Dark Shadows Review: Just the Tim Burton (and Johnny Depp) You're Looking For!

May 13, 2012 in Reviews

It’s really my fault that my mother wanted to see Dark Shadows for Mothers’ Day. Back in Junior High, we had this family tradition of setting the card table up… Read on…

Instagallery: Awesome Social, Search Tool for Instagram

Apr 15, 2012 in Reviews

I’m a big Instagram fan (this is me). Yes, even now that they let Android users on (hot tip: Android users I know seem to post almost no photos). But,… Read on…

Official Juniorbird.com Products of the Year

Dec 16, 2010 in Reviews

I know that you’ve been waiting for some kind of guidance on what to get your friends for Christmas or Hanukkah this year. Here at Juniorbird.com, we’re always looking to… Read on…

Best Buy Experts' Christmas Gift To Me: Good Service!

Dec 12, 2009 in Reviews

You know what I don’t expect at Best Buy? Great customer service. You know what I just got at Best Buy? Really great customer service. Great like, they changed it from from “I’ll never buy a computer here again” bad situation to “I’ll always buy my computers here in the future.” Following in Auros’s footsteps, the Christmasy things to do seems to be to blog about it. Read on…

Two and a Half Clooneys

Dec 6, 2009 in Reviews

If you say “1980s movie character archetype,” maybe you come up with John Rambo, or Ferris Bueller, or Charlie Sheen in Wall Street — America kicking ass, America growing up, America getting rich — but the ultimate character archetype of the ’80s for me is someone with a lot less hair, a lot more coiled rage, a lot more cool. Let’s face it, the ’80s were all about Louis Gossett Jr. And the ’90s, for every Brad Pitt or tight-lipped Robert Pattinson, there’s the standard: all the cool, none of the rage, it’s George Clooney. Read on…

Smackdown: The Blind Side vs. Precious

Nov 24, 2009 in Reviews

I saw a double feature over the weekend: The Blind Side and Precious. Yes, it was a depressing double feature. Yes, I cried. Actually, I cried a lot more for The Blind Side; Precious just left me exhausted. And, while the whole wanting-to-go-to-bed-at-3:30pm-on-a-Sunday thing was a bit of a downside for the whole plan, I would definitely recommend seeing the two in a row; they just have some kind of an affinity for each other. Read on…

L8s Ang3les at the Annenberg Space for Photography

Apr 1, 2009 in Photos, Reviews

Inspired by my friend Jasmine, I zipped up to Century City to see the L8s Ang3les show at the brand-new Annenberg Space for Photography. L8s Ang3les is a show featuring 11 local photographers, especially some from the LA times; the Annenberg Space is a brand-new gallery trying to bring some culture to the antiseptic, wealth-filled skyscraper-land that is Century City. Read on…

If They Could See Me Now

Feb 21, 2009 in Photos, Reviews, Travel

I like vacations. I’d actually kind of forgotten about that, but I like them. So I’ve tried to take more lately. Cruises had popped up on our radar a few months ago; prices have been dropping dramatically as cruise lines have desperately tried to keep bookings up. Looking around for things to do for Valentine’s Day, a 4-night Carnival cruise to Catalina and Ensenada was actually so cheap as to be competitive with a nice dinner out. So I bought my honey one. Read on…

Quantum of Solace

Nov 15, 2008 in Reviews

Let’s face it, the Bond franchise had fallen to a pretty low place before Casino Royale — it had become a series of nearly-unwatchable flicks that drew an audience only because of the woman in the bikini or the gadgets on the car. So I was more than a little worried that Quantum of Solace would turn back towards the bad old days. Fortunately, it didn’t; Quantum of Solace is a tight, gritty action flick that highlights Daniel Craig’s sociopathic take on Bond. Sadly, it also has big action montages that make no sense. Most of all, if you like a good movie, and you live in LA, it’s worth going to see Quantum of Solace at the Century City mall just to check out their new parking lot system. Read on…

Amazon Unbox + Tivo: Compelling VOD

Jan 18, 2008 in Reviews

The AIG and I are big Battlestar Galactica fans. Don’t laugh; I’ve been saying for years that it’s incredibly well-written, and, given that she’s a professional TV writer, I’d say there’s some evidence I’m right. Anyway, I’ve been catching her up thanks to my DVD collection, but Season 3 isn’t on DVD and Season 4 starts in just 3 months. Getting all the episodes in is hard work. That’s where Amazon Unbox comes in.
Read on…

Back in Mac

Dec 1, 2007 in Mac, Reviews, Switch

Well, I went and did it. I got a 15” MacBook Pro to replace my Dell. The new Mac was supposed to come in more of the April/May timeframe, but then the Dell had a little explosion — a flash of light, an overpowering smell of ozone, and then it wouldn’t turn on for two days (remarkably, after a weekend turned off, the Dell worked fine). That put a crimp in my plans for productivity and whatnot, and I couldn’t quite trust a sparky laptop, so MacBook Pro time it was. And it’s wonderful. It’s beautiful. It feels great, and I love it. Read on…

Oh My.

Apr 2, 2007 in Reviews

I think I’ve said before that, if you aren’t watching Battlestar Galactica, you’re wasting your television. I would like to revise that statement at this time; if you’re not watching… Read on…

Corny is the New Black

Apr 1, 2007 in Reviews

Have you watched some of the new shows on TV this season? They’re very retro, which is an interesting response to the couple of years of confusing shows, after the pattern of Lost and Alias, that dominated schedules for a while.
Read on…

Canon PIXMA MP530, GBC ProClick

Mar 19, 2007 in Elsewhere, Reviews

http://wadearmstrong.com/archives/reviews/canon_pixma_mp530_gbc_proclick.php Read on…

300

Mar 17, 2007 in Reviews

A lot of words have been spent talking about the quality, or lack thereof, of 300, the new movie based on a Frank Miller graphic novel. I’m probably not going to add to the overall value or quality of all of that here. However, if King Leonidas and his Spartans didn’t mind dying for nothing, then I can’t see why I should mind blogging for nothing. Read on…

Letters From Iwo Jima

Feb 23, 2007 in Reviews

I don’t see many movies these days. Sure, there are a bunch that look good — heck, even Ghost Rider has my girlfriend Eva Mendes in it — but I never seem to get around to seeing them. Not only are movies too expensive, but they’re in the the theaters for such a short time, and so many of them are complete crap. Expensive, hard-to-find crap is no good. So, the highest praise for a movie might be that it makes me want to see another, specific movie. On that scale, Letters From Iwo Jima scores quite high — if Flags of Our Fathers, which I had intentionally skipped seeing before, were still in theaters, I’d rush over to see it. Read on…

Pan's Labyrinth

Jan 7, 2007 in Reviews

Last night, I saw Pan’s Labyrinth with a friend. If you’ve caught the trailer, you may have gotten the impression that this movie is some sort of a magical story of another world. That is slightly correct, but in a very European, Terry Gilliam kind of way. Much of the story takes place in the real world, is violent (exceedingly, at times), and dark; the fantastical world is revealed only in a few short scenes. They promise “a journey that will make you believe,” but half the point is — can you believe? Is it really true? Read on…

Paroxysms of Happiness (or, Alternatively, Another Reason For You To Hate Me)

Dec 5, 2006 in Reviews

I love Christmas shopping; I love this time of year. While others complain about the crowds, I float along in a haze of joy from the wondrous seasonal music. Oh, I do want to hear you and your drum, and come with all the other faithful, and hear about that holly jolly soul Frosty. But basic requirements of workplace productivity, showering, etc., all prevented me from spending Thanksgiving-Christmas in malls, listening to the piped-in music, and who can trust K-Earth to not play some Beach Boys in December? So, for years, I’ve been mostly holiday music-less, apart from singing “O Tannenbaum”1 to myself in July. Read on…

War Is Over (If You Want it to Be)

Oct 22, 2006 in Reviews

The US vs. John Lennon leaves a lot on the table. It could have been a thunderous call to call to action, a strong statement of a way in which we could follow in Lennon’s footsteps in today’s eerily similar times, but instead it was just a shrine to an artist. In that way, and in many others, it was truly a film for the political environment in which we live — intriguing, horrifying, demanding action, and ultimately empty of vigor. Read on…

Jackass Number Two: Smells Like Roses

Oct 4, 2006 in Reviews

There’s something special about watching a movie and knowing that, years later, you’ll be able to say “hey! I saw that movie when the people in it were still alive!” Jackass Number Two is a hilarious oracle of coming disaster, a serious of potentially-disastrous pranks all gone right. Now, a more-civilized individual might balk at breaking into riotous laughter at this Road Runner cartoon gone live-action. Read on…

True Love

Sep 30, 2006 in Reviews

I’m into the whole minimalist wallet thing — the slim look, the lack of pocket bulges (I get enough from my Treo), and the fact that I don’t schlep half of my office with me every time I leave the house all keep me happy. My last wallet, reasonably well-liked if not particularly perfect (the money clip thing was a good experiment, but not a success for me) fell apart and was discarded without too much fanfare or too many tears. Its replacement, however… well, I’m in love. Read on…

I Am Napoleon Dynamite

Sep 11, 2004 in Reviews

I like big boots. I do whatever I feel like I wanna do, gosh! I sadly lack the appropriate comeback. I make up outrageous stories. Especially about my loser summer… Read on…

Catwoman Vs. Spider-Man 2

Jul 29, 2004 in Reviews

Obviously, there’s no movie Catwoman vs. Spiderman, much less a sequel. No, this is a review of this summer’s two big superhero movies: Catwoman and Spider-Man 2. Everybody has seen… Read on…

Anchorman

Jul 21, 2004 in Reviews

Anchorman, Will Ferrell’s paean to the forgotten elements of ’70s sitcoms and action shows, is a deeply weird movie. If the picture weren’t so hilarious at virtually all moments, the… Read on…

King Arthur: Epically Bad

Jul 17, 2004 in Reviews

I have a hard time believing that any movie reviewer could have liked King Arthur. A truly awful movie, this picture can be added to the list of self-conscious pseudo-epics… Read on…

Fahrenheit 9/11

Jun 28, 2004 in Reviews

Were I PJ O’Rourke, and were PJ O’Rourke still his funny, young, sex- and drug-addled self, I’d open this movie review by commenting on how physically unattractive the crowd at… Read on…

Good Bye, Lenin

Apr 19, 2004 in Reviews

Good Bye, Lenin goes far with a simple, but absurd, plot. Alex Kerner, his sister and mother live an idyllic existence in East Germany, until his father defects to the… Read on…

Freaky Friday

Aug 24, 2003 in Reviews

In the annals of human events — specifically, those annals having to do with making your Wonderful Girlfriend happy — it often becomes necessary to watch movies one would not… Read on…

Seabiscuit

Aug 15, 2003 in Reviews

Reading Seabiscuit the book was a magical experience, and I knew from the beginning that it would be quite a feat for the movie to come close. The book appears,… Read on…

Gangs Of New York

Aug 11, 2003 in Reviews

When I saw the first previews for Gangs Of New York, I thought “now there’s a disaster writ large.” Further previews just reinforced this impression, and the uneven reviews seemed… Read on…

Bad Boys II

Jul 27, 2003 in Reviews

Bad Boys II takes place in an alternate reality in which everything is highly explosive and cops get paid enough to dress in haute coture and authentic sports jerseys. The… Read on…

The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen

Jul 22, 2003 in Reviews

First of all, The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen is, as my girlfriend pointed out, a guy movie. Second of all, it’s a fun movie. Third of all, the early buzz… Read on…

28 Days Later

Jun 29, 2003 in Reviews

Were I a real movie reviewer, I’d start this out with a thorough retrospective of the zombie movie genre and also weave in an overview of the difficulties of importing… Read on…

Bruce Almighty

Jun 18, 2003 in Reviews

I wasn’t sure for, like, three days what I thought of this movie. Don’t get me wrong, I had a good time watching it. It made me laugh and stuff…. Read on…

2 Fast, 2 Furious

Jun 9, 2003 in Reviews

Ain’t that the worst headline ever? Well, it’s late and I’m not feeling that original. I have to admit I came to this film (2 Fast, 2 Furious) expecting the… Read on…