Greatest movie character of all time...

In the November issue of EMPIRE magazine, a list of the 100 Greatest Movie Characters of All Time (as voted by the readers) were revealed. You really couldn't argue with the top 10:

1. 1. Indiana Jones (pictured, left) - Indiana Jones series, played by Harrison Ford
2. 2. The Joker - Batman (Jack Nicholson), The Dark Knight (Heath Ledger)
3. 3. Darth Vader - Star Wars eps 3-6 (David Prowse, voiced by James Earl Jones)
4. 4. Jack Sparrow - Pirates 1-3 (Johnny Depp)
5. Hannibal Lector - Lector trilogy (Anthony Hopkins)
6. James Bond - 007 series (Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan, Daniel Craig)
7. Tyler Durden - Fight Club (Brad Pitt)
8. Han Solo - Star Wars eps 4-6 (Harrison Ford)
9. Forrest Gump - Forrest Gump (Tom Hanks)
10. The Terminator - Terminator series (Arnold Schwarzenegger)

Only one that raised my eyebrow in the top 10 was Tyler Durden. But there's no doubt he is a truly memorable character. Agree, disagree with the list?

Interesting to note was of the 100 characters only 12 were female. And the first female character does not appear until no.18 with Dorothy Gale from The Wizard of Oz. Proving that there are no real "strong" female roles in Hollywood or else where these days. It's a shame because there are so many talented actresses.

cíao,

Ippei

Movie Review: Eagle Eye

EAGLE EYE
Main players: Shia LaBeouf, Michelle Monaghan, Billy Bob Thornton, et al.
Calling the shots: D.J. Caruso
What’s it about? Two everyday people; slacker Jerry (LaBeouf) and single mum Rachel (Monaghan), are seemingly selected at random to complete dangerous tasks by a mysterious female voice over the phone. Why were they chosen and why are they made to do these things? And with several government officials chasing them, can they survive and clear their name at the same time?

What do I think? Without giving away too much of the plot, it’s probably easiest to describe it as “I, Robot” minus the robots…if that makes any sense to you. Lol.

The first half hour or so is surprisingly slow and boring. It feels like a lot of random things happen without explanation.

The action literally picks up as soon as the phone calls start and at its best, it’s an exciting action-thriller. The car chase involving the wrecking yard is particularly memorable; as is the chase in the baggage claim at the airport. But its intrigue quickly wears off and becomes a mish-mash of several other movies.

It is also let down by a poor and clichéd ending which feels VERY Hollywood.

The movie plays on our reliance on technology and our fear that we might always be under surveillance. I mean think about it, this shit could really happen to you! :P

Hollywood’s current “it” boy, LaBeouf, continues his good work from his previous films (though they all seem very similar) playing the lead as a relatable everyday Joe. Monaghan is also good as the single mum who’d do anything for her son. Thornton plays his agent role by the numbers and Rosario Dawson brings a touch of ‘sexy’ to the cast. Fans of TV’s “The Shield” will be happy to see Michael Chiklis on screen, though he is completely underutilized.

“Eagle Eye” has its flaws but if you like your action and the whole cyber-warfare trend, it’s definitely worth a look. Just don’t expect to be “wow”-ed, like the trailers might have.

3 out of 5

South American dreaming...

Coming off of a lengthy lay off, I need a holiday. Not the stay at home, do nothing kind. But a real getaway kind. Go somewhere I've never been (or at least haven't been for a while), experience a different culture even if for a little while.

It was all planned out mind you. I was to take a trip to Shanghai, Hong Kong and Taipei with Toby, Yi, Emma, Makka and Oendrila early next year. But because of my time away from work, I'll need to build back up my leave again. Bummer.

So, this supposed "getaway" won't happen in the near future but when it does, I know where I wanna go. I don't even know where the inspiration (or rather the fascination) came from. I guess thinking about all the places i hadn't and wanted to go, it just stood out.

I even went as far as to buy a Lonely Planet's Guide on the continent. "South America on a shoe string". ha! Impulse buy? Maybe (it had a little to do with Borders having a sale and Bri's suggesting). But the motivation to one day head there is real.

The Amazon. Easter Island. Machu Picchu. The Galápagos. Carnivalé. It is such a interesting place with vast cultures, yet similar in someways.

Now I'm a terrible reader, so I'm only up to Argentina in the book (the countries are listed alphabetically. :P ) but it already sounds amazing. Perhaps to follow the road the Ché travelled or to visit where Evita left her mark. The options are limitless.

Talking to Heidi about her trip to Brazil recently has also been good, though I'll need to talk more in depth with her about it.

Spanish is something I need to learn, I figure. Maria has offered to teach me some, but perhaps proper classes are in order as well (last check $250 for a 10-week course) but not so cheap. It's okay though; i have time. And now that I'm working, I'll HAVE money. Not now but eventually. :P

cíao (if only I had learned Spanish in school and not Italian...not that i had a choice or cared back then),
Ippei K.

So, that's what it means...

Ever had a day when you woke up and something wasn't quite right?

And not because you have the serious case of the hangovers or jet lag, but just feel...different?

I apologise for the cryptic-ness, but I recently found out what it is like to "get up on the wrong side of the bed". And it isn't exactly pleasant to say the least.

You wake up and the first thing you realise is you don't feel like yourself. Nothing looks different, but something's definitely a skew. You try to get on with the day just like any other; Have a shower. Change into your clothes for the day. Pack a bag for the gym. Go downstairs to get something to eat. Yet you find yourself not moving at all. You realise you're still in your pajama pants and with the remains of your hair product still there.

And then as the time ticks over you feel less and less like doing anything you had planned for the day. Maybe it's too early. You try to sleep it off, forgoing your morning, only to wake up with day half over and still feeling no better.

It was a weird feeling. Not least of all because I'd never felt like that before but actually quite scary because you can't figure out why you were feeling that way. And i still don't know. All I can say is I rolled off the wrong side of my bed and into bizzaro-world. Funny, because there is only one way to roll off my bed. lol.

Never the less, that was a one day thing and I've been fine since. Here's to hoping it doesn't happen again anytime soon, or at least when it does I can figure it out.

cíao,
Ippei K.

On rehab...(no, no, no)

Didn't realise it'd been this long since the last post.

I've moved right along with my knee. Now walking limp-free...kinda. But the discomfort in the knee still remains. The flexibility isn't quite there yet and can't bend as deep as my left.

The picture to the left (or above, if you're reading this in Facebook) is the scars left from my surgery. It's not as bad as I initially thought it'd look. It's almost like someone was trying to play naughts and crosses on my knee but just couldn't figure out how.

If you feel where the long scar is, you can definitely feel some metal under there. Which, of course, is supposed to be the case as I have two screws in my knee now (awesome!). I can feel it moving around sometimes when I bend, which I'm actually not sure if that's a good thing or not. I wonder if I'll beep at the airport. hmm...

As you can also see, they shaved my knee for the surgery so it looked quite hideous for a while. Think Steve Carrell's chest in "The 40 Year Old Virgin" and you'll get the picture. It's almost back to normal now so it's all good.

They've told me that the knee is actually doing well, and look strong. The physio exercises (as boring as they are) seem to be working. I've started going back to the gym and started swimming lately to help the healing. I got myself a Wii as well, which has kept me entertained the past week (Mario Kart Wii is awesome!).

I've also been out and about, watching as many movies as possible and hanging out with friends which is nice.

I have been given a return date to playing basketball again. April 2009. Damn. It's so close yet so very very far. I intend to be in the best shape of my life by that time so here's to hoping. lol. I'm also headed back to work soon. Which is great, because I'll actually have something to do. Plus I miss everyone at work. The week of the 18th people. soon. soon.

In the meantime, it's a great feeling to finally have my life returning to normal (or at least what feels like).

Peace,

Ippei K.