Does everything that an iron can…

Glorious. That’s my one word review for Iron Man, the new movie from Jon Favreau starring Robert Downey Jr. Why is it so good? Why is Graeme Tuckett so completely wrong?

For starters there are the performances. This film is stacked with talent, and while Downey, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jeff Bridges and Terence Howard are bringing their formiddable skills to a comic book adaptation, this lends extra weight to material that has its own depth. As Tony Stark, Downey goes on a journey as a weapons magnate that gets a dose of his own product, and realises that he needs to clean up the mess that his company has made. There’s nothing trite or arbitrary about his decision, and shows a man that suddenly has realisation thrust upon him, not some sort of unearned epiphany.

For comic book fans this film is a watershed moment, and not just because it is a standout example of how to take comic book source material and give it weight, but it signals in no uncertain terms what Marvel’s intentions are for their universe on film. By taking control of their properties and distributing their films through the big studios, they are finally opening the films up to the same kind of cross-pollenation of their characters on film that’s been going on for decades in the comic books. While this has led to some rather extreme or unlikely combinations, it’s much less likely that we’ll see sketchy crossovers in the short term, given the kind of money involved in making movies as opposed to print.

After Iron Man’s suberb opening weekend ($100m+ US box office, $200m worldwide), Marvel have announced how they plan to build on their new model. You can read the story on Stuff here.

 

Aloha!

It’s been a few days since my last post, largely because we’ve been having such a good time in Hawaii that I haven’t been able to force myself to sit at the computer long enough to post.

Since we got here on Sunday, we’ve visited the Pearl Harbour Arizona Memorial. That was pretty sobering, and I hadn’t realised beforehand just how seriously it’s taken by the military personnel running the tours. In hindsight I should have, remembering that the remains of the Arizona is a tomb for over 1100 men.

We also visited the Honolulu zoo. That was really great, with the enclosures being really well designed in terms of being able to get a good view of most of the animals. It was hard to get my wife to leave the petting zoo area after she took a liking to one of the goats.

Yesterday we hired a Jeep and drove around Oahu to see the sights. We had some info from the internet about where to find Lost filming locations, and we found a few, but not all of them. At one spot we would have had to pay $10 to walk up to a waterfall, so we flagged. We drove up the west side of the island, across the top, and back down the east side. It didn’t take all that long, and the scenery was just magical. I also managed to avoid any “wrong side of the road” episodes…

Today it’s the beach, shopping and tattoos, then we leave tomorrow. That’s going to suck, but I suppose you have to go home sometime. One thing that surprised me though was that friendliness and customer service were much better in LA. I even heard a conversation in the gas station last night between a local and the store operator saying much the same thing. Overall though, Hawaii has been a blast.

High Voltage!

We started today with a trip to Santee Alley. It was very hot, and very crowded, with a fair bit of, shall we say “replica” merchandise…

After that we took a trip to Beverly Hills to get Sprinkles cupcakes. Beverly Hills was an experience. It was awash with money. After a while you stopped noticing the BMWs and Mercs and only perk up at the Lamborghinis and Bentleys. Also an unconfirmed Jamie Lynn Siegler sighting in Sprinkles. Part of the problem with expecting to see celebs is that everyone starts to look like someone.

We caught a taxi back to High Voltage tattoo so that Rachel could buy a t-shirt. Unfortunately no-one from the LA Ink show was there, but it was cool to visit anyway. The place seems bigger on TV, but that always seems to be the way.

Then we had dinner at Hooters (second night in a row, Jes’ choice both times!) The food there’s pretty good, but our food budget’s taking a hammering.

Hummer count for the trip: at least a dozen, including a stretch one. Number of comments on the Streetfighter t-shirt that my sister got me for my birthday: 6.

“Homer Simpson, smiling politely”

We’re in Hollywood now, and it’s not as well manicured as Anaheim. We’re staying behind Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, right in the thick of things. It’s cool seeing all the stars on the walk of fame, and all the foot and hand prints in the theatre courtyard.

We walked down to Guitar Centre on Sunset Boulevard today, and as we got there we noticed there were bouncers on the door. “That’s odd”, we thought, and then we noticed Billy Corgan and Jimmy Chamberlain from the Smashing Pumpkins! My wife whipped her camera out, and Billy saw us and came over, saying “Would you guys like a photo?” I snapped one of him with my wife and her little sister with him, and he disappeared back inside. Turns out they were there for their Rock Walk induction. Truly awesome timing, and it beats our previous celeb spotting experience of seeing Kelsey Grammar at Disneyland. Walking back to the hotel we passed a film crew, but no clue as to what they were filming.

The air quality seems worse here than Anaheim, I guess because it’s further from the coast. You can really see the air, it’s as bad as they say. They do love their cars here. Plenty of Lexus’ (Lexi?), Mercs and Beemers, as well as bling’d out Chrysler 300Cs and JDM imports. Hummer count since we got here: 8. Also plenty of limos and helicopters.

Universal Studios tomorrow, should be awesome.

NZ to LA

I need a place to get my random thoughts on LA down, so hello blog. We travelled for something like 20 hours to get here, then we went shopping. After that I crashed. Hard. Next morning got up, and more shopping.

We’ve been walking a lot, around the shops, even to the shops. Target is just down the road, so that’s where we started yesterday. Got some decent bargains there, it was huge.  We’ve been to The Block At Orange mall twice, and that’s pretty awesome. Lots of variety in the shops there. 

We’re getting around on public transport okay so far, although we’ve had a couple of long waits for the Anaheim Resort Transport buses.

I’m having trouble getting used to looking the wrong way for traffic, and cars give way to pedestrians in driveways, which is surprising. Most of the people seem pretty friendly, although half the people we’ve met have been serving us in stores, so that’s maybe not much of a gauge.

The food portions here are indeed massive, and fast food’s relatively cheap. We’ve been finding that we rarely finish a meal. We’re doing so much missioning around that we’re averaging one-two actual meals a day, with the odd bit of snacking.

We did Disneyland today, man it was awesome. I might be 32, but I still thought it was magic. We’re back there again tomorrow, and I can’t wait. We’ve also been to a Wal-Mart, but I didn’t think that much of it. They didn’t have half the stuff I was looking for, and the range was pretty limited outside of the grocery section.

Well, that’s it for now. We’re chilling tonight, then trying to hit Long Beach tomorrow, and then more Disney in the evening. I’ll blog back in when I can.

Robbed: The Hurricanes Story

One of the nice things about having a blog is that you can say anything you like. It doesn’t even really matter whether anyone reads it. The act of getting it out of your head and onto the keyboard is somewhat cathartic. And boy, do I need a vent right now.

It’s been almost 24 hours since the Hurricanes played the Sharks at Westpac Stadium in Wellington. The result could have a profound impact on the race for the semifinals, with the Sharks in the top four, and the Canes hovering just outside. And they would have been into the top four. Should have been into the top four. And why aren’t they, you ask? Because of a blinding piece of refereeing incompetence by Australian referee Paul Marks.

At the risk of incurring the wrath of Paddy O’Brien and being told to grow up, I have to point out the seriousness of this performance by the referee. Once again, poor decisions by the officials have had a marked effect on the outcome of not only the game, but possibly the tournament as a whole. Over the course of the game the standard of officiating was not terrible, but two or three big calls turned the tide.

The first was to award a penalty try to the Sharks for the Hurricanes collapsing a mall, which did not appear to have been collapsed at all. I can almost accept this given how hard it can be to tell exactly what goes on in a rolling maul. For all the new rules, the maul still looks like a mess (so does the ruck area for that matter). The real clanger was in the last act of the game, where the Hurricanes appeared for all money to have scored. Hell, they did score. The referee, however, called a Hurricanes knock on and blew for fulltime and a 13-all draw. No consultation with the touch judge (or assistant referee as they’re now known), no going upstairs for the television match official. The ref was too far from the action to be that authoritative. He also failed to ascertain whether Conrad Smith was taken out in the act of trying to chase the ball over the tryline.

Now if the Hurricanes miss out on the semifinals by one or two competition points, it’s unlikely that this particular referee will be called to account for having such a profound effect on the competition. Nor will he have to front up with the cash that Wellington and the WRFU might have made from a home semi that they’re almost certainly not going to get now. And that doesn’t even begin to address the question of my Virtual S14 points…

Enzless class

The perfect birthday treat for me last night was going to Split Enz at the TSB Arena (formerly the Queen’s Wharf Events Centre). I last saw them on my 15th birthday on their 1991 reunion tour. At the time I thought it would be the last time they toured, but happily that wasn’t the case.

We arrived during the opening act’s set. We hadn’t been too fussed on getting there a bit late as we went for a meal first (mmm, Mexican Cafe), but in hindsight it would have been good to see the whole thing. Phoenix Foundation were the openers, and they were great, and a fine warmup for Split Enz.

When Split Enz took the stage it was like a step back in time. They emerged from a giant gold bag and ran to their instruments, launching into Shark Attack. The backdrop and light show were first rate and complemented the band perfectly, as did the matching outfits.

They played a balanced set of greatest hits and less well known numbers. For me the highlights were I See Red (naturally), I Hope I Never, I Got You, Dirty Creature, Six Months In A Leaky Boat and One Step Ahead. The whole band were full of energy and right on top of their game, although I’m sure I caught one bum note from pianist Eddie Rayner, and a knowing look between him and Neil Finn - as if to say “no harm done”. In contrast to some of the Rock2Wgtn acts, these guys weren’t showing their age at all beyond the array of silver-grey heads of hair.

My only gripe was with the venue. We paid $93 each plus booking and courier fee for the tickets, and we were crammed into seats with less room than the average bus, train or airplane. Not only were we shoulder to shoulder all along the rows, but if I stood up the backs of my knees were touching my chair, while my front was touching the seat in front of me. I paid four dollars for a bottle of Sprite, and they wouldn’t give me the top - why, I don’t know.

The idea of having an all seated gig was ridiculous, as it was clear from the outset that the crowd wanted to be dancing, and the band wanted the crowd to be dancing. Eventually Neil told the audience that they could dance in the aisles, and that meant the whole of the “stalls” section were on their feet. Really, the promoter or whoever should have had the floor area as general admission standing and left the balconies for seating.

But the downsides couldn’t dampen a great night of entertainment by what must surely be the leading contender for New Zealand’s best ever band. As I sat or stood watching with rapt attention it struck me that a Finn brothers vocal harmony is one of the most quintessentially kiwi things around.

I rocked 2 Wellington

I will forever be grateful to concert promoter Phil Sprey for putting himself on the line to bring Rock2Wgtn (or Rock 2 Wellington) to life. It seems as though he may be lucky to break even, which is a crying shame given how much everyone who attended seemed to enjoy themselves. I can’t help thinking that cheaper prices upfront and a better seating plan might have made for more sales, but then, that is an idle speculation. Phil’s been promoting for a long time and surely knos his stuff. For me though, the price I paid ($135+booking fee) should have given me free reign to squish to the front of the pit as best I could, or chill back in the stands.

 I only went on the Sunday night (second night of the festival) due to the ticket prices. The acts on show were Poison, Whitesnake and Ozzy Osbourne, with support from Sonic Altar, The Valves, and various fire dancers, zombie cheerleaders and a giant dragon shooting lasers from its eyes. The previous night had seen Lordi, Alice Cooper and Kiss entertain the crowd.

Poison were surprisingly entertaining, really recalling my school days. I could swear that one of the women in the crowd in front of us was in my class in sixth form! Brett Michaels might be a tad cocky, but he knows how to work a crowd. They were actually a great warm up for the night’s other entertainment.

Whitesnake sounded excellent. Their play was tight, they had a huge stadium sound and David Coverdale’s voice was strong, as was his stage presence. On the whole though, there was a bit too much noodling and it all felt a bit lacklustre to the non-fans or casual listeners.

The crowd were really pumped for Ozzy. He was preceded by a montage of video clips where he was spliced into well known movies and TV shows. There were some genuinely funny moments that had the crowd howling with laughter and cheers. When Ozzy finally hit the stage the crowd erupted. He belted out I Don’t Wanna Stop, which was a good choice to open, but one that Ozzy had trouble keeping up with. He got stronger after that, ripping throught Mr Crowley and Bark At The Moon. There was a mix of other classics and newer material, and the crowd were right into it, rising to all of Ozzy’s taunts and invocations to “go crazy”. He went off for about ten minutes while Zakk Wylde played a guitar solo. I LOVE Zakk to pieces, but this went on a bit too long. I think he was forced to play a longer solo than he would otherwise so that Ozzy could get a decent half-time break. Highlights for me were War Pigs and Paranoid from the Black Sabbath days, and Crazy Train, Mama I’m Coming Home and I Don’t Wanna Change The World from his solo catalogue. Ozzy finally left the stage promising to be back, and I for one hope he makes good on the promise.

Odds & ends

I haven’t been to any movies lately, depite there being bundles on I want to see. Just being a bit slack lately - nothing new there when it comes to movies. So what else is there going on of note?

 The Hurricanes have now won four of their five games, not having lost since losing first up to the Warratahs in Sydney. The question on most fans minds seems to be “how?” The wins over the Reds and Highlanders were dull, ugly affairs, but they were wins. The ‘Canes have never been much for winning at all costs, usually dazzling or dire, but never in between. The win over the Chiefs was sterling, the win over the Brumbies was also sizeable, but it just didn’t seem to be convincing. I think perhaps it was because the game was in Canberra, and the lack of any crowd noise made the spectacular tries seem somehow less so. In the end though, I’m a happy camper, and I’ll continue to be as long as the boys keep winning. And I won’t be washing that Hurricanes shirt in the wardrobe until they lose, or win the tournament. Stinky!

I bought a CD off the internet for the first time this week, Graveyard BBQ Greatest Hits Volume Two. Awesome dirtcore from Boston that didn’t stand much chance of showing up in The Warehouse. Thank you CD Baby, I’ll definitely use you again!

In the news, John Key is picking on public servants. He’s weaving a masterly campaign of picking populist issues to rail about without having to provide details of any policies that his party might want to implement once they get into power. The bloated public service makes a juicy target as it’s a hot-button issue that requires very little backing in the form of facts. Being a public servant myself, I find it strange to actually be a political football. I’ve never experienced this before really, and it’s a trifle unsettling. I like to think that I work hard, apply myself at work and do the best that I can for my employer and my fellow New Zealanders. To be told that I’m a “pen pushing bureaucrat” who is a drain on the taxpayer (of which I am also one) is a real slap in the face, and this probably doesn’t sit well with a lot of other (voting) public servants. It wasn’t nice to hear it from Mr Brownlee, and it’s equally offensive from Mr Key. Interesting too that his Facebook lists his political views as “moderate”. Even on Facebook he’s sitting on the fence, trying not to alienate potential voters, not giving away what he stands for.

Key is kind of like a super-weapon for National, so much more charisma than the current prime minister Helen Clark, a new fresh face and an engine for change. It’s gone from conceiveable to downright likely that his party will win the election without having to release a single policy or position statement. Labour have scored a few points back in the last month by trying to expose that fact, but come elections later this year it’s looking ominously like the devil we know is actually going to lose out to the devil that we don’t. Well, at least if National score enough votes to govern alone we won’t have to hear as much from a marginalised Green party.

New laptop day!

Hooray! I got a new laptop yesterday - I’ve been without the use of one since I left MoT. Now I’ve got me one of these bad boys from Harvey Norman. The specs are pretty good, it’s awesomely lightweight, and it’s running Vista Home Premium.

This is my first foray into Vista land, and so far it’s a bit of a mixed bag. Yes, it looks pretty. It runs quickly enough for most tasks, although I’m glad to have 2Gb of RAM on board. Some of the security features are a bit overbearing, but you get used to them, it’s often just an extra mouse click.

The aero feature is nifty enough, but it’s not really all that integrated. You kind of need to make an extra effort to get to it, which makes it a bit unnecessary. In fact, a lot of the “improvements” over XP seem kind of unnecessary. XP was pretty clean and straightforward for basic user tasks in most cases. The equivalent screens and tasks in Vista seem more cluttered, and some things designed to be helpful actually end up being more counterintuitive. Some of these things might just stem from the fact that I’ve been using XP for so long that there’s a familiarity factor, but that’s not the whole story. Vista seems to take useful suggestions to the next level, taking a degree of control away from the user. Given the way things are moving more and more to the web and user centred design, this is not a good thing.

Some of my complaints will end up mitigated over time, or disappear when I’ve had time to do some more research into making work the way that I want it to. In the meantime, I can pretty much do everything that I want to do with it so far. I’m not really as down on it as this post makes out, but I can’t help thinking that the benefits of buying a decently specced machine are going to be sucked into making my operating system look pretty. Anyone know what XP costs these days?