Five Favorite Movies of 2012

2012 had a lot of great movies. Here were my favorite movies of the year:

Looper (Rian Johnson, 2012; 94% Tomatometer)

Dredd (Pete Travis, 2012; 77% Tomatometer)

 

Skyfall (Sam Mendes, 2012; 92% Tomatometer)

The Avengers (Joss Whedon, 2012; 92% Tomatometer)

Safety Not Guaranteed (Colin Trevorrow, 2012; 91% Tomatometer)

Honorable mentions:
The Grey

Django Unchained

Chronicle

Zero Dark Thirty

The Cabin in the Woods

Django Unchained

                                  Fantastic movie. Fantastic soundtrack.

Five Favorite Movies That Scared Me

Halloween is just around the corner so I thought I'd put up a list of the five movies that scared me silly. Some of them made me lose sleep and some of them caused me to react by jumping out of my seat and screaming out loud.

Insidious (James Wan, 2010; 66% Tomatometer)

One of the only two movies that made me sleep with the lights on. I was deathly afraid of having an unknown intruder enter my bedroom after I saw Insidious...during the afternoon! The first two acts of the movie is EXTREMELY terrifying in my opinion. What made it so scary for me was how it was framed. Whenever the characters were talking to each other, there was also depth in the background. Maybe an open window or a long hallway, I was always wondering if something might walk past without the character noticing it. That sense of uneasiness is what scared me the most.



Signs (M. Night Shyamalan, 2002; 74% Tomatometer)

The birthday scene in Signs. The first time I saw that part in the movie, I literally jumped out of the couch and yelled at the top of my lungs. I was very terrified by the sight of the thing. Joaquin Phoenix played the reaction perfectly.


Audition (Takashi Miike, 1999; 78% Tomatometer)

If somebody were to ask me what the scariest movie was, this would be it. Audition isn't your typical horror movie where the scares are spread throughout the running time. It's more like a buildup to the ultimate climax. Usually the climax is the most satisfying part of the movie. In Audition, it's actually the most horrifying part. I can never look at the words, "Deeper, deeper" again. It makes me shudder.



Halloween (John Carpenter; 1978; 93% Tomatometer)

Very scary, suspenseful, and Michael Myers is the ultimate boogeyman. The guy creeps me out. In fact, when I'm running at the track and I need motivation to sprint fast, I usually imagine him chasing me from behind.


Paranormal Activity (Oren Peli, 2007; 82% Tomatometer)

The second of the two movies that made me sleep with the lights on. After watching it in theaters and coming straight back home, I was deathly paranoid of my bedroom. The thought of things happening in my bedroom while being asleep scared me. My sense of hearing heightened up and creaking floor noises kept popping up every once in a while.

Five Favorite Films

Staring a new series on the blog here. The format is taken directly from Rotten Tomatoes. It's my "Five Favorite..." of many things. They could be my five favorite cereals, five favorite movies that take place on an island, or maybe my five favorite items to bring on a road trip. Since I'm studying film production, we'll start the first one off with my favorite films (not necessarily all-time).

In no specific order:

Leon: The Professional (Luc Besson, 1994; 79% Tomatometer)

If it weren't for Leon, I wouldn't have been a big fan of movies. I remember browsing on a forum back in 2004/2005 and found out that Best Buy was having a "Buy One Get One Free" sale on special edition DVDs. Somebody made a topic on what movies to pick up from the sale and when I looked into the titles, Leon: The Professional stood out. My mother took me to the store and we bought Leon and Black Hawk Down. Since then, Leon: The Professional has remained as my favorite movie of all time. The performances are amazing and I love the kinetic energy from the cinematography.



Rocky (John G. Avildsen, 1976; 91% Tomatometer)

Rocky was the movie that motivated me to get my ass off the couch and lift weights. It's a really inspiring movie that says if you give it your best shot, anything could happen. A true underdog movie that many people can relate to.





Forrest Gump (Robert Zemeckis, 1994; 71% Tomatometer)

The first time I saw this movie was in high school. That was in the summer of 2007 I believe. The semester was almost over so we had some free time to kill. Our teacher brought in Forrest Gump and after the movie was over, I was completely blown away by the amount of storytelling contained in a little over two hours. We were witnessing one man's life over a period of time and he experiences so many things.



Drive (Nicolas Winding Refn, 2011; 93% Tomatometer)

I am super obsessed with Drive. I've seen it six times on the big screen, I have a replica of the scorpion jacket that Ryan Gosling wears in the movie, I own a couple limited edition posters (worth more than $300 each), I have the gloves, a keychain, some tin box, and a car charger which all has the "Drive" logo on them. I have a few Drive one sheet posters, the soundtrack, a postcard, and the Blu-ray (watched many times). I love everything about this film.



Shaun of the Dead (Edgar Wright, 2004; 91% Tomatometer)

Insanely quotable, laugh out loud hilarious, and a bloody good time. It's one of my favorite romantic/horror movies AND it has zombies. Simon Pegg and Nick Frost are one of my favorite onscreen pairs and Edgar Wright is an awesome director. Highly recommend this movie.

Round 1 Bowling Tournament at Puente Hills Mall

This Sunday at 9:00AM, Round 1 is hosting a bowling tournament. Winner goes to Japan. I will be competing with a few others who were able to qualify (it's not as hard as it sounds). Feel free to come by and watch us. I'll do my best to keep up with the scores but the most important thing is to have fun.

My wishlist for Christmas

We are a few months away from Christmas. Here's what I want:

-   Carhartt Men's Sandstone Duck Detroit Blanket Lined Jacket 

 

- Stacy Adams Madison Cap-Toe Boot in white

 

- Gaspar 2204 Driving Gloves in London Tan

 

- Carhartt Men's Canvas Work Dungaree in Fatique

- Levi's Slim Fit Trucker's Jacket

- Dredd 3D Mondo Poster

...and we'll stop there for now. I'm gonna try to cross these items off the list as the year goes by but it's gonna take a while. These things aren't really cheap.

Upcoming Tough Mudder event and US Women's Soccer

My body is not ready. Here's what I'm expecting to face in the upcoming Saturday.

Bought some clothes on Sunday. Compressed Under Armour shirt and shorts. I tried them on and ran eight laps around my block and it felt like I was wearing nothing at all. There was hardly any weight and I didn't get too tired until the last lap (when I was forced to sprint because some dog chased me).

Friday afternoon, we're gonna leave and drive for about 8 hours until we reach Tahoe in North California, which is where the Tough Mudder event is taking place on Saturday/Sunday. After it's done, we'll probably do some sightseeing the next day.

This past weekend was awesome. On Saturday, there was a birthday gathering and we went to some Korean BBQ restaurant in Los Angeles. First time I had that stuff and it was delicious. Then on Sunday, I went to go see the US Women's National Soccer Team play against Australia at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California. That was awesome. I bought a Men's MNT jersey for $90. Very comfortable. I'll wear it when I run at the track.

 One thing's for sure, I'll always attend a US Women's Soccer game whenever they play in my area.

New Phone

It's a T-Mobile Prism. I know I'm very late to the party but now I can play with apps, tweet with Twitter, access my email, Skype, Facebook, and do lots of other cool things at the palm of my hand. Feels good man.

Breaking Bad Art Gallery in Los Angeles, CA

Bought this last night:

Wanted these two:

Gamefaqs Podcast Guest

If anybody's familiar with Gamefaqs, I'll be a guest on their next podcast episode this weekend. Check them out at: http://gamefaqspodcast.posterous.com/

I think we're recording it on Sunday morning and the archived episode should be posted by early next week. Either way, check it out if you get the chance. I listened to a few of the older episodes and they're really cool. Lot of interesting topics and discussion on video games. Personally I'm not a huge video game guy but it's nice to learn the latest gaming news when I listen to the Gamefaqs podcast.

Hopefully when I'm with them, I'll add something of value to the show.

Amoeba Music Purchases - 8/5/12

Went to Amoeba Music last Sunday a few hours before I had a concert to go to (which was in the area). I returned Catfish on Blu-Ray (not worth buying) and bought the following:

- When Harry Met Sally... DVD
- Insidious soundtrack
- Lost In Translation DVD

On my Twitter, I follow an actress named Rachel Nichols. You may know her from such films in GI Joe: Rise of the Cobra, P2, The Amityville Horror, and the most recent Conan The Barbarian.

I tweeted to her:
"@RachelNichols1 If you were stuck on a desert island, what three DVDs would be in your possession?"

She replied with:
" @morganchan WHEN HARRY MET SALLY, BRIDESMAIDS and SILENCE OF THE LAMBS."

I've seen Bridesmaids and I own Silence of the Lambs on DVD (which I haven't seen yet) so I kept When Harry Met Sally in the back of my mind whenever I went out to buy movies.

Maybe I'm just yearning for a relationship and that's why I bought those two movies. The Insidious soundtrack was something I found while I was in the Soundtracks section. Scary movie by the way. One of the very few times when I had to sleep with the lights on.

Amoeba Music Purchases - 7/31/12

If you see me outside of my house, chances are that I'll be wearing an Amoeba Music cap on my head. Amoeba Music is an independent record shop located in California. There are three of them in the state. The one in Hollywood is one of my favorite places to shop at. If you're a big fan of buying physical copies of music, movies, and posters, look no further. Amoeba Music is the place for you.

http://www.amoeba.com/

Today I went there with the intention of buying some documentaries on DVD because I'm working on one in August. After a couple hours of browsing around (time goes by fast in the building), I ended up with a few impulse buys, which could be good or bad.

I ended up buying the following:
- Dillinger Escape Plan - Option Paralysis Box set
- Chromatics - Kill For Love
- Hanna Official Soundtrack
- Catfish on Blu-Ray

Other than documentaries, I was also looking for a copy of "The House Of The Devil" on DVD/Blu-Ray. I heard good things about it and how it was filmed to look like a horror movie from the 80's. I'm also interested in making a horror movie so any kind of inspiration is helpful.

Amoeba Music Purchases will probably be an ongoing series on this blog so expect more of these posts whenever I shop there.

Documentary - Dang Paddles

In the month of August, I'll be working on a documentary about a small business called "Dang Paddles". You can check their Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/DangLeCustomGreekPaddles.

For the next few days, I'll be doing pre-production and filming will hopefully start next weekend. If everything goes right, the deadline for the finished product is at the end of September.

Mondo Movie Posters

If you're not familiar with Mondo and love movies, you should be.

From their website:

Mondo creates limited edition screen printed posters for our favorite classic and contemporary films, in addition to vinyl movie soundtracks, VHS re-issues, and apparel. We also have a permanent gallery space in Austin, TX featuring a mix of original artwork and limited edition screen prints.

Right now, I own four Mondo posters including Drive, The Cabin In The Woods, Iron Man, and Captain America. Soon, I will also own a Dark Knight Rises poster, which I ordered about 10 minutes ago, 5 hours after it was up online. It will be available for 24 hours on Wednesday, July 18 2012. Go here if you want to purchase it:
http://www.mondotees.com/The-Dark-Knight-Rises_p_535.html

The thing about Mondo is that they release posters in limited prints. Once they go online, the posters go FAST. Depending on what it is, they could sell out within minutes. Add to the fact that they go up at a random time, things get really hectic. You spend time refreshing the page hoping for the poster to pop up in their store. Once it does, the website starts lagging because there are thousands of other people trying to get that same item at the same time. If you manage to score a poster, congratulations. If you don't, you can always buy it on eBay where people usually sell it for absurd amount of prices. Mondo posters cost about $45 but when it's on a secondary market, the prices climb up to $300 immediately. Depending on what kind of print and edition, it may go even higher. I believe Tyler Stout's "The Thing" was sold for around $2,000 on eBay. That's a lot of profit.

As an alternative to official one sheet movie posters, Mondo is a great way to discover new movies and artwork to hang on your wall.

Thomas Jane returns as The Punisher in short film

If this is Thomas Jane's way of telling Marvel to consider him for another Punisher movie, then sign me up!

Also, if you haven't seen The Punisher (2004), I highly recommend it. Good old school action.

Memorable toys from your childhood

I remember in second grade, I brought this little action figure to Show and Tell, which was a weekly thing where students bring something to class and share it with everybody.

Do you still remember your favorite childhood toys?

Diamond Select Toys 6-99788-26037-1 Battlestar Galactica Series 1 Helo Action Figure

Anime Expo 2012

Right, so I was supposed to post my experience at this year's Anime Expo. Long story short, it was alright. I went there with $100 and left with $90. Paid $10 for parking, walked around the Los Angeles Convention Center for a few hours, took lots of cosplay pictures, and went home. Here are some pictures below:

Super Street Fighter Iv For Playstation 3

Week 2 of PHAT workout

Well let's just say that P.H.A.T. isn't my favorite workout but it does make me feel productive after I'm done. If anything, my arms are getting bigger now. When I did Starting Strength, the arms were neglected as I mostly focused on my core body.

The workouts are also longer. Usually I hit the weights for about 45 minutes and shower/sauna for 15 minutes. Now I'm lifting for almost 70 minutes and then we have the additional 15 minutes for shower/sauna. PHAT's also making me run around the gym and use machines that I've never touched before.

Anime Expo 2012 soon.

Heading there tomorrow morning. Expect some cosplay pictures and a writeup on what I experienced there after I return. Should be interesting.

What I've been working on at the gym

It's been 7 months since I started working out at 24 Hour Fitness. During the first month, I didn't have a dedicated workout plan. Then on January, I chose a routine called "Starting Strength", or at least I sorta did. What I did use were the workouts, which consists of squats, deadlifts, bench press, overhead press, and barbell rows. It's a fantastic routine and I highly, HIGHLY recommend it to anybody who's starting out in the gym. After 6 months of using it, this is how I look like now:

Okay I don't look THAT good but that's because my diet is bad. I'm still bulking so that explains why I'm not so ripped. During the six months of working out, I gained about 15 pounds. My legs got thicker, my chest became bigger, and my arms grew (although this recently happened). I was about 115 lbs - 120 lbs before I started going to the gym. Now I weigh about 135 lbs.




My main goal when I started was to simply get strong. I told myself after school was over during the fall, I would get my ass into the gym and avoid being lazy at home. Then later on, I wanted to look like Ryan Gosling. He was my second push in terms of motivation. Another reason why I wanted to look like him was because I was planning to dress up as his character in the movie "Drive". He's not a skinny fella so I wanted to fill out my shirts and get thicker.

 Powers Collectibles Gosling Ryan2 Gosling Ryan- 5267

The fourth push in motivation was when a friend of mine mentioned something about a "Tough Mudder" event. The video below will explain everything you need to know:

That event is coming up in a few months and I need to get my body ready.

Starting today, I'll be changing my workout routine because I think my body has plateaued. I can't get any stronger with Starting Strength. The new workout routine that I found is called "P.H.A.T." We'll see how that goes after a few weeks. Somebody I knew in the gym mentioned it to me and it looks pretty interesting.