the book is always better

this weekend i was at gamestop and they had a huge sale on dvds. i was checking out the selection and i came across the movie 'sphere'. i remember when it came out some friends and i saw it in the theater, and i remember not being really impressed with it. i was actually really angry at the movie because the book its based on has always been one of my favorite fiction books. i hadnt seen it since it first came out, and it was only three fifty, i decided to pick it up.
last night i had some free time so i popped it in. im still not impressed, but it got me excited to read the book again. i remember just being so caught up in the story, there are quite a few really great scenes in the book (on a side note, a few friends and i performed a part of the book for forensics back in high school, and we actually got some good reviews of it) including when they first talk to the entity, and when they decide what to do at the end.
i figure if a cheap ok movie can get me excited to reread a book, it cant be all bad...

recent buys

ive been finding some really cheap dvds lately, so i figured id share what ive picked up recently:
cellular- i really liked this one. i have already posted about it here.
flight of the phoenix- i cant think of a single dennis quaid movie i dont like...
wedding crashers- this one is hilarious. the extras are pretty good too. i am going to have to go out on a limb here and say that 40 year old virgin is better though.
the upside of anger- i actually havent seen this one yet. ive heard really good things about it, and i am a huge fan of kevin costner (i even liked postman, if you can believe it). i would have just rented it, but that would cost $3.50, and with the sale they had going, it was only $5 to buy it. so, maybe i wasted $1.50, i think i can handle it.
in good company- again, i really like dennis quaid, and scarlet johanson is super cute, and topher grace is just so perfect in this! its kind of a chick flick, but for guys (kind of like frequency, and about a boy).
transporter 2- i saw this one in the theater and loved it! its so ridiculous and unbelievable in its cartoony action, but thats what makes it so fun. and jason statham's character is the very definition of cool.
doom- the movie was alright, but i like anything with the rock, and the extras are kind of cool because they have interviews with a lot of the guys from g4!

king kong

this past saturday i finally saw king kong (i know its been out for many months, but i finally got off my butt and went to see it). i wasnt quite sure what to expect. when it first came out i was luke warm about it. sure, i knew i was expected to buy into the advertising hype, but i wasnt all that interested. i started reading reviews and they all seemed quite positive. a few buddies went to see it without me, so i figured i would pass on it.
this past weekend aaron was down and he was up for seeing it again and its till in the theater, so we went. my reaction: wow!!! i was not expecting to enjoy it as much as i did- it just blew me away. now, dont get me wrong, i was mostly amazed at the action stuff. the 'love' story was done well, but how drawn in can one get over the love of a monkey and a girl? ive heard alot of people saying that its too long. usually they site the boat ride for taking too long to get the story moving. many poeple were like 'i got to wait an hour before i even see kong? im out!'
i actually thought the opposite. the best part of the movie for me was the anticipation and first interactions with kong. i rather liked the build up of the characters on the boat. i would actually present the idea that the ending is too long. they could have shaved off a whole hour at the end. its would be as simple as this: the movie should stop as they take him off the island. all the best stuff happens on the island, after the fight with the three t rexes- everything else is a letdown. we already know the story, why not just focus on the first part of the story. everyone knows how it ends, so why bother retelling it, and instead just show the backstory.