Meddling with Muggles

I'm over halfway through the first season of Lost. I am truly sucked in now and must finish the season off. It is quite good but still very formulaic. There are also many small flaws that may become more annoying as the show progresses. First of all, despite the fact that there are over 40 survivors only about 7 of them do enough to warrant receiving a name. Perhaps they are pooling all their toiletries together but the men have really short beards after being stranded on the island for so long. On the other hand, the women all have impeccable hair still. Bruises from fights seem to heal very quickly. The guy who struggled for an entire episode with a drug addiction seems to have kicked the habit very quickly and it is no longer an issue. Even though they made it very clear in the beginning of the series that burying bodies would just draw dangerous animals, they now bury everyone (and not very deeply either). These are only small complaints though and the show is fun. I really want to know what is going on there.

Movie Review: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (Wizard People's Version) (2001)
A new narrative to the first Harry Potter movie by a fellow from Texas by the name of Brad Neely. It's somewhat like the MST2K material but here the entire story is redone. Harry Potter is a raging alcoholic that runs into challenge after challenge as he looks for his next drink. I think the whole concept of fans making 'alternative narratives' for movies is great but this one turns out to be only mildly amusing. If you'd like to check it out yourself you can download it here.

Movie Review: Millions (2004)
Latest flic from director Danny Boyle. Unlike many of his previous films which were quite edgy (Shallow Grave, Trainspotting, the Beach, 28 Days Later) Millions is pretty much a good family fare movie. It's about a small boy, mysteriously named Damien, who lives with his older brother and widow father. He has memorized details about all of the famous Catholic saints and truely believes in them. So much so that he is often visited by (or at least has visions of) them and receives advice. He believes that his recently passed away mother must have joined their holy numbers and frequently asks if they've met her. One day, as if it has fallen from the sky, a sports bag full of pound notes finds its way into his hands. And with the UK's country about to switch to the Euro, he only has a short time to use the money before it becomes worthless. Much of the film involves the small boy and his brother finding ways to use the money. The older brother uses it to gain prestige and respect at his school while Damien is intent on giving it to the needy. The movie takes a darker turn when the real source of the money reveals itself and wants it back - somewhat of a throwback to Boyle's earlier film 'Shallow Grave'. There is a smidgeon of CG in the movie but it is done very subtlely and really adds to the magic quality of the movie. 8/10

Movie Review: Prince of Egypt (1998)
The animated story of Moses. Apart from a few Disneyesque comedy moments (this film is by Dreamworks by the way, not Disney) this is a pretty serious movie. The animation was just brilliant. The parting of the Red Sea, in particular, was fantastic. The cast is also very impressive:

Val Kilmer .... Moses/God (voice)
Ralph Fiennes .... Rameses (voice)
Michelle Pfeiffer.... Tzipporah (voice)
Sandra Bullock .... Miriam (voice)
Jeff Goldblum .... Aaron (voice)
Danny Glover .... Jethro (voice)
Patrick Stewart .... Pharaoh Seti I (voice)
Helen Mirren .... The Queen (voice)
Steve Martin .... Hotep (voice)
Martin Short .... Huy (voice)

I didn't really like Kilmer voicing both God and Moses. He used 2 slightly different voices but it was fairly obvious. I read that at one point, early on, in the creation process they were going to use a woman's voice for God. They figured that would raise too many shackles and then decided to use an amalgamation of the entire cast's voices for God. But in the end they just went with Kilmer. It's very well done and worth a watch for those interested in the subject matter. 7/10

Movie Review: The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement (2004)
I'm actually a little embarrassed to say I saw this one. One of Yukiko's coworkers lent us the DVD so I felt like I had to watch it. I figure that if someone lends us something without our asking for it they must be recommending it, right? Well this movie is definitely geared for the 6-12 year old girl market. A sequel that has a college age Princess of some non-fictional European country look for love in order to qualify to become queen. There are plenty of silly pratfalls, cooking mishaps, spontaneous hip hop dance interludes, and even sliding down ramps on bed mattresses. If all that sounds great to you then ... 4/10

Book Review: Star Wars: Jedi Apprentice #1: The Rising Force by Dave Wolverton
The story of Obi-Wan Kenobi as a teenager, training at the Jedi temple, hoping to become a padawan to the famed Jedi Knight Qui-Gon Jinn. It's very short at just over 130 pages, but a nice look at Obi-Wan before he becomes the confident Jedi we see in the movies.