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http://popwatch.ew.com/popwatch/2009/07/lost-comiccon-panel.html
The Lost crew and producers announced a few tantalizingly vague pieces of info about the upcoming 6th season of the ABC series.
MMph!! The giddy fanboy inside me was itching to be there today, but alas…I forgot to get a pass to Comic-Con…again.
Anyways, after a partial rewatch of Seasons 1 and 2, and taking the Season 5 finale into account…the more I can’t shake this feeling that Lost is all about a game. You’ve either won…or you’ve Lost. Plus there’s always that dichotomy of symbolic colors, black and white, the pieces of backgammon, the dialogue between Jacob and his darkly-clad adversary, and of course, the pivotal character of John Locke, who absolutely loves games…
So when Lindelof and Jorge Garcia assure that the audience would feel cheated if the last 5 seasons turn out to have “never happened” when the detonated H-bomb alters the timeline…I wouldn’t be surprised if the series headed in that direction; after all, if it’s a game, you can always find loopholes. You can always cheat.
My dream of writing a killer screenplay was crushed.
Alexis Bledel stole my life and Post Grad screenwriter Kelly Fremon stole my story.
What, UCLA?
Yeah, that’s right. That’s filmed AT UCLA, right outside Royce Hall, the building which hosted many of my English classes. (Territorial growl) That’s my school, beezy.
Okay, okay, I’ll admit. This is a pretty cliche story idea anyways.
Here’s the IMDB summary:
Ryden Malby graduates from college and is forced to move back into her childhood home with her eccentric family, while she attempts to find a job, the right guy, and just a hint of where her life is headed.
I envisioned my yet-unwritten screenplay (still waiting to get some screenwriting software and my brain back from chemo/summer-rot) as somthing similar, though minus the stupid romantic subplot. I mean I guess that’s part of post-grad life, even for me, but I think reeks too much of corniness.
Sigh. I guess I’ll start working on a TV-spinoff now.
And in the meantime…this gave me a silly cover-letter idea that has the same probability of floating as this film does in the box office this summer. Um, in my opinion, it’s not the best time to make a film about struggling college students at a time when few of us (the target audience) have jobs and money to spend on frivolous trips to the movie theater to watch frustrating movies that remind us about our own dilemmas.
Yo, FILM INDUSTRY! We’d rather spend our money watching films like Harry Potter that reminds us of our earlier adolescence Harry Potter, or inspires us for the future like Star Trek. Or heck, even Transformers 2, so we can go braindead for a solid opiate-like 2.5 hours.
Well, at least that’s what the box office says.
By the way, if you haven’t read Roger Ebert’s Transformers 2 review, please do.
Here’s a taste:
The movie has been signed by Michael Bay. This is the same man who directed “The Rock” in 1996. Now he has made “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.” Faust made a better deal.
My inner English major (nerd) is screaming “OHHhhhh BURNED!” right now.
Anyways, cheers.
Happy Video Games Day, everyone!
Yeah, who knew there was an “official” Video Games Day. But heck, if there’s a National Talk Like a Pirate Day on September 12, why not?
In case you didn’t know about today or forgot to plan festivities, there’s ANOTHER video games day on September 12. Yay!
Today was also special because at 12:34 am and 56 seconds, it was 7/8/09. Get it? 12:34:56 7/8/09. Although nothing else particularly magical happened.
I’m spending a quiet Video Games Day at home. I began the day by beating Wesker again on Resident Evil 5.
[Sidenote: I think that's probably the 5th time I've shot him with rocket launchers into that volcano. What a terribly cliche defeat (Darth Vader, T-1000, Gollum, Kazyua Kazama); I wonder if he'll come back as an angry "I used to be beautiful" attitude like that one villain in the Punisher: Warzone (don't watch that movie). He was shirtless when he fell in...and I'm sure volcanic lava isn't best for the (infected) skin.]
Anyways, as a humble, slightly more public celebration, I wanted to celebrate some of my favorite often overlooked video game characters.
- Mei Ling and Otacon from the Metal Gear Solid series.
(Uh, in this one, Mei Ling has that wierd stereotypical “Asian girl” accent–not clearly Chinese or Japanese, and most likely not authentic. It bothers me a little.)
Before the recent days of auto-save and checkpoints, we used to have to call Mei Ling and Otacon to save the game. And let’s face it, save points are probably the most important parts of the game. Without them, we might as well be playing an arcade game. Mei Ling and Otacon aren’t just any ol’ save point either–Mei Ling is most known for sharing short proverbs and bits of wisdom at each save–and in Hideo Kojima’s spirit of meta-video gaming, even suggests that perhaps one day people will be able to participate in “interactive movies”–which is essentially what video gaming is these days. Otacon functions both as a save point plus quirky quotes and support crew for Snake. He is even more involved and developed as a character in the story lines of both Metal Gear 2 and 4. He often suffers heartbreak and bad luck in his romantic life, and proves to be a father-figure to Sunny and a loyal friend to Snake. - Moogles
Kupo! Moogles are among the most consistent recurring characters in the Final Fantasy. And they serve as the most adorable save points in the series. Awwww… - Mario’s Mushrooms
Uh, yeah, these aren’t exactly characters in the traditional sense, but hey, it’s got eyes. These little status boosters come in handy for gamers like me who lack in hand-eye coordination, a handicap that proves extremely difficult while playing older platformers. - Lulu, Final Fantasy X
Final Fantasy X is all about leading lady characters. Tidus may be the main character, but the women really run the show. Yuna, the main leading lady, and Rikku, her cutesy and scantily-clad gal pal often take the limelight, but Lulu is probably the least annoying women in the game, and thus my favorite. She’s a very strong feminine figure who is poised, thankfully more mature, and maternally protective. She is a little dark, but is full of kindness and love, especially towards Yuna and her romantic interest and husband, Wakka. Though she ultimately (if I recall correctly) retires to a quiet, domestic life as a wife and mother, she remains a consistently capable, powerful character. And just look at her–she’s smokin. - The Computer, Portal
Portal wouldn’t be half as eerie without the increasingly disturbing narration by the computer. The computer isn’t completely an antagonistic force throughout the game, but it certainly isn’t quite as good a friend as the good ol’ Companion Cube. In any case, that ending song is just too catchy!
Anyways, the list runs dry for now. More to come on that in September.
Ubisoft is opening up a new studio in Toronto.
Read about it here.
Hire me? Ah, I’d be so down to move to Canada. If I could get citizenship/marry a nice Canadian boy, all of my health insurance worries would be but a thing of the past.
Speaking of insurance worries, my birthday’s soon. One more year and I lose medical coverage under my parents, which means if I can’t find a job with benefits, I will have to pay for that $8000/28 pills for chemo or that $72,000 radiation treatment out of pocket. That certainly takes the happy out of the birthday.
Yep, that’s my cost of living.
HEY HUMANITY, PLAYSTATION 3 IS HELPING YOU OUT!
(Okay, apparently this is really old news, but hey, I’ve only owned my PS3 for a humble 5 months now.)
Folding@home is a project created by some fine folks at Stanford University in order to simulate molecular behavior, specifically how human proteins fold. Uh…or something like that.
This vid does a better job at explaining everything:
From what I understand in layman terms, the PS3’s processor is crazy fast, much faster than the average PC, and can basically be considered a supercomputer [edit: when several work together] (I love you, Sony). This helps speed up the folding simulation so researchers can sooner and faster understand how those evil molecules that trigger diseases like Parkinson’s, cystic fibrosis and cancer.
Owners of supercomputers,or more commonly, of PlayStation 3s/regular computers can help out by networking their hardware to the Folding@home folks.
Here’s some info on Folding@home and how to hook up your PS3 to join the cause:
http://folding.stanford.edu/English/FAQ-PS3
Folding@home is accessible through the “Life with PlayStation” application under the network icon on the main screen. Once the software is installed and updated (this took me about 10 minutes to download), you can watch Folding@home go to work.
I just started my account today.
If you go hit the triangle button while on the Folding@home channel, select “Current Channel”, then scroll down to “Identity”. Under this option, you can create a username and join a team.
If you’d like to join my team (TEAMLUM) enter this team number: 167872.
THANK YOU, SONY for making such an unnecessarily powerful, beautiful piece of machine. I’ve always been a bit of a Sony loyalist, so Sony’s unfortunate lackluster sales in the past few years has been disheartening.
Microsoft played it smart by purchasing and developing great game titles exclusive to the Xbox 360, especially multiplayer/online titles like Gears of War and Halo 3. Xbox marketed heavily towards the main gamer demographic: male gamers in between 18-32. Microsoft’s investment in great games with its gamers in mind came at the cost of cutting corners on its hardware. The Xbox 360 console has been plagued by the red ring of death and even more so by its slow tech support, customer service and repairs.
Nintendo invested in a new sort of motion interactivity with the Wii, which they marketed to non-traditional gamer demographics: the young family and women. However, Nintendo really sacrificed in the graphics/hardware department as well, and didn’t bother developing either HD DVD or Blu-Ray technology. Nevertheless, Nintendo put out a truly innovative package that has changed the face and feel of modern gaming.
Sony, on the other hand, had very big plans … perhaps too grand. Sony really put out an excellent piece of hardware, spearheading the Blu-Ray revolution and creating a console that allows room for expansion, improvement, and well…stuff like Folding@home. However, Sony’s vision is a little beyond the average consumer’s needs–as was its price.
Nevertheless, Sony has proven itself a true technological visionary through its use of Folding@home.
To top off all of its claimed social and scientific contributions, Folding@home just looks fantastic. There’s a really cool graphic that shows all the blips where people are running Folding@home all over the world. The east coast is pretty hot right now, along with some pockets of insomniacs like myself on the west coast. Much of Japan and Seoul, South Korea are lit up as well. Possibly one (??) in North Korea? What’s interesting about this whole display is that it is really telling of global affluence as well..huh, maybe that could be the next PS3 project.
In any case, I’m a pretty proud owner of my PS3 right now.
[Thanks, Stanley]
I’m not sure what PS3/SCEA means by this, but hey, I’m down with the cause, and I’m down with SCEA.
This showed up in a google search for PS3. Sadly, there was no explainer when I clicked on the link.
I always complain that there’s nothing special about Sacramento as a city.
The nightlife is too polite. The tasty restaurants are sparse. The public art stale and often outdated. Our sports teams embarrassing. The main employer in the city is the state, and it isn’t hiring. The terrain is flat and largely featureless. Our winters too cold and our summers too hot.
But hey, Hollywood once again reminds us that no matter the climate, LOVE can happen.
Here’s Katherine Heigl (Grey’s Anatomy, Knocked Up) and Gerard Butler (300) in a new RomCom, “The Ugly Truth,” which is SET IN SACRAMENTO!
If you caught the first three frames in the trailer, you can see the Tower Bridge, the Delta King, and a bit of Sacramento’s humble skyline.
I DO hope that is a Sacramento River Cats game.
I wonder if she’ll go on a date in Old Sac.
Go Sacramento.
I never usually pay attention to those ads right above my inbox in gmail. They’re ads, afterall.
But recently, as my emails are getting more desperate in search of a job, those ads have been starting to appeal to my desperation.
So I decided to click on this one:
How nice, job openings. Nice pay. No scam. Wow, too good to be true. And it says CBS? CBS is a reputable network, sure why not.
Click.
Hey, this looks like a news site. A television news site. Must be owned by CBS?
Appears legitimate. It even has local Sacramento weather posted!
Keyword: appears.
But wait. KMLT3? That’s not the name of my local channel 3 station…and I’m pretty sure CBS doesn’t own channel 3 here. It owns 13, I believe.
So I clicked on “Home” to see what this site really was.
This pops up:
Huh?!
This is my local news station site:
KMLT3 does not exist, at least as a news source. I Googled it. Thanks, Google.
So what is up with this fake news site? It wasn’t expressly labeled “ADVERTISEMENT” as most fake “news sources” that might appear in newsprint are required to have.
A few months ago, the Daily Bruin reluctantly (and quite bitterly) ran a front page wrap ad for Haagen-Dazs that mimicked the Daily Bruin front page, but substituted an article-like ad about the plight of the honey bee. Clearly, very important front page news.
The editorial board at the Daily Bruin wrote the following in the same day’s paper:
Many of us volunteered to forfeit our pay in order to ensure that the ad would not run, but because some of our staff members could not afford to use their paychecks to make a statement, we have been forced to go along quietly.
The reality of our financial situation is grim, and the fact of the matter is that we would have been forced to cut thousands of dollars from an ever-tightening budget if we had not run this advertisement.
We were forced to make a decision we find distasteful at best – and dishonest and unethical at worst – because of the ever-present and unrelenting reality of the economy and the downturn of the journalism industry.
Much of our staff, the members of this board especially, are invested in the Daily Bruin and the practice of journalism on a personal level, and nothing pains us more than to see the cover and name of our beloved publication sullied for the sake of survival.
We weighed every possible alternative and appealed to every relevent authority for a solution, but our efforts were ultimately fruitless.
Our hope is that our readers will not dismiss us as the sell-outs we feel like.
The staff was particularly upset that not only was our front page content masked by an ad, the ad incorporated deceptively similar components of the normal Daily Bruin front page content, such as our sidebar with story promos. The ad content could easily be misleading to our readers and make it appear as if we are strong advocates for honeybees or some sort of apiculture aficionados. We’re…not.
In any case, this was an unfortunate sacrifice of our journalistic integrity for some necessary ad revenue.
However, we made as best an effort to differentiate the ad content from the actual content by printing “PAID ADVERTISEMENT” along the border. Though from afar, it’s not so clearly an advertisement…
Back to the KMLT3 ad…which wasn’t expressly labeled an ad…and uses the corporate name of CBS in its link, though it has nothing whatsoever to do with CBS…
What is up with that?
I suppose that one could argue that the link only implies some relationship to CBS the station/company, but really represents whatever cbs11.com is, some shoddy advertisement company that tricks people into clicking on it.
On top of that, it appears to be a legitimate news source, formatted and presented like a real news story. Lies.
It seems illegal, or unethical at best. My knowledge of media law in advertisement is thin, but this misleading advertisement seems very…shady, for lack of a better word at 5:04am.
Alas, ads are a necessary evil in the new media world. I just wish there was a bit more integrity in the mix.
I had posted this back in March on my Facebook notes. Here’s a repost:
Probably a good month, month-and-a-half ago, a handful of people asked what my thoughts on Gran Torino are. By a handful of people, I really mean (remember) John and Jon…
Anyways, I finally got around to watching it today.
A lot of my Asian friends had commented on how much of the film was Clint Eastwood muttering racial slurs under his breath. True. (I was far more impressed by his “old man” grumblings and sighs of annoyance. “GrrMmmmmmMMMMhhhh, no more, no more!…-sniff- Oh okay, bring it in, bring it in…”) But I think the source of much upset regarding these racial slurs is really from the audience reaction. How the audience reacts to Eastwood’s character’s dialogue and sometimes monologues affected how I felt, at least, not towards the film, but towards the jerks sitting behind me.
Now…these guys behind me were big boys. Big in every way. Hefty men, rotund. They’d put their feet up, and shake the entire row of chairs in ways I’ve never felt before (I think the guy kept grinding one of his shoes against the other as he’d drop one foot from the top of the chair to the ground from time to time). Gargantuan noises. Eating. Talking. Unnecessary comments. These guys were nightmares to sit in front of. I don’t recall ever having such rude, unpleasant theater companions before.
Anyways, these guys seemed to be there more for the actual racial banter and jokes, rather than to watch an enlightening film about race, class, and age relations. [SPOILER ALERT] At the serenely violent end, the most vocal of the herd shouted out “I WASN’T EXPECTING THAT KIND OF ENDING!” Surely he was expecting something far more along the lines of Dirty Harry or The Good The Bad and The Ugly. Clint Eastwood really disappointed this guy.
But during the film, each time Eastwood’s character, Walt Kowalski, would spit out some sort of racial comment, these guys would be busting their sides with laughter. Sure, many of these moments were meant to be funny…but not really so much in the beginning…
I thought the film, however, was a fair shot at a socially conscious film. It had the feel of Boyz n the Hood plus a little western/war nostalgia that Eastwood’s presence alone brings to the screen. It’s a warm film about aging, death, and discovering the meaning of life. Certainly a socially significant film, not only because it examines cultural differences and socioeconomic struggles, but because it approaches issues that are essentially human.
When Kowalski uses the racial slurs, he does so not entirely out of hate. Or at all out of hate, even in the beginning. He echoes language that he grew up with, perhaps hyperbolically, but he uses it out of his ignorance towards his neighbors, or as a tool of intimidation before he has to resort to whipping out his pistol. Yet he subtly shifts his tone, though his language remains unchanged, to use slurs as terms of endearment, light teasing to which his neighbors take little offense. No one actually corrects Kowalski’s speech to tell him that it is deeply offensive, so his character, in character, makes no adjustments.
Granted, those hard, harsh words are hurtful to many. But taken in context, the point is a bit…null.
But the sad thing is that the subtle tone shift, the endearment and appreciation for the Hmong culture, and Kowalski’s new understanding of life itself, is likely lost on many of the…less perceptive audience members like my corpulent pals behind me.
–
Other thoughts:
For the most part, the film has a sort of Italian neorealism essence about it. Non-professional actors, representing the lower-class lifestyle (think Slumdog Millionaire as a very recognizable modern example). However, it (like Slumdog) is a bit too tidy in the end to be neorealism. I think that’s more of a trend among American movies, though, rather than a specific fault of the film. Americans, especially now, really need that picker-upper. Europeans and Asians really seem to not mind that depressing, yet real-life ending. There’s always a ray of hope though…ambiguously… but in American films, we have a hard, tangible, but plastic-y happier-than-expected ending. And darn, does it feel good.
It was nice to see some Asian American representation in there. Sure, the Hmong actors weren’t fantastic, but keep in mind, they’re not professionally trained. At least they’re really Hmong, not *ahem* Chinese substituting as usual *coughmemoirsofageishacough*. It certainly worked to address some of the social difficulties Hmong communities face, and lower income Asians as well: gangs, poverty, familial pressures, etc. I’m sure it barely brushed the surface of many other problems, but save it for another film.
What I thought was interesting, though, was that you could probably have substituted the ethnicity of Kowalski’s neighbors for any other minority family and it would have worked possibly quite as beautifully. But to choose to feature the Hmong people was a very creative and unique decision. I said that flatly but I mean it. The film managed to highlight some specific difficulties Hmong communities face, as well as general difficulties most low-income minority communities face. Props.
–
All in all, I liked it. It was a fine addition to Clint Eastwood’s work as actor and director. I respect the man for what he has done and what he is trying to do.
I just listened to a pretty good NPR discussion on positive stereotypes.
Are Positive Stereotypes Racist, Too?
L’Heureux Lewis, assistant professor of sociology and black studies at the City College of New York, said, “…we have to recognize that [positive stereotypes] are gross generalizations. They may have a kernel of truth based on some social reality but ultimately they limit the choices and limit the opportunities and limit the things that people can do.”
In retrospect, I think this is…sort of…what the humor in Yo Teach! is trying to do with the teacher telling the Asian student that she will never be the president, and should instead aim for menial work. However, my problem is that the Asian kid is THAT “Asian kid.”
I think that the more common complaint about Asian American portrayal in the media these days is that the Asian characters are always either imported from Asia (and thus, Asian, not Asian American), or they are specifically ethnic Asian American characters. There are very few (though their numbers are growing*) simply “American” or “normal” characters that happen to be Asian American.
If you missed it earlier, check out this wonderful NPR piece:
Long Duk Dong: Last of the Hollywood Stereotypes?
It features founders of Giant Robot magazine, Martin Wong and Eric Nakamura, as well as Gedde Watanabe himself, the actor behind Long Duk Dong.
And here’s Adrian Tomine’s take on it (also on the NPR page):
—
*Here’s a short(hand) list of some characters that just so happen to be Asian American. Some aren’t the greatest actors, characters, or parts, but hey, “The Donger” set our standards pretty low, and anything is better.
John Cho and Kal Penn as Harold and Kumar in Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle
I remember that when this first came out, “grownups” from my Chinese church were recommending that we go see this. “Finally!” they said, “A movie featuring two Asian protagonists in a non-stereotypical way!” I don’t think they realized that the main reason they aren’t stereotypical is because well…they’re in a stoner flick.
In any case, Cho is widely recognized a big groundbreaker for Asian men in the media, especially beginning with his work in Better Luck Tomorrow.
Not my favorite film, but certainly noteworthy as an Asian-Am film.
On to more recent stuff, Daniel Henney plays a pretty swell Agent Zero in the latest X-Men: Origins film.
Zero is a pretty slick character with some nice gun-handling skills, though he’s a bit of a d-bag and is pretty much William Stryker’s lackey. At least he makes it look good!
Aaron Yoo: I want him to be my best friend.
Yoo plays a really great best friend to Shia LaBeouf’s character in Disturbia.
Of course, he’s usually stuck as a supporting actor. Kind of like James Franco. He’s always stuck being the backup man: Pineapple Express, Milk, Spider-Man. Some actors never really catch a break.
As for actresses….this one’s a tough one. In my opinion, Asian American women have it the hardest getting into non-specifically-Asian roles in movies.
Well…here’s a shoddy list:
Maggie Q sort of gets the short end of the straw in Die Hard 4, and is pretty much the serious lady on the wrong side who gets owned by her prickish evil lover. And then by Bruce Willis. But who wouldn’t get owned by Bruce Willis?
At least she has a good sense of humor about it:
She was also in MI:3 and a bunch of Hong Kong films, where she got her start.
Hmmm..a bit like Henney, who also started in Korean films/dramas.
So…I guess for some of these newer stars, they’re following the ol’ Imported from Asia path, though in Asia, they’re imported from America.
Ah, Asia-America.
