Super 8, Reviewed

Made it a mission to see this movie on opening night. Though I had zero expectations about it. Nothing from the trailers could tell me what this movie was. Came into with only one concern: is this another Cloverfield?

I mean, perhaps Abrams wanted to go retro and shoot a monster film on an 8mm camera?

Turns out it’s way better than that. In fact, it is no Cloverfield. This movie stands on the same level as E.T., only not as adorable or family friendly as that extraterrestrial. No-no, might find the thing in this movie is seemly far from friendly. Abrams certainly knows how to run a monster movie. Show very little and terrify the hell out of everyone with sound and jumpy effects, while not giving us all motion sickness in the process.

Super 8 is about a kid named Joe Lamb (played by Joel Courtney) who is dealt with one disaster after the other. He can’t seem to catch a break, yet his life is never down but not out. He is ever dependable to his friends.

Those friends have an unusual hobbyl filming a monster movie. Yet they seem the most real out of every character on the screen. How they talk and what they do allows you to suspend belief about what is happening around them. Other monster movies would have had a hyper focus on the military and their bizarre secret. Only when the kids stumble upon it all does it seem to matter.

While I’m not sure I’d see it again in theaters, I will definitely put this on my buy list. Going on blu-ray for sure. There’s a scene in the credits that you can’t miss if you don’t bolt fo the exits right away. At least a treat to see what they were up to during the movie.

X-Men: First Class, Reviewed

I’ll admit, I feared the worst coming into this movie. I didn’t have any hope for it all after the last few X-Men movies. Wolverine was atrocious, and X-3: United was awful. And then the franchise comes up with “First Class” and totally redeems itself!

Maybe not totally. But it does an excellent job of keeping me entertained by story and action. This is the best X-Men, in all honesty.

Forget the flashy chrome designs and super shiny special effects seen in the first few films. Shiny and pretty spinning tech and flashy sets are not present during the Cuban Missile Crisis. First Class is the grittiest X-Men. This film finally embraces the characters from the comic books. Not just tackling their mutant differences, but their differences amongst themselves.

James McAvoy is a phenomenal Professor X. He is optimistic, and truly embodies the natural born leader seen by Patrick Stewart’s Xavier. Only this one has more human faults. Subtle, but it makes him real enough to enjoy.

Opposite is the pessimistic and destructive Erik Lehnsherr, who becomes Magneto. Played by Michael Fassbender, he hasn’t truly gone over the edge as the villain seen in the other movies. But he is on a one-man warpath. Trying to turn Erik’s tortured soul is Xavier, who quickly become an odd sort of friends.

They team together with other mutants to stop Kevin Bacon. Well not Kevin Bacon himself. But his villainous character, Sebastian Shaw. There is not a second’s doubt how evil he is, even if slightly subtle. Strangely, he takes on the same task Magneto tried in the earlier movies. Oh? No spoilers? Okay, go see the movie then. Kevin Bacon makes a great bad guy.

Though I feel I am owed compensation for seeing X3 and Wolverine, I’ll still go out and buy X-Men First Class. It’s a great movie. I enjoyed it. And I’ll happily see it again. Yes, there is a cameo from the other X-Men movies in this one; won’t say who. And no, there is nothing at the end of the credits.

The Hangover Part 2, Reviewed

The Hangover Part 2, starring the same great characters you know and got a kick out of in the first Hangover movie… in what could be the worst movie of 2011. Honestly horrifyingly dumb, and waste of a ticket price. How in the blue hell did they screw this up so badly?

The Hangover Part 2 ripped off a lot of it’s comedy from the first film, and did a terrible job doing it. There were scenes nearly identical to the first movie that had it’s chuckles. This time around I could only roll my eyes or sigh in utter disappointment. The Hangover Part 2 is the jackass edition of the Hangover. Except it’s more agonizing to watch than see what the people on screen are going through.

At the heart of this terrible sequel is the audacious and horribly unfunny Zach Galifianakis. And I don’t mean unfunny like he’s a terrible comedian. I thought his role in the first film was fantastic! But here, his character has not a laugh out loud moment. There is nothing from him that even made me chuckle. I hoped the end of the film was him getting checked into a looney bin or thrown into a Bangkok prison.

Alan (Galifianakis) singlehandedly destroyed anything entertaining about the movie. All of his character’s antics had zero charm, zero hilarity. The movie would have been far better if he was never there, or was the one missing the whole time. It’s impossible to stomach any of his antics this time around. He is a douchebag on the screen that you only hope can get what’s coming to him.

Bradley Cooper as Phil is along for the ride, trying to navigate the trio through the pathetic and psychotic storyline. Ed Helms as Stu manages to only cry and scream as his life goes down the tube while Alan meanders like an autistic child. Made worse by an incredibly annoying and unfunny Mr. Chow (Ken Jeong).

Don’t see it, don’t buy it, don’t even try to rent it or watch it on Netflix instant. If you loved the first film, you’ll be doing yourself a HUGE favor in skipping this one entirely. Right now I’m looking for some brain bleach.

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

Had a chance to see the fourth Pirates movie Friday night. Johnny Depp is back as Captain Jack Sparrow… for some reason. And he has some sort of quest that deals with some sort of pirate bad guy… who is evil, but meh.

Honestly, when I stepped out of the theater with friends and family, I had to say it. I couldn’t hold my tongue or water it down: That was the worst pirates movie out of them all.

The story pretended to have the same complexities the previous films had. Only there was no twist, turn, and inevitable betrayal. Nothing was truly as clever as the first film, and even failed against the 2nd and 3rd.

Was it trying to b e different than the other films? I don’t know. They pulled at enough from the previous films to make it seem like it was some fan-made adaptation of Pirates. At the same time, they appeared to be breaking away with a righteous Captain Jack Sparrow.

All that said, it wasn’t horrible, and I didn’t regret seeing it. The movie just wasn’t great or as grand as the trilogy before it. Ian McShane was a delight to see as the evil Blackbeard. The buildup to Blackbeard was a bit underwhelming. I never quite feared or cared about what Blackbeard did on the screen. He had enough off-comments to make his character blend in with the rest. Which is terrible for a villain. At least Bill Nighy’s Davey Jones was a tragic villain. Blackbeard was just there and evil.

I don’t even know why Penelope Cruz was even in the movie. She wasn’t much of a catalyst to me and ultimately didn’t make much of a difference. This pirate’s tale bobbed on stranger tides.

Sadly, I’ll cough up the money to see the fifth movie. And will likely buy it all on DVD or blu ray. And yes, there is a scene at the end of the credits. It is as worthwhile as the other end credit scenes.

He Doesn’t Know the End of Days

As a Christian, I am absolutely annoyed this crackpot, Harold Camping, has attained so much attention for predicting Judgment Day. Harold Camping is an 89 year-old “pastor” who somehow has a radio network (small markets). This old codger predicted Armageddon in 1994. He successfully thwarted God’s judgment with prayer for the entire world. By then, he should have been written off.

But instead, he has propelled himself and fellow nutbags as the face and voice of Christianity. The seer of doomsday. He marked by some calculation of some kind that God dictated the end as May 21st. Not only May 21st, but at 6:47-ish pm.

At the ridicule and obnoxious behavior of others, Harold suddenly represents me and every Christian out there. This event may have exposed some to the beliefs of Christianity. But there’s nothing biblical about it. The word of God is not what’s being shared or heard. Instead, the world over is hearing the insanity of an old man looking at his final year(s) on Earth.

The May 21st “apocalypse” is a joke to most of the world. It should be to Harold Camping and company. But like the Phelps attention-whores, he doesn’t read scripture. As a pastor, he should know that in the New Testament’s book of Matthew there is a scripture directly relating to him. Chapter 24, verse 36 (NIV translation):

No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.

Matthew 24:36-44 states without a doubt that no one knows when the end of days happens. Best the bible offers on the subject: be prepared.

In my opinion, he is just as bad as the Phelps nutcases, if not worse. His prediction has brought many to quit their jobs and surrender all their money to his group. Something of which should have him investigated and shackled for fraud. He is no different than the TV psychic who finally faced fraud and jail time.

Harold Camping is a liar. He is a deceiver. I mean it by every definition. By both moral and law. This event ought to get him pulled off the air and facing a sentence loaded with penalties and fees to return every cent he took out of this event.

Yeah, and maybe after that the Phelps Klux Klan will be disbarred…

Thor, God of Thunder, Reviewed

The god of thunder crashes the big screen in a mighty rumble. Thor is Odin’s son, who will soon be named king of Asgard. They are sworn to protect all nine realms, including Earth. But the powerful mighty warrior might not be ready to rule in his father’s stead.

Chris Hemsworth is a very convincing and arrogant god. There is no mistaking him as a mere mortal on screen. He embodies everything that should be expected from the viking deity. Even among men as a mortal, he has an invincible presence.

In his shadow lurks  his brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston), master of mischief. He seems like an underdog compared to his thunderous brother. But he makes up for it through every underhanded move. No one expects or sees what is coming from Loki, including the audience. Not that he is entirely clever, he is just hard to figure out.

Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) is an astrophysicist. Her super smarts are somewhat lost to her ditsy behavior around the god of thunder. Seemly out of the blue,  she is a love interest to Thor. And that’s all that seems to matter.

The all-father and king of the gods, Odin (Anthony Hopkins) is wise beyond all understanding. He is a father looking to his sons to rise above the occasion. It is heartbreaking to see his sons turn from his wisdom. And somehow, it affects his ability to watch over the nine realms. Putting all life in jeopardy under Loki. Thus, the realms need Thor.

The movie may seem a bit underwhelming, but it is a kick. It is highly entertaining with enough action, explosions, battles, and light-hearted comedy mixed in that makes it all fun to watch. Agent Coulson from S.H.I.E.L.D. returns with his largest part in the Avenger series of movies. I will certainly be buying it once it gets to DVD (blu ray, honestly). But I’m not sure how much play it will have at home. I liked it enough that I’ll see it again with my brother later on. But it is certainly not the best film ever seen, and I don’t expect it to receive any awards or nominations.

And if you’re wondering, yes, there is a scene after the credits. Something to fuel the upcoming Avengers movie coming out in 2012.

White House Botching Photography

The news went running with what was happening in this photo. They described the faces of President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton with more than a thousand words.

ABC’s Ann Compton 5/2/11:

“Clinton’s hand covers her mouth in gesture of astonishment.”

UK Telegraph: what did Hillary Clinton see?

The image captures Hillary Clinton’s expression of horror: the Secretary of State’s eyes are wide with fright and she holds a hand to her mouth, as if to stifle a gasp.

Seattle Times: A riveting photo, a moment still undefined

President Barack Obama leans forward, deadly serious. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton holds her right hand over her mouth, a worried look on her face.

The Washington Post goes beyond sanity in a full breakdown of the picture. No, seriously, they analyzed every pixel. Over-analyzed every pixel. They focus tightly on Hillary Clinton:

It is Hillary Clinton who seizes the audience. With the gesture of the hand to the mouth, as if masking a gasp, she is expressive, emotional and human, a Cassandra who stands out amid the lockjawed, impassive ensemble. The photo depicts a pas de deux between the president and his secretary of state, former competitors now moving in sync to take down an off-stage enemy. -Sarah Kaufman, Dance Critic

Yeah, WaPo got a dance critic to cement the moment for their readers. I have had a few discussions with colleagues, friends and family about the photo. Some were steadfast that she was gasping with a shocked look on her face. I think some went really far to make this picture mean more than what was there.

Hillary Clinton finally commented on the famous photo:

I am somewhat sheepishly concerned that it was my preventing one of my early spring allergic coughs. So it may have no great meaning whatsoever.

I’m thinking whoever put that photo up picked it because they wanted to narrate shock, gasp and anxiety from the Secretary of State. What’s more puzzling than that photo is the one distributed from Obama’s speech on Osama bin Laden’s death. While the one I snapped is a screenshot from the White House YouTube channel, the one distributed of him at the podium was taken from a re-enactment for photographers after he went off the air.

I don’t know how this band of White House officials is botching photography these days. For a group highly critical of Bush’s “Mission Accomplished” photo, you’d think they would get their photo-ops down.

A bin Laden Quagmire

Before I begin, I want to clarify a few things. I am damn glad Osama bin Laden is dead. Ding dong, bin Laden is dead! When the word came down from the President Sunday night, I grabbed the nearest alcoholic beverage to rejoice that he is finally gone. No longer a factor. Finished. Done gasping the same air as the rest of humanity. The scum is dead, good riddance.

Okay… now to get to the troubling matter. Just what the hell is the Obama administration trying to say?! For the great communicator, he sure is letting every talking head confuse the public at every turn! There are all sorts of mixed messages coming from the White House from different people that could very well throw the validity of this operation. Not that I doubt it, I just want a straight answer if they are going to give answers and pretend or try to be transparent.

Osama bin Laden’s wife: There is a multitude of mixed messages about one of his wives that lived in the compound. Officials let out to the media that she was used as a human shield and was killed. Later, the public is told she was used as a shield by Osama, and was killed. Then she wasn’t killed, but wounded. Following that, the public is told she wasn’t a human shield at all. At some point or another, she supposedly came at the SEALs with a knife and was wounded that way.

Armed or Unarmed, you’re Dead: I don’t understand the need to know if Osama bin Laden (Public Enemy Number One, the worst terrorist alive, worst person in the world) put up a fight. The narrative coming out tries to suggest he put up some sort of fight, or was enough of a threat for SEALs to shoot him dead. As though the average American would have a clearer conscience about shooting him dead if he shot back, wielded a knife, or had strapped on a bomb vest. Like killing him would be sullied if U.S. forces found him laying in the sun as naked as jaybird. Or if he shot himself dead. Either way, he’s dead. But this feel good narrative is mucking up the facts.

Body Dumping: For some reason or another, the President tried to create a respectful narrative to how U.S. forces treated bin Laden’s corpse. The story goes that his body was taken for positive identification. But to be respectful to his Islamic beliefs, his body was dressed and treated by a Muslim aboard the U.S. ship at sea. He was wrapped in white linen, and given a traditional Islamic burial at sea within 24 hours of his death. But what does that have to do with anything?

Firstly, for Muslim Americans, Osama bin Laden was a bad Muslim. Some go as far to say that he was no longer a Muslim; just a terrorist radical who twisted the faith. To give him a “traditional burial at sea” would seem to legitimized or acknowledge his faith over his terrorism.

Secondly, the Islamic faith would not be satisfied burying him at sea. Just because we dumped the body within 24 hours, doesn’t mean he was given a traditional burial. Splashing him down to swim with the fishes is only allowed if there was no other way to bury him. And there were other ways. Taking his body from the compound is technically a violation.

Lastly, burying him at sea does not appease or make it easier for the crazies that call themselves Muslims. Terrorists don’t care how his body was treated. The guy is their martyr. We could have wrapped his body in bacon and weighted the body bag with a rotting pig. Terrorists would not be more inflamed about his death than they already are. Only thing that needs to be said is that he was buried at sea so no nutbag can make a pilgrimage to his grave site. And that’s truly all that matters. Traditional, respectful, or not.

By the way, a bin Laden drink is two shots and a splash of water. Bottom’s up!

To Release, or Not Release the photo. That is the question: Just what in the world is wrong with these guys in the White House? Current CIA Director, set to be the next Secretary of Defense soon, Leon Penetta said outright to the media on Tuesday that the White House will release the photos of Osama bin Laden’s corpse. All that remained was when, and what media would show it uncensored. Almost a day later, President Obama says there will be no photo.

Whether you need the photo or not (I don’t), I don’t believe the reasons they are putting out about showing the dead creep. Sure, I believe a picture of him would be graphic. But I also find posting images of our dead soldiers coming back overseas as graphic. Which President Obama authorized and has no gumption about. Adding to the precedent, Obama planned on releasing photos of “Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse” in 2004. Which would have outraged everyone, American and terrorists alike. But an image of a dead terrorist… oh no, that’s just too inappropriate and offensive.

The reason that it would inflame terrorists around the world is a load of crap. Al Qaeda has already promised revenge, with or without the photos. Every counter-terrorism expert out there knows the killing of bin Laden does not end the war on terror. And certainly does not mean the end of Al Qaeda. It has been stated time and time again that terrorists will “retaliate.” They try to bottom line it that releasing the photo is gloating. Even going as far as to say “spiking the ball.” Like killing Mr. Terrorist is a touchdown in the world wide game called the war on terror…

For some reason, some official thought it would be a decent concession if they released the video of bin Laden’s sea burial. What’s that going to do for the public?! I get that some want “definitive proof” he’s dead, and was killed Sunday night. A photo won’t satisfy all of them. But making up all these B.S. reasons why not is just insulting our intelligence.

And if the Obama administration is more concerned about upsetting the crazies in the mountains and hills, maybe he shouldn’t have killed bin Laden and dropped the  the war on terror the moment he was sworn into offie. I don’t care what would or would not upset terrorists. And if anyone is offended from the graphic images because they are a Muslim doesn’t have a clue or cares that bin Laden is a mass murderer, and enemy of the United States of America and all of the free world! Any and all Americans ought to be relieved Osama bin Laden is dead.

These false concessions and reasons for being kind to terrorists is repulsive. The White House has a twisted tale about what happened in Abbottabad. Further, they lack guts and reason for any decision or indecision about what to release and not. President Obama won’t gloat with his photos, but is going to set up a photo op at Ground Zero.

The Politics of bin Laden’s Death

It didn’t take long – in fact, some would say it was immediate – for the politics to pour over Osama bin Laden’s death. Primarily, the concern of “who gets credit?“

Without shadow of a doubt, President Obama deserves credit for ordering the operation against Osama bin Laden. But he does not get to take the credit alone. This is something that no one man can claim responsibility over. There is more to give credit to than just Obama or the intelligence services and U.S. forces who launched the actual assault.

Undoubtedly, the news reports coming out about this operation have some interesting intelligence behind it. Primarily, something about a courier service Osama bin Laden was using. One of the couriers was captured, and kept in Guantanamo Bay. The infamous Gitmo prison, host of the out of use controversial waterboarding. The very one President Obama said he would shutdown in his first 100 days as President and never did. You know, the one the left cried and exclaimed about and all but forgot once their guy was President. That one.

The Obama administration reluctantly said they could not close it down. Eric Holder, who tried to prosecute Khalied Shiek Muhammed in New York City, had to send him back to Gitmo. It is in Guantanamo Bay that crucial information about the couriers came out in the last year:

While it’s not publicly known which detainees gave CIA or Guantánamo interrogators the nom de guerre of one of the few al Qaeda couriers trusted by bin Laden, a senior U.S. official confirmed that crucial piece of intelligence was gathered from “detainees in the post-9/11 period.”

A second U.S. official with knowledge of the situation confirmed that some of the information used to track down the courier was given by Guantánamo detainees. Both officials spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the details involved.

This ultimately lead to Osama’s Abbottabad compound. New York Time’s gives a distinct detail in how this service was even found:

By 2005, many inside the C.I.A. had reached the conclusion that the Bin Laden hunt had grown cold, and the agency’s top clandestine officer ordered an overhaul of the agency’s counterterrorism operations. The result was Operation Cannonball, a bureaucratic reshuffling that placed more C.I.A. case officers on the ground in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

With more agents in the field, the C.I.A. finally got the courier’s family name. With that, they turned to one of their greatest investigative tools — the National Security Agency began intercepting telephone calls and e-mail messages between the man’s family and anyone inside Pakistan. From there they got his full name.

Last July, Pakistani agents working for the C.I.A. spotted him driving his vehicle near Peshawar. When, after weeks of surveillance, he drove to the sprawling compound in Abbottabad, American intelligence operatives felt they were onto something big, perhaps even Bin Laden himself.

The intelligence that got agents to look in Abbottabad came from the most unsavory place for the Obama administration. Had President Obama got his way, we would not have had Guantanamo Bay intelligence. We still might be looking, and might be trusting that Pakistan is telling us the truth. Intel used from Gitmo follows George W. Bush’s lead.

It is in Bush’s administration that CIA agents and decent operatives from Pakistan were looking in Pakistan. President Obama did not retract them or take them off the ball. In short, he kept with Bush’s lead.

Early on in Obama’s campaign for President, he said he would launch missile strikes in Pakistan, especially if there was solid evidence that Osama bin Laden was there. Many Republicans, including myself at the time, condemned attacking an “ally” in the war on terror. Inside his first 100 days, he actually did launch a missile strike over the mountainous border in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Primarily striking and killing targets in Pakistan in 2009!

But back in 2008, President Musharraf supposedly gave President Bush a “hunting license” to search and strike inside Pakistan for Osama bin Laden. President Obama simply kept using the license. This license entailed the following:

The U.S. has options for sending special operations teams into Pakistan if bin Laden’s exact location is determined, but military officials said it would be a flying drone, not boots on the ground, that would be dispatched to kill the al Qaeda leader.

We know, now, that boots were on the ground. Officials with Obama urged him to use predator drones to attack the compound and bomb away the compound. Aside from the concerns for collateral damage, civilian casualties that could have been (like Sohaib Athar @ReallyVirtual), President Obama went for the best alternative: take him dead or alive with U.S. forces.

Obama followed the previous administration’s lead. Everything he tried to counter about Bush’s administration, he kept. He didn’t close Gitmo. He didn’t move or change intelligence services. President Obama did not increase pressure in the hunt for Osama bin Laden. He kept on Bush’s track.

The hunt for Osama bin Laden that ultimately led to his death is clear as day. Obama didn’t do anything different or new to former President Bush. But that’s not what the politics are going to say.

The left is set in the single mindset that President Bush abandoned the hunt for Osama bin Laden. They believe he did not care to find him, and was unfocused. They are steadfast in the belief that Iraq was a distraction to get away from capturing the elusive bin Laden. They believe Bush dropped the ball on the mission, and Obama picked it up. Because predator drones totally found out bin Laden!

Now, to disparage and cut away any credit to the Bush administration, the Left is sifting through the facts with baited breath to find if Bush knew bin Laden was in that compound during his second term. Some are still certain that Osama was used as the constant fear to keep Bush and other Republicans in office. Only because they can’t fathom the country re-electing him in 2004.

In the end, like I said earlier, no single person can take or deserves credit. No single President, Obama or Bush, should take credit. Both of them had the ground work and got it done.

This is no election or re-election item for anyone to take up. This isn’t an item that gains anyone presidency. The debate about “giving credit where credit is due” by the left is about legitimizing President Obama’s foreign policy. Which is a carbon copy of Bush’s foreign policy.

Osama bin Laden is Dead!

What a fantastic announcement Sunday night! Public Enemy Number One is dead! As most know by now, it was a US ground operation in Abbottabad, Pakistan on Sunday. It is said that US Navy SEALs executed the op.

This is a victory for the American psyche. The face of terrorism is dead. I can’t say it enough: Osama bin Laden is dead! I know this isn’t the end of the war on terror. I know Al Qaeda isn’t out, but they are certainly down. Those guys are into symbolism, and this is a massive gut check.

There are a lot of interesting facts and details coming out about this operation. One thing that is just absolutely fascinating is that the attack was tweeted by an unwitting civilian in Abbottabad. Sohaib Athar heard and saw some strange activity in Abbottabad early Monday morning local time and tweeted it:

Athar is a little comedic over the matter. His concerns now seem to over whether Abbottabad is a terrorist target now. Apparently he moved there because he thought it would be safe from the terrorists. Now that he knows what it was all about, he wishes he had been wittingly tweet the operation.

He also apologized to the pilot for making jokes about flyswatting the helicopters.

There is a lot of political fallout to come about this in the United States alone. But let that not distract or take away the victory America and the world achieved last night. I’ll get into the politics in another post. But for now, I’m just going to smirk and smile that this sick mass murderer is finally dead!