Charlie the Unicorn 2

The Pop phenomenon from way back at the end of 2005 is back with a sequel that’s even more absurdly random. The problem: when compared to its predecessor its just not as good. Sure he kept the basic build to the storyline (intro [where Charlie is force into an adventure], walking scene, random scene 1, random scene 2, bizarre song, and conclusion) that made the first one so popular, and added a load more randomness but the overall outcome is slightly less meaningful than the first. The song, for one, feels forced—think of a random item and do a meaningless song to it—and until the very last second the of the movie it seemed like it was going to be a major letdown (good job at reviving it at the end). Finally, the events/scenes don’t string together well, while being hilariously random (‘z’, the ‘choo-choo shoe’, and my favorite ‘loploploo-loo-loop’) they just don’t connect. Its an adventure to the banana king, lets see something that relates to that. Despite its downfalls, it’s a sequel to a movie I saw pretty close to the first day it was released and have watched it explode since then. I have to give the creator props for bringing back the characters (in their original style and form), because they ARE unbelievably funny, and the situations are drop-dead hilarious. Comedy: 9/10, Excecution: 6/10, and Animation 8/10.

If you haven't seen it yet, go see it on its original home at Newgrounds.com: http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/435202

Or if you can’t wait for a load time that long, watch it streamed at its official location on YouTube: http://youtube.com/watch?v=QFCSXr6qnv4

Your First Album

I’m pretty sure this has been going around for a while now, but I thought this was a neat concept:

1 - Go to Wikipedia. Hit "random article".
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Random

The first random Wikipedia article name you get is the name of your band.

2 - Go to random quotations:
http://www.quotationspage.com/random.php3

The last four words of the very last quote of the page is the title of your first album.

3 - Go to Flickr and click on "explore the last seven days"
http://www.flickr.com/explore/interesting/7days/

Third picture, no matter what it is, will be your album cover.

4 - Use Photoshop or MS Paint to mix them up.

Now debuting: GSG, like a bureaucrat scorned.

Layer Cake

Two things are assured about this movie, 1) its awesome, 2) its Daniel Craig’s definitive audition for James Bond. In detail: 1) the movie centers on one guy, never named, who lives in the world of drug dealing, playing by the rules and leading a fairly secret life. When he’s brought into a drug deal gone wrong he must bend and, in some points, break the rules. It’s suspenseful, shocking, full of action and double turns at every corner. I admit, at some points its hard to follow (especially for my American friends who sometimes couldn’t understand the English accents) but it really pays off in the end. Ends are tied up neatly; well save for one which is pretty killer. I also have to say the use of the camera was pretty creative too, a couple of weird shots that add some dynamics to the movie. Overall, the movie really portrays the shadiness of the drug world and the people who live and operate within it fairly reasonably and believably with a story that’s plausible too. And 2) there a quite a few scenes within this movie where the pacing and movement is straight from any Bond film, making it the perfect casting opportunity for Daniel Craig. Exciting, thrilling and intricate (many layers), definitively worth a second look 9/10.

21

21 is a perversion of the rags to riches story, the exasperation of not having wealth and the troubles with having it all. Based on a non fiction book, the movie focuses on college students leading double lives in Boston and Las Vegas, organized counting cards in games of black jack, earning hundreds of thousands of dollars and led by a former card-counter turned professor. The beginning of the movie and the majority of the middle and systematic, pulled together and kept light by strings of narration by the main character, for without it the story would unwind completely and get unbearably heavy. The ending, plausibly the better/best part of the movie really helps to assure its average status. It’s a game-changer of sorts that adds a little more suspense and complexity to a mostly plain storyline. Enjoyable for the most part but nothing I’d be excited to see again, 6.5/10.