Burn After Reading review

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My review of the latest Coen Bros film, Burn After Reading, appears at Moving Pictures.

Quote:
Similar in tone to the Danny DeVito/Bette Midler vehicle Ruthless People (1986), except with a superior cast and script, Burn After Reading relies on the humor inherent in stupid, unlikable people in untenable situations behaving badly. The characters engage in one moronic action after another, often inducing groans and eye-rolling in the helpless viewer.

Continued…

Burn After Reading review was originally published on The Geek Curmudgeon

Burn After Reading review

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My review of the latest Coen Bros film, Burn After Reading, appears at Moving Pictures.

Quote:
Similar in tone to the Danny DeVito/Bette Midler vehicle Ruthless People (1986), except with a superior cast and script, Burn After Reading relies on the humor inherent in stupid, unlikable people in untenable situations behaving badly. The characters engage in one moronic action after another, often inducing groans and eye-rolling in the helpless viewer.

Continued…

Yet another reason to NOT go to the mall

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Good thing that Brandy and I arrived at Barton Creek Mall around 1 on Sunday.

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Man fires gun in South Austin movie theatre

AUSTIN, TEXAS (KXAN) — A man stormed inside an Austin movie theater and fired off a gun and then stormed out. But it’s not the shooting police are most worried about, they say they’re concerned because the man who fired off the shot is still on the loose.

It happen at the AMC movie theaters at the Barton Creek Mall around 11 Sunday morning.

Police say the man was wandering inside one of the theaters and appeared intoxicated according to a witness. He made his way down to the exit at the bottom of the movie screen, then fired off a shot before leaving. Witnesses outside the theater tell police they saw the suspect put a handgun into his waist-band, then fled on foot.

The good news is no-one was hurt as the movie theater was not very crowded according to police.

Just one more reason to not go to the mall!

Yet another reason to NOT go to the mall was originally published on The Geek Curmudgeon

Yet another reason to NOT go to the mall

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Good thing that Brandy and I arrived at Barton Creek Mall around 1 on Sunday.

Quote:
Man fires gun in South Austin movie theatre

AUSTIN, TEXAS (KXAN) — A man stormed inside an Austin movie theater and fired off a gun and then stormed out. But it’s not the shooting police are most worried about, they say they’re concerned because the man who fired off the shot is still on the loose.

It happen at the AMC movie theaters at the Barton Creek Mall around 11 Sunday morning.

Police say the man was wandering inside one of the theaters and appeared intoxicated according to a witness. He made his way down to the exit at the bottom of the movie screen, then fired off a shot before leaving. Witnesses outside the theater tell police they saw the suspect put a handgun into his waist-band, then fled on foot.

The good news is no-one was hurt as the movie theater was not very crowded according to police.

Just one more reason to not go to the mall!

Star Trek: The Original Series – The Complete Second Season

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My wife Brandy and I were lucky enough to review the remastered second season.

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Initially, their efforts centered primarily on digitally remastering the original show’s negatives. As worked progressed, they re-recorded the scores in 5.1 surround stereo. Perhaps most dramatically, the production team re-imagined and re-shot all the special effects. Despite these changes, the episodes retain every story element and piece of dialogue from the originally-aired viewings, staying faithful to the intent of the creators. This is no Star Wars, where Lucas added additional scenes, reinterpreted, and often changed the intent of the original stories. These new versions are both vintage and fresh.

Quote:
The fundamental element of Star Trek’s success, the relationship between Kirk, Spock, and McCoy, fully blossoms during the second season. So when the alternate reality events of the fourth episode (“Mirror, Mirror”) unfold, we respond with proper shock at the mirror world incarnations of the established characters. When Kirk and McCoy convince the bearded, alternate Spock of the logic of allowing them to return to their own dimension — much like the behavior of the established Spock, we are also unsurprised.

If you haven’t had the chance to see these re-mastered gems, I recommend it highly.

(BONUS: A comparison of the original and remastered “Mirror, Mirror.”)

Star Trek: The Original Series – The Complete Second Season was originally published on The Geek Curmudgeon

Star Trek: The Original Series – The Complete Second Season

Posted on by
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My wife Brandy and I were lucky enough to review the remastered second season.

Quote:
Initially, their efforts centered primarily on digitally remastering the original show’s negatives. As worked progressed, they re-recorded the scores in 5.1 surround stereo. Perhaps most dramatically, the production team re-imagined and re-shot all the special effects. Despite these changes, the episodes retain every story element and piece of dialogue from the originally-aired viewings, staying faithful to the intent of the creators. This is no Star Wars, where Lucas added additional scenes, reinterpreted, and often changed the intent of the original stories. These new versions are both vintage and fresh.

Quote:
The fundamental element of Star Trek’s success, the relationship between Kirk, Spock, and McCoy, fully blossoms during the second season. So when the alternate reality events of the fourth episode ("Mirror, Mirror") unfold, we respond with proper shock at the mirror world incarnations of the established characters. When Kirk and McCoy convince the bearded, alternate Spock of the logic of allowing them to return to their own dimension — much like the behavior of the established Spock, we are also unsurprised.

If you haven’t had the chance to see these re-mastered gems, I recommend it highly.

(BONUS: A comparison of the original and remastered "Mirror, Mirror.")

My review of the Roku Netflix Movie Player

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This excerpted review of the Roku player appears in its entirety at Moving Pictures.

Quote:
The small, innocuous-looking device (roughly paperback book-size) takes less than ten minutes to set up. Clear and concise instructions assume little or no technical expertise. The player connects to almost any television either directly or through an RF modulator, which is readily available at most electronics retailers. The videos can be accessed by a direct ethernet or wi-fi connection. Depending on your Internet access speed, the video will play at VHS (tested at 384/kbps) or DVD (8.0 Mbps) quality.

Quote:
The Roku’s main strength comes primarily from the extensive and varied Netflix library and the player’s ease of use. Although numerous, many of the Netflix selections resemble the dredges found in Wal-Mart dollar bins: long-forgotten TV shows, inferior 1980s John Hughes knockoffs, third-tier chop sockey and made-for-cable documentaries. Among the detritus, however, several gems emerge, including Oscar winners, recent feature films, classic comedies, quality kids fare and popular television shows, both U.S. and British. These videos contain none of the DVD extras or commentaries and, surprisingly, lack closed-captioning. The interface allows for rewind/fast forward and scene selection, and remembers where the viewer stopped watching, even days or weeks later.

Quote:
While not perfect, the $99 Roku Netflix Movie Player grants a tantalizing glimpse of television’s future: viewer-controlled content. Buoyed by the persistent Internet rumors of Roku including Hulu.com and YouTube connections by the end of the year, this affordable option presents one of the most exciting advancements in home entertainment since the advent of the DVD.

My review of the Roku Netflix Movie Player was originally published on The Geek Curmudgeon

My review of the Roku Netflix Movie Player

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This excerpted review of the Roku player appears in its entirety at Moving Pictures.

Quote:
The small, innocuous-looking device (roughly paperback book-size) takes less than ten minutes to set up. Clear and concise instructions assume little or no technical expertise. The player connects to almost any television either directly or through an RF modulator, which is readily available at most electronics retailers. The videos can be accessed by a direct ethernet or wi-fi connection. Depending on your Internet access speed, the video will play at VHS (tested at 384/kbps) or DVD (8.0 Mbps) quality.

Quote:
The Roku’s main strength comes primarily from the extensive and varied Netflix library and the player’s ease of use. Although numerous, many of the Netflix selections resemble the dredges found in Wal-Mart dollar bins: long-forgotten TV shows, inferior 1980s John Hughes knockoffs, third-tier chop sockey and made-for-cable documentaries. Among the detritus, however, several gems emerge, including Oscar winners, recent feature films, classic comedies, quality kids fare and popular television shows, both U.S. and British. These videos contain none of the DVD extras or commentaries and, surprisingly, lack closed-captioning. The interface allows for rewind/fast forward and scene selection, and remembers where the viewer stopped watching, even days or weeks later.

Quote:
While not perfect, the $99 Roku Netflix Movie Player grants a tantalizing glimpse of television’s future: viewer-controlled content. Buoyed by the persistent Internet rumors of Roku including Hulu.com and YouTube connections by the end of the year, this affordable option presents one of the most exciting advancements in home entertainment since the advent of the DVD.