Orlando Crime Map
I found this kind of interesting. The Orlando Sentinel has mapped out a number of crimes - hopefully all of them, because there are a lot - that have taken place all over the city over the past year or so. They have categorized them as “Violent”, “Property” and “Other”. Check it out…you could be you’re living in a “High Crime” area and not even know it.
Netflix comes to TiVo
By the end of 2008, Netflix streaming will be coming to TiVo DVRs. So now, there is yet another reason to start really considering going the TiVo route rather than the cable provider’s DVR route. I had been going back and forth on the idea. Owning a TiVo opens up a lot of flexibility with your TV recordings that you just cannot get with a cable provider’s DVR. This could very well be what I need to make the conversion.
Netflix streaming is somewhat of a new service that started last year sometime. For those customers that are eligible, a member could “Watch Instantly” on his/her computer a near-DVD quality stream of a movie or television show. Currently this service has over 12,000 movies and television shows available. Major studios including NBC Universal, Sony Pictures, MGM, 20th Century Fox, CBS/Paramount, ABC-Disney, Warner Brothers, Lions Gate Entertainment and New Line Cinema are all distributing via the service.
The ability to “Watch Instantly” expanded from the computer to select Blu-Ray Players earlier this year and also recently to the Xbox 360. This means that existing and eligible Netflix subscribers are able to stream movies and TV shows directly to their TV over a broadband Internet connection at no additional cost other than their Netflix subscription and any other associated costs with the players or Xbox service. Now you can add TiVo to the list of options available. The ability the stream from Netflix will begin beta testing for select TiVo owners immediately, with an official roll-out scheduled for early December. It will be available on TiVo HD, HD XL, and Series3 DVRs (not Series2 or DirecTV models).
I have the “Watch Instantly” option available to me now, but I have to be honest, I’ve only used it two or three times so far. I don’t particularly like watching movies from my computer and I don’t have my computer hooked up to my TV currently. However, using a TiVo would definitely encourage me to use this service more frequently.
Happy Halloween
A brief history on Halloween…
Halloween has its origins in the ancient Celtic festival known as Samhain. The festival was a celebration of the end of the harvest season in Gaelic culture. Traditionally, it was a time to take stock of supplies and slaughter livestock for winter stores. The ancient Gaels also believed that on October 31, now known as Halloween, the boundary between the living and the deceased dissolved, and the dead become dangerous for the living by causing problems such as sickness or damaging crops. The festivals would frequently involve bonfires and costumes and masks were also worn in an attempt to mimic the evil spirits or placate them. The term Halloween is shortened from All Hallows’ Even (both “even” and “eve” are abbreviations of “evening”, but “Halloween” gets it’s “n” from “even”) as it is the eve of “All Hallow’s Day”, as known as “All Saints Day”.
Anime to Live-Action Movie?
Anyone who knows me knows that I love me some anime. For those who don’t know what anime is, it is “Japanese animation”. Anime has slowly been making its way into American television over the years and today has a number of shows that appear on TV here in the states or have influenced shows here. “Dragon Ball”, “Dragon Ball Z”, “Pokemon”, “Naruto” are just some of the shows that you’ve probably heard about.
Well, if you are any kind of an anime fan than you’ve heard of “Akira”, “Ghost in the Shell”, and “Ninja Scroll”. “Akira” was released back in the 90s and was the forerunner for bringing anime to the forefront in the West. At the time, it revolutionized how anime was done. “Akira” along with the other two titles I mentioned are globally the most popular titles in the genre.
I’m writing this blog entry because I am worried. Anime films, like most animation movies for that matter, tend to do things that cannot be done in a live-action film. Films like “The Matrix” and “Kill Bill” have started hinting at the idea that it could be possible, but unfortunately they did not come close to delivering. You can duplicate the general style of some of the shots but you fail miserably at trying to recreate the action sequences, and this is something that sets anime apart from everything else. The action sequences are so crazy intense and stylized that it will be some time before it could be duplicated into live-action or even at all for that matter.
The latest news is that Alex Tse is set to write a live-action adaptation of “Ninja Scroll” for Warner Bros. Pictures. This news is in addition to the previously announced “Akira” and “Ghost in the Shell” live-action adaptation announcements earlier this year. It almost brings a tear to my eye to hear this news. I’m all about adapting into the visual or animated medium (i.e. “moving medium”). Adapt books all you want, but cartoons and animes or even video games, as far as I’m concerned, you are looking for trouble. Stories should be done visually in one medium - unless they can be made better. However, in almost all cases, live-action is not the route to go to tell a story better.
Take a look at the video game adaptations (”Resident Evil”, “Max Payne”, “Hitman”). They are failing at the theater. As far as I am concerned, the same is going to happen to the anime adaptations as well. And, in all honesty, it has already started. Case in point: the new “Dragon Ball” movie. Are you serious? Have you looked at any of the promos yet. I might actually have to have someone pay me to go see it.
Another example is the “Star Wars” universe. Now “Star Wars” is in a unique position because it was originally presented to us through live-action. It has since then branched off into a number of other mediums including books, comics, and video games. However, in “Star Wars” case, those other mediums added to the story. The books and comics were able to bring more depth to the characters and the stories due to the story-telling. In the video-games, you are able to do countless additional things that were never even seen in the films. Now, let’s say that “Star Wars” was first introduced to us in the game of “The Force Unleashed” (see review). This game allows you to throw your lightsaber like a boomerang, pull a Star Destroyer out of the sky and crash it into the ground, and toss numerous enemies to the side like they were nothing. Now, did you see anything like that in any of the movies? No…not at all. Now if you look at the movies like a video game adaption, wouldn’t you be a little disappointed at the result. The Anakin and Obi-Wan duel at the end of Episode III was suppose to be this grand and epic battle; full of amazing things, especially since it involves the “chosen one”. Yet there was nothing grand or epic about it and when compared to what Jedi and Sith are capable of doing in the video games, the movie pales in comparison.
Bottom-line, “Akira” and “Ghost in the Shell” might be able to be pulled off in a live-action movie if done right and given the right writer(s) and attention. “Ninja Scroll”, like the “Dragon Ball” series, should not be done until the technology to do it properly is developed. The action scenes are just too epic and grand in order the pull off in a live-action film. Until that happens , Hollywood is wasting their money and my time.
Awareness Test
Will you be able to notice everything?
Sex Drive
Sex Drive is a movie that follows a dorky teen named Ian on a 500 mile trip to lose his virginity. He has just turned 18, and he feels like the last American virgin. He works at the mall donut shop, he’s taunted by his womanizing older brother, Rex, and he’s even losing ladies to his 14-year-old brother. Having struck out time and again with his dream girl and longtime friend, Felicia, Ian finally resorts to logging on and looking for a date online. In a stunning turn of events, Ian manages to chat up a beautiful blonde name Ms. Tasty, who’s eager to be his first. She’s fun, she’s sexy, and she’s everything that Ian has ever wanted in a girlfriend. The only thing preventing them from consummating their relationship now is the distance between them; Ian lives in Chicago and Ms. Tasty lives 500 miles away in Knoxville. But it’s easy to pretend that you’re someone you’re not online, and Ian hasn’t exactly been honest about his appearance in the first place. Still, he’s sure he could charm Ms. Tasty all the same once he meets her in person, so he takes the advice of his best friend Lance and prepares to take Ms. Tasty up on her offer to “go all the way” for him if he “drives all the way” for her. Let the “sex drive” begin. (Synopsis provided by AMG)
Unfortunately there’s not much to this movie. It is full of clichés and gags that have been seen before and done better. Now don’t get me wrong, it definitely has its funny moments, but I couldn’t help but think I’ve already seen it before. Flashes of “Not Another Teen Movie”, “Trojan War”, and “American Pie” crossed my mind throughout the movie. The movie’s only saving grace are the scenes that have Seth Green and James Marsden in them. These two actors were absolutely hilarious and stood out so much, you find yourself wishing the movie was following their characters.
If you enjoy the typical teen sex comedies you will probably find yourself enjoying this movie, but it is definitely not “Superbad” and should not be in considered in a comparison with it. If you decide you want to see this movie at all, I would suggest it is a rental at best. The performances of Seth Green and James Marsden are easily worth that price.
All of Life…a Trade?
I came accross this article that my good friend Tim Burkholder wrote. Smart man, Tim is. That’s probably why I was able to get through college…ha ha. Anyways, I hope you find it as intriguing as I did.
All of Life…a Trade? By Tim Burkholder
IT WAS SIX WEEKS BEFORE the sessions with my career counselor provided anything tangible. “You’ll never be able to accomplish what you want, in the manner you want,” the counselor said to me, a confused freshman. “Life is a series of seasons, and you will have to choose wisely the things you desire during each season.” My counselor then pulled a note card out of his desk drawer and quickly scribbled some words down. He handed me the card and verbalized the words on it: ‘All of Life is a Trade,’ he said. At the time, I just scoffed at this man who was three times my age and in youthful naïveté, knew I could accomplish anything I wanted.
Truth can sometimes be a funny thing. Jesus says (in John 8:32) that “truth contains the power to set you free.” The converse of that implies that untruth holds the power to shackle us. At the time I was meeting with my counselor, I would have said that lies are the untruth that enslave us; little did I know that a small piece of paper set me off on a journey to prove that hypothesis to be only half true.
Over the next several years, that note card sat on my desk and those six words unknowingly became my credo. Aſter all, the man was a nationally esteemed professional counselor, how could he lead me astray? All of life is a trade. This message rooted so deeply in my mind that every decision I encountered soon passed through a personal economics filter; complete with supply and demand curves, opportunity cost calculations, and risk mitigation strategies. Every decision became an automatic, deliberate choice against every other possibility. Ordering pizza meant not eating burgers or barbeque. Dating Sarah forfeited the opportunity to know Jessica or Jill. A degree in engineering was a choice against literature, arts, and education.
“Choose wisely,” my counselor had said, and the words echoed through the caverns of a young mind searching for truth in the strangest of places. “Life is a series of seasons,” he said and the fall leaves of my life fell. With winter came an inability to make decisions. I was paralyzed by the fear of the unknown, and afraid of missing out on God’s best by choosing instead something just good.
Lies are not the only untruths that ensnare us. Potentially more destructive and harder to spot, half-truths can be just as devastating as outright lies. I recall hearing a speaker a few years ago talk of a half-truth some of Christ’s followers met when reading the truth of (Romans 3:23) “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” The problem is not that this is untrue, but that it is not a complete thought. We tend to place a period at the end of that statement, and then miss the point, quite literally. The end of that verse is not a period at all, but a comma. It is absolutely true that we are sinners and we fall short of the glory of God. However, that is not the whole truth. We are sinners, comma, “and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:24). There is not much hope if we miss the second half of that truth.
That is exactly the problem with a half-truth. It is believable. It is hopeless. It is easy to recognize we are sinners, short of the glory of God, and to continue becoming enslaved in our sin. However, we are not simply sinners. The whole truth is that we were once sinners and we are being transformed into saints through the power of Christ’s redemption. We are justified freely, and the full truth of that sets us free.
While my counselor’s six words of advice may have been somewhat true, they are absolutely not the whole truth. Life as a series of tradeoffs is not freeing. If we only make correct decisions, then there is no room for mistakes, for failure or for risk. However, there is also no room for grace. We were not created to be paralyzed by the fear of mistakes and wrong decisions, but to embrace the mystery of the unknown, the wonders of the truth and the grace of the gospel. Life may be a trade, but grace is always there alongside us.
As I ripped up the half-truth on the 3×5 note card, I tried to think of what words might replace the ones that had held me in captivity for so long. Perhaps all of life is a giſt, or maybe even an adventure. It certainly is a mystery. Who would ever think that a true statement could be as harmful as a lie? Jesus holds the truth that sets us free. Be cautious of truth that doesn’t lead to life. If the truth you believe is enslaving, take a closer look. Chances are, there is a second half to that truth which incorporates the Grace and Redemption of our Wonderful Counselor and Prince of Peace.
To Be or Not To Be…a DJ…
I can honestly say I really miss mixing. I need inspiration again!! Maybe I should through a party or something to have an excuse to spin…ha ha.
For your viewing pleasure - Enjoy:
Transformers Ride at Universal Studios
I was so pumped when I read that headline!!! Given that I live in Orlando and I am a huge Transformers fan, I cannot really put into words how I felt about the idea of a Transformers ride minutes from my house. I can also not put into words the DISAPPOINTMENT I experienced to find out that the ride was ONLY going to be built in Singapore and Hollywood.
Universal Studios Hollywood and Singapore will be launching an attraction based on Michael Bay’s Transformers. The attraction will fuse 3D-HD media, mega special effects and stunning robotics with a ride system that will “transform perceptions of theme park experiences.” The rides are planned for an early 2011 debut.
No word yet on whether the storyline of the ride will tie in with Transformers, its sequel Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, or a possible third Transformers film. All that is known at this time is that the ride will “place humans in the middle of a war between the Autobots and Decepticons.”
Tom Williams, Chairman and CEO, Universal Parks & Resorts, said: “‘Transformers’ will be a jewel in our collection of world-class rides based on great movies. We’re thrilled to be collaborating with Hasbro, DreamWorks, director Michael Bay and the film’s executive producer, Steven Spielberg, who has been responsible for so many of our signature rides and attractions.”
Larry Kurzweil, President and Chief Operating Officer, Universal Studios Hollywood, said “‘Transformers’ represents a perfect match for our theme park: an exhilarating blockbuster with a great story, clever humor, non-stop action and flawless special effects. It has all the elements necessary to become one of the world’s most exciting theme park rides and a centerpiece attraction at Universal Studios Hollywood, The Entertainment Capital of L.A.”
Tan Hee Teck, Chief Executive Officer of Resorts World at Sentosa, the mega resort that is home to Universal Studios Singapore, said: “It is great that Asia will be the launch pad for the first Transformers attraction. Transformers was introduced in the United States in 1983 but traces its roots to Asia. Optimus Prime, Bumblebee and Megatron are familiar names to Asian audiences, who grew up with the robot toys and love the movie. When Transformers opens in Universal Studios Singapore in 2010, it will be the first of its kind in the world. We may see a surge of Transformers mania.
Joe Curley, spokesman for Universal Parks & Resorts, said there are no immediate plans for a Transformers ride in Orlando, where the company is currently developing a new music-themed roller coaster and a whole area themed for the popular Harry Potter books and movies. “At Universal Orlando we are excited to open Hollywood Rip, Ride, Rockit at Universal Studios in 2009 and the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Islands of Adventure in 2010,” Curly said.
Regardless of my disappointment, there is definitely a road trip, or at least some kind of trip, to be had in order to experience this ride. It would have been nicer to have had the ability to go on it any time I wanted, but alas, it seems that - at least at the present moment - it is not meant to be.
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed Trailer
I’ve recently beat Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (PS3) and let me say that it was incredibly fun. Having all the powers of the force at your disposal in never before seen ways was amazing. Playing the game, you almost felt like you were a Jedi…or in this games case…a Sith.
For anyone who hasn’t heard of this game, it was developed by LucasArts and has become part of the Star Wars canon taking place between Episodes III and IV and follows a new protagonist name Galen Marek (aka Starkiller). What is interesting about this particular protagonist is that he is Sith Lord Darth Vader’s secret apprentice.
The development of the game engine and physics were quite interesting. The game used LucasArt’s proprietary “Ronin” game engine and then integrated “Havok” for rigid body physics, Pixelux Entertainment’s “Digital Molecular Matter” (DMM) for dynamically destructible objects, and NaturalMotion’s “Euphoria” for realistic non-player character artificial intelligence. The result is awesome. You never experience the same reaction twice an opponent. It was cool to force grip an enemy and then watch the enemy grab hold to a nearby object and hold on to it for dear life. Good times.
Gameplay was easy to pick up and fun. Even though some of the actions could seem repetitive, the combo capability and the artificial intelligence of the enemies varied the game enough to my liking. In addition, you earn experience points by killing enemies in unique ways so there was incentive to get creative.
What really got me hooked to the game was the story and the main character. Think about how messed up you’re going to be being trained by a guy (Vader) who, in his mind, has lost everything. Talk about becoming the target of his anger. The story, in it of itself, was a story of a fallen, mislead hero who finds his true calling and redemption. The redemptive hero has always been a story arc I have liked, so maybe that’s why I was drawn to this game so much. However, the concept art was incredible. This guy not only was a badass, but looked the part as well. I was hooked.
Here’s the synopsis of the story. [Don’t read it if you plan on playing the game at all and don’t want to spoil it for yourself.]
Vader discovers a Jedi’s child while on a mission, and because the force is strong with the child, he decides to raise him as his secret apprentice unknown to Emperor Palpatine. Upon reaching adulthood, Vader begins sending his apprentice on missions to hunt down the remaining Jedi as training for his ultimate goal - assassinating the Emperor. However, the Emperor’s spies find out about the apprentice and Vader is forced to kill his apprentice; throwing him into space. Vader, though, secretly dispatches droids to retrieve and revive him. Six months later, the apprentice is given a new mission: make contact with those who resist the Empire and foster a rebellion among them to distract the Emperor so that Vader would be able to make his move and destroy the Emperor. With a new mission now, the apprentice breaks into various Imperial facilities and rescues his pilot and love interest Juno Eclipse, Jedi Master Rahm Kota, Princess Leia Organa, and Senator Bail Organa. Over the course of these rescues, the apprentice learns the Jedi ways from Kota and develops a “kinship” with those he has been saving despite his initial dark intentions.
Senators Bail Organa, Mon Mothma, and Garm Bel Iblis meet to plan a rebellion against the Emperor and Vader attacks them and Kota by surprise arresting them with the intent to bring them before the Emperor himself for interrogation and eventually death. Vader then reveals to the apprentice that he was never meant to overthrow the Emperor, and that from the beginning he was the Emperor’s tool to expose his enemies. The apprentice is able to survive Vader’s attacks and escape. Upon ascertaining the senators’ location: the Death Star, the apprentice starts on one final mission.
Once inside the Death Star, the apprentice duels against Vader in an effort to rescue Kota and the senators. Upon initially defeating Vader, Kota attempts to fight the Emperor, but is blasted by the Emperor’s force lightning. At this point, you - as the player - choose to whether to seek revenge and finish off Vader or save Kota from the Emperor.
If you decide to attack and defeat the Emperor, Kota will stop you from finishing off the Dark Lord and killing him in hatred. However, the Emperor does a surprise lightning attack and the apprentice is forced to absorb it in order to allow Kota and the senators to escape. The apprentice dies and is martyred as a result, inspiring the newly formed Rebel Alliance. This is the canon ending.
If you decide to attack and kill Vader, the Emperor offers to let you take Vader’s place at his side. However, this offer is contingent on the apprentice proving his loyalty by killing Kota. The apprentice instead attacks the Emperor who in return crushes him with the Rogue Shadow (the apprentice’s ship). The story ends with the apprentice’s broken and crushed body being grafted with armor so he can serve as the Emperor’s assassin until he can find a new apprentice.
There a presently some rumors out there that they might make this into a movie which would be cool, but I doubt the rumors are true. Regardless, the game I found more enjoyable the any of the prequels that Lucas did. It definitely got me pumped up for Star Wars again.
I also bought the book - an adaptation of the game - to help fill in the blanks that the game left out. I’m excited to start reading it. The book will definitely complete the whole experience for me.
Here is some really cool concept art for the game:
