Last stop before the beach

  Next week at this time, we will be on vacation and I will more than likely be sitting on the beach.  I know I haven't been writing in here much, so I hesitate to call my two week absence a hiatus.  Also, this year I will have my laptop down there so if we can steal a signal from an unprotected wireless network or I drag myself down to the internet cafe, you might see me on here and you might just get an entry alert.  I hate to wish away the summer, but I just want this week to be over so we can get going with the vacation.

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   I finally watched the two movies from Netflix we had sitting around since June.

  First was 16 Blocks, starring Bruce Willis.  I'm pretty sure it is impossible for Bruce to make an unwatchable movie.  This one was well done and pretty exciting.  Mos Def's voice is really irritating at first, which it is supposed to be, but the characters really develop along the way and by the end, you forget the voice and see the person.  It's a typical buddy/action picture, but it works and I really enjoyed it.   Grade: A

  Next was Hostel.  I had mixed feelings going into this one.  On one hand, I heard that people left the theater throwing up which points to "promising" in my book.  But on the other hand, I was so badly disappointed by Cabin Fever, Eli Roth's first directorial effort, that I was expecting to be let down again. 

  This film drew comparisons to Wolf Creek and I could see why.  Both are about kids who are out for a good time and end up captured and tortured.  And most similarly, for the first 30 minutes, absolutely nothing happens.  The difference is that the first 30 boring minutes of Hostel are eventually called back on once things get going.  The first half of Wolf Creek served no purpose whatsoever.  Though I wasn't scared and I didn't throw up, Hostel was still a pretty good movie.  I can honestly say that I did not see the big twist coming, which ended up making me enjoy it all the more.  Maybe it was predicatable to some, but I hadn't read anything about this movie, so when it happened, I had one of those jaw-dropping moments that I hadn't felt since the last episode of LOST.

  The gore wasn't too bad either.  Maybe I'm just desensitized to it, but I didn't see why anyone would leave the theater screaming or puking.  It wasn't worse than any other gorefests that are out there.  In fact, a surprising amount of stuff happens off camera, including the deaths of two main characters.

Okay, I'm just rambling off the top of my head now.  I enjoyed Hostel.  Sue me!  Grade: B+

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This Week's Top Ten:

1. LDN- Lily Allen

2. Fidelity- Regina Spektor

3. Dancing on the Lip of a Volcano- New York Dolls

4. Happy- Snowglobe

5. Smile- Lily Allen

6. Connecticut's For F*cking- Jesus H. Christ and the Four Hornsmen of the Apocalypse

7. Catastrophe- Rainer Maria

8. Lloyd, I'm Ready to be Heartbroken- Camera Obscura

9. The Other Side of Mt. Heart Attack- Liars

10. Alive With the Glory of Love- Say Anything

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  Janelle Watch '06-  Janelle, the best Big Brother player ever, continued to be on the winning side of things in Week 2.  Though she didn't win anything herself, her alliance held onto the power, ensuring that she is not going anywhere for a while. 

In other news, she has rather predictably become good friends with Marcellas.

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Enjoy your summer!

-The VCH