woolcovered

Last night I got to do something I haven't done since high school: I went to public midnight screening of a new film.

Given that many will be flocking to the theatre soon to see this summer's first major blockbuster, I figure I could share some impressions on Spiderman 3.

Don't worry, no spoilers, but read the first line below before you decide to read further...

In short, I liked it - but there were certainly things I didn't love about it.

I'll start with the good - this film gave me new respect for Topher Grace. I had some reservations when I heard he was going to be playing Eddie Brock/Venom, but he had a charismatic way of making the character his own without overdoing it. It's sort of ironic that Brock and Parker's characters are in competition in the film, as I felt Grace stole many of the scenes he was in with Tobey Maguire.

As to be expected, this film took many liberties with the source material. Most of them I was fairly happy with. New characters were tied into the storyline economically, and existing characters were utilized effectively to advance the plot. The best changes tightened up the story so it could work as a two hour film.

Spiderman 3 also featured some of the best action/fight sequences I've seen in quite some time. There were a lot of them, but each one felt fresh and original. If this ends up being the last film they do, I'd say they went out with a bang in this regard.

So where did the film fall flat?

Well, anyone familiar with the previous two films (Spiderman 2 particularly) knows that these folks aren't afraid to laugh at themselves a little. This envelope was pushed a little too far at times, and the self-parody was a little much. At times, it can be hard to tell who is in on the joke exactly (Parker with emo hair and black mascara?). Some of the scenes advancing the film's love triangles were pretty groan-worthy, but I sort of expected as much there.

So my beefs are fairly minor - some lame scenes and a little misuse of the characters. Overall, the film is worth seeing. Opening 'night' was a fun experience to revisit too, minus the frisking (piracy prevention). It was amusing to hear folk cheering at Stan Lee's (incredibly corny) mandatory cameo. Speaking of cameos, Bruce Campbell had an even funnier one than his work as the 'usher' in the first second film.

Posted by Jason Guitard at 02:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Alright, so it appears as though I'll be using at least part of my extra hour working on an entry. I'm tired but surprisingly not quite sleepy yet, so I figure I'll plug away here for a little while until I'm ready to crawl into a nice, warm, bed...I'm already getting excited about it!

Anyway, this also marks the beginning of my last day of reading week. In some ways, its just felt like a slightly longer weekend, in others, I feel like I haven't been back into the swing of things in awhile. As much as I've missed the daily interactions with the classmates and profs, the whole 'class attendance experience' (my undergrad classmates will be surprised to know I've missed only one class this term, and it was for a Doc's appt.), what's really thrown me out of sync is not going to the gym. I just couldn't get inspired to try and do no-weight sets at home (I'm not quite knowledgeable enough to pull this off yet, but I'm working on it), so I only ended up working out once all week. My time at Co's where there's a few weights and a treadmill, was largely eaten up by homework and bonding time.

I'm hoping to get back on the fitness wagon (I went to the gym Mon-Thurs in the week before reading week), very soon. Part of the reason I'm still awake is that I've just finished reading a bit of the Arnold book I spoke of in a previous entry. I'm in the beginning stages of putting together a solid diet and a more structured routine. It is a little disheartening to try and work out my routine. My somatotype basically means I have to work really hard and long and I don't get to eat if I want to achieve the best results. I actually took down some points to better explain what I'm talking about here: I am what they call an endomorph, which means I've got more bulk on me than the skinny ectomorphs or the more chisled-looking mesomorphs. Why does this matter? Well, it means I've got to lose far while gaining muscle mass if I want this training to really work. The workout? Higher numbers of sets with more reps than average with short rests in between. Also 30-45 minutes of aerobic activity (I currently do 15) is reccomended. My diet? A low-calorie affair with the minimum amounts of protein, carbohydrates and fats (vitamin supplements reccomended). As I currently already spend about an hour+ at the gym when I go, implementing these changes will prove to be a scheduling nightmare.

So, although blogging is a totally self-indulgent activity, why am I bothering to go into this much detail? Well, those who plan on starting to training, or have started training and aren't happy with your results can take note. Look at the pictures I've linked to and determine your body type (its said that no one is 100% one type, I merely outlined my dominant one). If you can properly tailor your workout, the experts say you should start to see results quicker. It can also be fun to see if the personality traits listed for your type are a good match for you (mine are pretty much dead-on).

Well, I was going to talk about the rest of the reading week, but it looks like I blabbed a bit on that tangent. So, my sleeping schedule was on par with my efforts to work out, and my eating habits were marginally better but a bit below par. I look forward to being back at my apartment, cooking for myself.

On the academic front, I've finished most of what I intended to accomplish this week, with more work to follow once I wake up and get home tomorrow. Given that I slacked off for a few days, I'm pretty happy with this.

I also tried to do a bit more leisure reading than usual. Aside from the bodybuilding book, I finally read my Daredevil hardcover volume I've had for over a year and Frank Miller's well-written Batman: Year One. I'm wishing they would've green-lit this script for adaptation, as I'm now realizing Batman Begins is just a Hollywoodized take on the story foundation already had in place. For those who aren't sold on it, it would've meant no Katie Holmes!

Posted by Jason Guitard at 06:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)

Alright, so a quick update of sorts.

Today was another day spent in travel, doing the Toronto-Guelph-Waterloo thing. Dinner at Co's grandma's was nice, and my easter haul has been three chocolate bunnies and a bit of leftovers. I didn't really get 'gifts' in a sense this year, but my mother did order me a discounted Beatles biography - as a Doubleday member, she's privy to some deals and had some 'half-price' slots left on this month's order. I would like to build up my music book collection, so I figure the fab four is a good place to start (and it was the only book in the promo catalogue). Oh, how I long for the days of recreational reading again.

That being said, I have been lucky enough to sneak a few pages of fun into my exam reading schedule. This has come in the form of the brilliant Transmetropolitan. When I was in Toronto last week, Mr. Radigan bestowed the first two graphic novels upon me, and while I was waiting for my ride I burned through the first one. I was initially apprehensive of Spider Jerusalem's character (to say he's over-the-top would be a bit of an understatement), but by the time I was wrapping up the first volume I was sold on it. Basically, the plot follows Jerusalem, a gonzo journalist in a post-cyberpunk society. Although Spider's character is good for a laugh, like any cyberpunk-related fiction (or comic book, for that matter) the real story is in the world that writer Warren Ellis builds. This is one of the rare works that blends my geekdom for good science fiction and politically-charged journalism. There was something like sixteen books, so I look forward to seeing how many different facets of this universe Ellis explores - it already is moving at a whirlwind rate as far as I'm concerned, as if he had too many ideas to cram into each issue.

Anyway, I'm beat, but I figured I should take the opportunity to talk about comics, bringing my blog into a whole new realm of geekdom. Studying is going ok, I'm actually caught up in Nonverbal! So hopefully I can now memorize all of the content over the next three days while prepping for my other (Saturday) exam! I see these late exams as a blessing, as I can't remember the last time I've put this much work into studying.

Posted by Jason Guitard at 04:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)