Sukiyaki Western Django..."an epic tale of blood, lust, and greed"

I recently had the honor of watching the stylized and entertaining Sukiyaki Western Django directed by the revered and frequently imitated Miike Takashi. I am by no means an expert on Japanese cinema, save for a bit of dabbling in Anime and the occasional Japanese film that generates enough buzz to make it stateside. But I am trying to get more acquainted, especially since I've been taking Japanese classes. I did, however, enjoy this movie to the fullest. I was instantly drawn from the opening scene which features Ringo played by Quentin Tarantino (Miike had a role in Hostel back in '05, so I guess he was repaying the favor) laying some groundwork for the rest of the film. Ringo relays the tale of the Heike and Genji clans who war over a famed-treasure on some far off island. They are reportedly good friends and have said that they are fans of each others' works. And while this may come off as a Tarantino-esque (oodles of blood, stylized violence, pop culture references...and Tarantino himself) film , Miike is able to execute his vision a couple of steps above what Quentin manages.

This movie is not exactly the deepest of films when it comes to plot. The introduction (as mentioned, "Heike and Genji war over...treasure") is enough to have you in the know for the majority of the movie, save for the fact that a heroic gunman (played by Hideaki Ato), is thrown into the mix. There is, however, plenty of emotion that can be drawn from the characters. These range from a widow who loses her husband, and who must give her body up in order to exact her revenge upon his murderer, to a heroine who had long since put her past behind her and must reemerge as a gunslinger once again. There are also various themes to be followed here. Love, revenge, duty, morality, honor. All these apparent in interactions between interesting and archetypal characters.

But the main thing that caught my eye, would have to be, without a doubt, the things that I saw...with my eyes. Uhm, that is too say that this is a gorgeous movie. The imagery in every scene is astounding. The mix of contrasting colors(often the symbolic red and white of the Heike and Genji), as well as the juxtaposition of Western and Japanese elements is extremely pleasing to the occipital lobe. This movie has ten-gallon hats,katanas, kimonos, revolvers (you name it) all melded together into surprisingly cohesive scenery. Even the actors, the majority Japanese, speak in English. Although their acting is superb, the accents make it, at times, difficult to decipher the dialogue. However, this only adds another dimension to the film. Miike is able to fuse so many genres into one, paying homage throughout the movie, whether it be through imitation or satire. He nods to spaghetti westerns, b-movies, anime, etc. Movie buffs will no doubt be able to draw many connections to various schools of film. I'm not the most well-versed in movie history so I'll be picking at this thing forever. I just now understand the reference to Django. *Sigh* I've got a long way to go.

If you're looking for a movie with a deep and compelling plot in the traditional sense, you might want to steer clear of this one. But if you want to see a movie about movies, with interesting characters, if you want to have fun and watch something where even the violence is beautiful (and sometimes hilarious), then you might want to check this one out.
Official Website

Farah Fawcett & Michael Jackson pass away

Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson both passed away today. Jackson (50) died of cardiac arrest at approximately 2:26 pm pacific time. Fawcett (62) died after a long, public battle with cancer. I had already known about Farah Fawcett earlier, but I was chilling with some friends when someone got a text informing us about MJ. We were all a lil' "elevated" so we just brushed it off as some prank. But alas, 'tis true. Both entertainers had huge fan bases and both were legends in their own rights. Michael Jackson was the king of pop and Farrah was the Charlie's Angels babe (before my time, but still hot) that everyone had up on their walls, back in the day. Both will be missed by their loyal fans. But honestly I don't know how to feel, especially concerning MJ. Unfortunately, he had become, towards the end of his career and up until now, the butt of many jokes. It sounds wrong to say, but I'm more inclined to feel remorse for Fawcett's passing. MJ had become an enigma that was becoming increasingly difficult to figure out. He was a peculiar man, that many people (myself included) could not comprehend. His actions had become eccentric to a point that it was difficult to separate the man from the confusion. If that makes any sense. There is still no doubt that he and Farrah both made a huge impact in the entertainment industry. Here's to two legends. Rest in peace.

Where babies come from...

One of my friends just pointed me to this.

Now, even your young 'uns can take a trip down memory lane.

Transformers (second in a series of posts concerning TF 2 and the lengths I had to go through to watch it) : Weapons of mass destruction.

(taken from ign.com)

Like I said last post, I recently went to the opening midnight showing of Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen. I'd been mowing the lawn about 2 hours before my friends and I actually went to the theater. Our household has an electric lawnmower that plugs up to an outlet. Now, I'm all about going green and protecting the environment, but holy shit that thing gets on my nerves. Our yard is way too big for it. Anyway, I was putting in work, being a good back-at-home-for-the-summer college student, and minding my business, when I felt something hot on my hand. When I looked down I saw a huge yellow jacket molesting the top part of my hand near the right-pointer knuckle. I slapped the mofo, yelled and took off toward the front of the yard (I was in the back) with what seemed like ten yellow jackets in tow. After I got inside and took off my clothes, I found four or five that were apparently lounging in my pants. Who knows where they could have been. Around my boy parts and whatnot. Damn pervey interspeciesexual wasps.
This traumatic occurrence caused me to think of yellow jackets every time I saw Bumblebee on screen. Most unfortunate since Bumblebee is one of my more favorite Transformers, at least in the movies. A tinge of hate riddled my every appreciation of his appearance. Yeah, it was that serious.
So in light of all this, I thought I would enlighten you guys with some ways you can get rid of wasps or, if you feel so inclined, a Transformer (shame on you!...unless it's a Decepticon, I guess...actually I don't really give a shit either way).
Here's a low-cost wasp trap that's apparently supposed to be pretty effective.

Pretty high-tech if I do say so myself. Check out how to make one here:
Wasp trap and other cool outdoor shit
To get rid of a Transformer:

I've only seen one of his movies, but I'm pretty sure Tony Jaa could get the job done. Especially if they took his elephants.

Transformers 2 Revenge of the Fallen Premiere Night

Just saw the midnight screening. Pretty much what I'd expected. CGI and fx looked even better than I could have hoped for. Megan Fox looked hot in her slow-mo running glory, Shia Labeouf played his character well. Overall a pretty funny film. And as expected, Michael Bay let shit blow up to his heart's content. Not the deepest of films, but definitely one of the most-action packed of the summer. Definitely no Star Trek, though. More in the morning, lots of stuff in the film that caught my eye. BUT at the moment I'm ready to pass out. So keep it prime, internets. OPTIMUS PRIME, that is. HAHHAHHAHHAAAHHGUUGFFFAAAAWWW!!!! hoohhh...shit!

Marijuana effects the memory...top 5 stoners

I have successfully failed to update my blog in 9 months. That's how lazy/forgetful I am. Not that anyone really cares. I think I might have (maybe) one reader, who might or might not be my mom. Uhdunno. But annnyyywaayy, I have been kind of busy with adjusting to college life and all that. But I can't really claim that as a source of "distraction" since I didn't really do that much studying. And I guess I could have been updating during those few classes that I just so happened to miss...everyday.
But I swear it's not because I was smoking weed everyday or doing anything illegal like that. And especially not during 4/20. I just got caught up. Nahmean? But now it's summertime! And I got free time out the wazoo to waste as much time as I want. Huzzah, dammit! Heh. In any event, to celebrate the fact that I remembered that I have a blog. Here's my top 5 potheads list:
Note: Neither I, nor my blog, "Sick of These Dolphins" approves of illegal activities, no matter how much fun they may be.

5. Seth Rogen

After appearing in such versatile roles as a stoner-who's-on-the-run from cops in Pineapple Express, a stoner-who-gets-a-girl-pregnant in Knocked Up, as well as a stoner-who-helps-his-friend-get-laid in The 40 Year Old Virgin, Seth Rogen has solidified himself as one of the premier comedic geniuses of our generation.

4. Dave Chappelle

Dave Chapelle has been a pothead since even before he was rich, bitch!

3. Cheech and Chong

Cheech and Chong paved the way for stoner films with "Up in Smoke". Been smoking for way too long to not get included.

2.5. Method Man

Wu-Tang swordsman and bluntwielder. One of the best voices in hip-hop, and he smokes nonstop.

2. Redman

My number one MC, I had to give him his own spot and split up the tag team. One of the most under-appreciated rappers ever. Plus he's funny and crazy as hell. Just try to find a video of him not smoking, or looking like he didn't just smoke. Quite a tall order.

1. Bob Marley

There's not really much more that can be said. One love.

Honorable Mentions: Jimi Hendrix, Willie Nelson, Bill Gates, etc, etc. The list can go on and on.
Here's something worth checking out too:
Most Successful Potheads

Bernie Mac

Bernie Mac passed away today from complications with pneumonia. It's strange to think someone with such a huge presence, could suddenly leave the world. He always entertained me. A talented man who performed with passion. He will be sorely missed. RIP Bernie.