Regardless, the price was too high for me. A quick Google search steered me to the HTC Desire, an Android phone which has everything the iPhone 4 has and more (you can add an SD card for additional memory, use the phone as a wi-fi hotspot for your laptop to connect, plays adobe flash, real multitasking). I read a number of reviews from iPhone users that made the switch to the Desire and had nothing but praise for the phone. Soon after I found out about the Desire, an announcement was made by Telus where they would be the exclusive carrier of the phone beginning this month at the low no contract price of 449. I picked up the phone for 349 on a one year contract.

So, how is the HTC Desire? It is a true marvel. I can do everything … FAST.

Email, Facebook, Twitter, Web, GPS (Google Maps native with voice directions), Bluetooth, and more. What makes this phone special is the true multitasking feature where I can have several applications open at the same time and jump back between them. I can also toggle my gps/wi-fi/bluetooth on/off quickly without jumping into the settings of the phone. As for the phone itself, the voice quality is crystal clear. I went one further step and rooted my phone (easier than jailbreaking an iPhone) which allows me to install custom ROMS which are images of the operating system optimized for speed. Tomorrow I will unlock my phone so I can move from one carrier to another, or if I travel internationally, I can just swap SIM cards with a local phone agent in Europe to avoid hefty roaming charges from my carrier.

I can’t find anything bad to say about the HTC Desire. The build quality is excellent, battery life is stellar (36 hours on one charge [after rooting and Froyo 2.2 ROM]), and I can pretty much do anything I need to do without using my computer. I’ll try and post my own video review shortly, but for now, the one below gives you a good overview of the Desire.

Twenty-eight years ago feels like an eternity, but turning back the clock brings us to 1982.  The year E.T. and Tootsie stood tall at the head of the box office and won the hearts of moviegoers worldwide.   The year that Captain Kirk screamed out ‘KAHN!’, and Harrison Ford was blasting Replicants in a distant future.   1982 was a great year for film, but there was one movie that was completely forgettable by audiences, and that movie was TRON.   A young Jeff Bridges plays the role of Kevin Flynn, a software engineer who gets jettisoned away into a video game world he created.   Technologically, TRON was one of the very first commercial films to use computer generated effects extensively.   Disney produced the film for 15 million dollars, and executives were skeptic about the return on their investment.   TRON generated lackluster box office returns and mixed reviews.  However, the film did earn enough money to pay back its costs.

For myself, TRON was a thrill ride event.   I first saw the film on the big screen (and yes, I was 10 years old at the time), and I was taken with the originality of the story and the special effects (even after Star Wars).  Twenty years later I saw the film again and I was just as taken away with the movie as  I was the first time.   There really is something special about this movie.   I hope they make a sequel one day, even after all of this time.   Well, it looks as though my wish will be granted.   And although I am a Fanboy at heart, it looks at though this next iteration of TRON is going the route of AVATAR.

There were always rumors and rumblings at Disney regarding a TRON sequel, but nothing happened.   Twenty years passed and fans began to lose hope, until 2005 where Variety reported a script was being written.  Flash Forward to last year’s comic-con and the cast (including Jeff Bridges) were on hand to discuss the filming of the sequel and its December 2010 release date.   I was luck enough to be in attendance for that event, and from the footage I saw, I believe TRON: LEGACY has a good shot at appealing to audiences worldwide and generating AVATAR box office returns.   The film is entirely shot (not converted) in 3D.   It will be formatted for IMAX projection systems.   Moreover, all of the visual effects will be created by Digital Domain . . . James Cameron’s effects company.   Bolstered by the return of Jeff Bridges who now is an Academy Award winner, it looks like we’re in for one hell of a ride with TRON: LEGACY.

You are probably asking why I’m talking about this film now if it only opens in December.  Well, I talked about AVATAR last July well before its opening and predicted great success for the film.  I’m hoping word of mouth gets out about TRON: LEGACY.

To all of you who grew up in the 80s: GO SEE THIS MOVIE!   Hot Tub Time Machine is a laugh out loud ’strictly-adult’ comedy which delivers on every joke.  Veteran comedian, John Cusack (Adam), and his compatriots played by Rob Corddry (Lou), Craig Robinson (Nick), and Clark Duke (Jacob), deliver solid performances in this over the top film which follows a bunch of middle aged high school buddies who somehow get thrown back to 1986 via a hot tub in an effort to correct the mistakes they’ve made in their lives.  Sounds ridiculous?  IT IS!!!  And that’s why this movie works.

Hot Tub Time Machine is a ‘time machine’ movie which makes fun of every ‘time machine’ movie we’ve seen.  The most popular being the “Back to the Future” series.  On that note, Crispin Glover who originally played Marty McFly’s dad in the BTTF series  is in this movie and what happens to him (or what should happen to him) will make you laugh and cringe at the same time.  It is absolute comedy brilliance.   There are some other ‘classic’ scenes which can NEVER be played on TV.  Let’s just say someone loses a bet . . . BIG TIME.

There are some ridiculously hysterical scenes in this film and I won’t ruin them for you (‘White Buffalo’), but if you’re someone who grew up with Alf, New Order, and a yellow hard case walkman, then you will definitely enjoy this retro trip back in time.   I guarantee you’ll be laughing your way out of the movie theater by end credits.    Hot Tub Time Machine opens in theaters March 19th.

If I have to sum up Shutter Island in one word, it would be: CEREBRAL.   Shutter Island will keep you guessing throughout its entire 2 hr. 15 min. runtime, which serves its purpose as a throwback to the ‘whodunnit’ mysteries of the 60s.   Master filmmaker Martin Scorsese does an excellent job adapting the narrative of Dennis Lehane’s 2003 novel for the big screen.    However, the film is no masterpiece in comparison to Scorsese’s earlier work (i.e. The Departed, Taxi Driver, Goodfellas).

The film takes viewers back to 1954, where U.S. Marshall, Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio), is assigned to investigate the disappearance of a patient from Boston’s Shutter Island Hospital Prison, a place reserved for the clinically insane.   Once Daniels lands on Shutter Island, he is immersed in a world which is well beyond his control.   The facility is run by Dr. Cawley (brilliantly played by Ben Kingsley) who is not very helpful to Daniels’ investigation.   As Daniels uncovers more secrets about Shutter Island, we learn more about Daniels and his inner demons.

Shutter Island is not a horror film.  Although the trailers make you believe it’s a ‘boo!, gotacha’ type of flick.   The movie delivers an intertwined web of psychological thriller fiction which will keep audiences focused on the tidbits Daniels picks up through his investigation as his tries to solve the case.   The performances from the support cast are exemplary, as for the technical credits (film school material).   However, Shutter Island tries a bit too hard to be ‘The Shining’ when its not.   Does that mean it’s a bad film?  No, its not a bad movie, but its not that great either.   I do have some bias, as there are scenes of dead children in the movie which are difficult to watch.   I didn’t see the need for Scorsese to revisit this sequence in full detail, which turned me off from the film as a whole.   Don’t worry, its not graphic in any way, its just a difficult scene to watch as a father.

All in all, is Shutter Island worth the price of admission?  I would say if you like Leo and Scorsese, then you’ll enjoy the art of filmmaking.  If you looking for some popcorn entertainment for the evening, wait for this to come out for a rental and watch something better on the big screen.

After endless years of hype, the time has come for the release of AVATAR.  James Cameron’s science-fiction epic costing an estimated half billion dollars to put on the screen.    After watching 25 min. of footage screened by Cameron at Comic-Con earlier this year I was convinced AVATAR to be the next leap in filmmaking.  After watching the movie in IMAX last night, I can officially say that AVATAR is a 3D cinematic event everyone should experience.

The year is 2154, and from the opening shuttle scene you will believe it.  Jake Sully (played by Sam Worthington) is a paraplegic Marine war verteran thrown into the “AVATAR” program.   The program allows humans to control genetically bred alien clones of themselves to win the trust of an alien race called the Na’Vi.   The underlying reason is to win the trust of the Na’Vi and rape the planet of its natural resources (Earth is dying).   And so the advetnure begins!   I can’t tell you how much of a great thrill ride AVATAR was.   When you first arrive on the Na’Vi home planet, Pandora, you are immediately thrown into a strange new world of exotic (and alien) animals, vegetation, and scenery.  You really do believe Pandora exists, which is a technical marvel on its own as 70% of this film is computer generated.   I guess the question everyone is asking is if you do believe the Na’Vi as a living, breathing, alien race and not a CG version of the smurfs (the Na’Vi are blue).   I can assure you, you WILL believe.

I dragged my wife along for the ride.  She had no interest in seeing the film, but by the end credits she ended up loving the movie.   As for my expectations of the film, they were far exceeded.   I highly recommend this film for EVERYONE.  Even for those of you who hate science fiction films, you will find something to love in AVATAR.    As of this evening, the film has amassed 232 Million dollars worldwide over the opening weekend.  Looks like everyone has found something to love in AVATAR>

Here are the before and after photos of the renovation project:
Image 1

Image 2

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I do have some advice for those of you planning to move forward with a kitchen renovation project:

1) Plan ahead and get ideas from books/internet as to what you would like to do with your kitchen.  One essential book in our renovation project is called 1001 ideas for kitchen organization (find it Amazon here) .  The book gave us a number of ideas which we went over with our kitchen designer.  She has some great ideas too!

2) Budget accordingly.  The sky is the limit when it comes to kitchen renovation projects.   Plan your budget and stick with it.

3) Shop direct with area cabinet makers.   Shopping directly instead of going through a big box store can save you at least 10% off your bill.    The big box stores outsource the work to local kitchen installers.  If you find them yourself you can save some cash.

4) Find out what you can do yourself to save some bucks.  We took care of the demo of the old kitchen and floors to cut costs.

5) Stay calm!   This is a stressful period.   The last thing you want to do is have a meltdown in the middle of the renovation project.

Most importantly, take time to enjoy your new kitchen.   You earned it!

Although Inglourious Basterds has moments of greatness, the sum of its parts does not make the film a masterpiece.  This was supposed to be Quentin Tarantino’s directorial chef-d’œuvre, as its been in development for over ten years.   Instead, Tarantino’s latest work  remains a very good movie that will be appreciated more by his fans than mainstream audiences.   Inglourious Basterds begins in German-occupied France, where Shosanna Dreyfus (Mélanie Laurent) witnesses the execution of her family at the hand of Nazi Colonel Hans Landa (Christoph Waltz). Shosanna narrowly escapes and flees to Paris, where she forges a new identity as the owner and operator of a cinema. Elsewhere in Europe, Lieutenant Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt) organizes a group of Jewish soldiers to engage in targeted acts of retribution. Known to their enemy as “The Basterds,” Raine’s squad joins German actress and undercover agent Bridget Von Hammersmark (Diane Kruger) on a mission to take down the leaders of The Third Reich.

If you’re a Tarantino fan, you will enjoy the lengthy conversation set pieces, a staple of his productions.   However, in past films the conversations were light and funny.  In this film, everything is filled with tension.  So much so, you can cut it with a knife.  That’s what I enjoyed about Basterds.  The tension building moments between characters.  You have little inclination as to where things are going, and that captures your attention.  So, what didn’t work in this movie?  Well, I was expecting to see more of the adventures of “The Basterds”.  Instead, I got their intro which is in the trailer and then we hop to a few years later on a tangent storyline.   I would have liked to see more of the Basterds adventures, and the development of the characters in the unit.   Instead the focus is on the secondary characters, which is still quite entertaining.

Now for the performances.   Yes, Brad Pitt is a lot of fun as Aldo, but the real star of this film is Christoph Waltz who plays the villainous Nazi Colonel Hans Landa.  Waltz’ performance is captivating.   I was absolutely blown away by this German actor who commands the screen at every turn.  Its a real treat.  Final verdict: Inglourious Basterds is a very good movie, but not the Tarantino masterpiece everyone was expecting.

You should see it if:

• You like Tarantino movies (Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs, Kill Bill).
• Don’t mind subtitles (The international cast speak in their native language [french/german]
• Have an open mind for something different from the mainstream Hollywood films.

You should avoid this film if:

• You are squemish to serious acts of violence.
• You get bored easily if something doesn’t blow up every ten seconds (go, Michael Bay!)
• You can’t read.

Film

• Iron Man II will be released in May 2010.   Whiplash, Black Widow, and War Machine to be in the film.
• James Cameron’s AVATAR will be released in December 2009 in IMAX 3D and 2D screens.
• Jonah Hex (western adventure) will be out summer 2010 starring Josh Brolin and Meagan Fox.
• Book of Eli with Denzel Washington and Gary Oldman.  Post-apocalyptic adventure.
• A new Nightmare on Elm Street is coming this fall.  A re-imagining of the series.  Looks good.
• Alice in Wonderland directed by Tim Burton and starring Johnny Depp is out next spring.
• Batman III begins filming next year for a 2012 release date.
• Where the Wild Things Are (Spike Jones) out this fall.  Looks weird.

TV

• New season of Dexter with John Lithgow.
• Final season of LOST will include a back story on Richard Alpert.
• Big Bang Theory renewed for two seasons.
• 24 coming in January 2010.  CTU is back.  Sutherland notes this one won’t be over the top, but grounded in the reality of today’s threats.
• Flash Forward – New series from ABC.  Receiving good buzz.

That’s it for now! 

I camped out for 17 hours to get into Hall H on that special day.  Was it worth it?  HELL YEAH!

Jim came on stage to thank the fans for their patience and as everyone was expecting a 2 min. trailer or some snippets from his production.  Instead, Cameron unleashed 25 minutes of AVATAR goodness in 3D.   It was unlike anything I have ever seen in my life.

AVATAR is set in the distant future where humans have discovered another alien race, the Na’vi, on a planet aptly named PANDORA.   Humans are interested in harvesting the minerals the planet has, but have to win the trust of the Na’vi to accomplish that goal.   Unfortunately, humans cannot breathe the air on PANDORA, so they must assume control of genetically bread lifeforms called AVATARS which look like the Na’vi.    A Na’vi is a ten foot tall blue creature which looks almost humanlike (arms, legs, feet), and are at first glance primitive in nature.  Think ‘Quest for Fire’.  They have no futuristic weapons, only spears and other rudimentary weapons made from the resources they have.

The film’s first sequence begins on a military ship where we are introduced to Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), a disabled Marine veteran who agrees to participate in the AVATAR program.   Dr. Grace Augustine (Sigourney Weaver) is the person in charge of the AVATAR program and introduces Jake to his AVATAR, the biological body which he will assume on PANDORA.   Jake is placed in a pod where the ‘link’ is made and he is put to sleep.  When he wakes up, he sees that he is the ten foot tall blue Na’vi that is his AVATAR.

The following scenes show Jake in PANDORA where he meets Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) a Na’vi native whom he befriends on the planet.   I was BLOWN AWAY by the level of detail of the effects.  Cameron created PANDORA down to different alien plant life and you actually believe you are in another world.   I felt like when I first watched The Empire Strikes Back when I was twelve years old and first saw the AT-AT attack.   It is a jaw dropping accomplishment and I can’t wait for this movie to be released!

AVATAR is in 3D, but its not used as a gimmick.   Instead the use of 3D is done sparingly and creates a sense of depth to each scene.  AVATAR will also be released in 2D on thousands of screens worldwide this December.   I have high hopes for this film and I can’t wait to see the finished product.

Wednesday evening was preview night and I got of glimps of the mahem to come with thousands flooding the convention show floor.   Hall H is the 7,000 seat room which is used by the major studios for their panels.  Due to the thousands of people wanting to see the popular panels, people line up a few hours in advance outside the convention center.  However, there was one abnormality: TWILIGHT FANS.

The cast of Twilight was expected to show up in full force to promote their new film, New Moon.   As a result, hundreds camped out the day before in front of Hall H to secure their place in line.  Unfortunately for myself and my good friend Jenn, we had no choice but to camp out with them to ensure our spot in Hall H for James Cameron’s presentation of AVATAR (check out my AVATAR blog).  Camping outside for 17 hours was not fun, but it wasn’t too bad either.  I met people from all over the world who came for this event.  Mothers were even camping out with their teenage daughters and they turned the evening into a ’sleepover’ atmosphere.

When the doors to Hall H opened, there were over 15,000 people outside.   Only 7,000 would get in.   Luckily I was one of them.   I jogged inside Hall H, was given a pair of 3D glasses and took my seat.   The panels began with Disney, showcasing A Christmas Carol with Jim Carrey and Alice in Wonderland with Johnny Depp who was kind enough to make a surprise appearance at the show at the delight of the thousands of Twilight fans.   I spent all day in Hall H and by mid-afternoon there was a distinct ‘funk’ in the air which was the smell of thousands of people who haven’t showered in the last two days.  I never want to smell that again.

Overall, the panel session was fun, aside from losing some frequencies in my hearing due to the screaming Twilight fans, but Jim Cameron’s presentation was worth it.  Would I do it again?  Hell no.  But it was worth the price of admission.