The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (Film)

A great dumb, exciting thrill ride of a summer movie. Leave your brain at the door and enjoy the spectacle of drift racing. The first film I've seen this summer that I would want to see again. Much better than the second one and almost as good, if not better, than the first. And I personally loved the last shot.

Nacho Libre (Film)

Watching the movie, I sensed a gnawing sense of familiarity and it wasn't until Nacho was standing in the wrestling ring I understood why. This is a classic superhero tale filtered through Mexican wrestling and the comic sensibilities of writer/director Jared Hess, he of Napoleon Dynamite fame. Nacho comes complete with a secret identity and a sidekick. Instead of doing battle with costumed villains in the street, he does his fighting in the ring. I enjoyed the movie, especially the wrestling. The film is funny, not as funny as Napoleon, but along a similar vein. The trailers give a pretty good idea of the type of humor found in the movie. If you didn't like Napoleon, I'd stay away from Nacho, but maybe visit him on DVD.

Cars (Film)

Another solid effort from the fine folks at Pixar and easily the best animated film I've seen since their last effort, The Incredibles. This is probably my favorite movie I've seen so far this summer. The film's got a lot of heart and the only minor quibble I have is the film's a tad lengthy, about 10-15 minutes too long. Well worth seeing. And stay for the end credits, some of their best jokes are there.

Faster than a speeding bullet...

Drawing by Tim Sale.

The Omen (Film)

The film had some decent scares, but I'm still puzzled by some aspects of the movie. At one point, a couple of characters check out a graveyard and one brings a tire iron. I would have thought a shovel would be more appropriate. Someone does use the tire iron, but how did that person know to bring it? I guess god does work in mysterious ways.

The film is about the spawn of Satan being born and while I had no problem with minions of the devil helping out, I wondered why didn't anyone from the good side lend a helping hand? The film felt off balance to me with the dark side leading the way. It would have been nice to see god not take such a passive role and decide to send some angels to help out and kick some ass. It's another classic horror film remake and I did see the original (I think), but my memories are fuzzy at best. It was nice to see Mia Farrow playing the child's babysitter. She is suitably creepy.

I was also puzzled by the ending and slightly disappointed. To save humanity, the father has to kill his adopted son on the alter of a church. This is the best plan god came up with? I thought the power to kill was reserved for the mighty lord only. I would have liked it more if the father had to find a more humane solution instead. Could not the power of his love for his son be enough to stop the dark lord?

I also discussed with someone who has seen the original and was surprised by how similar the two are. I say why bother doing a shot by shot re-make. Why not make it different. Daimen is birthed from a jackal in both movies, but the birth is never shown. Why not show it for the 2006 version? Really make a statement. I know if I saw a baby coming out of a jackal, I'd say all bets are off and anything goes. Oh well.

Wonder Woman #1 (Comic)

A brand new first issue of Wonder Woman came out. She's supposed to be one of the 3 big guns of DC Comics, the other two being Superman and Batman, but has never received the same treatment. It is said that those three characters provide the template for most of the superheroes out there. Both Superman and Batman have at least three different titles each month and most have lasted past 650 issues. Except Wonder Woman. She has exactly one title with her name on it and is starting over again. Why is that? I think it partially has to do with her core concept. Take a look at Batman; child, after witnessing parents death, vows vengeance on the criminal element. Superman has a basic approach as well: sole survivor of doomed planet uses his god-like powers to help others. And Wonder Woman? Well, she leaves an island consisting of only women and is charged with being an ambassador on mission of peace, I think. It's changed over the years with no real rhyme or reason.

There are other reasons as well. Unlike the other two, she's seen as a more sexual being and her outfit certainly does not help matters. Could her lack of popularity be simply due to the fact that in a primarily male dominated readership, she's just too icky? I'm not sure. I've read various incarnations of her comic over the years and I've tried to get into it, but just couldn't. I didn't find her adventures to be exciting or different enough. A real stand out of Batman is his villains, with Superman it's his feats of power. Wonder Woman has neither the rogues to combat nor interesting powers to set her apart. What does set her apart is her gender and I have yet to see that portrayed compelling enough in a comic. I think if it wasn't for that tv show from the 70's, she might not even be around today. And that's a real shame.

Hey Nostradamus! (Book)

God is nowhere.

God is now here.

God is nowhere.

After reading jPod, I decided to read Coupland's previous effort. It was one I had, but never found the time to read until now. The book is broken up into 4 parts in 4 different time periods. The first section is about a girl named Cheryl who in 1988 is killed in a school shooting. The second part takes place in 1999 and is about Jason, Cheryl's boyfriend at the time of the shooting. He has yet to fully recover from her sudden passing. Part three is about Heather, Jason's girlfriend and the year is 2002. The final part is a letter from Reg, Jason's father, written in 2003.

All four characters are dealing in some fashion with the place God has in their lives. Sometimes the connection is obvious and at other points, like wisps of spider silk. I did stop to consider an idea. What if God was a gardener with a backyard, which represents the world. A lot happens in the backyard that either escapes the attention of the gardener or the gardener simply does not care about. To wit, a battle is constantly being waged between various insects and rabbits and birds and over growth of grass and plants. Some things are taken care by the gardener, others are not. Perhaps we are like the insects in this garden. To think God cares for us directly is akin to an ant believing in the gardener to take care of it. This is not to belittle the ant, but instead to illustrate the ant's feeling of over importance.

The Break-Up (Film)

The beginning of the movie shows Gary and Brooke meeting cute and during the opening credits, a photo montage shows their budding romance. Soon after, she decides they should stop seeing each other, but both decide neither one really wants to leave their fabulous and gorgeous condo. She doesn't really want to stop seeing him and wants to teach him a lesson, of sorts. And him? I'm not sure. You see, they're playing by movie rules and in the movies, someone like her would be attracted to a schmuck like him because it says so in the script. I have no idea why the two are together in the first place nor comprehend how they've been together for so long. It very much plays like a male fantasy where someone like Jennifer Aniston could walk around naked and Gary (Vince Vaughn) can't figure out why. There are a few funny bits sprinkled here and there, but too few and far in-between.

Friends with Money (Film)

Tried to see the Break-Up, but that was sold out, so I decided to see Aniston's previous spring effort. It's an intimate comedic look at a group of 4 female friends and how money plays into their lives. The title refers to 3 of the 4 women having money and a 4th friend that works as a maid after deciding that a teaching career was not for her. I'm guessing she got tired of taking care of kids and decided to take care of homes instead. The film's scope is relationships and you get the sense much of it was taken from actual life experiences. It's worth seeing, but I'd wait for the DVD. It might play even better in the living room.