Movie Review: American Reunion

Yes, they're back.  Again.  For those of you in my age bracket, you probably remember the summer of '99 very fondly and how the original American Pie shocked you and made you pretty much roll on the floor in laughter.  For it's time it was quite the raunchy movie.  And it has now spawned (cause that's what happens when you... um... you know... hey, it's perfectly natural) three sequels (at least three that made it to theatres).  This one continues the story, 13 years on.

Apparently everyone forgot to have a 10 year reunion, so someone decided to hold one for their 13th.  Pretty much all the characters from the first three have returned, even if just for a short while, including some holdouts from the 3rd movie (American Wedding).  All of their lives have changed: Jim (Jason Biggs) and Michelle (Alyson Hannigan) have a boy (who doesn't really figure into things), Kevin (Thomas Ian Nicholas) is married and pretty much house-whipped, Oz (Chris Klein) is a TV star, Finch (Eddie Kaye Thomas) is.. well, that's part of the fun of the movie, and Jim's dad is sadly single after Jim's mom passed away.  Stifler is (Seann William Scott)... still Stifler.

As a 4th addition in a series, American Reunion isn't actually all that bad.  It has both raunchy and endearing moments, which is what, in my mind really stood out in the original.  Though it's not really a ground shattering film, it did have me in quite a bit of laughter at times.  For those of you who haven't seen the first three, many of the jokes will likely go over your head.  By 1999 standards this movie goes places that would be shocking, but after movies such as The Hangover and it's sequel this isn't all that shocking - though one part of it made me more disgusted than one part of Wedding.

Eugene Levy really does steal the show as Jim's Dad in his scenes and definitely adds to the awkwardness that really makes this movie.  Way to support the home team, eh? (FYI, check his IMDB page to see his hometown and you'll understand my comment).

So if you want a good laugh and a nice walk down memory lane (a lot of the music is from the 90s as well) this is definitely worth a few dollars or pounds.  If you get offended easily (hahaha, that's two movies in a row I've said this) I wouldn't go see this.  If you don't like full frontal nudity (of the male variety) then I would also recommend you don't see this.

I give this two thumbs up (sorry, that's also an in-joke).

Why I Really Like My Smartphone

When smartphones first came out a while back, I assured myself that I didn't need one. It was just a bunch of bells and whistles and most of the stuff people do on them (from my experience: games) was pretty much useless. Arriving in London two years ago, I bought the cheapest new phone I could get (approximately £25). It allowed me to call people and to text. Since I didn't do much of either, I was happy. Then as time went on, everyone started getting iPhones and similar phones and I started seeing a few things here and there that might be useful. So when I knew I was leaving England and that I'd need a new phone for New Zealand, I bit the bullet and bought the cheapest smart phone I could find, a Samsung Galaxy Y, for a shade less than £100. I must say, in my just over one month of using it, I am more than pleased.

Not even going into the different apps that I've started using (those will all be future posts), for roughly four times what I paid for my first UK phone, I've gotten way more than four times the return. Here is just a small snippet of what a smartphone offers:

1) Google Maps. By far the biggest reason I decided to get a smart phone. When living in a big (and new) city, it can be very easy to get lost. Not sure where you are or how to get to the nearest underground station? Turn on your map and not only will it give you a street layout, but it will also pinpoint your location as well as give you walking directions to wherever you choose. Already it has helped me immensely in both London and Auckland.

2) Web Browser. Need to look something up while on the go? Having a web browser on your phone makes that a lot easier. In the last few years, I've often wondered how we got things done before the Internet. In a few years I imagine the same thing will be said about the Internet on phones.

3) Email. Though I could access my email by web browser, my phone does one better and syncs my gmail account to my phone. So I get a little ding every time I get an email. Quite useful, really.

4) Camera. Yes, most people have digital cameras anyway, but this can save on pocket or bag space if you're in a pinch. Also, it is helpful if you see something that you want to remember but just don't have the time to make a memo (note: my phone also lets me make memos). Very useful, and I find the quality of the pictures to be alright.

5) mp3 Player. Also a space saver. Really, all you need in the way of devices is a smart phone. Works pretty much like any other mp3 player you have. My phone has a slot for a memory card of up to 32gb. My iPod only holds 4gb. Hmmmm. Also, my phone has an FM radio, though I know not all phones have this feature.

6) SatNav/GPS. Ever needed driving directions on the go? Smartphones can do that too. Similar to google maps, this has a slightly different interface and can show/tell you in real time which way to turn and when.



7) Apps. Yes, there are literally millions of these available. I'll go into a few that I use frequently in more detail at some point, but the point to be made here is that there are pretty much apps for everything.

8) Etc. There are a ton of little things that a smart phone can do as well, including: a voice recorder, a picture gallery, facebook and twitter updates, calculator, weather updates, news feeds, etc. Oh yeah, and you can call and text with it too.

If anyone out there is debating whether or not to get a smart phone, my ethusiastic response would be yes! But if you have a perfectly good phone, don't go out and upgrade for the sake of doing so. My old phone was not very good and it was really only useable in the UK (I bought a SIM-free phone), so it made sense for me. I'm glad I chose what I did though.

Movie Review: Project X

It's been a while since I saw this, so things aren't so fresh in my mind at the moment.

Project X is about three boys (Thomas, Costa, and JB) who throw a birthday party when one of their parents go away for the weekend. The boys aren't exactly popular and are trying to use the party to change that. It begins with the boys planning the party and going all over to get. My first warning to you is that if you can't handle excessive bad language and crudeness, don't even bother. You'll get offended in the first 30 seconds or so. Anyone who's seen the trailers for this movie will be forgiven for not being nervous for the boys, since you'll know that the party does happen and that people do show up.

Basically what follows would be the proverbial "Gong Show." People arrived, get drunk and do crazy stuff. It sounds boring (and to some it would be), but it has it's funny moments (for example, the over-the-top security guards).

Throughout the story there is a love triangle (when is there not?) as the party escalates into utter chaos. The ending is a bit over the top, but I think that's the point. This is definitely a movie that caters to the imaginations of teens and others slightly older, so don't expect much in the way of insights into life, but be ready to see some things you just thought you'd never see.

The acting is fairly well done. I found the boys to be completely believable, though why any of them would be friends with Costa is beyond me, but that's the way highschool goes I guess. I heard a rumour that the boys were cast through some sort of contest, though I'm too lazy at the moment to look it up so I could be completely wrong.

Anyway, if you like crude humour (American Pie, Hangover, etc.) then you'll probably enjoy this. It's one of a recent group of found footage films (Cloverfield, Chronicle) that I personally enjoy. So there you have it. Not for everyone, but definitely worth it if you can stomach the juvenileness of the whole thing.

Book Review: Warm Bodies

What is it with me and reading books with questionable titles?

Anyway, the Zombie craze soldiers on. I'm sure many have noticed a recent number of both movies and books dealing with the subject (I'll put a list at the bottom of this for good measure, in case you didn't notice). Warm Bodies, by Isaac Marion, takes the zombie story in a new direction: a zombie in love. Not only that, but the book is written from the perspective of the zombie, R, which puts the whole thing into perspective. They may be dead, but they do have feelings and needs.

The basic plot of the story is that while on a routine feeding trip, R decides that instead of eating Julie, to save her and keep her safe. R's friend M (the Zombies can't really remember a lot, but some of them can remember tidbits, and some can even speak) at first doesn't think this is a good idea. Through twists and turns we follow these two young lovers in their quest to unite two families... er... groups of individuals (people isn't really an appropriate word when dealing with the undead) who are otherwise at war with each other. Throw in Julie's best friend Nora, and a an attack on a human named Trevor and you might start to see some similarities between this story and another, more famous one (1000 Internet points for whomever can post which story I'm talking about first).

I don't like revealing much more, but if you like zombies and seeing new things done with old ideas (and I mean two old ideas here) then this is definitely well worth your time. I could barely put it down.

In my search for a bit more info on the book, I also learned that it will be made into a movie, opening in 2013. What can you do? This usually happens to good (and often not-so-good) books.

As promised, here is a list of some of the better quality zombie (or similar) movies of the past few years. It's short, but I liked these ones in particular. Post any other ones that you thought were good.

Books:

• World War Z, Max Brooks (Also going to be a movie in 2013 starring Brad Pitt)
• Zone One, Colson Whitehead

Movies and TV Shows

• Zombieland
• The Walking Dead (TV)
• 28 Days Later
• Dawn of the Dead
• Shaun of the Dead

Speaking a Foreign Language in England

In my roughly two years in England, I had my fair share of embarrassments, misunderstandings and frustrations due to the fact that the word I said did not have the same meaning to me as it did to the people who I was speaking to. I'm sure you're all familiar with words like lift, lorry and loo, but alliteration aside there are quite a few differences between Canadian (or American) English and British English. I've searched my memory for a few days now and with the help of Wikipedia to fill in some of the gaps and remind me, I've made a useful list of words to help you on your way if you ever do decide to visit the old country. Words with one asterix (*) indicate mixups that are potentially embarrassing and words with two (**) indicate words that SHOULD be obvious, but are just added in to make it look like I did more work.

Canadian	British
Aubergines	Eggplants
Bin	Trash Can (don't confuse with recycling bin!)
Biscuit	Cookie**
(To) blag	(To) make something up (bluff)
(To) blank – (To) ignore (someone)	(To) ignore (someone)
Boot	Trunk
Chips	French Fries
Crisps	Potato Chips
Corridor	Hall(way)
Courgettes	Zucchini (why use English when you can use French?)
Dinner	Lunch (???)
Fete (pronounced fate)	Party
Full Stop	Period*
Hall	Gymnasium
Ice Lolly	Popsicle
Kit	Athletic Clothing (uniform)
Ladybird	Ladybug (it's not a bird, is it?)
Lead	Cord
Lift	Elevator**
Lolly	Any candy on a stick (lollypop)
Lorry	Truck
Motoroway	Highway
Nappy	Diaper
Off-License	Liquor Store
Pudding	Dessert
Pants	Underwear*
Pavement	Sidewalk
Plaster	Band Aid
Pushchair	Stroller
Queue	Line (though they never make them properly)
Row (rhymes with cow)	Argument
Rubber	Eraser*
Rubbish	Garbage**
SatNav	GPS
Sellotape	Scotch Tape
Subway	Underground Walkway (not the trains)
Suspenders	Garter Belt*
Sweets	Candy
Swimming Costume	Bathing Suit
Tea	Snack
Tipp-Ex	White Out
Toilet	Washroom (the actual room)**
Torch	Flashlight
Trousers	Pants**
Vest	Tank Top (also, running single)
Do the washing up	Do the dishes
Washing Up Liquid	Dish Soap
Wellies	Rubber Boots