Review: Eagle Eye

Eagle Eye, the second pairing of director D.J. Caruso and rising star Shai Lebeouf, is Hollywood’s big action spectacle summer closer.  Similar to the film Traitor, which was released last month, Eagle Eye deals with the complications of national security and fighting the War on Terror.  However, that’s where the similarities end, as Eagle Eye goes the Michael Bay route and fills the screen with explosions and car chases.

The movie starts off with a military operation monitoring the movements of a wanted terrorist.  This terrorist has come out of hiding to attend a funeral and the military deems this the appropriate time to strike.  Problem is, it won’t be a ‘clean’ hit: lots of collateral damage in the form of innocent civilians.  Not to spoil anything, but the strike doesn’t exactly go as planned and things are put into motion to rectify the situation.

Enter Shia LeBeouf’s Jerry, a twenty-something Average Joe who works at a Kinko’s-like paper store.  He lived by himself from pretty much all his adult life, pushing away his family.  Jerry does have a twin brother in the Air Force, and although they are close, they haven’t spoken in years.  Michelle Monoghan plays Rachel, a single mother who works as a paralegal.  She loves her son, and works hard to provide for him.  Rachel has just sent her boy to play with the school band in Washington, D.C., but regrets not being able to go.  The two are paired up by a mysterious woman and sent to execute a top secret operation.

As seen in the trailers, the two are basically blackmailed into going along.  The F.B.I., led by Billy Bob Thornton, is trying to stop a terrorist attack inside the U.S. and they believe Jerry to be their man.  An Air Force officer (Rosario Dawson) is investigating the mysterious death of Jerry’s brother, and also want to question Jerry.  At the same time, the Secretary of Defense (Michael Chiklis), is trying to jump start his pet project, codenamed Eagle Eye, which can help monitor threats to the United States.

Director D.J. Caruso keeps the movie going by never letting up; there’s something always going on.  While there are a few quieter scenes spread throughout the story, the action is front and center.  Some of it is pretty inventive, too, like the car chase near the end fo the first act.  It not only involves automobiles, but computer-controlled cranes picking up cars and tossing them about.  There is also a scene in a tunnel that is reminiscent of last year’s Live Free or Die Hard, but this time it involves one of the military’s Reaper unmanned recon vehicles.

Eagle Eye is perfectly positioned as the summer season’s big sendoff movie.  The action hits hard, the story is well-paced, and the characters have chemistry.  If the past month or two have been dissapointing for action fans (which isn’t surprising, The Dark Knight and Iron Man are hard films to follow), this action thriller should satisfy many.  If you liked action thrillers like The Rock, Enemy of the State, and even this year’s Traitor, don’t pass this up.

8.5/10

Paul Newman Passes Away At 83

Sad news. Paul Newman was one of the few living legends in Hollywood. He will be missed.

clipped from news.yahoo.com WESTPORT, Conn. – Paul Newman, the Academy-Award winning superstar who personified cool as the anti-hero of such films as “Hud,” “Cool Hand Luke” and “The Color of Money” — and as an activist, race car driver and popcorn impresario — has died. He was 83. Newman died Friday after a long battle with cancer at his farmhouse near Westport, publicist Jeff Sanderson said. He was surrounded by his family and close friends. Newman worked with some of the greatest directors of the past half century, from Alfred Hitchcock and John Huston to Robert Altman, Martin Scorsese and the Coen brothers. His co-stars included Elizabeth Taylor, Lauren Bacall, Tom Cruise, Tom Hanks and, most famously, Robert Redford, his sidekick in “Butch Cassidy” and “The Sting.” A screen legend by his mid-40s, he waited a long time for his first competitive Oscar, winning in 1987 for “The Color of Money,” His most recent academy nod was a supporting actor nomination for the 2002 film “Road to Perdition.”

What Would You Ask the Candidates?

Just watched the first Presidential Debate on CNN.  As someone who’s firmly stuck in the middle (I haven’t decided who I’m voting for yet), I was hoping that this first debate would push me to one side or the other.  Unfortunately, it didn’t.  McCain didn’t do so hot in the first thirty or so minutes when the debate, which was supposed to be about foreign policy, shifted gears and went right into economics.  I’m not saying that it was necessarily a bad thing that the debate was sidetracked for a little bit, but you could tell that McCain wasn’t as ‘fired up’ as he usually is.  Obama did fine in this first part, but nothing he said really surprised me (except for the moments when he started to lose his cool).

Then we got to foreign policy.  Here’s where most people were expecting some kind of knockout blow from McCain, a chance to prove once and for all who has the most foreign policy experience.  While, to me, he proved that he did have more experience, McCain didn’t deliver that knockout punch.  Obama, while proving that he can at least hold his own, didn’t show to me that he had the credentials to back up anything he said.  A lot of the things coming from Obama seemed, to me, to come from hindsight; it’s easy to point out mistakes once the mistakes have been made, but what about in-the-moment?  When McCain, Leiberman, and Gen. Patraeus were pushing for the surge, what was Obama doing?  He’s never mentioned at all what he would’ve done instead.  If the surge was such a bad idea (which, in hindsight, it wasn’t), what plan would he have suggested?

There are some questions, though, that I was assuming the moderator, Jim Lehrer, or the candidates were going to ask.  Questions that I have and have yet to hear an answer from either side.  To be honest, if I could really ask a question to the candidates, I’d pick something like UFOs, but I figure that aliens (at least the extraterrestrial kind) aren’t exactly high on the issues people want the candidates to discuss.

To Obama:

Bill Ayers.  Respected professor and former domestic terrorist.  I say ‘former’ because he doesn’t do any of the stuff he used to do anymore.  He also admitted to, though was never convicted of, several bombings of government buildings, including the Pentagon, in the 60’s.  Obama has met the man, and apparently befriended him, yet in all the televised events in which someone asks Obama about Ayers, he dodges the question.

This isn’t the same situation as Jeremiah Wright.  I personally don’t think that Obama believes in any of the negative stuff that Rev. Wright has said, so to me, I didn’t really pay much attention to the whole Wright controversy.  Ayers, on the other hand, did physical damage to buildings, and although no one was killed or injured, Ayers has stated that he wish he could’ve done more.  In a statement published, oddly enough on 9/11, Ayers said that he didn’t regret setting those bombs.  In my opinion, that says he isn’t repentant of what he did.  If those bombs did hurt or kill someone, would he feel different?

I want to know, truthfully, what Obama thinks of all this. I understand that it’s not like Ayers and Obama are best friends, but it’s also not like Obama didn’t know about Ayers’ past before he accepted a very small political donation (about $200 I think).  I know that, in politics, people will do anything to get ahead, but I’d like to think that if I were in the same position, I would not accept a donation from someone that had willingly, and without remorse decades later, committed a violent act of domestic terrorism.  Why should I vote for someone who did? And can Obama address the issue of terrorism, foreign and domestic, should the need arise?  He said in the debate that he would, but how can he convince me?

To McCain:

Iraq vs Iran.  It’s a popular theory to suggest that Iran was kept in check by it’s neighbor, and enemy, Iraq.  But it’s a fact that the governments of either nation don’t like the U.S. or any other Western nation.  Now, I’m assuming that dealing with one rogue nation is better than dealing with two, but what I would ask McCain is, would it be too far-fetched to suggest that turning Iraq into a pro-Western democracy actually gives more opportunity for Iran to become a major Mideast player? Right now, Iran is funding and supplying insurgency groups in Iraq, even if Ahmedinejad denies this.  But, would they still be doing this if Iraq was still controlled by Hussein?

I believe that Saddam Hussein, his sons, and many of the Baath party loyalists did not deserve to be in power in Iraq.  In my opinion, the U.S. should’ve removed them from power in the Gulf War, back when there were anti-Hussein groups inside Iraq ready to help the U.S., before Hussein cracked down on them and either killed or imprisoned many of the members.  But, is a democratic and pro-West Iraq a better thing to have versus a possibly nuclear-armed Iran? I know both candidates do not want to see Iran with the Bomb, but I think it would complicate matters more for Iran if Iraq were still ruled by Hussein.  Under Hussein, it wouldn’t be completely out of the question to suggest that Iraq and Iran could renew their war, but now, Iran knows that the U.S. is spread far too thin to deal militarily with them should the need arise.

Can the U.S. still use force of arms to protect herself, properly, with our forces tied up in Iraq and Afghanistan, if an extreme situation with Iran, or possibly North Korea, arises?

The Force Is Unleashed…But It’s Still Pretty Tame

I’ve been a little surprised at the slightly negative press that Star Wars: The Force Unleashed has been getting ever since launch.  The Metacritic score across all platforms seems to average around 67; quite lower than everyone has been expecting.  Having spent some quality time with 3 different versions of the game (Wii, 360, and DS) I can see what everyone seems to be complaining about.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s a fine game and among the best in the franchise.  I certainly don’t think the game is bad enough to earn a Metacritic score of 72 on the 360, or even the 69 on the Wii and PS3.  However, there are a lot of missed opportunities when it comes to the gameplay.  I won’t be doing a traditional review since I haven’t beaten the game yet, and I won’t mention anything about the story (for the same reasons), but from what I hear, the story is the best part about the game.

360 screenshot

My major issue, at least with the 360 version, is that it’s trying to take the best elements of different types of action games, but it doesn’t do any of them as good as the games TFU is imitating.  A lot of times the combat rips off games like Devil May Cry and God of War, and it some ways it’s similar to the combat in the recently released Too Human.  My issue is that it doesn’t feel entirely smooth.  There’s a certain flow to the combat in the God of War series that makes fighting a dozen enemies at a time very…cinematic and visceral.  It’s partially missing here.  Also, the combo attacks, while they look cool to perform the first few times, don’t really do anything the change the game.  For example, you can unlock an ability to combine a lightsabre strike with your Force Lightning attack.  It looks cool to pull off, and this single attack does do more damage than, say, a regular lightsabre attack, but I just don’t feel like it’s doing anything that different from just swinging the lightsabre around.  There are also odd glitches that pop up here and there.  It’s nothing major, and certainly nothing to crash the game or anything, but it’s like ripping the polish off the game.  Also, the camera feels at times too loose, and at other times too tight, especially in the Raxus Prime  junkyard level.

On the Wii version, the game is slightly different.  Like any game that’s multiplatform, it’s unfair to compare the Wii version to the 360 and PS3 version since the systems are capable of different things.  That being said, I had a surprisingly good time playing the Wii version.  When I first saw the images and videos from the Wii version, I was impressed.  The graphics looked as good as Super Mario Galaxy and the combat seemed solid.  When I started playing, I noticed that the graphics aren’t that great (still not bad for a Wii game, though), and much of the physics-based stuff is gone.  However, compared to other Wii action games, this one is pretty good.  Swiping the Wiimote controls your lightsabre and thrusing your Nunchuck activiates Force Push.  The Wimmote isn’t 1-to-1, but it’s close; swing left and Starkiller swings left, go right and he does the same.  Swing up and down, and Starkiller strikes up and down.  And one of the best things: Force Choke.  It is supremely satisfying to grab a stormtrooper by holding Z, twist the Nunchuck (slowly if you feel badass), and choke the life out of your helpless victim.

Wii screenshot

Another thing about the Wii combat.  Something I read on IGN’s review rang true to me:

“you’ll need to time your swipes perfectly to string together combos that, in other Force Unleashed games, can be done by mashing the attack button over and over again (in this reviewer’s opinion, the Wii version is superior on that front)”

What I found is a slightly more ‘tactical’ oriented combat.  You can just mindessly swipe the Wiimote just as you would mindlessly mash buttons, but executing combos just feels better if you’re patient and time your lightsabre attacks as you would in real life.  Another thing that differentiates the Wii verison from the others, at least visually: Starkiller holds the lightsabre in the ‘normal’ position as opposed to the ‘reversed’ position found in the 360 and PS3 versions.

Across the 360 and the Wii, the Force Grip attacks are a little imprecise.  Sometimes if you want to grab something specific, you have to stop, look at the object, and then pick it up.  Usually, stopping like this leaves you open to attack (even if your guy can autoblock most shots).  Using the twin sticks on the 360 controller does a decent job of moving the object, but launching it is something else.  I’d say, a third of the time when I launched something it didn’t go where I wanted it to.  It’s not too bad though, as most of the time I found my mark.  On the Wii, you hold Z and raise or lower the Nunchuck to raise and lower the object, but the problems from the 360 version persist here: throwing is a little imprecise.

As a bonus, the Wii version does have a multiplayer mode that I played very very briefly, but it seems a little tacked-on.  It’s not a terrible multiplayer mode, but don’t expect a serious fighting game (play Soul Caliber IV for some Sith-on-Sith fighting action).  The DS version isn’t terrible, but it’s not that great.  You tap icons on the touch screen to perform attacks, but I don’t really see why they couldn’t let us press A,B,X,Y for attacks.  I envision using the Touch screen to view the action, and touch and drag objects to Force Grip them.  The top screen would display either a map or a list of your unlocked combos and how to perform them.

Wii multiplayer

Overall, from what I played, the game is fun. Anyone that says otherwise is probably biased against anything Star Wars for whatever reason.  You do feel like a badass Sith warrior throughout the game.  I love just walking into a hallway, being confronted by a dozen enemies, and unleash a Force attack so devastating that I not only knock down everyone, I destroy the walls and ceiling, nearby lights and computer terminals, all in one stirke.

It’s a definite buy for action fans, and although Wii owners will be missing out on some great graphics and physics (but what else is new?), the Wii version’s motion controls definitely add something new to the game.  To me, the best Star Wars action game is still Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast, so if you really want to play one of the best games in the franchise, track down a copy of that one.  An Xbox copy will cost about $24.99 (I think) Used at your local Gamestop or EB, and a Gamecube copy runs about $29.99; eBay prices aren’t that much better either.  Again, The Force Unleashed is a good game and seems to please die-hard Star Wars fans, but don’t expect an HD Jedi Outcast.

On a related note, if LucasArts wanted to release an HD remake of Jedi Outcast with The Force Unleashed powers, I’d be all over that.

(images from 1up.com)

Sarah Connor Chronicles Season 2 Premiere Review

Picking up immediately where the Season 1 finale left off.  Cameron is stuck inside the Jeep after a car bomb went off, Sarah and John are rushing outside after they hear the explosion, and Derek is MIA, presumably still at the park he took John to for his birthday.  The entire opening sequence is basically a montage set to music, just like the second-to-last scene in the finale.  The opening also potentially points to the direction the series is headed: more action.

The opening basically consists of two guys breaking into the Connor house and taking Sarah and John hostage.  Cameron reboots, but is physically damaged and cannot move well.  Her CPU has also sustained damage, due to some shrapnel getting lodged in the back of her head.  Sarah and John fight their way through one of the intruders, while Cameron makes short work of the other.  But something’s not quite right.  Upon meeting up with the Connors, Cameron pulls a gun on John.

What follows is Sarah and John running like hell from Cameron, who’s ‘Protect John Connor’ directive has been overridden to the original ‘Terminate’ order.

I asusme that one of the biggest complaints the series had was the lack of action.  I think people were expecting a more sci-fi version of 24 (which wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing), but what I felt creator Josh Friedman and Co were going for was a drama with a little bit of action thrown in, something along the lines of Lost or Heroes.  What would keep the audience tuning back in every week would be the twists in the story.

What I liked about the premise of the show was that the writers could have a lot to work with.  The movies set up this notion that John Connor becomes this ‘great military leader’, but what we see in Terminator 2: Judgement Day is a young trouble maker barely able to take care of himself.  What turns him into a leader?  Or a bigger question: what turns John into the leader that will save the world?  The Sarah Connor Chronicles attempts to answer that question.

So far, Season 2 looks like it’s going in that direction, just with more running and explosions (possibly due to a bigger budget).  In the episode, John makes a decision that could be deadly for him and, by proxy, the rest of the world.  I won’t give that away, for those that haven’t seen it yet, but what I found interesting is that the character is taking a much more proactive role in the story.  Throughout Season 1, Sarah was calling the shots, telling everyone what to do, when to do it, and how to do it.  Now, John’s learning to make decisions he feels is right, even if everyone else thinks it’s bad, or even catastrophic.

Another thing I liked about the episode was at the end.  Sarah admits to John that she is trying hard to be a mother, but can’t at the moment; their situation demands that she play the rold of bodyguard and teacher, rather than nurturing mother.  It pains her to say this, but they both know it’s true, which leads me to think that John’s ‘rebellious teen years’ will be difficult for Sarah to handle.

The biggest surprise of the night was the revelation of a new terminator: Sarah Weaver (Shirley Manson, yes from the band Garbage).  Weaver appears to be another T-1000 model Infiltrator, like the iconic villain played by Robert Patrick in T2.  And, let’s not forget that Cromartie/Kester is still out there, only this time his cover is blown and can’t walk around under the guise of an FBI agent anymore.  The Connors still have allies: Derek is still around and just as distrustful of machines as he was in Season 1, and Sarah’s old flame Charlie Dixon seems to be playing a more active role in the story.  A possible new ally is FBI Agen Ellison, who spent most of the previous season hunting the Connors and generally being confused as to what the hell is really going on.  He’s a believer now, after what he’s witnessed Cromartie do and the stuff he’s seen when he visited Dr. Silberman.

I hope that this new season doesn’t hit a slump early like Season 1 did.  The second episode in S1 wasn’t as interesting as the premiere, and the show really didn’t start to get good until episode 7.  What I felt was good about the previous season was that they were hitting on some really strong themes, like mortality and faith; themes that are generally reserved for much better-written shows like Battlestar Galactica.  The Director’s Cut of episode 7 of Season 1, entitled ‘Demon’s Hand’, and the final episode, were very well-written, and showed that the creators were willing to take risks with the editing and pacing in order to get these themes across.  On a side note, I really liked how the Director’s Cut didn’t have music, it gave the episode a totally different feel, and I thought it highlighted the editing in a way that made the episode move more gracefully

So far, so good with Season 2.  There are some moments in the premiere that tried way too hard to mimic T2, but as long as they steer clear of those from now on, the show should be fine.

Spider-Man 4 Spins Web in 2011?

According to the rest of the article, Sony is looking to have the next chapter of the Spider-Man film franchise debut in 2011, with a fifth chapter following soon after. Meaning, if the deal goes through, production on both a Spidey 4 and 5 should be starting sometime next year.

I’m pretty excited about this, considering that the third (and supposedly last with Sam Raimi as director) didn’t live up to expectations. It wasn’t a terrible movie, it just did reach the same level that Spider-Man 2 did. If Raimi were to leave the Spider-Man films as director, I’d like to see him go out on a better note.

clipped from www.hollywoodreporter.com Tobey Maguire and Sam Raimi are looking to spin more webs for Sony’s Columbia Pictures. The actor and helmer are said to be close to locking in a deal to return for the fourth and fifth installments of the studio’s top-grossing “Spider-Man” franchise, with Laura Ziskin and Avi Arad producing. “Spider-Man” is Sony’s most successful movie franchise; the first three films have grossed $2.5 billion worldwide. Although there has been speculation whether Maguire would return to play Peter Parker, the studio said there was no question he would be back. “The studio never considered any other actor. Tobey was our only choice and the only person we’ve discussed the role with,” Sony spokesman Steve Elzer said. The studio declined comment on what villains might appear in the next two films or whether Kirsten Dunst would reprise her role as Mary Jane Watson, though it is hoped she will follow Maguire’s lead and return.

Review: Redbelt

I’m not a devoted follower of David Mamet.  I’m somewhat familiar with his television work, filmography, and I’m less familiar with his stage-work.  The only Mamet film I’d seen previously was Spartan, a movie which I loved.  When I heard he was working on a movie involving mixed martial arts, I became interested.  Mamet’s work, at least his film work, is generally considered mainstream, even if his films aren’t generally box-office hits.  So, my interest was piqued when I started considering all the possibilities that could come from an MMA movie written and directed by David Mamet.

Redbelt is the story of Mike Terry (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a martial arts instructor whose academy is slowly failing.  His wife, Sondra (Alice Braga), runs a separate business, but constantly finds herself siphoning money and resources from her business to help with Mike’s.  The academy does have a few loyal students, like police officer Joe Collins (Max Martini), and Snowflake (Jose Pablo Cantillo).  Things start to go really bad when a lawyer (Emily Mortimer) accidentally destroys the large window in front of the academy, leaving a gaping hole for anyone to enter into.

This sets off a chain of events that involves Officer Joe also falling on hard financial times and Mike and Sondra’s mounting debt, which eventually leads Mike to some Hollywood bigshots: actor Chet (Tim Allen) and producer Jerry (Joe Mantegna).  Things start to look up when these industry power players  offer Mike a producing role in Chet’s latest movie.  But things are not as they seem when a string of really bad luck forces Mike reconsider his new-found friendships and, most importantly, his own personal code of honor that he lives his life by.

Redbelt is not a martial arts movie in the traditional sense.  There’s not elaborate fight scenes that take place on rooftops or involve wires.  This film focuses less on the action and more on the reasons behind the action.  Mike Terry’s code of honor is strict and does not waver; it places service above self, and shuns any form of martial arts competition as it is not considered ‘pure’.  A competition is not a real combat situation since there are rules to follow and competition organizers can control all sorts of variables.  In a real life-or-death situation, nothing is controlled and there are no rules.  Against the protests of his wife, Mike refuses to partake in the growing popularity of MMA fights, and ignores all requests thrown his way, despite the large amount of money he could potentially earn.

After watching the film, I began likening it to the Rocky franchise.  Despite their occasional cheesiness and hammy acting, the Rocky films, to me, are more about why Rocky fights and less about the actual matches.  Boxing is like a physical manifestation of Rocky’s soul, his reason for living.  He doesn’t fight for fame or money, he fights because it’s in his nature to do so.  There’s nothing truly competitive or malevolent, he doesn’t want to kill anyone, he just has this desire to push his body to the limits.  In Redbelt, Mike’s way of thinking is similar: while he doesn’t compete, he feels that practicing martial arts makes him one with himself.  Even though his skills could hurt, and possibly kill, someone, he understands them and knows just how much force he needs to apply in order to ’settle’ a situation.  Mike doesn’t want to hurt anyone, and he never picks a fight, but he isn’t afraid to put himself out there when he feels that violence may be the only way to solve a problem.

I don’t want to give away too much of the movie.  The plot gets a little complex toward the end, and eventually it’s as if the world had turned against Mike Terry.  The ending, while it may seem unsatisfying to some, it fits in completely with the message of the movie.  Mike’s motto is, “There’s always a way out.  Find it.”  In regards to combat, there’s always a way to escape from an opponents attack or hold, it’s just a matter of focusing and figuring out what the way is.  At the very end of the movie, when everyone had apparently turned their backs on him, Mike discovers his ‘way out’, a way to prove himself, uphold his code of honor, and win in the eyes of the people that matter to him the most.

The acting is great throughout.  Chiwetel Ejiofor once again proves he’s one of the best actors currently working, even though his name may not be familiar and his movies not that well-known.  He brings a stern and commanding presence, much like a sensei in a dojo.  All eyes are on him once he walks through the door.  Alice Braga plays his tired and concerned wife well.  It’s apparent, about halfway through the first act, that she married him against the wishes of others (especially her brother), but she loves him.  However, their struggling businesses and rising debt make her more agitated with him.  Max Martini, who is a regular on Mamet’s show The Unit, brings a quietness to his Officer Joe that I don’t generally see in his other characters.  Joe is a friend and loyal student of Mike’s, but his personal problems conflict with his love for the academy.  The other supporting cast is also fine.  Allen and Mantegna are perfectly suited to playing Hollywood types that are jaded and only in it for the money.  Also, MMA star Randy Couture shows up to play a fight commentator.  While not exactly a big role, he seems like he’s playing himself, and doesn’t really distract from the rest of the story.

David Mamet’s direction is also in fine form.  Like with Spartan the story starts from the first frame.  There’s no traditional setup, Mamet assumes you’re smart enough to figure out what’s going on without having to hold your hand.  Considering Mamet’s writing style, and the choices he makes as a director, this works.

Don’t go into this expecting a more adult Karate Kid or an updated version of Best of the Best.  This is a drama first, martial arts movie second and it requires some patience to get through.  It’s a film that is heavy on themes rather than action, and for those willing to be absorbed by this, the ending is a fitting conclusion. Redbelt is more about the consequence of how you live your life, rather that actually living it.  There are really only two fight scenes in this whole movie, and one of them is very brief.  However, the buildup to the final fight scene, and indeed the last scene, makes the fight seem like this great titanic struggle, and I found myself wanting to stand up and cheer for our hero.

8.5/10

(images from Yahoo!)

Google’s Chrome now my default browser

I’vee been messing around with Google’s new browser, Chrome, which was just released this week.  So far, I like it.  I like the simple, clean look.  No toolbars dangling underneath the address bar, internet status updates taking up the bottom. It’s nice.

You can add a bookmarks toolbar near the top, but it only appears in the Recently Visited Websites page, which opens when you click the plus sign in the Tabs area.  A ‘Home’ button can also be added (which I did) next to the address bar.

It may not be faster than Firefox 3, which I also love, but it’s just as fast.  On my desktop, I’m still using Firefox, only because it scales websites better to fit my larger LCD TV/Monitor.  With Chrome, website font is a little too small.  Even changing the font size in the ‘Options’ menu doesn’t help too much.  The ‘Incognito’ mode is nice, but I suspect I won’t be using it that much, only because I’m not too concerned with someone finding out what websites I frequent.  There’s also the option to make certain web applications, like websites, turn into something like a  shortcut on your desktop.  Useful if there is a website that you visit often and don’t want to bother opening the browser, arriving at the homepage, and then finding the bookmark.  I, however, like keeping my desktop as clean as possible, so I won’t be cluttering it with glorified shortcuts.

Overall, it’s great.  Chrome is the only browser I actually prefer running in a ‘minimized’ state, one that doesn’t take up the entire screen, because I feel that I’m given enough space without having to maximize the window.  The only major downside is that, right now, there isn’t supported for my favorite plug-ins like Clip-it and ScribeFire (both I use for blogging).

‘King of Voice-Overs’ Passes Away

Don LaFontaine, best known as the guy that does voice-overs for movie trailers, passed away this week.  Pretty much most of the trailers you’ve seen in theatres, television, radio, and DVD usually featured a voice-over of sorts, and those voice-overs were done by the man.

Movie trailers won’t be the same without him.

King of Voice-Overs

Here’s some of his work.

And this one is a documentary about him.  Quite funny.

Rest in peace.

“Babylon A.D.” Director Lashes Out Against 20th Century Fox

Ouch. Looks like one of those (many) times where a studio interferes with the creative process. Most disturbing to me is how the studio cut the movie down to an hour and a half. I assume that’s the ‘magic number’ for summer action movies, but I don’t really see a point in a movie having to be 90 minutes.

Usually, if it’s not a comedy, a movie that’s only 90 minutes long seems like it’s too short. For example, this summer’s Hancock was an OK movie, but it felt a little too short, like there was possibly an entire subplot ejected from the movie. I wouldn’t have mind seeing a 2 hour Will Smith summer action movie.

Babylon A.D. didn’t really look appealing regardless, and so it’s possible that the director is trying to find an excuse for his bad movie by blaming the studio. But, then again, 20th Century Fox doesn’t have the best track record with letting the filmmakers make film. Ridley Scott’s Kingdom of Heaven was one such casualty. However, they did let Scott release an amazing 4-disc director’s cut, which I consider not only the best version of Kingdom of Heaven, but Ridley Scott’s finest film.

Maybe 20th Century Fox will allow Mathieu Kassovitz to release his own version on DVD and Blu-ray sometime in the future.

clipped from movies.yahoo.com Director Mathieu Kassovitz — best known in this country for his acting turns in movies like Amelie and Munich — is an award-winning filmmaker in his native France. He spent the last five years working on his dream project, an adaptation of the French sci-fi novel “Babylon Babies,” got a Hollywood studio to co-finance it, and scored a big American movie star to headline it. So now that the movie is coming out, why is he so angry? “I’m very unhappy with the film. The script wasn’t respected. Bad producers, bad partners, it was a terrible experience.” “The movie is supposed to teach us that the education of our children will mean the future of our planet. The production was plagued by delays, weather problems, and budgetary concerns. But Kassovitz is now most upset that the studio, 20th Century Fox, edited down his original cut to a short 93 minutes. “I had something much better in my hands but I just wasn’t allowed to work…I should have chosen a studio that has guts.”