Armin Van Buuren at Club Vision

Hey all, I just thought I'd write a write a quick bit on the fantastic performance I attended at Club Vision yesterday. Located in downtown Chicago, Club Vision is one of the premier clubs in the United States. Last night, it hosted the world's top rated DJ, Armin Van Buuren. Opening was Glenn Morrison, a young, upstart DJ out of Canada. Although his set list was outstanding, his mixing left something to be desired. Armin came out at about 12:30 AM to an explosion of applause. Indeed, Van Buuren was in top form. He has an excellent rapport with the audience- he is quite the charmer. His set list was excellent and his mixing was, of course, brilliant. The performance was hampered somewhat by the strange smoke effects- jets filled the club with smoke and then a strobe light was flipped on, turning the whole club into a disorienting mess for several minutes. A speaker also blew out at about 2:15 AM, after which we decided to head home. At any rate, the performance was suberb, and I highly recommend a live show if you ever have the chance.

Armin changes a record, the lasers light up, and the crowd goes wild.

Armin salutes the crowd with his headphones.

Hopefully I will have some better shots to post later (these were taken from my iPhone... so there's no flash or zoom).

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The Oscar After Party 2009

Well, that does it for another Academy Awards extravaganza. This year's show looked absolutely outstanding and had some of the best production values in recent memory. Hugh Jackman was an elegant and graceful host, the men were dressed in their finest tuxedos, and the women looked wonderful. Since I'm rather caught up in the moment right now, I would like to offer 8 things I loved and 8 things I hated.

Loved

1. Heath Ledger winning the Oscar for best Supporting Actor. His family's speech brought the entire house to tears. Beautiful stuff.
2. Hugh Jackman as one of the best hosts in years.
3. Danny Boyle's lovely speech and gracious behavior throughout the night.

4. Freida Pinto.
5. The recognition for Slumdog Millionaire, a truly brilliant film. Nearly every aspect of the film was recognized, and I am overjoyed that it won Best Picture. With a total of 8 Oscars, I hope America is ready to see what all the fuss is about.
6. Man on Wire won the award for Best Documentary (Long Form). It was a brilliant show.
7. Most of the young actors from Slumdog Millionaire on stage at the end of the night. It was a touching moment to see all those happy faces.
8. Anne Hathaway's dress... it was a stunner.

Hated

1. How much Kate Winslet loves herself. Simply unbelievable. This woman stole the award from Anne Hathaway who was far better in Rachel Getting Married and then congratulated herself like she was the best thing since sliced bread. Get over yourself.
2. Meryl Streep's quote when graciously complimented on being nominated for 15 Oscars. She turned to the person next to her and said "it's still not enough." Wow. You just lost my respect forever. Way to pull a Kate Winslet.
3. Will Smith wearing the cross of the Church of Scientology. Good job, Will. Now I find you creepy and sad.
4. Sean Penn.
5. Sean Penn's speech. This man is unquestionably the worst person in Hollywood since Michael Moore. He abuses his position of social prominence to talk about issues that he knows nothing about. No, people will not "be ashamed" of thinking differently than you. What an insufferable idiot.
6. Sean Penn winning the Oscar that Mickey Rourke should have won. There is absolutely NO QUESTION about this one, Mickey deserved this award almost as much as Heath deserved his. This was an incredible miscalculation on the part of the Academy.
7. Gus Van Sant. This guy looked snarky and bitter the entire night. Way not to be a gracious loser, loser.

8. Let the Right One In did not get nominated for best Foreign Language Film.

Well, there you have it. Congratulations to this year's fine films, especially Slumdog Millionaire.

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Best of 2008

It's been so long that I hardly have an excuse. What can I say, college is hard. At any rate, I felt compelled to at least summarize the wonderful year that was 2008, and I'm even late at doing that.

Best Album

Narrow Stairs by Death Cab for Cutie

Did you expect any other? I'm a die hard Death Cab fan and their new album is eclectic, thrilling, and beautifully done. The impeccable lyrics of front man Ben Gibbard have never been better.

Runner-up

Gossip in the Grain by Ray LaMontagne

LaMontagne has been one of the most brilliant solo acts in recent memory. His smoky, raspy voice and clever lyrics are distinctive and worth listening to. I would classify him as a folk singer, but don't let that discourage you- his subdued and poignant songs are excellent indeed.

Best Game

Fallout 3 by Bethesda Softworks

This game has not gotten nearly enough love on end of the year lists. There is no other game that I spent over 50+ hours on and simply could not wait to come back for more. The epic scope of The Wasteland, the tight gameplay, and the superb writing make Fallout 3 my choice for game of the year.

Runner-up

Grand Theft Auto IV by Rockstar North

Nico Bellic is a sublime protagonist who understands the consequences of living in the criminal underworld of New York City. Over the course of the game, you will face real consequences and you will invest an amazing amount of emotion into the characters. Your choices have such and impact that it will make you pause and consider what you've done many times. No game has ever told a story this grand and this engrossing, period.

Best TV Show

Entourage on HBO

The characters are loveable, the plot is memorable, and Jeremy Piven is the best actor on television without question. This show is fantastically entertaining week in and week out, and the writing is sharp and witty. The laughs keep on coming, and the dramatic impact achieved in just under 30 minutes is simply unmatched.

Runner-up

How I Met Your Mother on CBS

I can make very much the same argument here. The writing is consistently top notch and the characters are unique, deep, and wonderfully entertaining. Neil Patrick Harris steals the show almost every week as Barney Stinson, the loveable cad. His character is only bested by Jeremy Piven's Ari Gold. I was almost certain that this show would be cancelled, but please, make it worth the gamble by CBS in keeping this show on the air, and tune in on Monday evening.

Best 10 Films

I know far more about film than any other medium, so my list is naturally quite a bit longer. I saw many, many films this year, and here are my ten favorites.

10. Kung Fu Panda, United States

Dreamworks finally made a film that approaches the level of Disney-Pixar films. I had a great time with this movie and I sincerely believe that this is the best work of Jack Black's career. The voice acting is terrific and the animation is first rate. This is comedy done right.

9. Iron Man, United States

This is a film everyone knows about. Robert Downey Jr. is stellar as Tony Stark, the brilliant scientist/engineer who makes a suit of armor and fights evil. True to the comic and wonderfully paced by director Jon Favreau. Witty banter between Downey Jr. and Gwynyth Paltrow, loud and crazy action set pieces, and the best FX money can buy combine to make Iron Man a film that was one of the most entertaining trips to the theater this year.

8. Happy-Go-Lucky, United Kingdom

Quite a lovely film indeed. Sally Hawkins stars as Poppy, a primary school teacher who is an eternal optimist. There is a striking lack of scenes where Hawkins isn't smiling, making a joke, or being a bubbly bunch of fun. This is a slice-of-life comedy with some ups and downs and a few scenes of genuine sadness. If you don't walk out of this one with a smile on your face, well, perhaps you've lost your sense of humor.

7. 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days, Romania

Shot like a documentary with hand held cameras and filmed in long, unbroken takes. This is a story about a girl who needs an abortion on the black market in Romania, circa 1987. Gabita, played by Laura Vasiliu, is essentially helpless, a scared little girl with a big problem to solve. Otilia, played by Anamaria Marinca, is the friend who helps her get help from a black market doctor named Bebe, who is played masterfully by Vlad Ivanov. Marinca experiences so many emotions and plays her part so convincingly that it is impossible not to cry, to feel fear, to smile, to be angry, and to hear your heart pounding at the thrilling climax of the film. Incredibly gritty and not for the faint of heart, I highly recommend this powerful film.

6. The Band's Visit, Israel

A subtle tale of a band of men who travel from Egypt to play music at a museum opening in a major Israeli city. After taking the wrong bus, they end up in a small village in the middle of nowhere. The characters laugh, find love, cry, and one fights as hard as he can to stave off the pain of a troubled past. A film that is both delightfully funny and bitterly sad, I believe that there is something for everyone to enjoy in this quiet and beautiful story.

5. The Dark Knight, United States

But of course this was coming. Christopher Nolan's magnum opus is easily one of the greatest films of the year. Christian Bale turns in an intricate performance as Batman while Heath Ledger gives the performance of a lifetime as the tormented and tragic Joker. Witty, sharp, brutal, grand, and impeccably paced, The Dark Knight transcends the genre of comic book films and takes its rightful place as one of the finest crime thrillers of the last decade.

4. Tell No One, France

I caught this at just the end of the year even though it was released in Q1 2008. While Hollywood makes thrillers with big name stars, insane explosions and FX, and just enough realism to keep your interest, this film from France steals the show with its portrayal of characters that are all to real. The chase scenes are brilliantly set up and the scene where Francois Cluzet tries to meet his wife in a park is one of the best of the year. A story of a man whose wife is murdered and 8 years later receives emails that can only be from her. He tries to figure out what is going on while being chased from the police and accused of several crimes that he did not commit. My heart was pounding for most of the film and I can assure you that this is a spellbinding thrillride.

3. Slumdog Millionaire, United Kingdom

The latest project by Danny Boyle uses unknown actors to tell a story that is so grim and yet so heartwarming that you will leave the theater and immediately want to go see it again. The story of Jamal Malik, an impoverished slumdog, as he goes on the Indian version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? so his soul mate can find him again. After he is accused of cheating, he tells his life story of growing up in the slums to the inquisitive police detective assigned to his case. You simply must see this film, it is one of the best stories ever told.

2. Let The Right One In, Sweden

Like it's listmate, this film is also shot in long takes. Set in a secluded Swedish village and featuring disturbing and emotional performances from its cast, this is one film you cannot afford to miss. A roller coaster ride of being in abject terror and feeling all warm and fuzzy inside observing a lovely friendship, this film will absolutely stay with you long after you've left your seat. A story of a young boy who is bullied at school finally finding a friend who may or may not be a vampire. The film that people should be talking about instead of that rubbish called Twilight.

1. WALL-E, United States

I can feel it this year... WALL-E is going to be the first animated film to win Best Picture at the Academy Awards. One of the greatest science fiction stories ever told focuses on a robot and his adventures on an earth left in shambles and then in the final frontier of space. Oh, and did I mention that it's a wonderful love story too? The scene where WALL-E and Eve frolic and playfully dance outside of the ship is the best of the year indeed. Quite simply, there was not a better film made this year than WALL-E. If you haven't seen it yet, please do so.

So there it is... my favorites of 2008. Here's to hoping I can keep posting content in 2009.

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A Big Red Dude, a Few Games, and The Cookie Blog

Good morrow dear readers, I have much to say. First of all, I've started a new blog with several of my good friends that is entirely focused on cookies. The work is primarily done by resident food connoisseur Scott, but I'm planning to do quite a bit of guest posting. For now, head on over to A Lot of Cookies for a few posts on some delicious chocolate chip cookies from a local bakery.


Last Friday I was able to attend a showing of Hellboy II: The Golden Army. Essentially the film provides incredible fan service to Hellboy fans everywhere with a superb recreation of the dark humor from the comic. The story is fantastic, well written, and fast paced. The characters are immensely charming and provide great entertainment. Guillermo del Toro, the visionary director behind Pan's Labyrinth, uses the film as a giant playground for his imagination, with the Troll market scene standing out as one of the most novel sequences put to film since that vibrant saloon on Tatooine where we became acquainted with Luke, Han, and Obi Wan. I very much enjoyed this film with its droll humor and sarcastic tone. Ron Perlman has a sharp wit and a great presence on screen as the charismatic lead character. The supporting cast is nearly as good and really makes the film come together as something special. I highly recommend Hellboy II, especially if you like superhero movies, comic books, or just anything nerdy in general. Check it out.

I've also finished a few games that I'd like to comment on. After finishing Metal Gear Solid 4, I feel that I need to revise my initial impressions. While the plot is fairly interesting, the cutscenes just became too much to bear. I finished the game in 21 hours, and all joking aside, the cutscenes comprised at least 15 hours of that time. The gameplay is very tight, but not good enough to justify the insanely long and gratuitous cutscenes. Unless you are a huge Metal Gear fan, I would imagine that you will not enjoy this game very much. The story is incredibly confusing and absurd, and really is not worth following unless you've been following along for years.

Just to give you some perspective on how massive the story truly is, I'd like to describe the Metal Gear Solid Encyclopedia. A week or so after release, this enormous game add on appeared on the PSN. The Metal Gear Solid Encyclopedia is essentially Wikipedia for MGS. It is a 73 MB download comprised of mostly text. Do you have any idea how much raw information that is? I spent 3 hours reading article after article and made it through maybe 5% of the content. The time investment required to understand the story is simply mindblowing, so if you're looking for some quick, passive entertainment, this is not the right game. After finishing MGS4 and having some time to reflect on it, I'd give it a respectable 8.0/10. I would however, not recommend that you not play it if you're not already familiar with the world of Metal Gear and Hideo Kojima's outrageous eccentricities.

I also played Battlefield: Bad Company for the Xbox 360. The guys at DICE are very talented indeed, making some of the best multiplayer shooters out there, with the Battlfield series earning millions of fans worldwide. It's for good reason too- Battlefield features a very hectic and thrilling multiplayer mode. The explosions and effects of the brand new Frostbite engine are superb and make the game feel incredibly immersive. Unfortunately, there are a few drawbacks to the game. First of all, the game sets out to be funny while at the same time throwing players into an intense war zone. The humor really brings you out of the experience- you are supposed to be engaged in a pulse-pounding thrillride while all of your supporting players crack juvnile jokes? I think not. In addition, the single player campaign has a weak and rather mediocre story. I found it to be aggressively average and was not particularly impressed. The game as a whole also has a slightly poor aiming and control scheme. It's very difficult to say how exactly this feels, but if you play BF:BC side by side with Call of Duty 4 or Halo 3, you will know what I mean. These AAA shooters just have tighter gameplay and smoother aiming. I'm also very critical of the damage system. It takes an incredible amount of direct hits to kill someone and the damage is not at all realistic. By my count, it takes roughly 5 headshots to kill someone with a full machine gun. This is simply unacceptable. This game does not claim to be Halo, which acknowledges that players have thick armor and shields. I am somehow supposed to believe that a .45 caliber machine gun round to the bare skull of an ordinary man from 3 meters does almost nothing? Please. If you are looking for a good millitary shooter, just play Call of Duty 4 instead. I give BF:BC a 7.0/10.


Finally, I'll give a quick review of Unreal Tournament III. UT is the king of classic 90's twitch shooters, offering incredibly fast paced gameplay. The gore level is way over the top, with most weapons causing other players to explode into chunks of meat. If you don't like incredibly fast paced, twitchy, and violent gameplay, this game is not for you. If you're into Quake, Unreal, or TimeSplitters, this game is for you. UT III is the pinnacle of twitch gameplay, and I've been having a great time with this game. Not only are multiplayer matches fun, but bot AI is amazing. The programmers that worked on the AI should all be given raises for their incredible AI. The medium level bots are good, but the higher level bots really are something to behold. I highly recommend this game and give it an 8.5/10.

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Some Indie Films and a Bit about Spain

Greetings dear readers, it has been some time since we've had a chat. For the most part, I've been either working or up north in Door County where, tragically, we have no internet. I know what you are thinking, and no, I don't know how I made it either. At any rate, I have returned.

Euro 2008 finished with an epic 1-0 match with Spain defeating Germany. Fernando "El Nino" Torres scored for Spain in the 33rd minute with a superb individual effort. He finished with poise and class after a 40 yard run on the ball- it was simply sensational. Spain was finally able banish their curse and succeed in the late rounds of a major tournament after years of repeated failure. For their part, Germany did not play a very classy match, with several intentional fouls and all around poor play. Spain indeed deserved to win the match, with outstanding play by Casillas, Torres, Fabregas, and Ramos. I tip my hat to the Spanish squad for a memorable Euro 2008 campaign.

Spain had a bit more luck with their athletes after Rafa Nadal won the Wimbledon Final over Roger Federer. I believe I've said before that I've just watched "the finest match ever" but I must say that this one tops them all. The match lasted for 4 Hours and 48 Minutes, the longest Wimbledon Final ever. Nadal triumphed as the sun was setting and the light was fading just seconds past 9:15 PM. The final score of 6-4, 6-4, 6-7, 6-7, 9-7 is just a testament to how close in skill these two players are. The match consisted of one amazing shot after another, with each man looking nigh superhuman at several key moments. After the match, both players were pure class, congratulating one another, exchanging hugs, and behaving like true gentlemen. Federer was gracious in defeat, praising Nadal's outstanding play and shot making, while Nadal was utterly humble in his victory, freely admitting that Federer was a great champion and a master of his craft. I give credit to both of these men for their grace, class, passion, and fierce competitive spirit. In the words of John McEnroe, "If this doesn't get people excited about our great sport, I don't know what will."

I've also been to the movies quite a few times over the past few weeks. I saw WALL-E on opening day at the UltraScreen at about 10:00 PM. Thankfully we avoided all the kiddies and had a pretty good crowd. The film was so brilliant that I was back in the same theater just after noon on the very next day for a repeat viewing. There is not too much to say about WALL-E because you already know what's coming. Pixar has a reputation for making high quality films, and they have never really faltered. Just as with previous films, the animation is at the top of its class. The first bit of the film is set on Earth far in the future, when it has become overrun with garbage. The animation in this bit of the film is simply mindblowing, with thousands upon thousands of objects all flawlessly rendered and detailed. I simply do not know how the animators at Pixar were able to pull this off, but they have never ceased to amaze me. The film is very short on dialog, but again, Pixar is simply masterful at saying a lot without... saying a lot. The story is top notch, the characters are loveable and endearing, the animation is stellar, and WALL-E is one of the top 3 films of the year period. If you haven't seen it, I encourage you to do so at your earliest convenience.


Timur Bekmambetov, the visionary director behind Night Watch and Day Watch, has finally directed his first English language film, Wanted. American audiences who are not into indie films (Night/Day Watch are really out there and completely in Russian) will finally get a taste of Bekmambetov's unique imagination in a wide release film. James McAvoy gives a believable and compelling performance as mild mannered Wesley Gibson. Wesley leads a rather pitiful existence with a girlfriend that cheats on him with his best friend, a low-level job, and a boss that repeatedly emasculates him. Oh, and he's broke. And he sufferes from debilitating anxiety. Essentially, his life sucks. Suddenly, Angelina Jolie (codename "Fox") breaks into the scene with her massive lips flappin' in the wind and tells Wesley that he is the to succeed his recently deceased father in The Fraternity, a secret group of assassins who maintain order in the world by killing people. (Ironic much?) It's hard to talk much about the rest of the film without spoiling the plot, so I won't. If you enjoy lots of insane action, car chases, gun play, knife battles, and gratuitous gore, this movie is for you. If not, you may wish to pass. This was the perfect summer film and is easily entertaining enough to be worth your $9.

Next up is Jellyfish, a little known film from Israel. The film is a whimsical slice-of-life affair, following the lives of three women in present day Israel. Although there is little to criticize about the quality of the film and the depth of the characters, this film does not make a whole lot of sesne. Perhaps I'll understand it better if I watch it a few more times, but after Claire and I left the theater, we essentially stared at one another dumbfounded. Either we clearly missed something crucial or this film is flat out hard to understand. If you're interested in an offbeat comedy about rather ordinary people, check this one out. Then send me a message and explain what was going on.

Finally, I just got out of Mongol a few hours ago and it's fresh in my mind. Mongol chronicles the rise of Genghis Khan, the legendary Mongolian emperor who ruled over the largest contiguous empire in human history. Covering an area of 33 million km (^2), the Mongolian Empire was home to over 100 million people. Just to put those numbers in perspective, that is 22% of the total landmass on earth and approximately 30% of the world population.

Mongol is a deep and engaging look at the early life of Genghis Khan and provides a fascinating backstory for one of history's greatest rulers. The film itself is wonderfully shot, with excellent camera work and cinematography. Mongol is an epic unlike any other, putting many recent Hollywood blockbusters to shame. The film is as historically accurate as it possibly can be (there is little writting information about the life of the great Khan) and it is still an thrilling story. This is a testament to how extraordinary man Genghis Khan truly was. Although the film is in Mongolian, I highly recommend this excellent historical epic.

"42 is The Answer to Life, the Universe, and Everything. "

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