Blog O’ Obscurity

And while we’re on the topic of online quizzes. Here is the best online quiz absolutely ever.

Troy McClure Film or Actual Terrible Movie

“You may remember him from such hits as Christmas Ape and Christmas Ape Goes to Summer Camp, but how well do you remember Troy McClure’s other projects? Can you tell which of the following titles come from the filmography of Springfield’s favorite screen icon and which are the real-life dregs of IMDb?”

And no fair checking IMDb or any other database for the answers.

My personal score first time through the quiz was 11 of 15.

Popularity: 1%

The Muppets have always held a dear, dear place in my heart. Right next to, in fact, my Star Wars heart place. Once again the two have been joined for an amusing music video featuring Vader repeatedly singing, “MANAMANA.” It’s funnier than it sounds, and definitely better the second time watching it. Not as good the fourth time, but much funnier the fifth.

And yes, that was Spock. And yes, Artoo and Threepio do a great job as Statler and Waldorf. And no, I’m not ‘losing it’. And yes, the 14 second mark is the funniest thing ever.

Popularity: 1%

This movie wanted to be good, it really did. It seemed so close on so many levels. “Max Payne” was almost good. Really. Especially considering that it’s based off of a video game. Talk about starting in the hole from the get go.

Mark Wahlberg is usually excellent in just about everything that he stars in. As Max Payne, he broods constantly and chews the gritty, show-covered scenery. It was almost a good performance.

Mila Kunis is a fine young actress and has been good in many projects. I struggle to understand how the casting director thought that this very petite cherubic girl could pass herself off as a tough-as-nails Russian gangster. It also didn’t help that her accent seemed to disappear as the movie progressed.

The cinematic style and look of the movie wanted to be cutting-edge and cool. It almost was, but ended up looking out-of-focus and poorly edited.

So, for a movie with plenty of potential. One word sums up “Max Payne.”

Almost.

Popularity: 2%

I’m a fan of zombie movies, even the pseudo-zombie movies that feature diseases that cause zombie-like symptoms such as “28 Days Later.” The commercials for Quarantine looked pretty good, but the clincher was seeing that it starred Dexter cast member, Jennifer Carpenter.

Not surprising then, that I liked this movie. The story was taut and tense with plenty of scares for the Halloween season. The first-person perspective and lack of soundtrack really worked here. The constant helicopter buzzing is a nice contrast to the normal horror movies quiet sneaking scenes. The noise was constant and jarring. This was much better than Romero’s recent handheld zombie movie. I recommend Quarantine. Go see it.

Now for the nitpicking.

We’ve been getting more and more films with the cameraman as character. I can understand the constant jerkycam that is a part of these movies, especially with handhold cameras and lots of action. However, this movie featured the cameraman as a professional news camera guy. You would think that in scenes with no action or running around that he could manage to hold the camera still and in focus.

Also, this advice is for all studios and filmmakers. Please don’t put the final scene of the movie in the ads, commercials, and posters. Can we have just a bit of suspense without knowing the ending? Please?

That’s all. Go see it.

Popularity: 2%

That’s right, constant reader.

Ender’s Game is looking closer and closer to becoming a reality.

The downside is that Wolfgang Petersen has dropped out as director of the project. The good news is that they are actively looking for a new director so they can start casting all of the kids so they can start shooting next year!

Exciting, huh?

Also on the plus side is the recent release of an “Ender’s Game” comic book. The few pages that I saw online looked very promising.

Can’t wait to see it on the big screen.

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On our recent trip to California I was somewhat surprised to see billboards around Southern California advertising the newest sci-fi remake of “The Day the Earth Stood Still.” Basically, an alien comes to Earth, gets hassled by the man, and sets loose a giant robot to wreak havoc until Earthlings learn not to be so gosh-darned violent.

However, there have been a few changes in the fifty years since the original. (Woulda been kinda hard to sell modern audiences on the giant robot deal.) No longer is there a robot, now we have a giant sphere-shaped cloud of destruction. And no longer is there a clean cut alien. Now we have Keanu Reeves.

Keanu. Verata. Nikto.

I may not be first in line to see this one. You had me ’til you said Keanu.

Popularity: 2%

I’ve written before about the components of our home theater system, and also about many of the pieces that make up a good home theater system. I’ve even written about some of the upgrades that I’d like to make to the system to improve the sound quality and overall experience.

What better addition to a home theater than some super comfortable theater seating. If you can dedicate an entire room to be a theater in your home, then don’t skimp out on a perfect seat or row of seats. Heck, redesign the room to have stadium seating. And enjoy the show.

Popularity: 1%

This movie brought me back to the 80s - not because it was set then or was cheesy but because it was action packed.  Give me a pure, unadulterated action movie over an action movie with a dying boxer or an action movie that has a dead kid before the opening credits even come on any day of the week.  It was like the action of Lethal Weapon mixed with the paranoia of Terminator 3 - and I certainly left the theatre a little paranoid.

The main character is framed as a terrorist as an impetus to do exactly as the voice at the other end of a call tells him to do.  Others are involved and death defying jumps from buildings are seen.

The movie is rated PG-13 so it lacked the gratuitous sex and nudity of the 80s movies (even though they had a perfectly good chance in a cramped but private moment in a cargo box.  Alas.) and is a good movie to watch if you want to worry about your cell phone capabilities.

Popularity: 2%

Igor is a nice little movie to take your kids too - as long as you don’t mind a discussion about death afterward.  I took my oldest (8 years old) to see this PG movie and it was a little darker than I would like.  Fortunately, he’s not suicidal.  Unfortunately, an immortal cat in the movie is.  He squashes himself, blows himself up and gnaws off his limbs all the while damning Igor who had made him immortal. My son wondered why the guy didn’t want to live.

How exactly do you explain suicide?

I said, I’ll tell you when you’re older.

Now there’s a great little line I like to use to sidestep any issue.

Anyway - the movie is dark but good.  By the time we roll around to the end, the moral of the story become apparent and there is a storybook ending - even if it is a bit Frankensteinish.

Popularity: 2%

Beings that it is coming up on Talk Like A Pirate Day, I was doing a little musing. If Han Solo was a smuggler (pirate), and Chewie was his first mate, shouldn’t Harrison Ford have brought a little more “mateys” and “arrghs” to the role. Or maybe, just maybe, Chewbacca’s pirate accent was so heavy that it came out in his trademarked roars.

Makes you think, huh?

Popularity: 2%