The Batman Begins DVDs

To start off my post on a good note: I just found another music video with those two asian guys who love the Backstreet Boys but this time to the song "Get Down". My weekend went pretty good as we're now definitely playing USC (who blew out UCLA themselves) in the Rose Bowl and are 12-0 for the first time ever. Basically, USC is about to get owned. I went to a cool party on Saturday, but I feel like I didn't make the most of it. Why do I continue to suck at partying? I did go to Kerbey Lane with Bethany and Kory though, so that was fun. Anyway, I got the limited edition Memento DVD in the mail Saturday, which reminded me that I never talked about the Batman Begins Special Edition DVD set. The video and sound quality are pretty good, though I feel that the transfer could've been a little brighter though I was watching the movie on an older television model. The special features are accessed via a comic book, which is kind of neat, but I'd rather just have it all straightforward rather than hunt for them (though if you navigate to the last page of it you can do this also). The features I've watched so far are really good and none are too long so you can easily watch them all in short bursts. They range from his training to the history of the movie's development to the costume design and down to the creation of Gotham City. Plus, you learn a lot of nifty things like how much fighting Christian Bale actually had to learn and that the scenes in the mountains were filmed on location. If you enjoyed the movie I feel that this set is pretty worthwhile. Even if they were to release a super duper edition, this is really all you need to thoroughly enjoy the film. The only thing that's missing is a commentary track, but I've heard that Nolan's commentary on Memento sucks anyway so it's no big deal. I'll probably review the Memento DVD set eventually as well, but I can tell you right now that it's really annoying to navigate.

It has been over a week since the release of the Xbox 360, so how did it do? Well, IGN laid it all out and it's a pretty fair assessment except that they blame Sony for the disc scratches (which my readers should know is really the user's fault) and their overall score seems to contradict the sum of the parts and favor Microsoft. Still, it's worth a read. Also worth a read is the letter that Condy Rice sent to the EU to put a rest to their initiative to wrestle control of ICANN from the United States. I agree with Ms. Rice, for once, and I think we've been doing a good job, and an American dude invented the Internet. Back to games though, do you remember that Illinois ban on selling video games to minors? Guess what? A federal court judge effectively called them morons and overruled it as an unjustified restriction of free speech. The system works! If you buy your computer from retail stores than read this post and beware because it's easy for someone who's not tech-savvy to fall into such a trap. Lastly, Nielsen has finally decided to modify their ratings system to take into account when shows are watched (within 6 hours, a few days, a week, etc.) in light of new technology such at TiVo and the improved iTunes store. This is a big step in that it restores control to the viewers, which will hopefully mean better programming.

Who do you think reigned supreme at the box office this weekend? If you guessed Aeon Flux then you're not too bright because it only pulled in $13.1 million while Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire kept its lead up for one more week at $20.5 million. That is a steep drop off for the film, but it has been three weeks now. The only other notable thing about it is that Walk the Line impressively managed to clutch #3 with $10 million. Bryan Singer is a true geek at heart and after he finishes Superman Returns and Logan's Run, his heart is set on a Star Trek movie. I'm not a Trekkie myself, but I'd be interested in whatever he comes up with. There's a weird poster online for Grandma's Boy, which I ordinarily wouldn't mention except that it's a slow movie weekend. Lastly, we have proof that Rocky 6 is in the works and I must say that I'm amazed at Stallone's physical shape:



Now for some Unconscious Mutterings:

I say ... and you think ... ?

1. Amazing::Beautiful
   
2. Delights::Chocolate
   
3. Inspired::Soundtrack
   
4. Disgusted::Sickening
   
5. You::Me
   
6. Vagina::Genitals (there's no way I'm saying the first thing that came to mind)
   
7. Palm::Hand
   
8. Sweetheart::Candy
   
9. Guilt::Shame
   
10. More to come::Next time