Movies – The Daily EO

The Daily EO: March 5th, 2016

Quiet please.

I’ve been up since 3:30 am because I went to bed at 10 with a little help from Happy Hours.

I was invited out for an Unemployed Person Pub Crawl last night that started at 3 pm and covered 3 bars and eventually my house.

There was a spreadsheet schedule and everything. No, I didn’t make it. Yes, I know – strange- I didn’t make it.

I make it sound like there was a huge group of us – but there were only 2. Until the employed people showed up – they had to wait til they finished work. Whatevs.

I have some advice.

Don’t text and drink. This is not unique nor uncommon advice, but I just want to say that to bring the message really home. I did send a very nice picture of my eyebrow to Alison. It was looking particularly well groomed, I’m sure she appreciated it, looked in the mirror and wondered how she could get a brow like mine.
Don’t drink with sales executives. They can beat us all – its their profession.
Don’t answer someone’s phone when it rings. It causes chaos, and you can’t hear them anyways in a bar.
Have some movies ready to go. By 8:00 am I have already polished off Fast and the Furious 6 (which I also figured out how X character died in Tokyo Drift and still managed to appear in 4, 5, and 6) and Safe. I love Jason Stratham. That man can do no wrong – and he is a killer. But an honest one.
Do not discuss potential employment with anyone during bar crawls. Just. Don’t.

March 5th, 2016 Extra-ordinary: Happy Hour is cheap. (and expensive).

I remember watching Star Wars: The Empire Strikes back with my dad at the drive-in theatre. I remember very little except when Luke had his hand cut off. (um, spoiler alert). It was pretty horrifying for me. But then he had a hand again – it looked good as new and I was wholly confused. Afterall, I had watched my PSA on TV and thought this was not the case.

But Dad was a science fiction fan. He loved Star Wars, Isaac Asimov, Ray Bradbury and Star Trek. The terrifying hand removal not withstanding, I too began to enjoy science fiction, reading his old books and watching his old shows. Some I just didn’t get. Some I just didn’t like. But Star Trek – I got. I got it a lot. And after many years of reflection, I think that I gravitated to it because it was a vision of what could be, what we coud strive towards – the end of hunger, poverty and world wars. The end of a planet destruction, the beginning of a joined life. Not free from problems and struggles, but better than now. Much of other science fiction features post-apocalypse worlds, worst than today, terror, horrible things have happened.

So, I watched the old Star Trek episodes and enjoyed the stories. Watched them again when I was older and better understood and recognized the social commentary. And watched with my brother when Star Trek: The Next Generation came out. Celebrated a move forward with a female captain on Voyager. Would they get home!? And then Enterprise, trying to stem delight when they decided they should come up with an “Alert System”. And of course all the movies in between – some terrible, some okay.

I had planned to attend opening night for this second reboot movie, but I had other plans. Instead, I was there Saturday night. I’d read nothing – purposely avoided trailers, didn’t check reviews – I wanted to save it all for the movie. And I am glad I did.

All in all – I loved it. The ONLY complaint I have is the need in action/adventure movies to at some point have the hero hanging by their finger tips. Then somehow, they let go with one hand and catch a person falling by to save them too. Then someone cames along and hauls them both up.

Please find me a person that can catch 200 pounds in one hand while holding their weight with their finger tips. Not to mention, this usually occurs right after a fight which I have to assume their hand is either sweaty, bloody or both. And if you can find such a person, then find me a different person who can pull 400 pounds of dead weight up onto a platform while no one in the dangling chain of people lets go. I cannot suspense my disbelief on these scenes anymore. Build railings and floors people!

So, if that is my biggest complaint, I can live with it. Absolutely loving this new series – geek, yes, I suppose.

May 18th, 2013 Extra-Ordinary: Star Trek: Into Darkness

The Daily EO: April 29th, 2013

I watched “Super Size Me” before any one had ever heard of Morgan Spurlock. I enjoyed the ridiculous debate in a dozen locations within in Europe all claiming to be “The Centre” of it all. I watched with concern and skepticism the “World according to Monsanto“. I wondered what was wrong with Americans in Michael Moore’s “Bowling for Columbine” and “Roger & Me“. I got sucked into Al Gore’s message in “An Inconvenient Truth“. I fumed and shook my fists at the idiots who destroyed the financial stability of the world in an “Inside Job“.

I am a sucker for a documentary. Everyone can relate to the human condition, and yet every person has their own story. But in all my years in Ontario, I only ever got to Toronto’s Hot Docs Festival once. So, when I saw Vancouver had a smaller, but similar festival coming up, I bought tickets immediately. For some reason, watching documentaries make me feel like I belong in the educated world where gossip is shunned, and ideas are examined. Possibilities abound for a better world.

If you’re looking for me, here’s where I’ll be (because I took into account some of Emile’s tastes too):

The Manor

Wrong Time Wrong Place

Fire in the Blood

Occupy the Movie

Two Nil

April 29th, 2013 Extra-Ordinary: Striving for Self-Actualization in a movie theatre. *Love* a documentary!

The Daily EO: March 27th, 2013

I went to Disneyland when I was a kid. Several times in fact. But, one year, a new attraction had opened up – Captain EO (no relation to Daily EO). It was a 3D movie featuring Michael Jackson, Anjelica Houston and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. At the time, only the 3D and Michael Jackson part mattered to me. It was – that I can recall – the first 3D movie I had ever seen. This one used all the tricks – the opening scene was of an asteroid floating towards you. We all were reaching out trying to touch everything while wearing special glasses.

Years later at UVic Student Union Movie Theatre, I saw “The Creature of the Black Lagoon“, but it wasn’t quite the same. First of all it, it was older, and the effects were much less impactful.

Avator came – made me nauseated – and I just recently saw The Hobbit in both 3D and regular at the theatre. And honestly, all this 3D stuff did little for me – nothing like the remembered Captain EO. Emile enjoyed it and joked about getting a 3D home television and I don’t get it.

I returned to the eye doctor today for a follow-up – me and my fascinating case and all – to see if the sample lenses worked for me and to have another doctor in the practice examine my eyes. To their amazement, my eyes did in fact drift in when left to their own devices. 2 lazy eyes! My goodness! Could this case get any more interesting?

They pulled out one last test for me to try. (it looked the page on the left hand side of the picture). It involved 3 rows of cartoons – one of which was supposed to appear closer when wearing 3D glasses. Easy. But the second part of the test. Each of the 9 diamonds had one circle that was supposed to appear closer. 1. – Okay, I can see that. 2. Hard – could barely make it out 3. ? Um, nothing at all.

Apparently normal people can see all the way to 9 without problem.

March 27th, 2013 Extra-Ordinary: No wonder I don’t appreciate 3D movies – I can’t see anything but the most exaggerated of effects. Maybe with my recommended retraining of my eyes, I’ll be able to see Star Trek in 3D. (only 47 more days)

The Daily EO: March 6th, 2013

A “Shanty Town” – Film set for “Continuum” filming on top of the parkade across the street from our place:

March 6th, 2013 Extra-Ordinary: I know the reality of filming is much different than the outsider’s view, but to me, it is interesting and exciting to see the different filming in Gastown.

The Daily EO: January 26 & 27th, 2013

I went to see The Hobbit for the second time this weekend – this time in 2D with my grandma. Nobody else wanted to go with her, so Emile and I said we would go even though we’d seen it before.

The Hobbit does not seem to be getting the sincere love that the Lord of the Rings series got. Reviews call out the 48 frames per second and the lack of action and hodge podge presentation of the stories. I enjoyed the movie the second time.

And there you go “I enjoyed the movie”. Why is it that I hesitate to tell you the truth – I loved the movie. I love the Lord of the Rings and I love this movie. Perhaps Peter Jackson is drawing perhaps more than he should on the appendices and and unused material from the Lord of the Rings. Perhaps the Hobbit is supposed to be lighter. Perhaps it doesn’t need 3 films to tell. But there are few movies that I actually pay to rewatch. I love the “moments”, the score, the scenery. (the rock giant fight I could have lived without really).

January 26 & 27, 2013 Extra-Ordinary: Admit I love something – who cares if someone else doesn’t agree.

And thank goodness, that it wasn’t my storage unit that burned down – it was just right beside the vacant warehouse that did. Talk about a clutch in the heart driving up that day.

The Daily EO: October 11th, 2012

From our condo we can hear the Steam clock every 15 minutes. And at 9 pm, a cannon is fired off. I can hear the door upstairs when it gets slammed. And generally you can hear the general hum of the traffic underpinning all of this. Nothing disturbing or terrible, and we’ve already come to accept the noises in our new home.

October 11th, 2012 Extra-Ordinary: A fireball exploded on the street below us tonight. And a flaming car raced down the street. The film industry continues to use Vancouver as a locale.

The Daily EO: April 15th, 2012

I love bad books and bad movies. Those that make you laugh at the wrong time and likely find tremendously satisfying because in some fantasy world somewhere, things just work out no matter how far-fetched. Also, bad is black and white – there is no deeper depth to the villain – they are bad through and through and when they get what is coming to them you want to cheer. But not really bad movies and books. What is the difference between bad and really bad? It has to do with levels of believability; level of gratuitous nudity, gore or violence; and how you feel when you watch it. Some examples of bad movies: Burlesque (romance-drama-musical-Stanley Tucci-ridiculous-evil villian), The Holiday (Christmas sappiness-stupid men-Kate Winslet-english accents-two happy relationships), and Triple X (Vin Diesel-unbelievable stunts exceeding the limits of human strength-awful dialogue). Bad books: Early Shopoholic Series (english charm-stupid spunky girl-rich charming fellow saves the day), and Hotel Vendôme (classic Steel-rarified world-“complicated” problems of prestigious and rich-beautiful and classy heroine).

Now, I may be insulting the authors and directors here, but I think they know what they are making. We want it, but don’t try to tell me for a minute that it is high cinema or academic writing. It’s not. It’s like eating a plate of whole wheat pasta. You know it is better for you than white pasta, but really? You should be eating lean protein, whole grains and a whole swack of vegetables instead. But spaghetti is what you want. You’ve skipped the garlic bread, you worked out this morning. You’re doing pretty good, right? Totally healthy will be done another day.

Today I was a bit tired, and restless, and bored. I was crabby, and generally Emile was trying to stay well away from me. I don’t blame him. I needed my literary/cinematic gorging. I downloaded a new e-book on my reader. I sat down and read it cover to cover until 1 in the morning. Ahhhhh. Goodbye shades of gray, hello black and white, ridiculous storylines and – yes, really – a “Stop this wedding” scene.

April 15th, 2012 Extra-Ordinary: Consuming exactly what you want when you want.

Tag: Movies