Jonathan

Best post ever

Yeah, definitely Adventure Express for the lamest. Best, hmm.. hard to say. Ozark Wildcat (the finale of this ride shocked me; it was insane!) Cyclops (guess we can count the drop of doom as part of the ending) Raven

The Neverending Story Yeah… so this film has not aged well at all. Obivously I was much younger when I originally saw it, but I was not expecting it to be quite as cheesy as it was. I'm not referring to the effects, because I don't really judge those at all, but the extreme overacting by a lot of the characters, and a lot of problems with pacing. It is an extremely imaginative film, though, with some pretty cool sets, and an odd soundtrack. 2.5 stars (out of 4) Sin City This is the way a comic book movie should be. The visuals in this film were fantastic, and the style really immerses the viewer into the comic book. The cast is absolutely loaded with stars, and the over the top dialog and performances simply add to that comic book feel. The stories are pretty good, but this is a film that is really about style. It's essentially an all out assault on the senses for two hours, and even though there's not exactly much depth to this movie, I'll have to admit I was quite impressed. 3.5 stars (out of 4) Return to Oz "Return to Oz" is a bizarre, bizarre, bizarre movie. Made in 1985, it is in part an unofficial sequel to the original "Wizard of Oz". When it debuted, it bombed miserably, and it is easy to see why. This is not the bright and cheery world of the 1939 musical. There are some very dark moments in this film, and at points it becomes quite surreal. Examples: In the film's first act, Dorothy's aunt and uncle send her to an electro-shock therapist, where she is strapped to a gurnee and the doctor prepares to run current through her head to "cure" her of her bad dreams. In the background we hear patients in other parts of the building screaming in terror. One of the villains in the film is a group known as the "Wheelers", a bunch of crazy guys with wheels instead of hands and legs who skate around on all fours. And oh yeah, did I mention that the Emerald City has been destroyed, and all of its inhabitants turned to stone? So yes, this is a much darker version of Oz that most found way too weird when it first came out. Not that it is all like that, of course. It is a Disney movie (if you can believe it from what I just said), and there are plenty of fun and cheery characters. It's definitely worth seeing, simply because it is such an odd movie, and I am a bit surprised that Disney approved of some of its content. 3 stars (out of 4)

I've seen Star Wars, War of the Worlds, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and Wedding Crashers. The only other one in the top 10 earners that I have an interest in is Batman Begins. For the record, my favorite movies of the year so far have been (not necessarily in this order) Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Me and You and Everyone We Know, Sin City, Hustle and Flow, and Cinderella Man. There hasn't really been any movie this year that has blown me away yet, but I am interested to see what Me and You is like on a second viewing, and I'm still trying to see Crash, Batman Begins, The Aristocrats, Murderball, March of the Penguins, Broken Flowers, and The Constant Gardener.

People still use Lime Wire?

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The Adventures of Baron Munchausen The final installment of Terry Gilliam's "dreams trilogy" further proves that he is a god of filmmaking. It's simply fantastic. From meeting the king and queen of the moon in a "Trip to the Moon" style adventure, to an encounter with Greek gods inside of a volcano, and even into the stomach of a giant sea creature, Gilliam never fails to delight as he whisks us to Baron's next adventure. The film displays the power of imagination and fantasy, blending it with reality until the line between the two disappears. Every member of the cast does a marvelous job transforming into the film's dynamic characters. And, of course, with the likes of Terry Gilliam, Charles McKeown, and Eric Idle involved, it is also hilarious. I was rolling with laughter at Oliver Reed playing an incarnation of the Greek god Vulcan, trying to control his fit of rage while showing off his ballroom. "NICE. ISN'T IT." Even Robin Williams shows up in an uncredited role, and his style of humor fits well into Gilliam's surreal visuals. Beautiful. 4 stars (out of 4)

Interesting; that's definitely the first time I've heard anyone refer to it as a "Heath Ledger movie". Anyway, here is my review that I posted in the movies thread: "The Brothers Grimm" Rather than fight yet another war with Hollywood (see: "Brazil", "The Adventures of Baron Munchausen", and "The Man Who Killed Don Quixote"), Terry Gilliam took off his gloves and allowed the Weinsteins and Miramax to force their will upon him. With his new film "Tideland" coming out soon, Gilliam chose to focus his efforts on molding it, while allowing "The Brothers Grimm" to go wherever the studio wanted to take it. The result is by far the most commercial film to Gilliam's name, but in this case watered-down Gilliam is better than no Gilliam, and his first film in seven years ("Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" in 1998) is a fun one. "The Brothers Grimm" certainly looks like a Terry Gilliam movie, loaded with extravagant visuals and wide angled shots, although the $80 million budget did allow for his first use of CGI (it really isn't too bad, though), and it does not have the incredibly surreal feeling to it that most Gilliam films have. It takes a bit of time to get used to Matt Damon (as Will Grimm) and Heath Ledger, moreso Damon, as Ledger is surprisingly good as Jacob Grimm. The film was much more humorous than I had expected, and has plenty of subtle Gilliam humor. Many will find Peter Stormare' Cavaldi character to be extremely annoying, but I thought he was hilarious, and one of the highlights of the movie. Jonathan Pryce returns to another Gilliam movie as Delatombe, and does a decent job, although his character was a little overly abnoxious at times. Lena Headey is good as Angelika, and Monica Bellucci also pulls off a good performance, although unfortunately she does not get a significant amount of screen time. The plot of "The Brothers Grimm" wanders a lot, and I actually thought the movie was winding down at around the 90 minute mark, but this works somewhat to the film's advantage, as it makes a fairly straightforward plot seem slightly less predictable. The film is much sillier than the promos may lead to believe, and that probably will not come us much of a surprise to big Gilliam fans. Unlike previous Gilliam movies, however, there really is no substance behind what we see on screen, so what we get is really the first 'popcorn flick' with Gilliam's name on it. Like all Terry Gilliam movies, the reaction will be mixed, and there will be some people who absolutely love it, and some who name it their worst film of the year. As far as I'm concerned, "Grimm" does not hold a candle to Terry Gilliam's previous films, but it is one of the better 'big summer movies', and I certainly felt my time was well spent watching it. 3 stars (out of 4)

Well, that's sort of the concept behind a speed bump. To deter people from driving too fast. Ditto to whoever said the sinks where you have to keep holding down the button. I loathe those things. I've always been pretty wary of airbags as well, since I've seen plenty of cases where the airbag injury is far worse than the accident injury would have been. Don't have them in my car, though, so no worries. I'll just smash my face into the steering wheel.

"The Brothers Grimm" Rather than fight yet another war with Hollywood (see: "Brazil", "The Adventures of Baron Munchausen", and "The Man Who Killed Don Quixote"), Terry Gilliam took off his gloves and allowed the Weinsteins and Miramax to force their will upon him. With his new film "Tideland" coming out soon, Gilliam chose to focus his efforts on molding it, while allowing "The Brothers Grimm" to go wherever the studio wanted to take it. The result is by far the most commercial film to Gilliam's name, but in this case watered-down Gilliam is better than no Gilliam, and his first film in seven years ("Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" in 1998) is a fun one. "The Brothers Grimm" certainly looks like a Terry Gilliam movie, loaded with extravagant visuals and wide angled shots, although the $80 million budget did allow for his first use of CGI (it really isn't too bad, though), and it does not have the incredibly surreal feeling to it that most Gilliam films have. It takes a bit of time to get used to Matt Damon (as Will Grimm) and Heath Ledger, moreso Damon, as Ledger is surprisingly good as Jacob Grimm. The film was much more humorous than I had expected, and has plenty of subtle Gilliam humor. Many will find Peter Stormare' Cavaldi character to be extremely annoying, but I thought he was hilarious, and one of the highlights of the movie. Jonathan Pryce returns to another Gilliam movie as Delatombe, and does a decent job, although his character was a little overly abnoxious at times. Lena Headey is good as Angelika, and Monica Bellucci also pulls off a good performance, although unfortunately she does not get a significant amount of screen time. The plot of "The Brothers Grimm" wanders a lot, and I actually thought the movie was winding down at around the 90 minute mark, but this works somewhat to the film's advantage, as it makes a fairly straightforward plot seem slightly less predictable. The film is much sillier than the promos may lead to believe, and that probably will not come us much of a surprise to big Gilliam fans. Unlike previous Gilliam movies, however, there really is no substance behind what we see on screen, so what we get is really the first 'popcorn flick' with Gilliam's name on it. Like all Terry Gilliam movies, the reaction will be mixed, and there will be some people who absolutely love it, and some who name it their worst film of the year. As far as I'm concerned, "Grimm" does not hold a candle to Terry Gilliam's previous films, but it is one of the better 'big summer movies', and I certainly felt my time was well spent watching it. 3 stars (out of 4)

The ACE Carolina Coaster Classic, or C3, has quickly established itself as one of the best regional park events in the country. This year was no exception, as Scott, Natividad, and Kathleen from the park's PR department, and Max and Robert from ACE Southeast went all out to put on a hell of an event. Our day began bright and early, as I roused Jay shortly after 5 AM, and we eventually made our way over to Ihop, where we met up with quite a few Carowinds Connection members for our traditional pre-C3 breakfast. Thankfully, this year no one was sick. Illness was not the problem this time, but instead the heat. With heat indexes breaking past 110 degrees, it was not the best day to be running around an amusement park. Luckily, we were arriving at 7:30 AM, so we got a lot of riding in during ERT before it really started to heat up. Morning ERT was on Hurler, Carolina Cyclone, and Ricochet, all of which were running fantastic. The huge amounts of airtime Hurler was delivering surprised quite a few people. After countless re-rides on Hurler and Ricochet, morning ERT came to an end, and since Scott had yet to ride Borg, it was suggested that we forgo the Scooby Shootout and head over to Borg. ?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!!!!!???!?!!!!!!????! Nearly twenty rides on Hurler did not phase Scott, but one trip on the big green Vekoma machine nearly sidelined him for the rest of the day. As for myself, I enjoyed rolling through the corkscrews with my head being bashed onto the hard shell beside the small padded headrest. Ted is celebrating because he survived Borg without any internal injuries. Or maybe it is because he (along with everyone else at the event) has just got into line for the best ride in the park. Yep, the Phantom Flyers. It was no surprise to see that Bill had already made his way there, and was ready for some snapping action. Scott told us before ERT to try not to freak out any families on the flyers during the day, but I'm not sure how well his warnings were heeded. Dave tried to find the hyper going under the bridge, but could not locate it. We escaped the heat to get our season passes processed, with the new fingerprint identification system. SpongeBob shows us how to put our fingers into the machine.. yeah... the machine... Scott seems to have somewhat recovered from his Borg experience. We continue to find ways to avoid the heat, and Dave continues to find ways to be offensive. Yep. The Green Goblin returns. Robert came up from Atlanta just to make sure the group photo actually got taken this year. It would not be an ACE event without a huge buffet lunch, and this was no exception, as Carowinds gave us plenty to stuff our faces as usual. Alan did not feel it was necessary to use a plate. Mmm ribs Ted goes to work on a drumstick. After lunch it was time for the Amazing rACE. Modeled after the "reality" tv series, it was without a doubt the most exhausting event that has ever taken place at a coaster enthusiast event. Mark and Jarvis assisted with the race, and got a good laugh at me and Jay standing in line for Vortex. We found ourselves in the Action F/X Theater for SpongeBob 3-D during the second leg of the race. Some of the group strategically took the stationary seats in the front of the theater so they could get a head start at the end of the show. The mad dash through the park in the blazing heat continues. Jay and I were slowed up at Thunder Road, which resulted in our elimination. Here are Max and Kathleen explaining the next leg of the race to the remaining competitors. And there they go. Jay and I quickly headed for Dora's Azul Adventure for a mini-takeover of the wonderful little train ride through the "jungle". We marvelled at the amazing theming. Yep, best ride in the park. Alan and Jay prepare for extreme jackhammering action on Thunder Road. Oh yeah, the park also has a coaster called Top Gun. You may have heard of it. 10 hours into the day, Alan is amazed to discover that the card has been wearing around his neck has his name on it. As night fell, we gathered in the Paramount Theatre for some fun. We had an informative Q&A session, including the obligatory hyper under the bridge discussion, and then watched the Discovery Channel show shot on Top Gun last year. I won some passes for the Xtreme Skyflyer, and after we left the Theatre Jay, Ted, and I took a ride. It was Ted's first ride on any Skyflyer, and my first ride on the Carowinds Skyflyer, as I have been too cheap to do it for the last 10 years. After that, the madness of the evening ERT sessions begun. Bayard was having fun working Top Gun, which was running very well. But after a couple of rides, I was off to the real destination... The Phantom Flyers! Riding and watching the flyers during ERT was downright terrifying, and everyone had an absolute blast. Tired and sore, our long day came to an end following the madness of the flyer ERT, and another C3 came to an end. I had a fantastic time, and would like to thank everyone who helped with the event, and everyone who attended and helped make it such a great day. That's all for now!

How about you just call it "BAND NAME" Or, "A Fallen BAND NAME"

The next segment is probably my favorite, and it is also the longest. http://www.jonathan-hawkins.net/index.php/videos/ Part VI features the parks in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin, and the insane wooden coasters that are there. Hope you like it!

Oh, how very wrong you are. And as far as Scooby Doo is concerned, the actual ride itself at Kings Dominion, Canada's Wonderland, and Carowinds are identical. To stay on topic, I also hope they improve Italian Job a bit, or at least get all of the effects working for Kings Dominion.

"Me and You and Everyone We Know" There's quirky, and then there is outright weird. I would have to place "Me and You and Everyone We Know" into the latter category. It's yet another indie drama that no one will ever see, and it is also the most original film I have seen this year. Miranda July is certainly someone to watch for in the future, as she writes, directs, and plays the lead female role in "Me and You". The film is a character study on a wide range of characters, ranging from young children to the elderly, depicting how their relationships connect with each other. It is thought provoking, touching, and incredily funny as well. The movie certainly has its flaws, though, as I felt the 90 minute running time did not allow the many characters to be fully developed. At times I had that feeling in the back of my mind that perhaps July was being quirky just for the sake of being quirky, but ultimately I do not think that was the case. But, like many films of this type, I find it easy to overlook the problems, and it is unfortunate that most people will never even hear of this movie. And oh yes; if you are easily offended, you may want to stay at home. 3.5 stars (out of 4) Official Website: http://www.meandyoumovie.com

"The Hudsucker Proxy" "The Hudsucker Proxy" is perhaps the Coen Brothers silliest film, and also may be their most underrated. Although the structure of the plot is fairly straightfoward as far as Coen movies go, drawing a lot from "Mr. Deeds Goes to Town", the dialogue and character interactions are absolute madness. It's just as clever and maybe more bizarre than anything the Coens have ever done. Tim Robbins does an excellent job, although I am not sure he was the best choice for the role, but Jennifer Jason Leigh unexpectedly steals the movie, and is captivating to watch from beginning to end. Some of the best material in the movie comes from the smaller parts, such as Bruce Campbell as a newspaper reporter, Bill Cobbs as Moses the clock man, and Jim True-Frost as Buzz the elevator operator. For some reason this film slipped under the rader, and tends to get pushed aside by the rest of the Coens' impressive repertoire, but this movie is not one to be missed. 3.5 stars (out of 4)

Finally out of the dorms and into an apartment here at NC State, so here is some stuff... Looking into my room from the hallway. TV, shelf, posters, and such. Bed Here is where I am sitting right now, and behind that is my closet. The view from my window. My car is out there somewhere. Very high-tech surround sound setup. Our living room, which has not been trashed yet. Nor has the kitchen. Hooray for not having to go down 10 floors now to wash clothes. Looking down the hall. One bathroom is fairly normal. Looking into my bedroom from the hall. K This bathroom is not normal. It is ridiculously massive. We are considering putting a couch and television in it. Fancy. That is all.

Monday, Wednesday, Friday 10:15-11:05 - Concepts of Financial Reporting (fun....) Monday, Wednesday 1:30-2:45 - Marketing Management Tuesday, Thursday 8:30-9:45 - Information Systems Management 10:15-12:05 - Film Theory 4:30-5:45 - Intro to Psychology Should be a pretty laid back semester.

Agreed; let me just go ahead and say these two right now. I think those big, jacked-up trucks look ridiculous. Want all my tools? I just realized I never do anything useful with them! So there you go

Although I only truely love two of their five albums, I've always had an unhealthy obsession with Weezer, so I guess if forced to name one favorite band, I would hesistantly say them. The Beatles are a very close second, though, and in terms of their overall careers, would be easily my favorite. I will also add the Pixies and The Beach Boys, and echo the two people who said They Might Be Giants. Lately I've been listening to a ton of Eels, Sufjan Stevens, Neutral Milk Hotel, and The Smiths, but I haven't listened to them long enough to see if they stand the test of time for me. I'll add the Arcade Fire to the list if they can make another great album.

In that case, 1. Kill Robb Alvey before he gets in his time machine

I've got mixed feelings about starting a trip out with Williams Grove. It sets the bar so high that there is no way the rest of the trip can live up to it.

http://www.jonathan-hawkins.net/index.php/videos/ After a few weeks off from editing, Part V (Six Flags Great America) is now posted. After the weirdness of the Michigan's Adventure video, this one is pretty much your standard coaster video. Hopefully I won't take so long a break before Part VI...

Here is another video from my WonderWood park: http://www.jonathan-hawkins.net/excavator.wmv Excavator is a terrain mine train coaster. And yes, I know that I spelled excavator wrong in the video. :o