Movie Mania - Summer 2006

I've been watching a lot of movies in the theater lately, which is uncharacteristic of me because I'm usually willing to wait for the videos. I think I may have mentioned in a previous blog that I enjoyed X3 : X-Men United, but here are my thoughts on some other movies I have seen since then...

Superman Returns

I loved the original Superman movies, although I never saw Superman 3 nor 4. I heard those last 2 were terrible. There was a scene in this new movie, Superman Returns, where I started feeling emotional. It was when the plane starts to go down and Superman returns from a several year absense to save it. I remember thinking several things... "Chris Reeve and Dana Reeve would be proud" is what I remember most though.

The special effects were sweet, but what I love about Superman is that it does wonders for a child's imagination.


Cars by Pixar

I wasn't as excited to see Cars, but I'm glad I did. As Mitch put it, Pixar does it right, by appealing to kids, adults, and everyone in between. There was a point in the movie where I thought it was a tad slow, and I remember thinking, "I wonder where they're going with this story."

In most cases, that's a bad thing, but in this movie, I liked the unpredictability of it. And the end result had a touching message that was tastefully done... that you don't always have to come first to win.


Disney's Eight Below - Rented

Is it just me, or is Disney dominating this summer? They've got Cars doing great in theaters, Eight Below doing great in rental stores, and the new Pirates of the Caribbean coming out tonight. Eight Below was a fun movie. Not what I was expecting (which was more of a documentary March of the Penguins type of movie), but I always enjoy animal movies. Especially ones that involve dogs (but not dogs that talk).

I also enjoy snowboarding and winter, so the scenery shots (even though it wasn't relaly show in Antarctica) turned out beautifully. It's a typical Disney type of movie so expect a happy ending and a good fuzzy feeling afterwards.


The new Pirates of the Caribbean

Okay, so my friend's bought tickets to this for tonight at 10:30 PM. Personally, I don't see what the hype is about, but I'll go to see Johnny Depp anyday. After watching Willy Wonka, I have no doubt that he's one of the great actor's of our generation. I'll try to give my opinion on the movie later.

All You Can Do is Smile

Dear Warren Buffett,

What an amazing thing you're doing. Giving away over $37 billion of your wealth. And here I was, thinking I was doing something spectacular by giving away my old Ford Ranger pickup truck. You have always helped me put things in perspective. I read that you still drive the same pickup truck and live in the same neighborhood as you did before you amassed your wealth. I'm impressed that you haven't given in to the social pressures to continually upgrade and adjust your lifestyle based on how much you make.

You're an inspiration and a great role model (at least to me, I don't know about what the rest of the world thinks).

- Jin