For the records

Better Late Than Never

• Movies: I figure there's no time like the present so yesterday I decided to tackle the DVD's/VHS movies I've accumulated over the last year or so. I can't remember all the times I've been channel surfing and nothing's on... Lent is just around the corner and I think I'll try to be a little more selective with my television viewing habits... So rather than watch an episode of Seinfeld for the umpteenth time(no offense to Seinfeld because it's still an awesome show!) I think I'll try to watch a movie instead. So hopefully over the next several months, I'll try to post reviews of the DVD'S/VHS movies I happen to watch. And the insanity begins:
  
  movie review: So Close
  
  So Close...the asian Charlie's Angels? Well not quite. On the surface, you could say many if not all of the action sequences in So Close draw similarities from the recent Charlie's Angels. But then you could say the Charlie's Angels' action sequences were highly influenced from asian cinema. Let's not play the comparison game. However the main difference between So Close and Charlie's Angels was that Charlie's Angels was a comedy that took pleasure in its campiness while So Close is very much a drama, which at times borders on cliched and melodramatics. Thankfully, cliches and melodramatics aside, So Close is still a very enjoyable film.
  
  The action scenes range from martial arts combat, to gun fights and to car chases. Through and through, there's a creativity to the action sequences that I haven't seen before(or at least seen recently). The action sequences are almost poetic [think John Woo and Mission Impossible II]. There's underlying stories about the main character's[the two sisters) parents being killed, as well as a romantic story. There's the cliche of the cop who is hot on the trail of the two sister's who are suspected of killing a top executive of a firm. For every cliche or melodramatic moment, there are moments of surprise, especially the 'lesbian' overtones of one of the character's behaviour. The three asian actresses(Karen Mok, Zhao Wei, Shu Qi) display sexiness in refreshingly subtle ways rather than in an overtly 't & a' way and the film is all the better for it. Finally, any film that can integrate the Carpenter's song 'Close To You' into an action sequence will definitely get my attention.



• I had a chance to check out the The 'Advil' Outdoor Adventure Show. And yes Ryan Leech(Canada's top bike trials rider) did make an appearance at the Toronto show! He can pull off some really amazing maneuvers with his bike. Check out the videos page of Ryan Leech's web site to see what bike trials is all about and what Ryan Leech can do. I got interested in bike trials a couple of years ago...mind you I'm 32 years old and I don't think I'll be doing anything too crazy on my mountain bike but I hope to master some of the basic trials moves.



• television: The film The Corporation will be airing in three parts on TVO (in Toronto) starting Wednesday February 25, 2004, then continuing on March 3 and March 10 at 10 pm; it will repeat over three nights starting February 29, 2004, then continuing on March 7 and March 14 at midnight. (info taken from Toronto Star's Starweek(February 21 February 27 issue)). My friend recommended this film to me and said that if you're a fan of Michael Moore you should enjoy The Corporation.



• Food: Now Weekly's cover story this week is on comfort foods and the article inside has spotlighted several restaurants throughout Toronto. Whether I get a chance to sample these restaurants remains to be seen, but I'm getting hungry already. Mmmm, macaroni and cheese!(and I'm not talking about Kraft Dinner...homemade all the way!)



• CD'S purchased today(75% off @ Indigo Books):




• A Camp - A Camp


• Allison, Dot - We Are Science




• Records purchased over the weekend($2 each! @ flea market):




• Clash, The - The Clash


• Clash, The - London Calling


• Cypress Hill - Insane In The Brain


• Depeche Mode - A Question of Time (Limited Edition)


• Depeche Mode - Everything Counts(in larger amounts)


• Maestro Fresh-Wes - Let Your Backbone Slide


• Pavement - Brighten The Corners




• Yahoo! News: Lost Beach Boys Album Premieres in U.K.



• MP3/videos: Check out meannmrmustard's Ryan Adams FTP site (well actually the link I've provided is a web page, but the instructions to log on to the FTP site, as well as what can be found on the FTP site, are there). I just downloaded a video of Ryan Adam's performance of 'So Alive' on Late Show with David Letterman.