Category: Reviews

Two years ago I was looking for interesting stuff to read for my long plane trip to New York when I ended up finding a website which had tons of articles and stories on terrorists and killers. I started printing some stuff including information on Black September, Munich, Carlos the Jackal and tons of articles on all the terrorist attacks that occurred in the 70s and 80s. Some I had heard of before some were completely new to me. In any case I got the printouts binded them into a book form and took them with me to read during my trip. They stories and articles proved to be very interesting to read and I found the Munich event very disturbing yet very exciting.. it felt like driving by a big car accident. What I found really interesting in the story is how Israel and the Mossad spent years after the event slowly and carefully tracking down every high ranking official that was responsible for the Munich event and assassinating them. When I heard Steven Spielberg was going to release a movie about Munich I couldn’t wait to watch it and two nights ago I finally did.

During the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, eleven Israeli athletes are taken hostage and murdered by a Palestinian terrorist group known as Black September. In retaliation, the Israeli government recruits a group of Mossad agents to track down and execute those responsible for the attack.

Munich was really fun to watch. You always hear about Mossad all the time in the news and stuff but you never really see them in films. You always see the CIA, KGB and MI6 portrayed in movies but never Mossad and so to finally see them was a really nice change from the usual intelligence agencies. The movie takes place after the Munich event and it follows Eric Bana who plays a Mossad agent leading a 4 man team in an attempt to assassinate the masterminds behind the Munich event. The movie started off REALLY good, like I was enjoying it as much I would enjoy an episode of my favorite tv show, 24. The movie has a lot of buildups and they are all to the assassination scenes. Each assassination needs research, a new safe house, planning, a new method of killing etc.. and as a viewer you are taken along to witness these steps up to the “grand” assassination moment. Once one of the targets is killed the process is repeated over again. The problem with the movie is that its nearly 3 hours long. Once again I would like to point out that I don’t have a problem with long movies! I refused to watch any of the Lord of the Rings movies until the extended versions came out which were around 40 minutes longer then the already long regular version. I like long movies.. when there is a reason for them to be long. Munich however didn’t have a reason to be this long. I think 30 minutes could easily have been chopped off at the end when the assassinations were over and things were just dragging. Still though the movie was really great and subject extremely interesting. This is why I am giving it a 4 out of 5.

Visit the official movie website

For nearly a year now I was using my Sony AV3000 universal remote to control my living room setup made up of a TV, DVD player, Xbox, AV Receiver and Tivo. Instead of having multiple remotes spread out over my table the idea was to replace them all with one device. This idea failed since although my Sony universal remote was great, it wasn’t as practical as the Tivo or Xbox remote. So I mostly used the Sony remote to control my TV, DVD player and AV Receiver but continued using my original Tivo remote (which many say is the best remote design ever) to control my Tivo and the original Xbox remote to control my Xbox.

A few months back a friend of mine Rami ordered the Harmony 880 remote. He had been a Harmony user long before Logitech acquired them and as soon as the 880 was released he placed an order for one. He kept telling me how great the Harmony remotes were and how the new 880 was just really the best remote he had ever had. Finally I decided to order one and I got it last week. I have to say Rami was right, this is one of the best remotes I have ever had!

The Harmony 880 is a universal remote on steroids. It has a number of impressive features the most important being the colored screen and the fact it uses rechargeable Li-on batteries which you can charge by placing the remote on the dock it came with. To setup the remote you need to create an account on the Harmony website and then transfer the date to your remote using the included USB cable. I don’t know why they did it like that since I would have preferred having a local software on my computer to control my remote from. If you don’t have Internet then the 880 remote would be useless for you since you NEED to have an Internet connection to set it up the first time.

The colored screen on the remote is a really cool feature but the quality is similar to older mobile phone screens like the Sony Ericsson T68i. Setting up the remote online was a breeze and using the Activities button I was easily able to enjoy watching TV right away. The Activities button allows you to tell the remote what you want to do. Do you want to watch a DVD? Click on the “Watch DVD” button and the remote will turn on the DVD player, AV receiver and TV for you, it will then put the TV on the right channel and choose the correct input on the AV receiver. Want to watch Tivo? Click on the “Watch Tivo” button and the remote will turn the TV on, put it on Video 2 and then turn the AV receiver on and change the input to AUX. All this with a click of a button. Although things look simple, for hardcore users you have a whole amount of detailed control underneath this easy to use interface. How long does your TV take to warm up before it would accept commands? 2 seconds? You can teach the remote that. Do you want to change the on screen icons to your own design? You can do that. This remote is just loaded with a ton of features like that, little but important stuff for people who want more control.

The most important deciding factor in a good remote is its ergonomics. How does the remote feel in the hand? How easy is it to use? Is it practical? Well the Harmony 880 remote feels like the Tivo remote with the main important controls located in the middle while other lesser used controls are spread out on top and bottom. The 880 has a motion sensor so when you pick up the remote it automatically lights up the screen and all the buttons.. no more fumbling around in the dark trying to find the pause button. I wouldn’t say the 880 is better ergonomically then the Tivo remote but it really is very close to being as good. I mean, I have stopped using both my Tivo and Xbox remotes in favor of the 880.

I could go on and on in more details about why this remote is THE remote to own but there are tons of other reviews online that do that. I just want to back up all these reviews and say that everything you read about this remote is true. I love it, it looks good, its easy to use and hold, its fully featured and it allows me to do so much. I couldn’t believe it when this remote gave me features my original TV remote didn’t have! The only negative thing about the remote is the fact that you have to use their website to set it up. Maybe under usual circumstances its not a big deal but since I have been having Internet problems at home I am forced to take my remote with my laptop to starbucks or work and set it up from there. Not very practical and this is why this perfect remote will get 4 stars and not 5.

Buy the Harmony 880 from Amazon for $224

Update: If I had to review the remote again I would give is a 2.5 out of 5 because I am having a lot of problems with Harmony’s web based software. Their servers are slow and I am getting a lot of time out errors everytime I need to change an option on the remote.

Two days ago I tasted the best cookies I had ever had. A friend at work had received these cookies in a glass jar as a gift and I asked if I could taste them. The jar looked interesting and the cookies inside looked tasty so I took a cookie and tried it. It was soft, fresh, inviting and just fucking heavenly. I asked my friend where I could find these cookies since I never noticed them at Sultan Center or any other supermarket and she replied telling me she would ask her friend who sent them to her. A few minutes later I found out that Choowy Goowy is a place in Kuwait that makes and delivers cookies to your home or office. She showed me the glass jar the cookies came in and pointed towards a tiny message on the label which said “For a refill call 2626559”. I quickly picked up the phone and dialed the number to find out all I could about this interesting service.

This is basically what I found out. Choowy Goowy is a local creation, 100% made in Kuwait. I spoke to the owner who’s recipes the cookies are made from and he was very nice and polite. He spoke good English and explained to me how they originally started off in 2002 with Arabic icecream. They created a service called Booza Booza which delivered iceream to your home but since icecream is a summer product they needed a winter one also and this why in September of last year they started Choowy Goowy. Choowy Goowy makes 5 kinds of cookies, the regular Chocolate Chip, Peanut Butter Cookies, Cinnamon Cookies, Cookies with Macadamia and finally double chocolate cookies. A jar with a dozen cookies inside costs KD2.5 except for the double chocolate which costs KD3.5. If you have a jar and want a refill its 500fils cheaper so KD2 or KD3 depending on which cookies you order. They deliver two times a day, before lunch and in the afternoon, that way you get a fresh batch of cookies whenever you order them.

I placed my order yesterday night and told them I wanted my cookies the next day at 7PM since I would have come home from work by then. You don’t have to call a day ahead though, a fellow employee called them up in the morning and asked to have the cookies by noon and they were delivered to her without a problem. I ordered the regular chocolate chip for KD2.5 since I think the double chocolate at KD3.5 is over my cookie budget. The driver had some problems finding my building (I actually had to run down the street after his van when he missed my house) but since it was his first time I didn’t mind. I told him to remember my place the next time because I would definitely be ordering again.

We were in the middle of episode 13 of Prison Break when the cookies arrived so the timing was perfect. I quickly snapped a few pictures of the jar and then proceeded to quickly open it and let Nat have a taste of these cookies since she had only heard about them from me but never tasted them yet. Within 10 minutes I had eaten 6 cookies while Nat had eaten 2, I would have eaten more but there were only 4 left and I wanted to save some for later. The cookies were amazing. They taste similar to the Fuddruckers cookies except without the nutty flavor which I really dislike. The Choowy Goowy cookies are the best cookies I have ever tasted and the fact that this is a local creation makes me appreciate it a lot more.

Even though these cookies are the best in Kuwait I would have to give them a 4 out of 5 because of the price. Without the jar a dozen cookies cost KD2, thats double the price of the Fuddruckers cookies. On the other hand you are having the cookies delivered right to you which is a big plus and I would have to say these cookies taste atleast twice as good as the Fuddruckers ones. I would really really recommend everyone to try these cookies, they are seriously amazing. Choowy Goowy have the best cookies in Kuwait, give them a call on 2626559.

Update: The owner sent me a message saying that the reason the cookies cost more then your average cookies is because they are made with the best quality ingredients. He also stated that in Fifth Avenue New York there are some places that sell a dozen cookies for $50 and they are always sold out. Finally the cookies are also trans fats free.

Yesterday I went with Nat for lunch at Le Relais de l’Entrecote in Al Fanar mall. I’ve past by the place from outside numerous times before but I was never interested in going in because the place looked really boring. Nat had been there before and both Nibaq and Rampurple seem to frequent it often so I figured I would give the place a shot.

Firstly its important to note that l’Entrecote serve only one dish and its steak with fries, so if you are expecting a menu with a sellection of dishes you will be disappointed. When I first went in and sat down I felt kind of let down. I was expecting l’Entrecote for some reason to be a lavish restaurant (I guess because of its name and location) but it actually felt cheap. The tables were small, light and flimsy, and they were covered in white paper sheets similar to the ones used at those sea food places in Fisherman’s Wharf. The only thing is that at the sea food places you are smashing crabs open on the table, at l’Entrecote you are not doing anything close to that so I don’t see the need for the cheap looking paper sheets. First impressions weren’t that good.

The head waiter came to our table after we were seated and asked us how we liked our meat to be done, we both said well done and he then asked for our drinks, I had a coke and Nat had a small bottle of water. He scribbled down our order on the paper sheet on the table and left… so thats why they use paper sheets, how creative (I’m being sarcastic here). Two minutes pass by when the waitress comes with 2 bottles of coke and no water, we tell her its supposed to be 1 coke and 1 water (pointing at the scribble on our table for proof) so she goes and gets the water. A few minutes later our salad arrives and its the most boring salad ever, its just lettuce, nothing else. I dig into it since I was hungry and surprisingly the salad dressing was pretty good. When we were done the waitress asked us if she should serve our main meal. I was bit surprised again, that was pretty quick, it had only been 15 minutes since we came in and ordered, how did our steak get done so quickly? I guess since they only serve one meal they can always be preparing the food non stop even before someone orders a dish.

The main dish arrived and it was a pretty simple setup. Half the plate was fries, the other half sliced up steak with some sauce on it (See picture above). I liked the arrangement, and the food looked pretty appetizing so I dug in. The food was good, the meat was tender and the sauce was really tasty. Even though I had ordered my meat well done it was a bit pink on the inside, I didn’t mind it but I know some people wouldn’t eat the meat if its a bit pink and thats why they order it well done, so, they kinda fucked up there. The fries was good specially if eaten with the sauce. When we were done with our plates the waitress came and gave us a refill. Everyone gets one refill, its like when you order the milkshake at Johnny Rockets. They bring you your glass filled with milkshake plus an extra steel container with more milkshake in case you need one more refill. At l’Entrecote they bring you a steel dish with extra fries and meat in case you need one more refill, pretty cool.

Finally we were done with our lunch. The whole process took less then an hour which was pretty impressive since I hate staying long at a restaurant (I am a come in, eat and then leave type of guy). We get the bill the total was around KD14 including the two drinks, but I am having a hard time figuring out if thats a decent price or not. The location of the place being Fanar Mall and the name being French gives the place a bit of elegance. But the setup inside and the presentation of the food and even the food itself points more towards casual dining. I think a total of KD12 might have fit the bill better.

Overall I didn’t find the place that interesting or special. I didn’t enjoy the seating inside, the table setup looked very cheap and the fact that the place only has one dish really makes it hard for me to give this place a really high rating. The food was good and filling so thats where the majority of the points will be coming from but it won’t be enough to give it anything higher then a 3.5 out of 5.

I finished watching the mini series Band of Brothers yesterday and I now understand how the hell it got a 9.6 out of 10 on IMDB. Band of Brothers isn’t a TV show, its an epic. Its like Lord of the Rings except they made ten of these not three. The show stars some cool actors the most popular being David Schwimmer (Ross from Friends), Ron Livingston (Office Space) and Donnie Wahlberg (ex New Kids on the Block, Mark Wahlbergs brother).

“Band of Brothers tells the story of Easy Company, 506th Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division, U.S. Army. Drawn from interviews with survivors of Easy Company, as well as soldiers’ journals and letters, Band of Brothers chronicles the experiences of these young men who knew extraordinary bravery and extraordinary fear.

They were an elite rifle company parachuting into France early on D-Day morning, fighting in the Battle of the Bulge and capturing Hitler’s Eagle’s Nest at Berchtesgaden. They were also a unit that suffered enormous casualties, and whose lives became legend.”

The mini series is made up of ten episodes, each directed by a different director. Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks are also the executive producers. The series is really incredible, everything about it from the great acting, the compelling stories, the amazing directing to the bewildering realism. The quality of this “tv show” can stand up against the best Hollywood blockbusters out there easily. The first episode was the slowest since you are still being introduced to the many many main characters of this series, but after that things really pick up and start moving really fast. The series is visually stunning with beautiful consistent tonality through out. The final episode nearly made me move to Austria, its really beautiful.

But now that I finished watching the show I am having a hard time watching my other shows like Lost and Desperate Housewives… they feel so LAME! It was a good and a educational experience, I loved it. It gets a 5 out of 5. Its only the second time I give a full 5 for something, the first was the Shawerma from Sajj House.

You can buy Band of Brothers on DVD from Amazon

Serenity
Expected it to be way better. Didn’t like the actors, they felt very B rated. Movie started off slow but got better near the end.

Broken Flowers
Lolita scene was the best. Bill Murray rocked. I liked the movie although the ending could have been better.

Lord of War
Didn’t like it that much. Felt it was too long. Didn’t find it interesting. Production was really good.

Saw II
I preferred the original Saw. sequel wasn’t as freaky or shocking as the original. Some of the scenes were really lame.

Oliver Twist
The original movie and book were really great. I played Oliver once in a play! This remake sucked. They didn’t even have the song “Food Glorious Food”!

The Brothers Grimm
I was expecting it to be more fairytale like and so was disappointed when I saw the movie. It was kinda slow and not as mystical as it could have been. I liked the costumes and settings in the woods though.

City of God
It was enjoyable to watch. Didn’t find it heartbreaking nor life changing. It was a good movie just not as good as some people made it out to be. I bought this movie on DVD.

Over the vacation I watched the movie Jarhead. Its based on a best-selling book written by a marine on his experiences in Saudi Arabia pre-Desert Storm and later his Desert Storm experience fighting in Kuwait. The movie starts of with a famous “Full Metal Jacket” scene but thats as far as the similarities go. The movie isn’t action packed since its based on truth. You see the movie follows a scout/sniper platoon based in the desert outside Kuwait. Desert Storm was mostly fought from the sky and Sea with very little ground work. Since this movie follows foot soldiers they didn’t have a lot to do, unlike the ground soldiers now in Iraq. It takes on a really interesting perspective showing you the emotional side of the war from the side liners view.

Even though the whole movie takes place in the empty desert it was still entertaining to watch even though there was no war action. There was always something going on in the movie. Leonardo DiCaprio and Tobey Maguire originally vied for the lead role in the film and thank god they went with Jake Gyllenhaal (Donnie Darko) instead. Jake looks like a marine and looks like he can kick ass unlike both Leonardo and Tobey. I actually didn’t recognize Jake until after the movie was over, he looked really different then when he played the messed up kid in Donnie Darko. Overall I give this movie a 3.5 out of 5. It was the best movie I watched over the vacation, the other movie I watched was Oliver Twist and that pretty much sucked.

Yesterday night I watched the new Pierce Brosnan movie called The Matador. In the movie Pierce plays the roll of a hitman who meets Greg Kinnear in a bar in Mexico City. They become friends and the movie takes the viewers along on their strange relationship.

This has to be one of the best Pierce Brosnan movies I have ever watched. The movie visually is very funky and the story itself is very original and entertaining. I really liked it a lot and thats why I am giving it a 4 out of 5. [Link]

I flew to Lebanon and back with Jazeera Airways last week and I decided to share my experience with the site’s readers. I had purchased two tickets online around 2 months earlier and all I needed to do was print out the confirmation email they sent and present it at the Jazeera Airways counter at the airport.

I arrived 2 hours before the flight and checked in my bags. Jazeera Airways allows you to check in only 20KG for free, anything above that you have to pay around KD1.250 per extra kilo. Unlike other airlines Jazeera can’t be flexible with the weight. On Kuwait Airways for example they allow you 30KG of weight and anything extra they can sometimes let you through without paying anything. Since Jazeera Airways profit margins are so slim they can’t be as flexible and I personally don’t have a problem with that. I paid my weight difference and got on the plane.

When I first entered the door of the Jazeera Airways aircraft I was kind of shocked. The plane is tiny with a seat formation of 3 – 3, meaning you have 3 seats on the left hand side of the plane and 3 seats on the right hand side with the aisle in between. I sat down in my seat which was in Row 10. When I was booking online the website didn’t allow me to book a seat closer to the front, the first 4 rows were first class on the website map while the seats from row 5 to 9 were not selectable and so I wasn’t able to book those. I later found out that the rows 5 to 9 are sometimes kept aside in case they needed to expand the first class to more seats. This brings me to another subject, the first class. The first class on Jazeera Airways doesn’t differ at all from the economy area. They have the same seats as us and the only difference is the middle seat on each side is temporarily converted into a table so it basically becomes a 2 – 2 formation. The leg room is also exactly the same although this is usually the biggest difference on other airlines between the first class and economy. Once the plane took off we were allowed to change seats, since the first class was only the first 4 rows I was able to go and sit in row 5. The plane had max 40 people on board and so everyone was allowed to change their seats as they pleased.

I have to say the flight was extremely comfortable. The leg room was just amazing, me being 6’1 I usually end up getting cramped on planes but Jazeera has the largest economy class leg room I have seen. The seats are all leather, very comfortable and if you lift the hand rest up you could comfortably take up the empty seat next to you. There is no free food on board only free bottled water. Sandwiches cost KD1, muffins cost 500fils, chocolate costs 300fils, softdrinks 400fils and Sunkist 250fils. Jazeera have Sunkist on board so you know they are cool and very local. The chief crewman walked around and mingled with the passengers asking their opinion on Jazeera airways and if there was anything they could do to improve the experience. I managed to speak to him and get some information off him. He explained to me why sometimes I couldn’t book the seats from row 5 to 9 online and how easy it is for them to expand or decrease the size of the first class section. He also told me Jazeera currently operate only 2 planes and the airlines is rated Class A. He explained to me how 1 plane flies from Kuwait to Beirut and Kuwait to Syria daily while the other plane flies from Kuwait to Bahrain and Kuwait to Dubai daily while also flying to Jordan three times a week. Once we were done chatting he offered me complimentary food and when I told him I didn’t need anything he still went and got me a bag of nuts to enjoy.

The plane left Kuwait on time and arrived in Beirut ahead of schedule, it was a very nice flight and I was able to watch 2 episodes of Arrested Development and 1 episode of Lost before we had to land. The flight back to Kuwait was as comfortable and although I had already booked the seats on row 10 online I was able to change it at check in to seats in row 4 since on the way back they only had 3 rows of first class.

I am extremely satisfied with Jazeera Airways, their prices are great, the planes are brand new and the service is very friendly. They seem to just want you to have a great experience. Even once we landed in Kuwait and we were on the way out of the airport a Jazeera Airways representative caught up with us to ask us if we had any feedback and if we enjoyed the experience. This is what I call good service and I would definitely recommend Jazeera to everyone.

I recorded a small crappy video showing the inside of the airplane. I didn’t know if they would allow me to shoot so its kinda shaky and short. [Video 932KB]

For more information and pricing for Jazeera Airways visit their website. [Link]

I am sitting here listening to the song Crimson by Circulation and I have to say, the PX100 are amazing. When I first got the PX100 I posted about them but now that I have been using them for over a week I am ready to review them. These headphones are really everything I was hoping them to be. They are light, compact, comfortable and sound fucking great.

I usually carry my stuff into work in the morning and then take them with me in the evening. I don’t like leaving my personal stuff behind and thats why I was looking for portable headphones. The PX100 fold up nicely into an amazingly designed case which I can fit in my pocket and then throw into my wrangler knowing that no matter how violent I am with it my headphones are tucked away safely in its hard case. I can imagine this case would also be perfect for throwing into your backpack which would be filled with books and other objects that might usually break your headphones.

During working hours I spend 90% of my time listening to music and if I work an 8 hour shift that means I spend maybe 7 hours listening to music (I know thats not exactly 90%). This is why I really needed my headphones to be comfortable and the PX100 are exactly that. I could have them on for 7 hours straight and not feel the need to take them off. They are super comfortable and light enough for me not to even realize that I have them on.

Now although comfort and portability were a priority in choosing a headphone, sound quality was even more important. Since I also own a pair of Bang & Olufsen A8’s (which suck) and Shure E2’s (great at isolation), I wanted these headphones to be everything the other 2 weren’t.. good in the low frequencies. The bass response in the PX100 is deep and tight and not overdone like my old Technics Dj1200’s were. The highs, the mids the lows, they are all there and perfectly balanced. I enjoy the sound of my Sennheisers now way more then the B&O’s and a bit more then the Shure E2s which is saying alto.

In conclusion I don’t think I ever need to buy another pair of headphones (Actually I do want to try the Grados). The Sennheiser PX100 turned out to be better then I was expecting them to be and I really love them. They cost $45 on Amazon and I think thats a steal, I would pay double the price easily. [Amazon Link]

Fucking Åmål
I watched two movies this weekend which were very good and thought I would share them with you. The first movie I watched was Fucking Åmål. Its a Swedish movie with nothing to do about fucking so don’t let the title fool you. They mean fucking as a sign of frustration. Here is the plot summary from IMDB:

Åmål is a small insignificant town where nothing ever happens, where the latest trends are out of date when they get there. Young Elin has a bit of a bad reputation when it comes to guys, but the fact is that she has never done *it*. Another girl in her school, Agnes, is in love with her but is too shy to do anything about it. For different reasons, Elin ends up at Agnes’ birthday party as the only guest. They have a girl’s night out together but after that Elin desperately avoids Agnes, refusing to even consider her own homosexuality.

Fucking Åmål is one of the best movies I watched this year. There is no nudity, there is no violence, there is no sex and there are not hot Swedish blonds, but nevertheless it was a great movie to watch and it never felt slow or dull. The story was very well written and watching Agnes go from sad and lonely confused girl to a confident and happy lesbian was somehow exciting to watch. I guess the fact that she was Swedish AND lesbian could have made things more interesting but I think it had to do more with the fact that the movie is Swedish and so it was interesting to watch the lifestyle of their high school students. If this was an American movie I don’t think I would have enjoyed it as much. Anyway watch it if you can, I am giving it a 4.5 out of 5.

Ichi the Killer

The second movie I watched was Koroshiya 1, (Ichi the Killer). I had had this movie on my wish list for over 2 years now and I was finally able to watch it. The reviews I had read about the movie said this was one of the most violent movies ever made and I have to agree with them. I don’t think I am going to go to Japan anytime soon after watching this movie since I no longer think of them as quiet polite people but more like psychotic violent killers (I am joking here don’t send me hate mail). Here is the plot summary from IMDB:

Yakuza boss Anjo disappears with three million yens. His loyal gang members, lead by the masochist Kakihara, start a search, but their aggressive and gory methods worry the other yakuza gangs. Kakiharas most scary counterpart is the mysterious Ichi, a psychopathic killer with a dark childhood secret, who is controlled by a retired cop.

If the site of blood makes you queasy, if torture scenes make you feel sick and if watching internal organs get splattered all over the wall makes you puke then I would not recommend you watch this movie. You will see allot of everything I just mentioned and more. The director Takashi Miike is one sick mother fucker and I think thats why his movies are so incredible and like nothing else out there. Quentin Tarantino’s movies look like a school girl dressed in pink carrying a Hello Kitty backpack when compared to Takashi’s movies. The torture scenes are extremely gruesome and even if you cover up your eyes theres no escape since the sound is just as horrifying. Ichi the Killer with all the violence and blood had a good plot and the star, Ichi is just really fucked in the head. The whole movie was fucked in the head and thats why I couldn’t take my eyes off the screen for a single moment. It took me a while to get a hold of this movie but I am really glad I was able to since it was really worth watching. I am soo watching more of Takashi’s movies now..

I watched the horror movie Shutter the other day. It was my first Thai movie I had ever watched and it left me impressed. I don’t know why I keep watching these horror flicks, they freak the hell out of me, seriously.

Shutter is about this guy and girl who run over a girl one night while they were driving back home and then they leave her to die in the middle of the road. The guy and girl are both photographers and so the girl starts haunting them in their pictures. They start finding weird shadows and ghost like forms in all the pictures they take which start to freak them out. If that wasn’t enough they start seeing the dead girl in real life. It was a really freaky movie with allot of creative moments which I had never seen before in any other horror movie.

This movie also convinced me to make my own horror movie except mine will be realistic. In my movie when you see a dead girl come out of your sink in your photography dark room, you run away and you never step foot into that dark room again! Seriously I can barely watch scenes like this while the people in the movie seem to find it freaky for 5 minutes and then act like it never happened. There was one really cool scene in the movie where the guy would be sleeping and then wakes up to find someone at the end of the bed is slowly pulling away the cover, he looks down and sees the dead girl! I told Nat that was pretty cool and I might try it on her one day, she told me if I did it would also be the last day I see her! No sense of humor at all..

I don’t know how easy it is to find this movie in Kuwait and its also not available on Amazon but you could download it the way I did via torrentspy. Its a great horror flick with a really cool ending, something thats just really fucking freaky and just goes to show how creative this horror really is.

Revolver
I usually like Guy Ritchie’s movies (haven’t watched Swept Away yet) but I didn’t like Revolver. It was very entertaining to watch in some places and Ray Liotta was really good but my problem was that the movie was trying too hard to be weird while I would have rather it tried to look funky.

Straight into Darkness
This was a war movie about two American deserters during World War II. I hadn’t heard of the director Jeff Burr before this movie and I hadn’t heard of any of the actors either. This movie isn’t like Platoon or Apocalypse Now and you won’t be seeing any large military battles between the American and the Germans etc.. There is only one small battle near the end of the movie but I won’t give more details so I don’t ruin the movie. The movie was interesting but nothing spectacular.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
A beautiful story that was somehow ruined by Tim Burton. The movie was dark and not as colorful as it should have been. There should have been more exploration in the factory. Too much time wasted on getting to know Charlies family. Even more time was wasted on Wonka’s flashbacks to his past and him making good with his father. Movie ruined even more with the Tim Burton signature direction.

Wedding Crashers
Funniest movie since Old School. Vince Vaughn is fucking hilarious and I think he is a better match with Jennifer Aniston then Brad Pitt was. Owen Wilson, Christopher Walken and Will Ferell also were great. The story was original and it was really fun to watch. The coolest thing is the movie is 2 hours long!

Me and You and Everyone We Know
Really good movie. All the characters were really interesting. Most memorable quote.. “You poop into my butt hole and I poop into your butt hole… back and forth… forever.” Nat didn’t like the movie, said it was pointless, she didn’t like The Station Agent either though.. ))<>((

I watched a movie yesterday called Simple Lies. From the minute it started I hated the movie. The first scene involved 2 guys and a girl near a cliff during sunset dancing as if they were listening to rave. For me thats trying too hard to be cool. The whole movie was like that, trying too hard to be cool or trying too hard to be weird or even trying too hard to be cult. The acting was bad, the lines were terrible, the story uninteresting and the ending was stupid. I do not recommend this movie. Simple Lies is Simply Crap.