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The High Line: Elevated Park

7 Apr

Theres a new park open in the lower west side of Manhattan in New York City, and its no ordinary park. Built atop the old freight rail tracks once known as the West Side Line, this 2.33km elevated parkway is one of the most unique models of urban renewal.

The elevated rail line used to serve the factories and warehouses in the district, with parts of the line running right through some buildings. But in the 1960′s the line was officially closed down. For years the looming ironwork of the line was slated to be demolished, but just recently was revitalized into a beautiful parkway. With native trees and plants, a street view ampitheater, and amazing views, the High Line park has been well recieved. The new park sits above the traffic of the busy streets below, and is even encouraging new real estate developments around it.

Now take a look through the photos and enjoy.

The Man from Nowhere

24 Mar

With the huge amount of pop culture streaming out of South Korea comes one particular film which pushes the boundaries of quality movie making, especially from a foreign market. ‘The Man From Nowhere’ is a 2010 film which is just now hitting North American markets with the DVD release.

The film follows Cha Tae-sik, a quiet guy living a low key lifestyle in Korea. One of the only people he communicates with is a small girl named So-mee, who visits his small pawn shop regularily. This simple relationship is the anchor for the series of events that unfolds when both their lives are thrown in turmoil.

This action film closely resembles the likes of ‘Man on fire’ or ‘Taken’ with one persons determination to do anything to save a loved one. Not in the traditional 90 minute hollywood length category, the longer timeframe allows for a more indepth character development which allows the kind of attachment and feelings required to pull you in. Action scenes abound as an underground world of drugs and black market organ trade is revealed, and even with the 2 hour length, theres hardly a moment when you are wondering when it will end.

So check it out, you will not be dissapointed.

Ong Bak 2: The Beginning

23 Feb

If the name Tony Jaa rings a bell, thats probably because you were introduced to the movie Ong Bak back sometime around 2003. Ong Bak was a  film which introduced alot of people to a few new things: Thai Films, Hilarious English Dubbing, Muay Thai, and the insane fighting skills of Tony Jaa.

While although Tony Jaa has yet to breakthrough into the realm of credit I think he deserves, we are lucky enough to see him in a whole trilogy of Ong Bak films. Having delayed watching Ong Bak 2 and 3, I finally watched the entire Ong Bak 2 film.

A couple things to remember when watching Ong Bak 2, is that it really is nothing like Ong Bak, thats right, not a tuk-tuk in sight in this film. In fact, the film takes place in the 15th century, in ancient Siam, making for a unique setting, in a world very few people even know about. The second thing is that, just as in the original, the storyline is so faint, it ultimately fails to pull you in. Which is sad, because with the right amount of plotwork, these films could easily have become epic historical action films comparable to the likes of Gladiator, Braveheart, Apocalypto, or Croutching Tiger Hidden Dragon.

However, do not let that prevent you from watching this film. For what the movie lacks in story, it makes up for with a whole lot of flying knee kicks to heads and sternums. And the movie posesses the best use of an elephant in a fight scene, hands down.  Combat scenes are elaborate and well choreographed, and the absence of music in some parts really brings out basis of this film; the fight. Listening to leg kicks and throat jabs is all you really need sometimes. More points for some simply stunning scenery, elaborate costumes, and decent musical score.

I give this film a solid thumbs up.

Infected Area: Monsters

8 Feb

On the discussion board today is a film I saw last night. The film I saw was Monsters. It’s safe to say that I had no previous knowledge or expectations about this film before I saw it. I had pretty much only heard of the name, and was told it was a low-budget film from a friend.

One thing I love about low-budget films is that the film makers don’t  possess the funds necessary to create large action sequences or incredible CG. This forces the filmmakers to focus on the story, the characters, their relationships, and ultimately be creative to draw in their audiences.

Monsters is no exception, the film follows Andrew; a photo journalist as he is forced to put aside his assignment and help the daughter of his boss Samantha get back to the United States from Central America. The catch is that 6 years ago, a space probe returning to earth with samples thought to prove the existence of alien life crashed into Central America. And ever since then, the ‘monsters’ have been multiplying, pushing the limits of the Mexican and American governments capability to contain them.

In order to return to America, the couple has to travel through ‘the infected zone’, an area off-limits to humans and is meant to contain the monsters. As they do so, they develop an interesting relationship, as Andrews cynical yet realistic point of view combines with Samantha’s soft-spoken gentle nature. The characters are easily likable, and you can’t help but hope they succeed in their journey to the border.

Scifi monster movie buffs might be disappointed with the very little actual monster contact. The best relation I can think of is that of Cloverfield, in which you saw very little of the monsters themselves. But the similarities stop at that, as Monsters is far superior in quality to that of Cloverfield.

So for a movie that was created with 2 people, filmed entirely on locations, and utilized local people as characters in the movie, this was a spectacular film. Check it out.

2010 Films in Review

30 Jan

2010 may not have hosted the best movies of any year on record (1977-Star Wars obviously…), but it most certainly had some worthy works. Despite the usual expected travesties such as Twilight and Sex and the City sequels, there were some remarkable films. One of the first to come to mind would be Inception, the film that played on the realities of a dream. A great action film leaving you with the same sort of feeling you had after watching the Matrix for the first time, waking up in the middle of the night screaming “WHAT IS REAL!?” Well maybe not that far, but another DiCaprio hit none the less.

Other worthy mentions would be the Social Network, with the surprisingly entertaining depiction of Mr Zuckerberg himself, the unexpected humor in Kick Ass, the ever likable Boston gangster film genre of The Town, and the witty remarks of Tony Stark in Iron Man 2. Furthermore, the less popular but incredibly well written film Remember Me starring Robert Pattinson showed this British actor is capable of portraying a decent character other than a sparkly vampire. Never Let Me Go, was a difficult and sad yet incredible movie to watch as well, same goes for Winters Bone which Jennifer Lawrence does a fantastic job in.

I maintain 2010 was a good year for movies. It’s hard to explain the value of movies to non-movie buffs, and I can never express enough the importance of watching each film for what it is. Let yourself into the story, experience what the filmmakers are trying to portray, because films are not merely entertainment, they are depictions of all the feelings and emotions we have in this world.

So I’ll leave you with one of the best movie montages of 2010 I’ve seen. Kudos to the creators of this, they did a good job. We’ll see how 2011 turns out.

Trailer Mashups

4 Nov

So you know about music mashups, when 2 or more songs are blended together to come up with something new. What made you think it ends there? There is an ever expanding selection of really well put together movie trailer mashups which I highly recommend taking a look at. Most can be broken into 2 categories, mashups being the audio from one trailer blended over the visuals of another movie. Then theres recut, which is entirely different audio played over a recut selection of clips from a movie. They are addictive and highly entertaining to watch, take a look at my favs below.

Keeping up with the Joneses

11 Sep

It’s the catch phrase of suburban consumerism, that simple line personifies the human instinct to always do better than our neighbors. When Mr. Jones next door pulls into the driveway in his new Audi S4, you stop mowing the lawn and stare in awe of his new ride. You go over and have a look for yourself, complimenting Mr. Jones on his new purchase, and then get back to mowing your lawn. The next day you’re looking at your old car with dissatisfaction, and you are soon at the Audi dealership test driving an R8, knowing that when you pull into your driveway, all your neighbors will want what you have. Yup, your just keeping up with the Joneses.

Cue in this years film titled just that: The Joneses. The film stars David Duchovny and Demi Moore as they portray a wealthy suburban family moving into a new neighborhood. Their perfect family easily blends into their new community and soon becomes the family that has what everyone wants. They drive the cars you want, they have the phone you didn’t even think was out yet, and they dress the way you wish you looked. However if it all seems to good to be true, then you might be catching on.

That perfect family turns out to be no family at all, instead, they are a corporate team of advertisers working for an agency that places ‘families’ in neighborhoods just to show off the latest consumer products. It all seems so perfect until the father figure Steve Jones played by Duchovny starts to see the crippling effect their sales tactic is having on the neighbors as they desperately try to keep up.

Coming into this film I thought it was going to be a clever and entertaining movie, but as the credits rolled up, it ended as a touching experience as well. The film exposed the tragic reality of how consumerism can push people out of their element, and into a world full of debt and regret. The current economic situation will resonate in your mind as you watch, and start to ask yourself; are you living within your means?

Thumbs up for a quality film that both entertains and leaves you with something to think about. Check out the trailer below.

Rain’s Big Western Debut

25 Nov

Chances are you have never heard of him, but he was one of People Magazine’s most beautiful people, and according to a poll conducted by Time Magazine, he’s more influential than Stephen Colbert, sorry Steve! So who is it? It’s Rain the korean pop icon, and he’s set to break out in a big way today to the western world, staring in the new movie: Ninja Assassin.

Releasing today Wednesday November 25, 2009, Ninja Assassin is the hollywood action film that stars pop icon Rain as a deadly assassin in his biggest debut in the western world. Korea is quickly becoming the new pop culture hub of asia, with Seoul bumping shoulders with the likes of Tokyo, Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Singapore. But although Korean TV, fashion and music are becoming a big hit in the east, it is much more difficult to break into the European and North American market.

According to a recent CNN article:

“I put my heart and soul into this movie,” he said. Rain trained hard for months to get ready for the movie’s slick violence.

“For about a year, I couldn’t eat properly, I was working out from 7 in the morning to 5 in the afternoon,” he said. “I went through a lot of pain in my efforts to get 100 percent close to the character that I was playing.”

It seems Rain is determined to have his name known in the U.S, with 6 albums under his belt, he is still trying to get a foothold in the western market. But maybe Ninja Assassin will do that for him. So if your sitting down to watch it tonight, or your googling his name afterwards, your helping this korean pop star realize his dream; for you to know the name, Rain.

The Pacific, and Avatar

12 Nov

On remembrance day yesterday I caught a glimpse of a commercial showing a new mini series created by Tim Hanks and Steven Spielberg. After some research, I discovered that this new mini series is known as ‘The Pacific’ which will be playing on HBO. Taking place in WW2 focusing on the war effort in pacific ocean, Im looking forward to see if it will be on par with the Band of Brother series HBO did years ago. Check out the trailer:

Another movie Im actually interested in seeing is one called ‘Avatar’. Every 5 years or so James Cameron comes out with an epic movie, Terminator, Aliens, Titanic, ring a bell? Well this newist movie is set to hit the big screen December 18, 2009. So if you like movies about humans exploring new planets and being engaged in epic battles with aliens, it is a must see! Check the trailers:

Paranormal Acitivity: Did you Demand it?

12 Oct

So there has been this buzz this halloween season about a particular movie, this movie is a low budget film about a young couple trying to figure out if their house is haunted.

The film, incase you havent heard, is called ‘Paranormal Activity’. And whats unique about this film is that there hasnt been an extensive advertising campaign, no tv commercials, or even formal trailers to get the word out there. Paramount which now owns the film has relied on limited screenings, word of mouth, and most important of all, social media to get people interested in this film. Between Twitter and Facebook, more and more people are learning about this film. You can read more about the movie and its journey to success here.

Their website  http://www.paranormalmovie.com/index.html is running with a pretty new idea to get interested viewers to ‘Demand’ it in your city. And the idea was a pretty big hit, with now over 1 000 000 demands, paramount has decided to release the film nationwide, with updated screening locations being released October 13, 2009.

I have yet to see the fim, but I am hoping that this film will come to Edmonton before halloween, so if you havent yet, Demand it in your city, and check the website tomorrow to see if it will be playing in your area. In the meantime, watch the trailer, right here:

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