[Multimedia] Godzilla - 50th Anniversary Edition

Experience: Movie
Location: Oak St Cinema
Overall Rating: B+

Comments:

This movie was a re-release of the original Godzilla movie that was released in Japan. It contains about 40 extra minutes of footage not included in the original American release of the film. This is a classic and must see for anyone who likes the sci-fi/horror genre. It was great seeing this movie on a relatively big screen instead of late-night on TV.


The Oak Street Cinema is a small theater near the University of Minnesota and is on my top 5 of movie theaters in the Twin Cities, my list being as follows:

1) Riverview Theater ($2 tickets, second-run movies, excellent popcorn, a restored 1950s theater)
2) Oak Street Cinema ($7 tickets, $4 if you are members, decent popcorn and RC Cola, shows mainly independant films, Kung-Fu, Anime, and fringe movies, near the University so it has the college energy and atmosphere)
3) Highland Theater ($8/ticket, a Mann Theater, but it is a beautiful theater with a unique screen setup, another restored theater from a previous time)
4) Uptown and Lagoon Theaters ($7.50/ticket, the independant movie theaters of the Twin Cities, they show independent and art house films, usually shows interesting movies at midnight on Saturdays)
5) Carmike Wynnsong ($8/ticket, Carmike theater, this is the mainstream theater that we go to when we must see a hollywood blockbuster)

[Multimedia] Chronicles of Riddick

I think I will start a new thread, where I will review movies, music, computer games, books and TV (while I still have cable).

Experience: Movie
Location: Carmike Wynnsong Theaters
Overall Rating: C

Comments:

Compared to Van Helsig, this movie should win an academy award. Compared to anything else this movie was an example (to me) of the doldrums of that which is the Hollywood movie. They had a great idea, a continuation of where Pitch Black left off, with an interesting character Riddick, criminal scurge of the galaxy versus a religious cult bent on annihilation of the human race. I am usually a sucker for all types of sci-fi as it is my favorite genre. However I am sad that Hollywood can rarely get sci-fi right anymore concentrating on CGI effects instead of plot and developing characters to be about as deep as a mud puddle. I lament and complain like a fickle conaisseur of the genre, vowing after every bad movie that I will refuse to see another one, but as my friends know, I will be one of the first in line to the 3rd installment of Star Wars, where George Lucas will continue to break my heart and destroy my memories of childhood (Star Wars A New Hope was one of the first movies I remember seeing and it started my love of sci-fi, Attack of the Clones nearly destroyed it). I know Hollywood has changed, and so have I.

[Politics] Its the end of the Reagan as we know it...

...and I feel fine.

Though some view Ronald Reagan as a saint, let me remind you (in no specific order); Iran-Contra, Hostage Crisis, Beirut, Grenada, Libya, Reaganomics, Welfare Queen, record debt, Death Squads, Challenger and a draconian AIDS policy of denial and contempt. Don't counter with things like the end of the Cold War (would have happened without him) or any of that stuff. His minuses outnumber his pluses and results in an overall F- for President Reagan.

See http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=18874 for further information and gems about Reagan.

Burn in hell.