The latest announcement by Netflix to raise prices doesn’t surprise me.  It sucks that we, the consumers, have to foot the bill because it costs a great deal of money to acquire content from the movie/television studios. The motion picture business is a cutthroat and greedy market.

At the end of the day, Netflix needs to make more profit to keep the investors¹ happy. Let’s hope Netflix doesn’t lose too many customers that may force them to cut costs – mainly in content.

Despite of this, I’ll continue to use Netflix. I’m just a fan and loyal customer. Now, I have to determine if I need to rent DVDs from them. Maybe the $1 Redbox rental once or twice a month will be sufficient. If not, then I’ll just bite the bullet and contribute more to Netflix’ coffers.

Photo Credit: Kill Taupe

This article was posted on Rudy Amid's Blog:

It Sucks Netflix Is Raising Prices

1. By the way, I’m not a Netflix shareholder.

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• Iron Man 2.  Watched it in IMAX for maximum viewing size and earth shattering sound.  This latest installment is a tribute to Marvel’s The Avengers.  The movie itself was totally awesome!
• Advance Placement (AP).  Apparently in high school, AP programs counts as a credit in certain US colleges.
• Expensive iPads.  Seriously, why does anyone need an oversized iPhone that can’t even make phone calls, or even a camera?  Saw someone use it in the theater and all he did was stare at the background wallpaper.
• Home Owner’s Associations.  Are they useful?  They have their use, but most agree it’s useless.
• We know Chinese people who speaks Spanish.  Apparently there is a Spanish to Chinese dictionary.
• Shanghai World Expo.  It’s a big event.  The US almost didn’t make it, and they were the last one to join.
• Visiting Macao.  China has the largest casino, The Venetian, opened in 2007.
• Recommended iPhone app for kids: Talking Carl.

This article was posted on Rudy Amid's Blog:

Lunch Bits – Edition 39

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Simple Minds – Don’t You Forget About Me (1985)

www.youtube.com/watch?v=nAdaQhitdKg

The “Breakfast Club” is a great movie.  It’s one of John Hughes’ classic teen movie.  The soundtrack is unforgettable to me.  I just love this song.  I heard it so many times and I still don’t get tired of it.  A bit of trivia: the song was turned down by Billy Idol and Bryan Ferry.  I can’t imagine those two sing it, anyway.

OMD – If You Leave (1986)

www.youtube.com/watch?v=BM-dPjM5GiQ

[Original Video Link]

Another classic John Hughes’ film,  “Pretty In Pink” has many classic songs.  This OMD song in particular was played on the radio so many times, it was hard to miss.  The contender is the song “Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want“” by The Smiths.

The Furniture – Brilliant Mind (1986)

www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JeEXP717T0

Another one from Hughes’ film, “Some Kind of Wonderful“, but this time the soundtrack went alternative.  This song in particular was played a lot on CFNY 102.1 alternative music station in the 80′s.  I still like it.

Harold Faltermeyer – Top Gun Anthem (1986)

www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCTJmXrgsFg

As I posted earlier, the movie “Top Gun” was a blockbuster success and the soundtrack went to #1 with it.  The theme song represented the movie quite well.  I also like Faltermeyer’s previous work:  “Axel F Theme“.

Bob Seger – Shakedown (1987)

www.youtube.com/watch?v=pk-W_i7Z59I

I really like the movie Beverly Hills Cop.  The sequel is not bad, but not as good as the first one.  For some reason, I enjoyed this song by Bob Seger on the sequel, more than the soundtrack of the first movie.  I think it just a really upbeat song, and  fun to sing along.

David Foster – Love Theme St. Elmo’s Fire (1985)

www.youtube.com/watch?v=blnXuYiY8Y0

Once in a while, I like a good ballad .  This composition is particularly beautiful.  Great melody.  For a “love theme” it’s quite cheerful.  The movie… not so memorable.

Huey Lewis and The News – Power of Love (1985)

www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbYQXmWrtpA

[Original Video Link]

“Back to the Future” is awesome movie, and it has an equally awesome song by Huey Lewis.  I know the lyrics well.  I’ll probably ace it in Karaoke.

Duran Duran – A View To A Kill (1985)

www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ResNDwq_5k

[Original Video Link]

I really don’t care about the movie “A View to a Kill“.  For a Bond film, it was badly written, badly acted, and the stunts were boring.  However, the featured song was great and they had chosen the correct contemporary band to play it.

Kenny Loggins – Footloose (1984)

www.youtube.com/watch?v=bL3EepgDe4g

“Footloose” is a good coming of age movie.  This is Kevin Bacon’s breakout film.  I don’t think he made any other decent film after this, other than “Tremors”.  Anyway, the song from Kenny Loggins is so awesome, and it looked like they had fun doing the final dance scene in the movie.

Irene Cara – What A Feeling (1983)

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILWSp0m9G2U

“Flashdance” was one of those movies where the soundtrack was better than the movie. Not a good feeling for the producers and director.

Bonus Track

Killing Joke – Eighties (1985)

www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjyKRRJQEpU

[Original Video Link]

This song was played a lot on alternative radios, and popular in the clubs.  The guitar riffs are mesmerizing, and not overwhelming.  Little did I know, this song was part of the “Weird Science” soundtrack!  I can’t remember where it was played in the movie. I should watch that movie again.

This article was posted on Rudy Amid's Blog:

Music of the 80′s – Movie Edition

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My picks for 2009, based on the Oscars list from IMDB, are below.  I’m going to be updating my picks as the days go by, as I’m doing further “research”.  I will stop updating it until right before the live show on Sunday, March 7 2010.

Best Picture:  The Hurt Locker

I saw this movie and I was at the edge of my seat.  Realistic and well acted. I always have respected the US Armed Forces, and the movie elevates them into a new level of courage.

Update: Paying tribute to our men and women in the military is always the best choice.  Congrats to The Hurt Locker.

Best Lead Actor: Jeremy Renner Jeff Bridges

I’m gonna guess that it’ll him because I’ve seen the movie, and he was excellent in it. I just watched Jeff’s performance in Crazy Heart. He was gritty and real. A great job acting (and singing!) as an old down-and-out country singer.  He might have a good chance.

Update: Got this one after watching the movie.  I think the singing did it for me.

Best Lead Actress: Meryl Streep

She’s been passed on so many times before, I think she’s due.

Update: I did like Sandra Bullock in The Blind Side, but I didn’t think it was a win. Oh well, better luck next time, Meryl!

Best Supporting Actor: Christoph Waltz

Now this is a well educated choice for me.  I’ve always liked an actor who are multi-lingual, and he played it well in the movie Inglorious Basterds.  I hope he chokes the others in his category – not himself, I hope.

Update: This one was pretty obvious to me.

Best Supporting Actress: Maggie Gyllenhaal

A big guess on this one.

Update: I didn’t like Mo’Nique and the movie “Precious”.  I think this one was hard to guess, and the choice was wrong, IMO.

Best Director: Kathryn Bigelow

Not being a sexist, but for a woman who could direct a testosterone filled movie like The Hurt Locker, it surprised me.  She framed the movie well and I hope she gets the nod.

Update: This is the first time a female director to win an Oscar.  I guess the theme for this Oscar is “the first for everything”.

Best Screenplay: Up In The Air

A lot of memorable quotes here.  Smartly written.  I found myself leaning forward, listening to every word.

Update: I thought The Hurt Locker had a good script, but it wasn’t witty enough. The performance of the actors were better than what was on the page.  Good win for them, I suppose.

Best Adapted Screenplay: District 9

Based on Neil Blompkampp’s previous short story Escape from Joburg, the movie expanded the story and put a face that I could follow – and root for.  I like it.

Update: I can’t say much about “Precious”.  Really… I can’t.  Dunno why they win.

Best Cinematography: Avatar

This is one of the most technically amazing movie that I’ve seen.  Sweeping shots, great sfx, and great battle scenes.

Update: Right, this one is pretty obvious to me.

Best Editing: Inglorious Basterds

This is not an easy category, but based on what I saw, I think a movie with multi-timeline, has got to be harder to edit.  This movie flowed pretty well, probably thanks to good editing.

Update: Really?  The Hurt Locker got this one?  I guess a lot of retakes did it.

Best Art: Avatar

Ho-hum story.  But awesome computer graphics!

Update: Yup. Got this one!

Best Costume: Young Victoria

I wanted to vote for Sherlock Holmes but it’s not even nominated here!  So I’m gonna guess this one.

Update: I knew period films always win costume design.

Best Makeup:  Young Victoria

Star Trek gets a sympathy nomination here, which I doubt it’ll win.  So I’ll guess also.

Update: I’m so wrong on this one.  Sorry Spock, for not having faith in Star Trek!

Best Original Score:  Up

Avatar sounded familiar with James Horner.  The Hurt Locker practically has no music.  I hope Disney pulls a surprise here.

Update: Yay for Disney!

Best Original Song: The Princess and The Frog

This is an obvious choice for me, as both Randy Newman and Disney are masters of feel-good original songs.

Update: Oh well, I guess Disney can’t compete with twangy country music epic “Crazy Heart”.

Best Sound Mix: Avatar

Going with a sure bet (hopefully) in the tech department here.

Update: Dang, how can The Hurt Locker win this one?  I guess those quiet moments in the movie made it the best sound mix?  I’m confused.

Best Sound Editing: Avatar

Again, a guess.

Update: Again missed this one. The Hurt Locker is a weird Oscar choice here.

Best Visual Effects: Avatar

A lot of people have been raving about the 3D Imax showing of this movie.  I haven’t seen it myself, but looking at the scenes, the movie has awesome visual effects.  It’s almost a sure bet.

Update: Obvious choice!

Best Animated Film: The Princess and the Frog

Disney went back to basics with this one, and it should be worth it.

Update: It’s either this, or “Up” – but it is computer graphics that win again.

Best Foreign Film: A Prophet

I dunno.  Just a guess.

Update: I have never heard of “The Secret in their Eyes”.  I’m not crying for Argentina.

Best Documentary: Which Way Home

They all look good, I guess.

Update: What is “The Cove”?  I’m not gonna find out.

Best Short Documentary: China’s Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of Sichuan Province

All propaganda shorts, but if I have to pick one…

Update: “Music by Prudence” – don’t know this one.  I’ll never know.

Best Animated Short Film: Wallace and Gromit in ‘A Matter of Loaf and Death’

I always have a soft spot for Wallace and Gromit.  They just don’t make enough of this type of lovely gems.

Update: Oh man, how can a rip-off of a cartoon film “Logorama” win against the much more original W&G?  I demand a recount!

Best Live Action Short Film: Miracle Fish

A pure guess here.

Update: “The New Tenants” won.  Oh well, it was just a guess here!

This article was posted on Rudy Amid's Blog:

My Best Picks of 2009 for the Oscars

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Here are some of the shows I’ve been following recently:

24

Jack Bauer is the man!  I’ve always been entertained with the ridiculous plot twists and turns.  This season, they have Starbuck as a meek computer girl, with a shady past.  The only thing that won’t let me down is the timeline: In real time¹!  As a sidenote, I got a kick of Kiefer Sutherland‘s voice performance as the General in Monsters Vs Aliens.

Heroes

Been following this show since the beginning.  What grabbed me are the interesting characters and plot twists.  Milo Ventimiglia (who plays Peter Petrelli) is from my current city of Anaheim.  Also the best, is Masi Oka playing the Japanese hero, Hiro Nakamura.

House M.D.

It’s another show that I’ve been watching since the beginning.  It’s also a show that I like to watch in one sitting, so it’s my favorite “one-sitter” series.  Hugh Laurie is the absolute star of the show, as the blatantly honest yet brilliant medical doctor.  As a side note, also in the movie Monsters Vs Aliens, Hugh’s voice acting as the roach scientist was so funny and entertaining!

Castle

I’ve been a fan of Nathan Fillion since “Firefly”.  Now he’s back (for good, I hope) in a smartly written “Castle” with a stunning co-star, Stana Katic.  Last Halloween, Nathan donned his Captain Mal suit in the show.  How cool was that?

Leverage

I liked the movie Ocean’s Eleven.  I also liked the classic Robin Hood story.  This show is just like that – thieves who help the needy.  I like the tricks and plot twists in each episode.  I also like the performance of Timothy Hutton, who I haven’t seen since the movie Ordinary People.  Then, there’s of course the parade of guest stars from Star Trek veterans like Brent Spiner, Jeri Ryan, Wil Wheaton, and Armin Shimmerman.

Burn Notice

It’s a cross between Macgyver and the A-Team.  This show got me hooked from the beginning.  Honestly, I watch it because of Bruce Campbell (Army of Darkness).

Stargate SGU

I have my reservation at first.  A reboot of the Stargate series, with a darker story line and mostly characters with a dark past.  It’s been compared to new Battlestar Galactica in so many levels.  But after a few episodes, it’s starting to mold into its own unique show.  Also what makes it good, at least so far, is the intriguing character development of Dr. Rush (Robert Carlyle) and Eli (David Blue).

Sanctuary

They had a slow first season.  But, they had an amazing season finale and interesting 2nd season, so far.  I’m going to stick with it because of Amanda Tapping, a Stargate SG-1 veteran.

Eureka

A short summer series, always delivering fun stories about time travel, physics defying vehicles, and futuristic gadgets.  All wrapped in a comedy of human interaction, with a bit of drama thrown in.  Lately, I haven’t seen Matt Frewer in the show, which is a pity, he’s a fun actor to watch since the days of Max Headroom.

V

What can I say, I love the original 80′s TV mini-series.  The new show was written, in such a way, to have picked up from where it left off.  We all know who the “Visitors” are.  We all know what they want.  What we don’t know if what are they gonna do now?  I’m tuning in to find out.   Also, as I mentioned before, I’m a fan of Firefly, so I’m also watching because of Morena Baccarin.  Also good to see Joel Gretsch again, since the show The 4400.

Top Gear

Funny, craftly scripted, well presented, and an awesome parade of super cars. It’s a TV show made for men!  The series is short at 8 episodes per series, with at least 6 months worth of breaks in between.  Plus, every finale there’s always a rumor about cancellation.  I suppose the big budget has a lot to do with it.  With that bombshell, I think Jeremy Clarkson is the funniest presenter… in the world!

Doctor Who

I’ve watched the classic Dr. Who since I was a teenager in Canada.  Last year, I’m disappointed David Tennant left the show.  David’s energy made the Doctor exciting and fun watch.  I’ll keep an open mind with the new Doctor and see how well he’ll fit in.

Merlin

The retelling of a famous English legend, featuring the young versions of Merlin, Arthur, Guinevere, Galahad, and Morgana.  Brilliant set and costume designs.  The main actors are mostly new and unknown, with only a few prominent supporting actors like Anthony Head and John Hurt.

Human Target

The most exciting new series that I’ve watched, so far.  The pilot episode was superb, great action show, with Tricia Helfer guest starring.  I also like the quiet, yet comical, Chi McBride, from Pushing Daisies.  If they can keep up this pace, it’ll be a delight to watch.

Photo Credit: VintageLooks

This article was posted on Rudy Amid's Blog:

TV Worth Watching

1. unlike Lost where they go back and forth in time.

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In 1950′s, Ghostbusters trailer:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAboGO9MDsQ

In 1940′s, Forrest Gump done by Frank Capra:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ab-pU7cXFAs

In the 1920′s, Matrix done as a silent movie:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAu74d4fGt0

In the 1880′s, Star Trek as “Steam Trek”:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Y39gHihP74

Bonus: Raider’s of the Lost Ark done in 1951:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUPDuQq9GsM

This article was posted on Rudy Amid's Blog:

Modern Movies Redone the Old Way

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I’ve known the big screen adaptation of The Adventures of Tintin is coming.  They just announced recently it’s going to be done near Christmas 2011!  The title they chose was “The Secret of the Unicorn”.  It’s actually a combination of three of the Tintin comic book stories into one: The Crab with the Golden Claws, The Secret of the Unicorn, and Red Rackham’s Treasure.  I’m guessing they’ve chosen them because those stories contain the introduction of Captain Haddock, Professor Calculus, and the memorable Marlinspike mansion.

When I was 8 years old, I had difficulty following the story lines.  Maybe it was due to the language translation.  Perhaps it was a cultural thing, as this is a European/Western – and I’m Asian.  Asian comics were mostly influenced by Japan with their manga comics.

But, I loved Tintin comics mainly for the mystery and the epic story lines.  The stories were also bold for kids.¹  Back in Indonesia, drugs were not a widespread problem, so reading about it in Golden Claw was “educational”.   Also, Captain Haddock’s excessive drinking problem was familiar, as a member of my family had the same issue.  Back then, kids were less spoiled and grew up faster.

Then there was the fantastic voyage under the sea in Red Rackham’s Treasure got me glued to the wonderful drawings by Hergé.  From a sample picture, I could see the details and they were not overwhelming.  I also remembered trying to draw the shark-shaped submarine.  I’m no artist, so it wasn’t even close to look like the one in the comic book.

Wikipedia and IMDB has an extensive info on the upcoming Tintin animated movie.  The movie’s voice talents are made up of mostly British talents like Daniel Craig, Simon Pegg, and Jamie Bell.  Since this is a Peter Jackson movie, the incomparable Andy “Gollum” Serkis also stars.  Serkis is a veteran computer graphics actor, as well as an incredible voice actor.  So he’s a shoe-in for this movie.

It’s unclear who’s going to play Professor Calculus.  The professor is pivotal in the story line for Red Rackham’s Treasure.  I’ll be very surprised if they decided to leave him out, as he’s a major character in Tintin’s comic books.  I have to realize this is a Hollywood production, so they’ll definitely take “artistic” license, and modify the stories to fit into a 2-hour movie.  Either way, they need to clear up this confusion.

Meanwhile, the long wait continues…

Photo Credit: Wikipedia

This article was posted on Rudy Amid's Blog:

Tintin is Coming to the Big Screen in 2011

1. Target audience age 9-12

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Now with the Buzz Lightyear Ride in Disneyland, and the new marketing of the movie, she’s beginning to like Toy Story now.

She’s revisited the movie on DVD.  She looked at the back of the packaging and asked me, “Who is Buzz Lightyear?”  I just had the simple answer, “He’s the other toys’ best friend.”

The more in-depth answer is in this short documentary with John Lasseter, Disney’s Director of Animation.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfO-sF8Klo4

Turns out Buzz Lightyear was inspired by GI Joe action figures and Buzz Aldrin, the Astronaut.   Interesting tid bits about the colors, too.

I’m also so looking forward to Toy Story 3!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWpaf7SNn1g

This article was posted on Rudy Amid's Blog:

Buzz Lightyear

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The emerging (and biggest) buzzwords for 2009 in technology are Internet TV and Cloud Computing.  Those two hit home for me.  At home, I already disconnected Dish Network in favor of TV streaming via Netflix and Hulu.  At work, I’m on projects to build apps for other divisions to share using Web Services, and have investigated the need to create Enterprise based Cloud Infrastructure.  So, in reality, both are here.

However, both still have issues.  The biggest one is the lack internet bandwidth.  I’m one (of many) who complains more about the lack of cheap and fast broadband bandwidth in the US.  The internet is no longer about shopping or viewing cute cat pictures.  The expectation now is about on-demand media, and cost cutting.  Internet Streaming is currently inadequate for High Definition quality media.  Cloud Computing also struggles with network bandwidth (as well as storage) for large contents, such as videos.

Gartner called these two technologies on the “Peak of Inflated Expectations”.   That certainly is the truth.  I expect both to go big because it’ll change our lifestyle, and the way we do business.

I especially like to see Internet TV to succeed, despite of the hype.

This article was posted on Rudy Amid's Blog:

Internet TV and Cloud Computing

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Once again, my favorite show from the UK is back! Season 13 started two weeks ago, and there will be (only) 7 episodes.  In Top Gear tradition, they started off wonderfully, with fun challenges (racing with a coal powered steam train), and testing fun cars like the Lotus and Ferrari FXX.

Of course, this time around they had something to say about the sad state of the auto industry.  Surprisingly, they didn’t talk about it too much.  They proceeded in doing what they do best: running cars around the test track, pushing their bodies to the limit, and causing mayhem.

And they revealed The Stig‘s real identity!

Anyway, I’m going to enjoy watching whatever Top Gear put together.  I’ve also been enjoying Top Gear Australia, which is now on Season 2.  The hosts dynamics are different, but they are equally funny blokes, having fun racing and thrashing cars.

Keep up the good work, guys!

This article was posted on Rudy Amid's Blog:

Top Gear: Season 13

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