February 2006

Favorite movies

I was trying to migrate some of my old website information to the new blog format and decided to start with my favorite movies. I realized that it was impossible to try and list them in order of my preference, I also thought about how out of date some of them were and how my taste has changed over time. I'll have to revisit some of these myself soon, I'll try and find some way to make them available to my friends.

Sci-Fi & Fantasy
• Blade Runner

  IMDB Info Very loosely based on a Philip K Dick novel and released in at least 4 different versions, this is a haunting picture of a future where artificial creations of man possess all the things that make us human, and are marked for death for trying to pursue life itself. There are so many layers to this film, Harrison Ford does an admirable job as an ambivalent assassin who must hunt down and kill a group of replicants who have come back to a dark decrepit Earth in search of a way to stop the self distructdestruct mechanism engineered into their design.

• Alien & Aliens

  IMDB Info (Alien) IMDB Info (Aliens) Two related yet very different movies. Aliens is an incredible sci-fi horror flick that takes place within the dark claustrophobic confines of a mining ship. The environment and sets are classic Ridley Scott, perfect. Aliens continues the story in a more conventional but none the less entertaining action movie format. Great special effects in both films and really well done stories make these two worthy of great praise. Just stay, far far away from any of the sequels.

• The Matrix

  IMDB Info This movie came out of nowhere, and was really cool. It had new unique special effects, an interesting plot, and didn't suck despite Kenau Reeves complete lack of acting ability. The two sequels were complete and utter crap (seriously, did we really need an incredibly lame rave scene that lasted like a half an hour? WTF were they thinking?)

• The Road Warrior

  IMDB Info The disturbing sequel to the low budget "Mad Max." Made in the time before Mel Gibson was exposed as a barking mad religious fanatic, this ratty Australian post apocalyptic adventure is full of drama, great stunts and quite a bit of inadvertent humor. See Mad Max if you want to get some insight about Mel's character, feel free to skip Beyond Thunderdome as it's hollywood crap...

• The Professional (Léon)

  IMDB Info Wow. Some movies just have everything. Great cast, great story, this bad ass retribution film centers on the lonely mysterious assassin who takes the young Natalie Portman under his wing. Luc Besson, Jean Reno, Gary Oldman and lots of ass kicking, what the hell else do you want?

• The Usual Suspects

  IMDB Info Kevin Spacy retells his involvement in a crime involving the legendary Kaiser Soze. This is slick slick slick, with a great ending. It keeps you involved and anxious the whole film, and it's worth it.

• Silent Running

  IMDB Info I haven't seen this in a long, long time, but it was so sad and haunting. The Earth is no longer able to sustain viable forests or plant life and a last bio-reserve is created in orbiting greenhouses. They are maintained by robots that seem to care more about sustaining life than the people back on Earth. A great environmental film from the 70's.

• Lord of the Rings Trilogy

  IMDB Info A very accurate adaptation of the must read trilogy of books. You must have seen this, but you may not have read the story. If you haven't, I strongly encourage you to do so.

• Robocop & Robocop II

  IMDB Info RC1 IMDB Info RC2Very violent, but still darkly funny, these films have a great take on violence, society and corruption. Decent special effects, and fast pacing make these films a fun ride.

• The Dark Crystal

  IMDB Info A fantasy film made up of incredibly constructed puppets. Seriously! This was done by Jim Henson though, and the creatures and environments are lush and imaginative. A classic quest adventure story and after 25 years (god I'm old) a sequel is apparently in the works!

Drama & Romance
• The Shawshank Redemption

  IMDB Info This is one of the most emotionally satisfying films out there. A man wrongly accused, struggles in a corrupt prison system... every moment leads towards the shocking and unexpected conclusion.

• Local Hero

  IMDB Info Slow paced and odd, I really liked this when I was younger as it had a message that money and success were not the only important things in life. A Texas oil man is sent by his eccentric boss to buy a small Scottish town on the shoreline so they can build a refinery there. A full cast of odd characters make this unpredictable comedy one of the best!

• Gladiator

  IMDB Info Ridley Scott's perfect Roman epic. Stunningly violent battle sequences along with authentic costumes and locations bring you back to an ancient world full of intrigue and honor.

• Fargo

  IMDB Info Brutal, funny, tight. This slice of North Dakotan crime drama hit's every note true, every character and every line. Disturbing violence tempered with gut bursting humor, see it now.

• Brazil

  IMDB Info One of the several Terry Gilliam (of Monte Python fame) films on my list. This is one of his darker and more bizarre, look for the editors cut, although it has a much sadder less ambivalent ending. It is very complex, very hard to follow and totally worth it. Some great characters and sets, Fresnel magnifiers on the computer terminals... classic.

• My Neighbor Totoro

  IMDB Info Hayao Miyazaki is rightfully famous for his sophisticated yet pure beautifully animated works. This is one of his best I think, not too serious, super cute fluffy things!

• The Man from Snowy River

  IMDB Info A fairly unknown and underrated coming of age story from Australia. This has Kirk Douglas in his best performances and great character actors. The scenery of the eucalyptus forests and highlands is breathtaking, and be sure to keep your eyes open for one of the most insane feats of horsemanship ever filmed.

• True Stories

  IMDB Info A movie by David Byrne (from Talking Heads) is offbeat, funny, and has a great soundtrack. It loosely follows the band's album, and is the best movie about Texas I've ever seen. Kind of relaxed, not an adventure flick by any stretch of the imagination.

• Flirting & The Year my Voice Broke

  IMDB Info (YmVB) & IMDB Info (Flirting) More great Australian flicks. Romantic, poignant, coming of age films beautifully told, acted and directed. If you need an Intellectual date film try one of these.

• The Piano

  IMDB Info An emotionally stirring film about a mute woman and her daughter sent to the far off wilds of New Zealand with only her piano tying her to the world around her. Harvey Keitel does a great job as does Holly Hunter. A chick flick, but I'm into those.

• Shine

  IMDB Info The true story of a piano prodigy who, pushed by his father suffers a mental breakdown. Don't worry, it has a good ending.

• The Fisher King

  IMDB Info I have quite a few Terry Gilliam films, this is yet another one. Robin Williams in one of his many great performances. Sadness and redemption with plenty of humor and wild dream sequences.

Humor
• The Princess Bride

  IMDB Info One of the few cases where a movie, by way of great casting and adaptation, actually improves in some ways on the book. This is the only movie I would recommend watching before reading the book, the cast is so good that they allow you to picture the characters more vividly than you would otherwise be able to do. What's it about? "A classic fairy tale, with swordplay, giants, an evil prince, a beautiful princess, and yes, some kissing..."

• Eat, Drink, Man, Woman

  IMDB Info Incredible Ang Lee film centering around the intertwining stories of a chef and his three daughters. Each story is sad, funny and romantic, but the movie rewards you with a great payoff in the end.

• Groundhog Day

  IMDB Info Based on the simple premise of a man having to live the same day over and over again until he gets it right, this film could have been awful. But Bill Murray has an unrivaled amount of charm, humor and understatement. You can see the moral progression as he first takes the low road and eventually figures out what is important in life. But most of all this movie is funny, funny, funny.

• Snatch

  IMDB Info This is filed under humor, although it is very violent and nasty in many ways. I guess I have a kind of twisted sense of humor, but man, I laughed the whole way through this film. I never thought I would say it but, Brad Pitt was great too.

• Time Bandits

  IMDB Info Another Terry Gilliam film, it has his characteristically darkness about it along with crazy unexpected situations. The supreme being's employees decide to quit and take his map of time portals intending to loot the worlds treasures, but the lord of evil has other plans.

• Babe the Pig

  IMDB Info A pig can't be a sheep dog! I grew up on a farm and I just loved the anthropomorphized animals. A mix of Jim Henson puppetry and frame by frame retouched live action, you stop noticing that these are animals talking really quick. Stay away from the sequel though.

• Finding Nemo

  IMDB Info Pixar just gets better and better, this is there best so far. The voice talent is top notch, the story is fast paced, wacky and never stalls. So many inside jokes and gags along with the most intense under sea CGI ever rendered to film. Dory (Ellen DeGeneres) steals the show.

• Raising Arizona

  IMDB Info Nicholas Cage, along with Holly Hunter, does a great job in the first big Coen brother's hit. A mismatched couple who are childless decide to steal one since adoption isn't an option. The real parents are less than pleased and will stop at nothing to get their baby back. John Goodman is in this too, very, very funny. Non stop laughter.

• My Sassy Girl

  IMDB Info A great Korean movie, it has two very cute actors in it. From the opening scene this crazy romance seems doomed. The girl is a nut! But her heart is broken and it may never heal. Lots of unexpected twists and great threads that all come together in the end.

• Shall we Dance?

  IMDB Info One of my favorite Japanese films, for some stupid reason it was remade with Richard Gere (insert joke here (heh, he said insert...)) This movie is very Japanese in feel, but the ideas are so approachable and the story so funny and awkward that everyone can enjoy it. Some great Japanese character actors in here, this movie is a winner.

Posted by Bakafish at 10:17 PM | Comments (4)

日本の旅行

4月20日から5月8日のゴールデンウィーク期間中日本にいる予定ですが、みんなの予
定が合えば、是非会いたいと思っています。近日中にもっと詳しい情報を流しますの
でお楽しみに。何かアメリカから持ってきて欲しい物があれば連絡下さい。

I will be traveling to Japan from 4/20 to 5/8 for Golden week. While I'm there I want to have a party with my friends from Mixi and Machida. I will have more details as the time gets closer, I hope I can see all of you there! Please let me know if you want anything special from the US.

Posted by Bakafish at 12:44 PM | Comments (1)

Mixiと僕のブラグ

昨日日記と僕のwebsiteを結合されました。mixiの日記は消されました。ごめんなさい！

I recently configured Mixi to link to my blog, but was unaware of how badly it would actually work. It seems that it removed all of my previous Mixi entries, and my friend's responses, what a poorly designed 'feature.' Anyway, sorry about that everyone.

Posted by Bakafish at 12:18 PM | Comments (0)

Smartish Paper

Question: Given the information density of a standard document and the current ability of printing and scanning technology, how long will it be before the human readable information we print in a document is replicated in a condensed 'smart spot' micro barcode at the corner of the page?

Here's what I'm thinking, I've got all the papers from my Japanese class, some of them are 'cheat sheets' of terms that I am trying to memorize. Some of them are test questions that my teacher gave to me. The idea that a single page of text information could be encoded into a small area and scanned by an optical pickup (think optical mouse or small embedded sensor) to be edited and reprinted seems sort of obvious. I mean, there's a couple hundred kb of compressed info on a page, with 1200+ dpi printing and some robust error correction how hard would it really be to print an info spot at the corner of each page that makes the document 'smart?' Why should I have to retype things or have to keep both digital and hard copies, or scan the non machine formatted human readable text? I'm just asking...

Posted by Bakafish at 4:12 PM | Comments (1)

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