Saw TRANSFORMERS again this afternoon

Don't know if I'll see it more times than I saw Independence Day in the theater when it came out, but I caught Transformers (here's my original review) again this afternoon at the Grande in Greensboro and this movie... just keeps getting better and better! Think that after you give your brain a few days to absorb the "shock and awe" of the first time seeing it, that you can relax and enjoy it a bit more the next time. Once again, I almost cried at the scene where the Autobots come together for the first time: I definitely think that's a beautifully orchestrated sequence, made all the more powerful by the awesome musical score by Steve Jablonsky (I will gladly buy this background score CD the day it comes out... if it comes out at all, still no word on that).

Something that should be noted: Transformers seems to be attracting a very wide-range of people in to see it. Of course there were the late-20s/early-30s types that grew up with the original Transformers toys. But at both showings I've seen quite a lot of younger people and folks considerably older: like, old enough to be their parents and grandparents.

On the subject of Transformers, I'm seeing that a lot of people are trying to see some kind of political message one way or another with this movie. The same thing happened with 300 a few months ago and I thought it was silly then. It's even more ludicrous now. Some are saying they'll swear-off seeing this movie because supposedly it's "liberal crap". I don't know where the heck they get this notion from: the scene where the President wants some Ding-Dongs, perhaps? If anything, this is one of the most respectful blockbuster movies toward the U.S. military that's happened in quite a long time (maybe since Independence Day). No doubt it's going to be a big hit among members of the armed forces. I've heard one person say that this movie was "obviously" inspired by George W. Bush since Optimus Prime says that "Freedom is the right of all sentient beings". That's an even crazier claim than anything I heard about 300, because that quote is the exact same one found on the box for the original Optimus Prime toy from 1984! It's not political one way or another: it's alien robots beating the snot out of each other... where the heck is the hidden agenda in that?!

I might see it once more in theaters, and then pounce on getting the DVD when it comes out toward Christmas, probably. In the meantime, it's definitely a movie worth watching in a crowded theater with hundreds of others in the most profound amazement and enjoyment.

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RACE TO THE DEATHLY HALLOWS: Drinking down the Goblet of Fire

As of a few minutes ago, my quest to re-read all of the Harry Potter books before the release of the final novel reached another benchmark, as I finished Book 4: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.Immediate thoughts after reading this one again: this is the book where the Harry Potter series really hit its stride. A lot of things from the previous novels converge here and the tale begins to take a very, very dark turn. I think that Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is the Potter books' equivalent to The Empire Strikes Back, in the sense that right up to the moment when Vader told Luke the big secret, Star Wars was still a fairly innocent fairy tale... but with five words, the tables got kicked upside-down and nothing was the same again. So too is there irrevocable change in the wizard world by the closing pages of Book 4... along with the promise of much worse to come.

This time reading it, I couldn't help but see a lot more of Rita Skeeter than I noticed of her the first time I read the book. That was just one of the details that I was able to appreciate more this time around.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire reinforces something that I've been thinking about for some months: that 20 or 30 years from now, somebody is going to have to re-make the Harry Potter movies. Only this time tighter and more faithful to all of the little nuances of the books. Since the last time I read Book 4, I've watched the Goblet of Fire movie ten times, at least. Re-reading the original book the past few days, I was genuinely shocked at how much material was omitted from the book for sake of the movie. The most obvious thing that comes to mind readily is the absense of Ludo Bagman from the movie. And the plot thread about Barty Crouch Sr. and Winky (the scene where Crouch relieves her of duty, I always thought that would be a pretty funny thing to have seen in the movie). But this is such a dense and multi-layered book, I don't know if anyone right now could have pulled off a 100% faithful film adaptation.

This book is also notable for something that I think with the passage of time, has made this detail of the story much more relevant: the fact that the Ministry of Magic, as an agency of government, is too damn ineffective and too fixated on putting on appearances to make people happy. Sounds a lot like our own government, doesn't it?

Well, it's late, and I need to turn in. Tomorrow I start re-reading Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, which is my favorite of the Potter books for a lot of reasons but especially because this is the part of the story where the people decide that if the government is going to keep screwing things up, then they have to take matters into their own hands. Order of the Phoenix is the best damned treatise on defying authority when it needs to be defied that I've seen put out in the past ten years. I just hope the movie coming out next week can do it justice.

So tomorrow it's Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix... which at this rate I'll be able to both finish before the movie comes out :-)

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Crazy-as-all-get-out INDIANA JONES 4 rumor

I'm barely keeping up with this project. Mostly 'cuz I want to be as un-spoiled about it as possible, I guess. I managed to do that fairly well with Revenge of the Sith and I really went into Transformers as "virginally" as possible (at least so far as already being a childhood fan of the toys goes, anyway). I want to see Indiana Jones and the ... (whatever #4 is called) next May in the theater, with the person who I've seen every other Indiana Jones movie with: my Dad. And enjoy it for the first time along with him.

That said, this news, if true... raises my eyebrows bigtime. And leaves me wondering about just what direction this is going to be taking.

Click here if you want to know more. It has to do with the character that John Hurt is now said to be playing.

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I finally tried Dave's Ultimate Insanity Sauce

A few days ago I wrote about how last week I finally came into possession of a bottle of Dave's Ultimate Insanity Sauce: reputedly one of the most fiery hot sauces on the market... if not the most fiery. It's been sitting in our kitchen this whole time with the seal still unbroken on the bottle.

Well, this afternoon Lisa did some grocery shopping and she bought some Pace Chunky Salsa (medium flavor). Since you're only supposed to use Dave's Insanity sauces in well-diluted portions of whatever you are planning to eat, I decided this would be a good a time as any to try the sauce. I got a plate, poured out a helping of Pace salsa, and then finally opened the Dave's Ultimate Insanity up and poured one tiny drop of the stuff onto the salsa. I mixed it all up really well with a spoon. Then I got some tortilla chips and commenced to dipping and eating.

Folks, whatever reputation that Dave's Ultimate Insanity has, it is well earned. After the first bite, I thought the salsa tasted different than it usually does: it tasted much better. I enjoyed the flavor for about ten seconds and then my tongue started roasting. Somebody in the last day or so had warned me that you don't feel it immediately, that it takes several seconds for the sensation to hit. And boy, did it ever! This is definitely the hottest condiment that I have ever sampled in my entire life.

But it wasn't really unpleasant by any stretch. After you get over the initial shock and eat some more, Dave's Ultimate Insanity is pretty good. But it does have its consequences. My mouth was still burning about two hours after finishing the plate of tortillas and salsa. And Dave's Ultimate Insanity can also boast of being quite effective at clearing out your sinuses if they're feeling stuffy from pollen. Usually whenever I'm particularly overcome with allergy I order a Papa John's pizza loaded with tomato sauce and that clears me right out. Now I know that I can use Dave's Ultimate Insanity for the same effect.

I'm seriously thinking of mixing a drop or two of this with garlic butter marinade when I do deep-fried turkey come Thanksgiving. It might add a pretty neat kick to it.

So there ya go: I gave Dave's Ultimate Insanity a try, and I liked it. Worth recommending... but please be careful when handling and pouring this stuff!

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New season of DOCTOR WHO starts tonight on Sci-Fi!

Unlike the past two years, I haven't been downloading all of the new season's episodes of Doctor Who after they aired in the United Kingdom. But the two that I have seen were remarkably good. Still don't know if anything this season can compare to last year's "The Girl in the Fireplace": without a doubt one of the most beautiful and haunting stories that I've ever seen told in the television medium.

(Let's look on the bright side: there's no indication that there's any episode this new season that will be as absolutely atrocious as last year's "Love & Monsters", either. Yegads... what the HELL was the BBC thinking when they let that one go into production?!?)

Anyway, tonight at 8 p.m. the Sci-Fi Channel will start the American run of Doctor Who Season 3 (or Season 29 if we're counting the original series... as we should) with the 2006 Christmas special "The Runaway Bride", which picks up the action right where it left off at the end of last season's "Doomsday". Then after "The Runaway Bride" at 9:30 will be the first regular episode of Season 3/29, "Smith and Jones", which finds the Doctor hooking up with new traveling partner Martha Jones.

Want a teaser for what's to come this season? How about this: the Doctor is, indeed, not alone. Because he is back. Longtime Doctor Who fans will know what I'm talking about.

So let the word go out: the Doctor is back... and it's about time!

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The dawn of man?

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Hoping we'll get a real TRANSFORMERS score CD soon

Click here to sign the
TRANSFROMERS score by Steve Jablonsky CD online petition!

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There was so much good to say about Transformers that I forgot to mention something very important: the awesome, epic orchestral score composed by Steve Jablonsky. If you haven't seen the movie yet (and you really should if you want to experience your jaw hitting the theater floor) it might surprise you that the original "Transformers" theme song isn't used anytime during the movie, unless it came during the tail end of the credits that we didn't happen to catch. Here again, even in its music, Transformers has grown up with this movie.

I am dying to have a soundtrack CD of Jablonsky's score! But right now the only album from the movie is Transformers: The Movie Album, which has a collection of songs in the movie by artists like Linkin Park and Smashmouth. Which is not a slam against those guys, but what I really want is the glorious orchestral score from this movie. Here's hoping and praying that a CD of it gets released sometime soon!

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