The new Knight Rider

It has a couple of attractive leads, and attractive car, stylish music, stylish directing, and a so-so story. But there are probably a thousand other blogs that will critique that stuff. I'm only interested in the following one aspect:

The picture below is from KITT's display where he/it shows what parts of his system have been tested. Is it a misspelling or does KITT really have a "High Velocity Breaking Index?" Enjoy.

DaVinci & Truffaut [movie commentary]

So The DaVinci Code is out and had the second-highest worldwide opening ever. The reviews are mixed; but not as far as Ebert and Roeper are concerned. "2 Thumbs Up!" Having not read the book, or seen the movie, I'm not qualified to comment on either. As readers of this blog know, I like my seemingly-unrelated segues in my articles. So here goes!

Tonight I watched an old French movie, Jules and Jim. It's a classic that I've watched several times over the years. The DVD containing the movie also contained an interview of director Francois Truffaut. For those not in the know, he's a film legend. Modern-day greats like Scorsese and Spielberg were influenced by him.

In this interview, Truffaut discusses the original book by Henri-Pierre Roche. An art-lover, Roche spent his life travelling the world. He was the first to bring Picasso's art to America. When bedridden at age 73, he decided to write his first book, an autobiography set 50 years in his past. Roche never witnessed the much-celebrated movie, and eventual success of his book. Though Truffaut was saddened by the author's death, he was happy that the book became successful after the movie:

"...there's often something immoral when cinema has its way with a well-known book. Sometimes the film is good, but it's always exploiting the book's fame. Here I was able to do the opposite: With my film, I introduced people to what was really an unknown masterpiece."

The DaVinci Code movie, good or not, has successfully capitalized on the book's success. In Hollywood, precedent is everything. Just as in the 1990's we saw a flood of cinem-ized TV shows (Mission: Impossible still haunts the movie landscape), we are likely to see more movies based on popular books in the coming years.

Lost [TV Review]

May 10th, 2006

This episode of Lost was pretty good. It's the one where John and Eko find the second Dharma station. The monitoring station "The Pearl" of the hatch known as "The Swan." I gotta say, I'm a sucker for old technology. It looked like mid-'60's style televisions, but the Orientation video said "Copyright 1980." Even the videotape they used was old; a U-Matic tape, no less! And there was a late 1980's Apple ImageWriter II printer. (Wow, it's hard to believe that in 1989, most people still used dot matrix printers!) It turns out The Button, as I suspected, was just part of a human behavioral experiment.

Eko raised the issue of one's purpose. Heavy stuff! Almost suggesting that pushing The Button may be a good thing, though it actually serves no purpose. The duo will probably keep The Pearl a secret, allowing all to believe they have a grand purpose on the island. Essentially, they are helping their people 'keep the faith' in The Button. Do I sense some religious parallels?

Anyway, there was a new commercial for Hansorg, the website given was sublymonal.com. And the secret message is "Heir Apparent." Ooohhh! Big deal. Well, I suppose I'll find out what it means soon enough. Last week the commercial had a "paid by ABC" disclaimer, this week it was "paid by Sprite." Maybe Hansorg is a shadow organization paid for by Sprite. That would explain everything! Oh, wait, it explains nothing. Damn, another false lead. Just another way the producers of Lost are deflecting us off the trail of what Hansorg really is.

So as we approach the end of Season 2 of Lost, we have found a second hatch. Two seasons, two hatches. Hmmm. Perhaps by Season 7 we'll find out the terrible secret: A Seventh Hatch! This station will be called "The Seventh Station." Religious parallels abound!

My neighbors suck [hateful rant]

I hate my neighbors. I hate them so very much.

Today I open my front door, and what do I see? A beautiful pile of dog crap right on my lawn. I swear, when I find out who did it, I'll make them eat that crap.

Memoirs of a Geisha [movie review]

There was some controversy because some of the main characters were played by Chinese actors. I saw an interview of Michelle Yeoh (Mameha) where she responded to the issue by saying that Chinese and Japanese often play each other in movies. Easy answer for a complex issue. White people play each other all the time. How many American actors have donned British accents, or even Italian accents (Nicholas Cage in Captain Corelli's Mandolin) over the years? British actor Hugh Laurie expertly dons an American accent on the Fox show House. I don't hear anyone complaining.
 
I think the real complaints come from Asians who are trying to get a thread of respect from Westerners. Yes this is a movie review, but indulge me. I'm reminded of a scene in David Henry Hwang's play M. Butterfly where a white man is given an example case of how the West sees itself as superior. The example (I'm paraphrasing here) goes like this: if an Asian woman sacrifices herself for a white man, she is seen as noble. If a white woman sacrifices herself for an Asian man, she's not in the right state of mind. Consciously or subconsciously, Asians are well aware the West sees itself as superior.
 
Asians in the U.S. feel the need to assert their individual cultures, and rightly so. For this reason, along with past conflicts (World War II), Japanese don't like being confused with Chinese, and vice-versa. Japan feels itself culturally dwarfed by the very same imperialistic mindset it had in WWII. This is clearly shown in Memoirs… during the American occupation of Japan. It's not an exaggeration that most American's see all Asians as looking the same, as do some Asians. It begs the question: does it matter if Americans can't tell the difference between a Chinese and a Japanese? And is there something wrong with a Chinese actor playing a Japanese character?
 
If an American can't tell the difference between two Asians of different ancestry, it's not because of racism, as it isn't intentional. I'm sure if most Americans could easily learn the difference, they would. Ironically, it enables racism. Though I'm sure some Chinese would appreciate not being called Japanese, when people are aware of differences, it ultimately leads to discrimination. When an Asian of one race is mistaken for another, that individual should not reflexively feel victimized.
 
Throughout the movie, I must admit, I was slightly distracted when I heard a Chinese actor speak. It was as clear as day that they weren't genuine™ Japanese. It was somewhat racist of me to even discriminate and judge the actors like that. But, then again, has anyone seen Nicholas Cage try that ridiculous Italian accent in Captain Corelli's Mandolin?? My preconceptions aside, the emotions were genuine. In hindsight, that's really all that matters.
 
Okay, so this started out as a movie review, and morphed unexpectedly into some rant about race and stuff. I got really long-winded and deep. I found out more about myself, I hope you did too, blah, blah, I'm a big 'ol windbag. Go see this movie, it's a touching love story that's well acted, directed, and should help convince your date that life is too short to take love slowly. Ohhhh damn, what did I just imply?!! And the review started off all intellectual. How'd I sink to this level?

Food in SoCal [food commentary]

Anyone who's not from Southern California knows what I'm about to say is completely true. Food in Orange County, California sucks balls. And the food that is good costs an arm and a leg. That being said, here are some places that either confirm or go against everything I just said. Enjoy.
 
Here is a short list of food places to avoid:

• McDonald's: How they went downhill in the past 5 years after going down hill for the past decade I'll never know. Cost-cutting measures, I'm sure.
• Carls Jr.: Food used to be okay. Now I don't go cuz they suck, and out of silent protest to their unwatchable commercials. The 'ad du jour' making the rounds on nightly tv is the guy shaking the cow with shaved nipples/udders. It's disturbing.
• New Panda (Santa Ana): Not a corporate place, but mediocre nonetheless. Even ma & pa operations can be bad.
• Sam Woo (Irvine, elsewhere): Very overhyped as a hole-in-the-wall chic Chinese place. When looking for good Chinese, you always want to go to the restaurants that *aren't* nice and fancy. Those are always the overpriced ones that spend more on interior designers than good chefs. Sam Woo isn't fancy, that's the attraction; they seem authentic. To be fair, they probably are authentic, their food just isn't that great.

Here is a list of some restaurants I like:
 
• Ameci's (Irvine, elsewhere): I really like their spaghetti. Their lunch specials are great.
• Fatburger (Irvine, elsewhere): They are expensive, and the one in Irvine isn't open 24 hours like their Los Angeles brethren, but the food is never bad. Just expect to wait while they cook it. It's best to call in your order from their online menu, then pick it up.
• Fukada (Irvine): For around $12-15 you can get a really good, authentic Japanese lunch that will fill you up.
• Wendy's: The chili is good, hamburgers are decent, and you can't beat the price. So when eating cheap, go to Wendy's! Try getting a spicy chicken burger with fries and chili. Dip the chili in the fries, it's good. Some dude once told me to try putting the fries in my shake! Being the adventurous daredevil I tried it. Not bad. Just be sure to get plenty of sauces, sometimes it's dry. Ask for the chili sauce in a packet.
• Chick-Fil-A: I don't know where these guys came from, but a friend turned me onto these guys. Really high quality fast food—all chicken-based. They have some delicioius chicken sandwiches and fries. Seek this restaurant out.
• Yoshinoya: I've had good experiences with these guys since the 1980's. I always get the spicy Chicken Teriyaki with no skin. A couple guys I know don't like this place. To be fair, every Yoshinoya I've been to has been different. It's usually the flavor of the sauce. I can get a meal for less that $6 that satisfies my hunger. I like it, it's my Blog, so there!
• The Crab Cooker (Newport Beach): Sometimes you have to wait in line to get in (a good sign), but it's worth it. Good seafood, and service. It's odd to go to a nice restaurant with disposable utensils and dishes, but I guess they didn't want to hire a dishwasher or something. A buddy who worked at a restaurant said disposable dishes mean higher costs in the long run. Well, anyway it's good food only a short walk from the beach.
• The Old Spaghetti Factory (Los Angeles, elsewhere): Interesting atmosphere. I thought I saw actress Lisa Hope from TV's 24, Line of Fire, and more recently from Commander-in-Chief when I went there (she's pretty in a Desperate Housewives sorta way). Anyway, I had Lasagna and some white wine. It was good, and the garlic bread was good too. Kinda expensive, around $15-20 depending.
• Oh Those Donuts! (Costa Mesa): They make donuts, sandwiches, etc. Their pastrami sandwich is good, the barbecue sandwich, not so. Atmosphere isn't something to be concerned about when eating this cheap. But for entertainment you can stare out the window and watch for the flashes of Traffic Enforcement cameras snapping away at cars that are unfortunate enough to be in the middle of the intersection when the light turns red (that's a $400 offense here). Fun stuff. Oh, and they're open 24 hours! Woo-hoo! A place in Orange County that's open past bedtime! Yesss! I can finally get some food if I'm a starving college student studying for finals and need replenishment for my aching brain!
• Del Taco: What??!!! Del Taco? Based in Irvine, they are also open 24 hours! Ohhh yess! Take that, New York! You have every food imaginable available 24 hours a day, and we have a small donut shop and a chain of taco shops. Oh, wait, that sucks. But you take what you can get. The restaurant has gotten slowly better. Sure their logos are shit, and their marketing is campy (Dave the Del Taco guy—recently seen as a rather likable fellow on TV's My Name is Earl), but if you want cheap Mexican food, and who doesn't, go to Del Taco. I am fond of their chicken Quesadilla's with plenty of Del Scorcho. (Do they still call it "Del Scorcho?" I'll check next time I go.) They even have breakfast burritos. They're miniscule, though.
• Sushi Boy: Major props to a Japanese place that's fast, cheap, and good. They really don't have any competition. Either go to an expensive Japanese place, or Yoshinoya (which I like just fine, but I go alone, cuz none of my friends like it).

I'll add more to the list when my carpal tunnel subsides.

The Chronicles of Narnia (spoilers) [movie review]

It's kinda a kids movie, but it does have a Lord of the Rings feel. I read a review (great, a review about a review) that said there was a creepy sexual tension when the Queen spoke with Edmund and fed him Turkish Delight. Hmmm. I'll admit it was a seduction; offering food, warmth, and power. But I doubt the boy had any such feeling, as he was obviously too young to feel it. And the Queen didn't have those feelings about him. She just wanted to tempt the boy into betraying his family so she could maintain her throne. That original review stuck with me, so I had to work that out for my own benefit. Some other details kept me wondering…
 
In true Disney fashion, no one bleeds. When the Aslan the lion killed the Queen, I wondered: "Did he eat all of the Queen?" Seems like he did, because there was nothing left after he bit her head off. Hmph.
 
In the end, we see a battlefield full of dead bodies. Lucy first cures Edmund, then happily goes to another dead solider and tries to heal him with her healing potion. I wonder: did she heal all the dead soldiers? And what about the bad guys, did she heal them along with the good guys? Probably not, because they would have started fighting again. Some things are best left a mystery.
 
I never read the book in school, so I can't compare it. But if you like epic adventures, it's worth seeing. Don't see this movie if you're looking for a sophisticated drama, although it is maturely handled for a Disney movie. Did the movie make me want to read the book? Mmmmmaybe more than before, but I'm not much of a reader. I just hope you are, cuz I like to write.

Pilot

So here I am waiting to "run out the clock" for the year 2005, and I figure that I've gone yet another year without my own blog. So 3 hours before 2006, the Majority Report is born! Okay, nothing to get excited about yet.