Movie Review: Paranormal Activity (Spoiler Alert)

Okay, my friend raved about this so I had to see it, risking not being able to sleep for a few nights, but it was definitely not as scary as I had expected. Of all the random movies out there ("Stuck," "Open Waters," to name a few), this is one of those movies that should be labeled as "based on a true story," however loosely. I went into the movie thinking that it's "based on a true story," and it had some scary scenes. Once my husband told me that it was entirely fictional, it took out the suspension of disbelief and the rest are just okay. Also, once it's established that this is fictional, it seemed there are room for improvement, specifically:-

(1) A better escalation. I would like to see the severity of it increase gradually. Or maybe I just prefer the Asian type of scariness -- intangibility. The door moving on its own was scary, but footprints and opened roof access etc. implied a physical body, took the joy out of it (at least for me).

(2) I really liked how the guy tried to systematically figured what was going on. The sprinkling of powder on the ground was ingenious, that definitely should have been the way it went. More systematic methods by the guy, internet research, and other paranormal fans/experts coming over.

And the ending just seemed abrupt, both the theatrical and original one, but I guess there's really only one way it can end. :(

Depression

Do you think $1 million is a lot of money? I bet you do, because it sounds like a lot of money. That's why many game shows and reality TV shows set that to be the prize money. (Or should I say it's actually not a lot of money precisely for that reason?) $1 million might sound like a lot of money, or any amount using that as a unit thereof, e.g. "half a million ($500,000)," or "quarter of a million ($250,000)."

Well, let me tell you this: $1 million is NOT a lot of money, especially in the bay area. No, just because I say that doesn't mean I have a few millions lying around in the bank, so don't bother finding out who I am , where I live and try to rob me or kidnap my cats (catnap?). So why do I say that? Depression from house hunting.

You know what $250,000 (a quarter of a million) can get you in the bay area? Nothing. And I do mean nothing. Not even a shed in someone's backyard. What about $500K, you may ask. Now we are talking. Perhaps, perhaps a condo in a semi-decent (I do mean semi-decent) area, or a house in a questionable area. What is "questionable" area, you may ask. Well, bad neighborhood, brand new house next to the landfill, or across the street from the ghetto. Seriously, we have seen this road (a regular residential road, not even an expressway) dividing brand new houses from very bad neighborhood. Um, the bad elements can cross the street, you know? And, of course, houses/condos build on top of CA's famous naturally occurring abestos.

Well, what does a decent house in a decent neighborhood cost? You may ask. Think $1000 per square feet. So unless you have $1 mil or $2 mil to spare, don't even bother. But you said $1 mil is not a lot of money? $1 mil might be the price tag of a (1,000 sf) house, but let's not forget closing cost, property tax, and HOA. All in all, it's very depressing...

Travelling

So I take this annual trip to China, and I hate it. No offense to China, the time actually there wasn't too horrible, it's more getting there that I hate from the bottom of my heart. Regardless, I am not a big traveling person. Just... not my thing. So I had this conversation with a different friend (yeah, some friends I got, huh?)

"I'll be happy if I never leave this continent again for the rest of my life," I said.
"You are boring," she said.
"What's so good about traveling?" I asked.
"To learn different cultures."

Listen, lady, going to Europe or whatever destination you have for two weeks (hitting a few different locations) and going from touristy spot to touristy spot has nothing to do with learning the culture. In fact, you learned nothing about their culture. In your two weeks of travel, you probably seen more tourists than natives. Unless you are a mormon on a mission and live in a foreign place for two years and learn their language and eat their local cuisine, you can't tell me it's about the culture. It's more like following the tourist guide and hitting all the spots and taking pictures and bringing back souvenirs. :P

Movies

Evidently the type of movies I feel like watching varies with the time of the day!

AM :- almost never able to summon up enough attention span to start any movies
Mid Day:- Best time for block busters, the type that requires some concentration to appreciate
Evening:- B-line movies, the type that you can multitask (chat online, surf the web, etc.) and still be able to follow.

Movies: The Proposal

This is exactly what I meant by absolutely no way either one of them will find each other attractive. She was a b*tch through and through, and he suddenly decided that he will be nice and play along. Ugh, I fail to see how they can fall enough... or even so much as to be fond of each other. But it does have Sandra Bullock, so you know it's a must see. =D After all, who watches a romance comedy for it's storyline?

Movies: The Ugly Truth

Totally exceeded expectation, let me tell you. I thought it was just another one of your cookie cutter romance comedy in which you just knew the two person who met at the beginning, regardless of the differences in their believes or personalities, will undoubtedly become a couple at the end. Okay, so they did become a couple at the end (don't tell me this is a spoiler, the minute you picked up this movie in your hand, it was spoiled), but it did have some funny dialogs.

Hubby said, "Why do they always have to end up together? That's so predictable." Ugh, it's a romance comedy, what do you expect? You want unpredictable tragedy I'd highly recommend William Shakespeare, Earnest Hemingway, or Thomas Hardy. Although would you really say William Shakespeare is unpredictable?

Here's a picture of The Ugly Truth, click on it to buy. =)



Although, my complaint about romance comedy is: at least make a reasonable effort to make it convincing, even just a small incident where the man or the woman is attracted to the other one. Just one incident, just one party, is that too much to ask for?

Why I Sometimes Enjoy B-Line Movies More Than "Main Stream" Movies

Sometimes I just much prefer to watch a B-line flick. Why? Well, first, you adjust your expectation accordingly. And, more importantly, you can sit there and zone out and multitask and still be able to follow and enjoy the movie. Nothing wrong with your blockbusters, they just require more concentration, more brain power, and sometimes just more energy than I am willing to spend on watching a movie...

Hurray to b-line flicks! :)

Movie: The Brothers Bloom

This movie is, like, sloooooooow. If you have a short attention span like me, highly not recommend this movie. That said, I am still going to link it to Amazon anyway, in case some of you do like slow movies. =D

(I don't like these new DVD images on Amazon which look like a DVD box. :( I guess beggars can't be choosers.)

So Horrific That You'd Think It's Fiction

Movie: Ingorious Basterd

Holy Crap! I honestly have never seen a DVD sold out on Amazon before. Did they just not stock a lot because of the economy, or is the economy not as bad as we thought, or I just never looked up the hottest DVDs on Amazon during Xmas season?

Anyways, just watched Inglorious Basterd and wow, it was good. It was a different kind of movie than I had expected. I actually didn't have high hopes for it when I realized it's a Quintin Torentino movie, but it exceeded expectation. Can't say too much without giving it away. See it for yourself!

Movie: Dragon Hunter

Hubby: "So why did you get this movie again?"
Me: "The cover looked good when I was inside Blockbusters."
Which make up most of the reasons why I get random movies.

This one, Dragon Hunter, met and even slightly exceeded expectation. Very different from your traditional Disney animation (which are like, soooo boring and kiddy-ish). Almost refreshing.

Candy Earphones?

Guess what I just saw at Blockbuster? I had to do a double, no triple, no more like quintuple look to make sure these are, indeed, earphones, and not candies. Not to say that Hersey's can't branch off, but this is just weird. (These pictures are bigger than I had expected, but I am really too lazy to shrink them.)










Photo credits: Fatbrainboys

Note: if they are so cute that you can't live without them, Blockbuster is selling them for $5.99, cheaper than any sites that offer them online, that I could see.

Star Trek Movie Quotable

Leonard 'Bones' McCoy: You know, back home we have a saying: "If you wanna ride in the Kentucky Derby, you don't leave your prized stallion in the stable."
Spock: A curious metaphor, doctor, as a stallion must first be broken before it can reach its potential.

Reference: Imdb Star Trek Quotes



I, however, was not able to find reference of this saying other than in the Star Trek context. Can they do that? Just make up sayings in the movie? :O

Why Christians Should Not Hate Non-Believers For Having Xmas Off

First off, I have never even heard this one before. Man, the bitterness and the anger, where did all those come from? Isn't this supposed to be a sharing, loving, AND joyful day of the year? Definitely not the one devoted Christian who chose to attack me over her cousin's Facebook entry. Some people really need to get their priorities straight. I think the meaning of the "merry" part of "Merry Christmas" is definitely lost on him.

Other reasons why that's a good idea:

(1) business for the retail industry. Really? You want all non-believers or pseudo-believers to stop buying and giving for Xmas? Who's going to benefit from that, especially in this economy?

(2) Keeps Christmas a public holiday. Wonder what's a bigger slap on their faces: that non-believers have it off or that we'll make it a non-public holiday? (I am still going to take it off anyway. *SLAP!!*) Do they never stop and think that no other religions' holidays are public holidays? Oh wait, these hateful bastards believe that their religion is the one and only... not to mention the lack of brain cells to think for themselves after years of brain washing. Sadness.

Natural Bath Salts

Natural Bath Salts

Uber Hawaiian bath salts. The website doesn't do it justice but I highly recommend the lavender rose scent and I don't normally even like lavender-flavored products! It has tiny pieces of dried rose pedals in it too! (At least that's what I thought they are. :)