took me home.

SSBrawl is only fun when you have others to play it with you! XD

Another Rendition of YouTube Updates

Blog No. 174: Some Videos

I really have no material for 6/23, so I figured it's time to show you some YouTube Videos I've been watching:

Taka shown me this video and I thought the piano playing was cool. It's an excerpt of the movie Secret, which was made by one of Taka's favorite directors.

Robots are taking over the world man...

Of course I added a KT Tunstall song in here! It would be a crime if I didn't! XP

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OK there you go. Yet "Another Rendition of YouTube Updates" just like the title said! XP

Day Dreaming Day Dreams

Blog No. 173: Day Dreaming Day Dreams

Can't read my poker face... You prolly could, but still.

Point being, I have a lot on my mind. Thing is, I can't put it to words. I don't think anyone can, partly because it's quite literally a symphony, but still... It's serious.

The first thing I remember paying attention to all day was the conversation with my mom while she was driving me to school. It wasn't a lively conversation at all, really. It was a simple back and forth, then I whipped my head back when it all became clear that I was zoning out for most of the morning. I honestly could not remember how I got up this morning. Did I get coffee?

Not only that, but I had realized that I was listening to this symphony of random music, a variety of pieces of music composed in my head from reading fiction stories while I was zoned out. (Every time I get immersed into the book, I try to involve my other senses into the story as well, which, for me, involves adding background music. Basically, I'm creating a soundtrack for the movie version of the book in a day dream. XD). I could see myself on the conducting podium, standing before the orchestra, where the strings sat in front of the woodwinds who sat in front of the choir standing on steps, with some percussion on either side with squareish sound buffers posted in front of some of the instruments.

I remembered hearing how Bella's Lullaby had sounded in my head before the actual Bella's Lullaby was even created, or how the music swelled when Edward left Bella behind in the woods. I can hear the music when I read the clash between Bellatrix Lestrange and Molly Weasley in the final book, or when I read how all the school kids on that island killed poor Simon in that campfire... When Pudge finally realizes that Alaska would never be coming back... When Nick could see that Daisy would never return the amount of devotion Gatsby had given her... When Pi finally landed ashore, but was not able to say goodbye to the tiger as he disappears into the jungle, becoming only a memory...

Not only that music, but also the original music created in my mind during some dreams, like the Mallet Trio dream (in the Summer Dreamscapes blog), or when I have those falling dreams where I'd fall for no reason, only to fall through the point of impact when I had reached the Earth...

All of it I remembered in that split second when I realized was even in a day dream.

Can you day dream in a day dream?

Totally weird... XP

Uncle's Day

Blog No. 172: Father's Day

Not one of my most celebrated holidays.

I had texted mom when I arrived home early this morning from JT's, and she had replied that they were planning on a "brunch" kind of thing. This usually meant an attempt at a family table kinda thing with waffles, pie filling, and my strawberry preserves.

It went a little different.

John and Audrey went out to the Firehouse Restaurant in Old Sacramento, then went to see UP, again, for Father's Day. They had made reservations a week or two in advanced, so no surpise there.

My mom, Lennox, and I just hung out at the apartment. My mom and aunt complained a little bit about how John and Audrey should've brought Lennox along, but I just tuned them out really.

The "brunch" food did not end up being the waffles, pie filling, and strawberry preserves I was hoping for when I woke up early this morning. Instead, it was bisuits and meaty gravy, mexican scrambled eggs w/ tortillas, and cinnamon bread. All I really nibbled on was the cinnamon bread and eggs, after about an hour of staring at the odd orange/brown color the eggs had.

Then, my aunt had the table set up for the bunch of us to sit around the table, only all of us had to eat our food at different shifts, mainly because of the babysitting. If they really wanted to try a family thing, they should really start thinking of inviting more of the family, like Jabyne and Nicole, or my other grandfather and his immediate family. Holidays were more celebrated when my grandmother was planning them, before she passed away. I had looked forward to those events back in the day because of the added fanfare... Back when I felt that there was something to look forward to in these get togethers.

Meh. It was only Father's Day.

When I looked after Lennox, I held him a lot. A lot more than usual. I think that was sort of planned because my mom conveniently walked out of the room as soon as Audrey and John left while I was carrying the baby. I didn't complain though. I just held him while I updated my Myspace/Facebook, then walked him around, talking to him about what I did last night, how he's going to have to work those leg muscles when he grows up if he ever plans to go play sports in school. It was around the conversation where I was talking about my "sports" in high school, (which in my case was practicing for percussion ensemble and fruit snack ball, which was basically me throwing cherry fruit snacks into Kaylah's cleavage... For that I can see myself as being MVP! XP), that Lennox fell asleep in my arms. So I set him on the bed and turned on Mythbusters. When I leaned my head back, I felt my eyes lulling to sleep, crying out for solace in my mind. So I figured I'd sleep next to the baby.

Two episodes of Mythbusters later, I was holding him again, feeding him his milk and what not. My mom was on the phone with her friend from her old work at Fry's Electronics, so I had to entertain the baby, again. So I showed Lennox his reflection in the vanity mirror, as well as the bathroom mirror, and I showed him where to get solid food in the apartment. Then I sat him down on the bed again, where I started rambling about baby's cliched firsts, like his first swimming lessons, his first bike, his first time playing catch with his dad...

Then I just backtracked and started pedaling his legs and complained that I still really didn't know how to swim or ride a bike. That's when Audrey and John arrived. It was a real bonding day with the baby. All the time I he had listened intently or giggled as I made funny faces.

They should totally have an Uncle's Day. XP

MVP

Blog No. 171: MVP

First of all, JT needs to practice texting and planning.

Here's the story. He had agreed to pick me up for Ultimate Frisbee the night before. Then, he tried to plan the game a little later than usual, for 4:45 instead of 3, that way he could get home from bartending school, get lunch, and have around 40 minutes to pick me up. Thing is, when he sent out the text, the time had said "4:15". He only realized it when someone told him he had 7 minutes instead of 37. So he called me up and said that he would drop off the frisbees and stuff and try to go and pick me up. However, the players, already waiting probably since 3, wanted him to stay. Luckily for me, Piper and Difuentez were there to and decided to bail me out.

If only the 4 wasn't so close to the 1... XP

Evidently, I have a new nickname amongst our Ultimate Frisbee crowd: MVP.

Which is ironic because I'm not all that good.

There was a moment where one guy, whose name I forgot (but was jerkish because he had called my name as I was trying to pass the frisbee and I almost threw it to him... thinking it was Brandon...), who had asked why I was "MVP". Then, during the next play, our team had reached the goal line and I was blocked by two people. I was the closest to the thrower, so what I did was I spiraled around the first guy and shook up my actual guard, confusing them long enough for me to be open and barely catch the disc with my hand and knee, securing the point.

JT, who was on my team, yelled out, "Now that's why we call him MVP!"

It was dumb luck really... XD

Piper had played a few rounds. She was on the opposing team the first game, then we were both on the same team the second time around. When I was her guard, I felt like I had an advantage, partly because Piper was new to the game, partly because I figured out a system that didn't take away too much of my energy like the previous games. Back in the day, when I was one of the children in the streets playing basketball, I was basically the free thrower and the fake out player. Something about being "light on my feet" as one of Ruben's old friends had said... Which is true because I was shrimpy. XP

Jordan, one of the Choir folk, was also there. She was suitably another Piper on the field, so Piper and Jordan had switched out every once in awhile. We were all saying, you know later after the two games, that we did not notice how... full her water balloons were, if you catch my drift. She was talking to me before the game through Facebook and she was basically complaining about that. I guess that sort of thing does have it's disadvantages... And you know that's true when JT, the boob-man himself, notices. XP

After the games, we just sat in the grass, cooling off in the shade while JT and Shirtless Jeff played one-on-one Ultimate Frisbee. They were actually pretty good at it, only we kinda messed Jeff up by laughing too much. That and the only way he could get the frisbee from the "Jolly Green Giant" was to tackle him to the ground. Piper had taken quite a few pictures of them going at it. XP

BLAH and Jason had texted me, asking if I wanted to go clubbing with them. Personally, I didn't know what that would entail. All I would be doing was dancing, and I dance really awkwardly... I find that it tends to get sad to dance by yourself without at least 6 different people you felt comfortable enough with to dance around you. But I texted back, "Only if JT does it, he's my ride," being the indecisive person that I am.

JT, after Piper asked what we all should do, decided that we should just play Munchkin at his place. So, Difuentez, Piper, JT, Marshall, Bryn, and I ended up playing Munchkin in the gazebo in the backyard. It turned out to be a better suited plan then going clubbing, keeping it simple amongst relatively close personality types. XP

That one round of Epic Munchkin lasted 5 hours. No joke. So it got dark, cold, and windy real fast. It was a good thing that JT had set up a lighting system in the gazebo. JT and I really didn't plan for the cold, so JT ended up "molesting" Bryn, (which means that, with permission, he reached up Bryn's sweatshirt to keep his arms cold), and I ended up using Piper as a space heater, if space heaters were like bear hugs. Difuentez kinda stared at Piper for a bit, I could sense he was watching my hands more closely... All I can say is that I'm not as grabby as JT. XP

I ended up being a super super super bard-cleric with a self-cleaning, extra loud repeating crossbow crossbow crossbow... It gets really funny after awhile. Piper ended up winning the game, for once. :P

So I had fun. JT and Bryn drove me home at around 1:30 in the morning. His departing words, which I remembered for the blog title, were "It's an official name now, MVP!"

I'm not sure whether or not I should be flattered... Meh. It'll just end up being like my popular nickname now, Rabbiman: I'll get bothered by it for a day or two, then decide to let them have their fun and, hopefully, come to enjoy it once I find out that I really had nothing to be bothered about. XP