I Am Legend review

"I Am Legend" started out a little slow, but still kept my attention then and the rest of the movie. This was actually a remake of a couple other movies, including "The Omega Man", which I have not seen. I did feel like the film needed some more story to it, but was already pretty long.

I was impressed by Will Smiths ability to act alone through the majority of the film...sort of like "Cast Away" with Tom Hanks, not to mention, the dog, Abby, who played "Sam" (short for "Samantha") was not too shabby herself. The beautiful german shepard was well trained, and played a major role in the movie...what can I say, I love animals. This was a major role for Will Smith as well, since the weight of the movie rested mainly on his shoulders since he is by himself. There was no doubt in my mind he'd do a good job. His daughter in the movie was also played by his real daughter, Willow, even tho it was a small part.

There was one scene in the commercials that did not make it to the final cut, which I thought was going to be an important part in the movie, but they must have changed their minds, so I'm interested in seeing deleted scenes on the DVD. I was also impressed with the CGI in the movie. The shots of a rundown, deserted New York City was very cool, and almost believable.

I was amazed to find out that the director, Francis Lawrence, also directed "Constantine"...but he is originally a music video director, he did some videos with Green Day, Jennifer Lopez, and Brittany Spears. I think he did a very good job on this film too.

I was overall VERY happy with this movie, and even wanted to see it again, and I will probably end up buying it when it comes out on DVD.

Here's some interesting facts taken from IMBD.com:

--Warner Bros. Pictures has owned the rights to the book since the 1970s. The studio first attempted adapting it was as The Omega Man (1971) with director Boris Sagal, starring Charlton Heston. Then as 'I Am Legend' with director Ridley Scott, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, which fell through when the production went over-budget. And then in 2002, Michael Bay was set to direct Will Smith, but they decided to make Bad Boys II (2003) instead.

--The scenes at the Brooklyn Bridge involved over 1000 extras and various military vehicles and aircraft.

--Much of this film was shot on location in New York City's Washington Square Park during fall and winter 2006-2007, causing holiday decorations to be taken down and replaced tumultuously for over three months.

--The studio spent an estimated $5,000,000 for a 6 night shoot in New York involving the Brooklyn Bridge. To film in this location, the producers needed the approval of up to 14 government agencies. The producers had to bring in a crew of 250, plus 1,000 extras, including 160 members of the National Guard in full combat gear.

--The film was green-lit without a script.

--Warner Brothers initially opposed filming in New York because of costs and logistical challenges. However, Michael Tadross, a veteran New York production manager got the city to approve closing the Grand Central viaduct, several blocks of Fifth Avenue and Washington Square Park, albeit at night and on weekends, between September 2006 and April 2007.
Plants were transported via trucks from Florida to dress up the city streets as if weeds had overtaken them.

Guitar Hero 3: Legends of Rock - Xbox 360

Developer: Neversoft (Xbox 360)
Publisher: Activision
Release Date (US): October 28, 2007
System(s): Xbox 360 (Reviewed), PC & Mac (11/12/07), PS2/3, Wii
Modes: Single player career, Co-op, Online co-op
Rating: T

I am a huge fan of the "rhythm" game genre. Unfortunately there aren't too many, at least not that many as fun as Guitar Hero. Even though the game has departed from Harmonix (developers of Rock Band), the game is still just as good as ever!

Let's talk about the guitar. Boy is it sweet. There is virtually no lag between the wireless controller and the game. This is surprising, although for those really fast passages, I really wonder how much of it is me or the wireless signal... Anyways, the guitar is detachable at the neck for travel purposes. You can also customize the guitar with face plates (extra of course), as well as get a free universal guitar stand for your controller if you buy the game this week (10/28-11/3) at Circuit City. The glossy black finish is sweet, but it does lead to smudges showing up easily, like an iPhone screen.

The buttons are not as springy as the Xbox 360 and PS2 GH2 versions. The strum bar is much quieter than before as well, making it less noisy when playing those really fast passages. It would have been nice if the guitar had rechargeable batteries in it with a cable to recharge or play without batteries, but this would probably drive the cost up. I'm sure a third party manufacturer will produce them at one point. Also, the neck strap is REALLY long. They must've realized that fat people like to play Guitar Hero as well!

My only real complaint about the Gibson Les Paul guitar is the sensitivity when activating the Star Power. Normally this is great, because in the past I would tilt the guitar several times to get the Star Power going. But when I sit in a chair with arms, I automatically tilt the guitar up in order to play more comfortably. Whenever I get enough "juice" to activate the Star Power, it automatically starts since the guitar is somewhat tilted. Guess I'll just have to play standing up, huh? Or get a new chair...

So back to the gameplay. Everything looks basically "the same" as the previous version, as far as the format of naming your band and selecting songs. Instead of a newspaper at the end of each song you are featured in a magazine. You also play an encore after finishing 4 songs in each set, as in the previous version. One nice change with the song selection screen is that it posts your career score at the bottom of the screen. If I'm not mistaken, in previous versions you had to go to another screen to view your career score.

Co-op is expanded with being a mode in career, as well as multiplayer over XBL, either against each other or as a duo. There are also ranked and player matches on XBL. I can't wait to try the ranked matches... look for me as PekosRob!

This will keep me patiently waiting for Rock Band next month. I plan on getting the guitar and drums for that, although I have NO room in my bedroom for the drums, so I will have to figure out what I'm going to do.

The song selection is EXCELLENT, with both classic rock (hence the name Legends of Rock) from Cream to KISS, and a nice song selection from the 90s, my personal favorite decade in rock after the mid 60s to late 70s (yeah, more than a decade, but who's counting). 90s songs include Sabotage, My Name is Jonas (about time Weezer got on the game!), and Bulls on Parade.

The Achievements are REALLY difficult in this game, so I'll be happy if I get at least half of them.

I give this game and guitar and overall score of 9.0/10. It would be a 10, but how on earth could a sequel get a 10? It's the same thing, but just a tad bit better each time, so it's not like it's innovative or groundbreaking (usually). Even Halo 3 didn't get a 10 from me, although now I might rate it a lil higher.

UPDATE: Did you read how I wished the battery was rechargeable? Looks like someone already made some. But you have to take them out to recharge them.

The Darjeeling Limited

So a new film from Wes Anderson (Bottle Rocket, Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums, Life Aquatic) called The Darjeeling Limited is scheduled for nationwide release on October 26. How is it that this film is not being hyped AT ALL? I understand that most people don't appreciate Anderson's sense of humor/comedic style, but I can appreciate it. I was reading about the film at Wikipedia (of course) and it has some excerpts of reviewers. I didn't realize so many film reviewers hated The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou. I thought that movie was genius. I thought it was hilarious. When I watch this movie, if I disagree once again with movie critics, I think I will never read another movie review again, unless it is about an old movie that no one knows anything about. Or at least comedy reviews I will avoid.

Pat O'Briens - New Orleans, LA

As some of you may or may not know, my girlfriend and I went to New Orleans last weekend. Among the many different sights and sounds, we got to stop by the famous Pat O'Briens bar next to Preservation Hall (excellent music for a scant $8 cover, which allows you to go in and out as you please). Pat O'Briens, as well as the city of New Orleans, is famous for their Hurricane drink.

For starters, the service is excellent. I advise you to go to the entrance on St. Peter (the main entrance next to Preservation Hall). We noticed that there was zero wait time; at other entrances there was a huge line. These entrances faced other streets, one which I think was Bourbon or Royal.

We were seated and waited on by the same server/host (I guess everyone is their own host). Hurricanes cost $10 a pop, which is actually a decent price considering similar "strong" drinks in Houston go for about $9 (unless it's half price teas at the Marquis II on Tuesdays). One Hurricane probably has as much alcohol as at least two drinks put together. To top things off, when you leave, you can either return your glass for a $3 refund, or take yours home with you. They have personnel at the door to dump the ice and box up your glasses and put them in a plastic bag. They have exceptional service - people ask if you need anything (but not an annoying amount of times) and are attentive to your needs. The prices are very reasonable, and you get a free glass on top of that!

I highly recommend to everyone that enjoys a drink (or two, or three, or thirty) to stop by Pat O'Briens when visiting Nawlins!

Halo 3 - Xbox 360

Developer: Bungie Studios
Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios
Release Date (US): September 25, 2007
System(s): Xbox 360 (Reviewed)
Modes: Single player campaign, Co-op, Online co-op,
Rating: M

I will be quick to admit that I have barely gotten through this game. Unlike many of my peers out there, I did not call in sick yesterday or today. Rather I will try to absorb the end of the Halo trilogy as slow as possible. Last night I played a little online and the first level of the campaign.

First Impressions
Even though I'm used to the RB button to reload in games like Gears of War, I keep forgetting and end up deploying a tech/gear/accessory instead of reloading! This is really going to mess me up in Shadowrun, since the RB, LT, and LB buttons are all assignable. Sigh, too bad there wasn't some type of standard.

When you get blown up, look quickly in one direction, or experience some other quick movement, the image on the screen blurs a little. This leaves a pretty nice aesthetic touch to the graphics. The overall graphics aren't that great to be honest (compared to Gears of War) but the Havok Physics Engine is pretty neat. When shooting into the water or driving over it, small splashes appear.

UPDATE 10/7/07
So I've gotten through about 7 of the campaign levels. I'm a little stuck in this one area so I'd rather play with friends online with as many people in co-op as possible. I've also started getting used to using the theater function. You can access the last game you played and take video clips and picture stills of the match. Here are some for you to look at.

I really don't feel like going through a thorough review, so I'm just going to say this game is by far the best of all three. I'm way better on multiplayer now than I ever was in Halo 2. Maybe that's because I own a 360 and I never owned an original Xbox. I do have Halo 2 but I hardly ever played it before (even though I have it both on Xbox and PC!). Halo 3 gets a 9.6/10.

Californication - Mondays 10:30/9:30c on Showtime

Californication stars former Special Agent Mulder (David Duchovny) as an author from NYC living in LA, separated from the mother of his daughter (they never married). His wife is engaged/about to be married to another man, who Hank (Duchovny) learns to hate. The entire story is intertwined with several story lines that are all tied together. I was hesitant in watching this show, but I'm glad I gave it a chance. After two episodes I can honestly say I'm hooked. There is gratuitous nudity, and the relationship between Hank and his "wife" resembles a lot like Denis Leary's in Rescue Me. I give this show an 8.7/10.

Motorola S9 Bluetooth Headphones Review

Last weekend I purchased a pair of Motorola ROKR S9 bluetooth stereo headphones from Fry's Electronics in Houston, TX. Funny thing is my roommate was thinking about buying a pair at the same time I bought these headphones. He ended up buying them at Best Buy in our town of Tyler, on sale for $90 instead of the MSRP of $130. I took his receipt to Fry's this weekend and got my $43.28 or whatever it was with the tax. The thing about Fry's Electronics is that they will honor price matching, as long as it is within seven days of buying the product, and you have proof. I brought the receipt my roommate had to make it easier instead of them looking online or calling the store.

But I digress. What is included is a charger, the headset, two pairs of buds to put on the headphones, and an instruction manual, along with some quick reference cards. The charger is just like every other Motorola charger; mini-USB on one end, standard 2 prong plug on the other. I actually use this to charge my BlackBerry as well when I'm away from home, and not near a computer.

I have a rather large head, so the headphones are just a little bit uncomfortable to me, since they feel a little bit constraining since they are a little tight. However, I can usually get used to it and they become a little bit more comfortable with time. They are supposed to be water and sweat resistant, ideal for exercising. You may need to try the different ear buds since the pair already on may be too big for some ear holes. The headphones are extremely light.

Pairing the headset with devices is extremely easy. You probably don't even need to read how to do it if you've paired anything before. The small light on the headphones indicate if it's pairing, streaming, low battery, etc, although it is a bit ironic it's on the BACK of the headphones where you can't SEE the light when in use. There are also volume up/down, forward/back, play/pause, and answer/hang up buttons built into the sides of the headphones!

Finally, the sound quality is clear, and the range is close to 30 feet as advertised. Battery life seems shorter than the 5-6 hours it is rated, but perhaps that is because I'm enjoying them too much to realize how much I'm using them.

Calls only output audio on the left ear bud, with a hidden mic built into the headphones. Sound quality for people listening to me through the headphones is a bit quiet, but loud enough to understand. However, I bought these headphones to listen to music with, not make phone calls. I have a Samsung WEP-200 for that.

Stereo audio is very clear; my only concern is that the bass is not rich. Bass happy people, avoid this headset. I have heard fuller and richer bass on $20 wired headphones than these.

Pros: easy to pair, no wires, stylish, lightweight, rechargeable, water/sweat resistant, controls
Cons: somewhat uncomfortable for big heads, weak bass, call quality

Overall, great pair of headphones, and I give them a 7.7/10.