Limp Bizkit - Chocolate Starfish and the Hotdog Flavored Water

OK, I don't remember exactly why I bought this CD. I think I was in an angry mood or something, and I saw on MTV that Fred Durst was pissed off at something. Plus, I remember liking 'My Way' before when I heard it on the radio.

The songs are good to listen to while writing code. I bet they would be good workout music too, especially when doing pushups or lifting weights. Lots and lots of profanity here, it is one of the selling points of the album.

The good tracks here are essentially the ones you heard on the airwaves: 'My Generation', 'My Way', 'Rollin', and 'Take a Look Around' (from Mission Impossible). I'll let you in on a secret. My personal favorite and most underrated song on the album is 'Full Nelson', check it out.

This CD can be fun, but it has to match your mood. Tough to rate.

Rating: 2 out of 5 stars * *
Listen to 'Full Nelson', and if you like the track, buy the CD.

Barenaked Ladies - Born on a Pirate Ship

This was Barenaked Ladies' third album, released two years before the release of their breakaway hit, 'Stunt'.

I enjoyed the songs in this one. Lots of good stuff. No song in particular stands out, it is just a very well balanced compilation, with a few throwaway tracks. To give you an idea, here's a list of the songs I liked:

'Stomach vs. Heart' - Cute lyrics, good rhymes, sounds like the band had a lot of fun singing it. My favorite part is the faint chorus of "gimme a break!" during a pause in the middle of a verse. I think the song is about a lack of self-control or discipline.

'Straw Hat and Old Dirty Hank' - Hehehe, very funny lyrics. It's about a farmer who happens to be a stalker to a famous movie star. "I tend the wheat field that makes your bread, I bind the sweet veal, pluck the hens that make your bed.... All of this corn I grow I grow it all for you, I took a hatchet to the radio I did it all for you. You could have written back, You could have said 'thank you'. I guess you've got better things, Betting things to do." I think the farmer committed murder or something.

'When I Fall' - This is my personal favorite Ed Robertson song. At first I thought it was a profound ballad on love, life, and family. But it turns out it's just a song about a window washer who's afraid of heights.

'The Old Apartment' - Another 'stalker' song. I guess Ed and Steve like writing about stalkers. Esssentially it's about a man who goes to visit his ex-wife/girlfriend's apartment: "Broke into the old apartment, This is where we used to live... Why did they pave the lawn? Why did they change the locks? Why did I have to break it. I only came here to talk." Grim, but funny.

'Break Your Heart' - This is a kick-ass ballad with a dramatic ending where Steven Page shouts at the top of his lungs. Very powerful and one of my favorite BNL songs. It's about a man who is too afraid to tell his partner he doesn't love her anymore, too chicken to end the relationship himself.

'Shoebox' - I often wonder why fans don't like this song. Good lyrics, good melody, catchy beat. I think it's about a man in a relationship with a much older woman.

At this stage of their careers, the band is still very immature. They don't sound like a commercial band at all (which can also be a good thing). 14 tracks in total, with a couple of not-so-great songs included. Still, I enjoyed this CD immensely. Highly recommended.

Rating: 4 of 5 stars * * * *
Very enjoyable album. Thank you BNL!

Suzanne Vega - 99.9 F

I still have the old cassette tape of 99.9 F, my first Suzanne Vega album. I remember finding the songs very odd and sometimes a bit scary. But what do you expect with song titles such as 'Blood Makes Noise', 'Blood Sings', and 'Fat Man & Dancing Girl'. The booklet included in the album had a circus theme, showing different posters, the lyrics as circus flyers, and even Suzanne posing as a performer.

The songs are good but not great. Most people will probably not appreciate the musical style of this one. It is hard to describe. Kind of like a mixture of folk music with a funky atmosphere. It also doesn't showcase Suzanne's singing voice as well as her other albums.

My favorite tracks are: '99.9 F' (great voice), 'Blood Makes Noise' (I think it's about a Cancer or AIDS patient, not sure), 'Bad Wisdom' (nice instruments), and 'If You Were in my Movie' (very unique lyrics, Suzanne switches between talking and singing in this one).

This album lacks identity, I hate to say it, but it sounds a bit uninspired. Maybe it will grow on me one of these days.

Rating: 3 of 5 stars * * *
For Suzanne Vega fans only.

Sixpence None the Richer - Divine Discontent

This was the last album of Sixpence None the Richer before the group officially disbanded last year. Sixpence is a Christian band which most people will remember from their biggest hit song, 'Kiss Me'.

Lots of good songs in this CD. It starts with my favorite song of 2002, 'Breathe Your Name'. Check out the video too as Leigh Nash looks really good in it. I have a fetish for Christian girls in heavy makeup. My other favorites are: 'Paralyzed', 'Eyes Wide Open', and 'Tonight'. Most people will probably like their remake of Crowded House's "Don't Dream It's Over" which is in the CD (and Leigh Nash doesn't look as good in the video).

The music is very unique, unlike most of the fluff you will hear on the radio. And Leigh has one of the sweetest singing voices you will ever hear. She is the heart and soul of this album. I hope she continues producing music as a solo performer.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars * * * *
High quality music, buy this CD.

Cold Mountain

So I paid for my ticket, got some popcorn, and rushed in to watch this movie.

Cold Mountain is set in the civil war era. Nicole Kidman and Jude Law flirt with each other, but no romance comes out of it. Jude goes to war, Kidman teams up with Renee Zellweger to maintain the farm, Zellweger does enough "acting" to win the Oscar, Jude longs for Nicole, they have a love scene, Natalie Portman has a part (she looked good by the way). Etc. etc. etc. Sometime during all this, I dozed off.

The whole story is a stretch of the imagination. I didn't find any of the characters believable. I didn't laugh at any of Renee's lines. And I was getting more and more annoyed at the characters of Ms. Kidman and Mr. Law. But I was more annoyed at myself for wasting money on this sorry film. Only the popcorn was entertaining.

But even more unbelievable was what happened after we left the cinema. The people I were with said they loved the movie. Holy shit, people will watch anything these days.

Rating: 1 out of 5 stars *
This movie made me want to stop watching movies.

The Matrix Reloaded

I watched this movie twice, once on the big screen when it opened, and the second time several weeks ago on HBO. I didn't appreciate it as much on the first viewing, but it grew on me on the second watch.

There were some problems. I fell asleep halfway through Morpheus' speech. Also, the scene with the crowds of Zion people chanting and dancing like wild teenagers was a huge turnoff and made me want to root for the machines. This whole part of the movie was pointless, including the Neo/Trinity sex scene.

More problems. What's up with the council of Zion? The council of elders seemed out of place. And now they're telling me there's a chain of command hierarchy within the Zion defense force? Sheesh, this sounds suspiciously like Starfleet or the Jedi Council. Not a good move.

What I did like were the philosophical references in this one. Without revealing too much about the story, I have to say I liked the scenes with the Oracle and the Architect. Listen carefully to what the french guy and Persephone say, it will enhance your understanding of the story. And yes, the action scenes are good and will satisfy moviegoers looking for cheap thrills.

A running theme throughout the movie revolves around the concept of 'choice'. Are we here to make our own choices, or merely to understand why we made them? There is also a major plot twist revealed near the end of the movie which I enjoyed. Everything you took as fact in the first Matrix installment will be torn apart in the sequel.

This movie made me think. Were it not for the stupid Zion scenes, this would have been an excellent film.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars * * * *
Watch this movie, then tell me your interpretation.

mulawin

the story and character development started out pretty well but turned preachy and predictable towards the end. there were just too many unnecessary characters (anybody else disgusted to see eagle, an entertainment reporter posing as one of the mulawin? wala na silang makuhang ibang actors?). it seemed to have lost its original direction. once adrift the story had no where else to go but mainstream. and when its filipino mainstream. dont get me started. it became one dimensional. probably it was doomed from the start. i was disappointed but not suprised that it became a good vs evil story. ravenas turning mulawin and back again. who are they kidding? the drama was as usual, dragging and pointless.

there were elements of blatant plagiarism. the sentient book from harry potter. mulawin and ravena militia, the fae race from lord of the rings. the winged specie from flash gordon. father ravena meets mulawin son from starwars. "luke! i am your father" cliche. ravenna patriarch exhibiting dark jedi like powers. and some mutant like powers (flash and mr fantastic). tragedy of romeo and juliet and several references to a kind of biblical messiah (and related stories).

i would have focused on the humanity of the all characters. different aspects of being human. for example.

Rating: 1 out of 5 stars (1 because the actors were hot)

Shrek 2

I went to watch Shrek 2 on the big screen with some co-workers who were huge Shrek fans. The story follows the events of the original Shrek. Shrek is now happily living together with Princess Fiona in her Ogress form. They venture off to visit the princess' parents. On the way there they team up with a cat named 'Puss in Boots' voiced by Antonio Banderas.

The bad guys here are the Fairy Godmother and Prince Charming who desires to become king. Like the original, all roles in popular fairy tales are reversed. The Ogre and Dragon are good, the Fairy Godmother and Prince are bad.

Artwork and animation is very good. I particularly like the graphics effects in the scene when Shrek and the Princess made their journey to Far Far Away Land. It was also cool to see what Shrek would look like in human form.

This is an average movie. I just don't understand what most people enjoy about it. A lot of the scenes were just pure corn. Don't get me wrong, the film is very nicely made, and there are a few good spots. It just feels that the characters and voices are trying too hard to be funny. Whatever this movie is good in, I just don't get it.

Rating: 2 out of 5 stars **
Watch this for the graphics and artwork, but don't expect much more.

Reviewers in a Dangerous Time

Reviewers in a Dangerous Time