This Is Why I Love The NBA (and the Lakers, natch)

Mad Hops

This video is great for many reasons. Not only does Keith Eloi jump in to the back of a truck but he does it in sandals. Plus his buddies talking trash about Jarron Gilbert jumping out of the pool are pretty hilarious. Peep the awesomeness:

Down with Up

So I saw Up in 3D this weekend and I totally loved it. The animation was outstanding which was to be expected but what turned out to be the pleasant surprise was how they were able to bring the characters to life with such depth and vitality. I'll be honest, I may have teared up just a little in a few parts. Oh yeah, and I also laughed quite a bit and may or may not have looked like a fool when I jerked violently to the right to dodge the broken propeller that was flying straight at my head. So go see it. The only way you will not enjoy it is if you hate really good movies.

PS That last sentence was a subtle tribute to Drag Me to Hell which was about a million times better than I expected. I totally loved it and I usually don't watch suspense/thriller/horror movies because I don't find the stress to be enjoyable. So go check that one out to. I promise you will laugh to deal with the stress and be totally blown away by the scene in the parking structure.

PSS I can't believe I forgot to mention before that the short before Up was worth the price of admission in and of itself. One of my co-workers liked it so much that he wished they would have made it a full length film. I respectfully disagree. It was perfect just the way it was and I wouldn't want them to ruin the magic they had already captured in those few short minutes.

My Favorite Laker

It warmed my heart to watch last nights stellar performance of my favorite Laker - Lamar Odom. I love his goofy grin. I love his Go Go Gadget Arms. I love his post-game interviews. And I love how he plays through the pain of the disgustingly large contusion on his back without complaining. Word on the street is that the contusion was visible though his jersey on last nights telecast. Gross. If he would bring back the star on the side of his head my joy would be complete.

Memories

Last night I watched Magnetic Rose which is the first segment on Memories. It was pretty much one of the greatest animated shows I have ever seen. It was right up there with Castle in the Sky and just behind Cowboy Bebop. I am really looking forward to the other two segments on the DVD.

So here is a quick recap of Magnetic Rose: A space ship that kind of operates like a salvage vessel picks up a distress signal from a broken down space station. The crew boards the space station to investigate and discovers that an AI system has kind of gone haywire and is creating a virtual reality based on the memories of the deceased opera star who used to live on the station. The story is quite poignant and the animation is awesome. But what really makes the show work for me is how it is built around Puccini's Un bel di vedremo from Madame Butterfly. The haunting beauty of the song permeates the action and adds a sense of depth and sadness that resonated perfectly with me.

Surrogates

So a guy at work showed me the trailer for Surrogates - the latest Bruce Willis vehicle based on the graphic novel with the same title. I absolutely love the premise. I find the whole idea of people living their lives remotely via these surrogates that they control to be fascinating. It is like a live action version of Second Life. I also like the idea that people now die when their surrogate dies. Similar to The Matrix in that aspect I guess. Another interesting way the story could go is if the surrogates start killing the people that control them. I have no idea if that is what this story will be about but I would love it if it were the case.

So like I said, I love the premise but I am a little leery of the execution. Maybe it is due to Bruce Willis' wig? I really hope that this movie works. Here is the trailer:

SURROGATES trailer in HD