My sister...

This is my sister, Ying, wearing the green top and looking good as she kicks some ass on the new game show, TRIVIAL PURSUIT! It is VERY exciting!!! We are a silly game-loving family. :)

MOVIE REVIEW - TRAITOR

Let me just say that I am a fan of Don Cheadle. I like the roles he chooses to play, from the moving and emotionally driven ‘Hotel Rowanda’ to the smart-ass funny DJ in ‘Talk To Me.’ He is an actor that takes chances and they usually pay off. However, this turn as the lead in an action-thriller isn’t as successful.

The story is simple, if you read a lot of Robert Ludlum. Former US Special Operations Officer Samir Horn (Don Cheadle) has an incredible intelligence and even more incredible connections to the terrorist world. After a deal gets busted in Yemen, Horn, a devout Muslim-American caught selling goods to terrorists, is thrown in jail. It is here that he meets Roy Clayton (Guy Pearce) who is spearheading an investigation into an international conspiracy. Clayton attempts to get Horn back over to the American side, only to be refused time and time again. After time spent in the Yemen prison, Horn is befriended by Omar (Said Taghmaoui). Omar and Horn begin a friendship that leads Horn into the hands of a dangerous terrorist organization, and into a web of terrorist activities, with FBI and CIA in tow.

Sure the premise sounds promising and the trailer was cut well enough to peak interest, but honestly, the film falls a bit flat. I appreciate that they tried giving Horn a bit of a back-story that would speak to his willingness to ‘go terrorist’ while overseas, however was it enough of one? Not really. As the story progresses, the viewer is taken along this journey of terrorist acts, then given a couple twists. But one of the big twists comes a little too late, then another, a little too early-the film’s pacing lacks the breathless action and intrigue sustained by ‘Bourne Identity’, ‘The Departed’, among others. I do appreciate the care the filmmakers took in presenting Muslims and Muslim Americans. The religion is such an unknown to many Americans, the way the devout are portrayed in the film help shed light on a few of their beliefs. It is by no means a college level class on religion, but you paid $10 for a movie, did you expect a dissertation on the meaning of Allah?

So here it is. If you read a lot of these espionage books and stop crunching your popcorn during certain integral scenes, the film’s textbook moves are given away. The dialogue and action doesn’t foreshadow anything, it just tells you what’s to be expected in 1-5 minutes. Yeah. You can time a bathroom break in that time, people.

And as much as I love being exposed to actors of color I had not been aware of before, especially such lovelies as Archie Panjabi (plays Horn’s love interest Chandra), honestly just drop dead gorgeous!, I felt like almost all the actors were phoning in their roles. If I were as good looking as Archie, I wouldn't be blogging, I'd be dating! lol! Not even my love for Guy Pearce earned solely from ‘The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert’ and ‘Memento’ could make me say he made some strong and different choices playing a cop this time. Sometimes I think Hollywood says, ‘We need a strong jawed dude to play a straight-laced cop. Call Guy Pearce.’ Oy.

Not enough action, pretty predictable story, and lukewarm acting make this a ‘rent it’ if you want to see a conspiracy-thriller movie.

Closing ceremonies of the Olympics

I have been obsessed with the Olympics from a young age. It could be the fact that my dad played professional basketball in Vietnam, and was a hardcore ping pong player. And did I mention my mom was a helluva hackeysack player as well? And what happens? The pair conceive 3 of the most unathletic children you could imagine. Obviously someone wronged the gods powerful hard! :) Anyhow, the Olympics is one of my all time favorite things to watch, because it is the finest example of athletes who are competing for the love of it. There is no purse, yet the entire world joins in with their finest. It is a true love of games and sportsmanship. (Never mind the millions of endorsement dollars on the line!) Ok so the reason why I posted this pic is because during the closing ceremonies, the large screen next to the screen showing the performers has chinese text, and being a karaoke lover, I assume they are the lyrics to what they are singing! Haha! Even at the olympics, they show their love of karaoke! I love my Chinese brothers and sisters.

MOVIE REVIEW - TROPIC THUNDER

A movie about a fake movie with a white guy playing a black guy in a fake war really doesn’t seem like it would have basis for anything but failure. Surprise. TROPIC THUNDER is a movie that delivers laughs and a good story in a spoof that speaks to a larger audience than I ever expected.

Starting with its guns a blazin’, TROPIC THUNDER introduces its three main characters via their vehicle of fame. Alpa Chino (Brandon T. Jackson) promotes his "Booty Sweat" energy drink and "Bust-A-Nut" candy bar, while performing his hit song, "I Love Tha' Pussy". Then we meet action star Tugg Speedman (Ben Stiller) starring in his latest film failure, 'Scorcher VI: Global Meltdown'. The next trailer features comedian Jeff "Fatty" Portnoy (Jack Black), playing the entirety of "America's favorite obese family" in the highly flatulent 'The Fatties: Fart 2'. The final trailer, and my absolute favorite, 'Satan's Alley', features Australian superhunk Kirk Lazarus (Robert Downey Jr.) and Tobey Maguire (as himself) as two monks who begin a passionate affair. This story has got to be optioned by now.

Now that you have an idea of how ‘large’ each of these stars is, it comes as no surprise that while filming their current big-blockbuster disaster war movie, the egos begin to clash, and people lose control. To rectify the situation, the director tries a ‘guerilla style shooting’ tactic to get real emotions out of these solipsistic Hollywood A-listers. As soon as they embark on their new ‘sets’, things begin spiraling out of control and the actors playing military-trained human war weapons get thrown into a battle against a 12-year old drug lord in Cambodia. And no, it isn’t Maddox Jolie Pitt.

With a movie that has Downey playing a white dude who undergoes an experimental operation to darken his skin to play a black war hero, you know controversy will befall this film. But that isn’t where the cries for foul play arise. It actually stems from the loose usage of ‘retard’ in the film to describe a character Stiller’s character played in the film, ‘Simple Jack’. After hearing all the hubbub and reading that there was a call for an apology and removal of the word from the film, I expected the offensiveness to fly before I even got into my movie seat. But I watched, I was awake, and I laughed. To this movie lover, the word ‘retard’ was used in context and more exemplified the idiocy and stupidity of the two characters than it did reflect negatively upon the mentally challenged. I honestly don’t understand why this happened.

Anyhow, let’s get back to Downey’s character Lazarus. With a lesser actor, I think this couldn’t have been pulled off, but every single time I see Downey hit the screen, I realize how talented and fluid this actor is. From this summer’s IRON MAN to Lazarus, he tackles such a silly character with depth and humor. Stiller plays the same neurotic head case he usually does and it really works in this situation. Black plays a heroin addict pretty well. And the three leading men who usually headline movies work well as an ensemble.

The cameos are never ending in this film, and a great game can be just watching and seeing how many stars you can name when they appear onscreen. I absolutely loved the supporting role Tom Cruise has as Les Grossman, the media mogul behind all this craziness. Many publications have said this role is resurrecting his career, and it totally has. He is once again likeable to me.

In short this movie is full of laughs, silly giggles, full out knee slappers, and guffaws in disbelief. This is one of those films so rooted in intelligent stupidity you can’t help but enjoy yourself. In the beginnings you think, a movie really can’t sustain this level of dumbassness in its characters and still have them remain likeable. But the truth is, it does. With smart dialogue, a great characters, and talented actors, the story never falls flat as the insanity ensues.

I was lucky enough to attend a talk with the producer where he imparted some interesting tidbits to us about the film. One of the coolest things? 12-year old drug lord Tran, (Brandon Soo Hoo) was the second actor the producers saw and totally fell in love. Not only that, something I didn’t understand…Tran was originally supposed to speak Cantonese (in Cambodia?!) and then the part was changed to Mandarin because one of the screenwriters was fluent in Mandarin. Cool. Also, Tom Cruise, as big of a star as he was, actually talked for a long while with Stiller while the script was still being written and helped create the Grossman character he later ended up bringing to the screen. Cruise also asked for a make-up test to make sure everything looked good, something actors of his fame level usually never even agree to! And suggested he have really large hands. Plus my favorite thing? Cruise said ‘Grossman should dance’. No rhyme or reason. The character should just dance…and that dance was funny! So go, get out of the summer heat and laugh just enough to pee pee just a bit in your pants. That’s the true test of comedy.

Hermes space craft

You are looking at the next gen in affordable space travel. I know, you didn't even know there was a 'now gen' in affordable space travel! Anyhow, the reason why the Hermes is so impressive is because the tech inside is all off the shelf!!! Can you believe that? So anyone can walk into a store and actually buy the tech found in this shuttle. Enjoy...