TemptingReview of "The Godfather" by Francis Ford Coppolla

It's a sure bet I spelled the man's last name wrong, but you get the idea.

You're probably in a state of pure shock that I am just now getting around to watching "The Godfather".  In truth, there's a good reason.  I really got burned out on movies in general, opting to watch certain ones that I already knew must be good, such as Scarface and Back To The Future (odd mixture, yes).  But I really did take a liking to the acting skills of Al Pacino.  Back in the days of HD-DVD, I ended up buying pretty much every movie he had except Godfather (which hadn't yet been released on the high definition formats), and really took a liking to Scent of a Woman and Carlito's Way.  I was determined to watch this movie eventually; and yes, it took me half a decade to get around to it.  But I got there.

I watched this with Blu-ray as I felt I wanted the best possible picture quality, so I'll start there first.  I never did see what the VHS or DVD or even big screen versions of this movie looked like for comparison, but I felt that this transfer was rather muddy.  Scenes were quite dark and there was noise all throughout the movie.  This wasn't the normal "age grain" that you might intentionally put in a movie; but to put it in perspective, Scarface was also filmed as an aged film was it was substantially cleaner.  I also had issues with the audio; while it was Dolby True HD and my stereo readily picked it up, there was some blending challenges where the spoken audio was too low and the music and effects were too loud.  The very first scene, where Vito is speaking to a visitor, caused me to crank the stereo quite a bit just to understand the guys talking, and then when the wedding music came in, I jumped at how loud it was.  This was disappointing, to be sure.

As for the movie itself, well...I did a lot of reading and researching on the movie before purchasing it, and I found a very distinct split between people who watched it.  Some people loved it to death, others simply couldn't stand it.  The ones that didn't like it all had the same word to describe their experience: boring.  They talked about how it was just "...a bunch of people talking at a wedding" and I found that a bit challenging to believe.  So I watched for myself, and guess what?  Those people REALLY have a short attention span, because while the whole wedding scene does dominate the first part of the movie, the rest of it is nothing but, and there's plenty of action to see.  The problem is that the action is strategically placed to enhance the storyline and plot, rather than just action for the hell of it (aka Bourne Trilogy).  When someone dies, it's for a reason, and the back story tells you about some of this and then uses the actual action to make it impact you.  Here, it does a good job as long as you're patient.  Sometimes, I think these action movies have people desensitized to a great story.

That doesn't mean it was all roses.  Part of the issue I saw was with character development.  With the exception of Vito, Mike, and to a lesser degree Tom, there was very little of it in this movie.  People are introduced with little fanfare, some are killed off with very little emotion (which I suppose is the point).  A character is killed in a car, presumably intentionally so, and presumably because he is at fault for a key scene in the movie involving Vito.  But the character looks different from the Vito scene to when he's killed, and it happens so far later that you almost forget it was him.  It's really the only time you connect the dots.  In a later scene, a man is stuttering his way in front of Vito but you really don't know why or who this guy is, but it's revealed much later that he's basically an assassin who has done jobs for Vito in the past.  He ends up killed, but reasoning behind the scene where he's killed is never explained (it's mentioned, but not confirmed and has no background to try and validate it).  Mike, after the incident with Vito, is shipped off to Sicily to protect him from backlash, and he goes through a series of danger spots that, while appear to be closely true to the book with some variations, just don't make sense because they don't have any pre-staged plot development.  There is a botched attempt on his life resulting in the death of another character; the person who tries to kill him is assigned as his bodyguard, but we don't ever learn why this person tried to kill him (yes, I know, it's revealed in a sequel).  The person who really died is seemingly important to him, and they are just snuffed out with no emotion on Mike's part afterwards (yes, I know, it's revealed in a sequel).

Beyond the character development problems above, there are plot development gaps.  For example, Vito steps down and Mike takes over, but this happens immediately after a peace meeting with all of the Dons where Vito is calling shots.  There's no build up to this event at all, and really no logic since Mike is fresh back from Sicily and has no reason to take up this charge.  Then Mike just starts offing people fresh off the heels of his dad calling for peace, including members of his dad's entourage who are apparently traitors (they don't reveal it until the very end).  He intuits that one of these people, who is actually a family member by marriage, is aligned with Barzini somehow, even though there's simply no way he could have figured it out.  He's just like "you think you can fool a Corleone?" Apparently, he did...since neither Vito nor Sonny ever connected the dots!  

Another example of this plot development disconnect involves a run-in with local police.  Guards (who are part of Corleone's entourage) are supposedly placed strategically to protect Vito from an attempt on his life.  Mike shows up to visit but notices there are not only no guards, but no staff whatsoever except one person who seemingly has no clue about what's going on.  There's no evidence of how much time has elapsed here, but he frantically calls for guards.  Outside, police show up and assault him, with the chief claiming that he's well within authority to arrest all of them, until a Corleone lawyer arrives and states that they're all authorized to own handguns and act as guards for Corleone.  The problem here: We assume the guards were armed.  We also assume that this authorization was indicated by the guards.  So why'd they get arrested?  Why did they not fight?  And why did the police leave (I'm trying not to spoil the scene) if their job was to ensure Vito's lack of safety?  Shouldn't they have left a few cops in place to prevent any further protections?

So...while the first part of the movie is filled with a lot of talking and singing, laughing and getting married, the second half is filled with plot gaps, character development issues, and a very methodical pace.  Even granting that, it came across to me as a very deep, detailed presentation of the back story that spawned a culture of "gangster".  It was a solid movie and well presented for those that are patient and don't require instant gratification.  It's long though - well over the standard.  I believe I saw it was nearly 3 hours long?  Yeah.  So you may need to space these out if you plan to watch all three.  I intend to watch part two next weekend, and I'll review it as well.

Review: Final Fantasy IV DS

NOTE: This is a migrated entry.

In continuing with tradition, I intend to post one review a day, until I'm caught up. Then it's all full steam ahead. Tune in tomorrow, when I review a custom bed cover.

For now, Final Fantasy IV DS.

Final Fantasy IV is actually the sixth Final Fantasy game, but the fourth to be released as part of the official series. If you didn't know, the Final Fantasy games (with the exception of X and X-2) have little to do with each other and are not true sequels. Think of them as separate books under a brand; each one tells a different story, even if they might use slight pieces concurrently (such as spells). There were Final Fantasy games released on GameBoy, as well as "Mystic Quest" which didn't really count, but since it held the name, I list it here.

Back in the days of Super Nintendo, Squaresoft released this game as "Final Fantasy II". There were two separate versions, referred to as "Easy Type" and "Hard Type". The SNES version was allegedly the "Easy Type", though I can't fathom why that was...*cough*EvilWall*cough*...Final Fantasy IV was then re-released on the Final Fantasy Chronicles game set along with Chrono Trigger, replete with new CGI cutscenes to further the gameplay. This version was allegedly the "Hard Type". As if that weren't enough, Square Enix (as they were now called) released Final Fantasy IV on the Game Boy Advance - again, allegedly the "Hard Type". And now here we are.

But wait - this isn't the same as either previous version. This is a remake, not a port. The game has been converted to full 3D. Some of the spell and summon names have been changed. And Square Enix has added some features to the game to make it just enough "new" as to make it interesting. So I'll go down the list of good and bad, and then elaborate.

*** THE GOOD ***

• The difficulty is now more in line with some of its latter forefathers, especially with the Active Time Battle system. Bosses such as the Mist Dragon (the first "boss" you'll encounter) are actually challenging if you don't know what you're doing. New gamers might actually get whooped repeatedly. Veteran gamers who understood the patterns will find challenge, but not nearly as much as new gamers. Oh, and by the way...Dr. Lugae? He's no longer a pushover. That's all I got to say about that.
• Certain characters who where difficult to use because they just weren't useful were given additional skills to help them contribute in battle. One character's ability was so blatantly useless as to be laughable, yet he was one of the final characters in the game. This has been changed to where his skills contribute almost as well as Rydia's spells.
• "Augments" add a whole different dimension to the game. With these, you can effectively take the natural skills of other characters and apply them to anyone you want. SO for example, you could have Cecil set up with Counter, Kain set up with Draw Attacks, and have Cecil cover, which effectively makes Cecil a tank while Kain is free to dish damage. That's just one example of the various combinations you can employ to go through the game.
• Item limit is removed - no more relying on the Fat Chocobo to store excess Elixirs.
• Summons, now referred to as Eidolons, have been powered up substantially. In the older ports there came a time when your summon could barely do the damage of Fire 1, so by the time you got Fire 3, there was no point in using Ifrit. (There is a negative to this though, more later)
• The graphical detail of the game is top notch for the DS, especially in certain caves and dungeons. It's clear they put some work into making the game as visually appealing as they could.
• The audio has been remixed, and even improved in some areas. FFIV's music had always been quite good, but the remixes are even better (negative here, more on that later).

*** THE BAD ***

Yes, there are some not-so-good things to this, I'm sorry to say.

• Eidolons. Remember how I just got done praising them for what they bring to the table now? Well, there's a new problem. With the exception of the Four Fiends there's really no point to using them over spells except to watch the scene. This has more to do with how slowly it takes Rydia to call them than anything else.
• Some tracks were remixed with added instruments that totally kill the spirit of the original song/atmosphere it was used in. Troia comes to mind.
• The "sudden death" set of notes was removed. This is what plays the moment someone dies as part of the story, usually at a point when Cecil is yelling their name out. I have no idea why they removed this.
• Cecil's "Darkness" ability was nerfed. On the SNES version, he didn't have this ability. On the PS1 and GBA versions he did. It sent out a wave of dark energy to hit all enemies and caused you damage when you used it, but it was quite useful. Here, it just makes his attacks stronger and takes energy when you attack, but you can only hit one enemy.
• The ability to equip weapons has been altered. Characters who could easily equip certain weapons no longer can or the way they equip said weapons has been changed. For example, Cecil could always equip a bow and arrow as an alternative to a longsword, which was particularly useful in one specific cavern, but now he can only equip daggers and swords, making him effectively useless when you get to that part except to Cover. Plus, depending on how you equipped Rosa's bow/arrow combination, her power went up a bit. This has been removed as well.
• Because everything is in 3D it makes navigating caverns and towers extremely difficult. I'm sure this was intentional, but because you can't change the camera, you can't easily tell which way you're going. Some might actually like this as it forces you to learn the paths all over again, but I don't care for it. The camera is almost directly in front of you, you don't get a "top down" view and can't tell which path leads to a dead end and which does not. I don't mind the camera angle, as long as I can move it at will. This also causes a minor annoyance at one castle where someone is eavesdropping on the throne room: in the older version you can clearly see the perpetrator as they jump up momentarily. This adds suspense that is missing on this version.
• A brief cutscene plays before almost every special ability. It detracts from the fluidity of combat to have to watch Kane for two seconds before he executes the Jump command. I really wish you could disable this.
• The placement of "Switch Rows" has nearly cost me battles. It should be on the left rather than right under "Defend". Because I'm used to fast paced battle, I'm used to pressing right to defend and left to switch rows. No idea why they would change this.

So...do I recommend this game? Absolutely. My negatives are personal nitpicks based on my extensive knowledge of this game, for the most part. I would say if you're a vet like I am who remembers the game from SNES, just don't expect the exact same experience. Square Enix has tried hard to freshen the game in quite a bit of areas. A lot is the same, but a lot has changed, including the names of things.

Review: Flavia Fusion Coffee Maker

NOTE: This is a migrated entry.

There was a time when I could down 6 cups of coffee or so, and I desperately needed that much coffee in previous jobs where I would work a 6am shift. In my current job under previous management, the workload was stressful enough that I still required that much coffee to stay energized enough to continue contributing to the team. Under my current management, I've toned it back to one cup of Breakfast Blend every morning - nothing after that except water and non-carbonated drinks. Quite impressive, if I do say so myself.

Anyway, I have had three separate types of coffee machines. The first was a one-cup machine that came with a cup. You put grounds in the top, poured hot water in another area, and it spit out a cup. Of course this meant constantly purchasing bags of coffee grounds or grounding my own beans - neither of which I was inclined to do. The problem I always encountered was the loss of freshness after some time (the grounds). And of course, during this time I was drinking more than one cup, so it was quite inconvenient. That machine was trashed.

Second machine was a much spiffier take on the same methodology, but it supported up to 8 cups from one ground load. It also supported push button, so you could just press your cup to the button and get coffee. Quite nice actually - but then (ironically enough) I toned back to the one cup, making this option overkill. I also grew somewhat lazy, as I just want to set it and forget it. So I got to researching various automated coffee makers.

Word to audience: the Starbucks brewers are a blatant rip-off. They probably paid $50 wholesale for each yet try to charge $300-$400 for something you can get elsewhere at $100 that does a better job. And then had the nerve to assume that their brand name would make those machines fly off the shelves. Nuh uh.

In comes Flavia Fusion. Our job has the enterprise Flavia machines in the break rooms. They're simple and efficient to use. Different sealed coffee pods are put in, coffee comes out roughly 30 seconds later. Of course, the enterprise versions are tapped directly into the water line, so coffee is nearly instant. There are also sensors so it doesn't shoot coffee if there's no cup, and a reservoir for used pods that's easy to dump. LCD screen so you can more easily make selections, and we've found it saved money hand over foot vs. the old pot version.

Flavia Fusion is a personal version of the same. It does not tap into the water line and does not have an LCD screen, but the pods are still used. What's more, you can brew nearly anything: hot tea, hot chocolate, coffee of various strengths and flavors, cappuccinos, mochaccinos, lattes including tea-based lattes, and espressos. Because each pod is sealed and separate, your drinks will never get mixed together or anything - every drink is like a fresh pot was brewed. It takes roughly a minute to warm up the first time if it's been off for a while, then 45 seconds to brew the first cup, so altogether maybe 2 minutes to your first sip. It seems like a while, and I much prefer the enterprise version, but you won't even notice it if you brew coffee in the morning.

Some issues I have:

• No timer. The enterprise version doesn't have one either, but it would be nice for the Fusion to just have the ability. If you get up at roughly the same time every morning and have roughly the same routine, it'd be nice to just leave a cup and a pack in there and schedule a hot coffee for the next morning so you don't have to do it.
• No hot water function (this was resolved with the newer Fusion Deluxe, but Flavia will not upgrade you)
• Discontinuation of various drinks. Like Darjeeling - I know people were claiming it's too similar to Earl Grey, but a tea specialist such as myself can clearly tell the difference. Darjeeling is a morning tea, like English Breakfast, while Earl Grey is a midday-to-early evening tea. They're not the same.
• No reservoir for used pods - this is a nitpick, but it would really be helpful.
• Water reservoir holds about 3 cups worth of drinks. To me that's just pathetic.

I still recommend it for those who drink coffee, tea, or like specialty drinks. I believe it to be a great investment...it's saved hundreds of dollars while providing quality drinks.

Movie: "Wanted"

NOTE: This is a migrated entry.

So I was invited to go see this movie a little while back. Mind you, it's been years since I've actually gone to a movie theater to watch a movie. This one seemed interesting. However, a number of issues ruined the experience.

First, the theater smelled like urine. Yes, urine. As though it'd never been cleaned. And this is AMC - once known as the best movie theater in the United States, now just a pale shadow of its former glory, as Edwards Cinemas and the drive in easily make AMC look small time. Second, the actual showing room was extremely tiny - I'd say maybe 50 seats. That's pathetic for a movie like Wanted, and made me think they just didn't care. Yet "WALL-E" gets a huge theater and is half empty. Great. The only seats left were two rows from the screen - horrible on your eyes and senses. Especially since AMC still uses analog film reels and projectors to show the movie.

To the movie itself: I said it before and I'll say it again. The first 40 minutes of the movie felt like a cross between "Office Space" and "The Matrix". There were red staplers, offices, training, running, etc. I was really not impressed at first. As the movie progressed the plot fleshed itself out quite nicely, but the first bit was rather painful. Apparently this was a movie adaptation of a graphic novel, so I didn't expect much, however I did expect more than what I got. "Sin City", I felt, did a much better overall job at fluidity and continuity than this one. This felt like some frat boys got together and slapped a storyline together, which added to the lack of impression.

Do I recommend it? You might like it...but personally I say it's a rental. Not worth the theater visit.

Review: Amazon's Kindle

NOTE: This is a migrated entry.

I'm waiting for a call from someone...so I figure I will get this blog in order and start getting some value out of it.

Best way to do that is to share some of my consumer product reviews. I'm a bonafide consumer in the finest sense of the word...I buy and buy and buy. One thing I recently bought was the Amazon Kindle.

At first I hesitated to buy the device, seeing as it's severely overpriced, however I had some spare cash laying around and decided to give it a spin. For the record, I don't read much - maybe one book a year currently, but that's going to change in the near future as I intend to get my library back that I once had, using the Kindle as the catalyst.

I have hard books - a whole box full, the majority from the same author. The problem I currently face is the fact that I just don't feel right carrying my books where ever I go. Also some have started the edge yellowing and I can imagine what they'll look like in 10 years. I want to make it clear - I'm not one of those who buys a new book every week. I might buy one or three books a year, because it seems these days everyone is throwing a book out there and it's hard to really find one that works without sitting in a Barnes & Noble for three hours - which I wasn't inclined to do.

So you might be saying, "Then why'd you bother??" I bothered for the convenience. The ease of access to books, free samples, etc. might just compel me to read more books. Plus, if I only bought 15 full price books, the device had already paid for itself. Also, the ability to get new books directly via the device without even needing a computer was rather appealing for me. I've been using the device for over a day straight, and I've got a lot to say.

First, the negatives.

• Appearance/Style/Design: The Sony E-Reader is WAY more attractive than the Kindle. But then, Sony is always well known for having good looking devices; reliability is of course another matter. But Amazon really needs to streamline this badboy a bit.
• Screen: The resolution is fine, but I would like the ability to increase the contrast. Sometimes it just doesn't look right, somewhat fuzzy. I'm just a stickler for high contrast when dealing with black and white. The lack of color doesn't bother me too much except when browsing the Amazon store (book covers). What DOES bother me is the lack of touchscreen. I know it's a symptom of the screen type needed for e-ink, but if this had a touch screen, it would increase its value exponentially.
• Ergonomics and Comfort: I can hold the device fairly comfortably. In fact I hate holding it inside the case for some reason. Then again I've been a Star Trek watcher for years, and watching them hold the PADD, it's the same way with the Kindle. Thumb in the dead center below the screen - right on top of the logo, fingers spread out on the back rubber. The corner does not poke into my hand to where it's painful.
• Functions and Control: These are going to be nitpicks for some people, but I have to break it down. First, why is there no clock on the bottom bar? There's tons of real estate on the bar that could easily accomodate a clock, alas one is not to be seen (at least not from what I can see). If it's buried in another area, to me that is insufficient; it should be showing at all times so I can keep track while I'm reading. Second, and others have mentioned this, the lack of foldering is just appalling. Finally, you can't rename books to something more your liking - since some book titles are longer than the visible field on your book list, it's hard to distinguish books in a series if the series is named all the same with a small different subname. For example, Terry Brooks' Voyage series all starts with "Voyage of the Jerle Shannara" and then a word. In my list I can't tell which is which - very annoying. Also, you can sort by certain things, but you can't group. At least grouping or stacking options would have sufficed in lieu of foldering. Sample docs are bulkied in with books (which shouldn't happen) and I can't really organize what I've got.
• General Device Issues: The device's price, while it can pay for itself after 15 full price hardcovers, is still too high in my opinion. I would rather pay $200 for the device than its current price point, just because it is limited in some ways. Personal opinion. Also, if a book just came out, you're getting a deal. If it's an older one where there is a paperbook or used available for $5-6, you might not realize a savings on that book. Just something to keep in mind, as I don't feel that the Kindle prices adjust properly with the book's true price. It's really designed for early adopters/purchasers. On a smaller note, there is a minor delay for things to happen on screen after you press buttons. The processor must be the bare minimum allowable for the form factor. Great for battery life, terrible for processing and screen refresh speed.

Nitpicks yes...but they add up quickly.

Now for the good stuff:

• The Amazon Store is quick and easy to search and find things. It's also convenient to be able to search for a book that someone just told you about, find it and download a sample, and if you enjoy it, buy the full book, all within a few minutes. Also, the amount of books available is amazing; even obscure books like "Investing in India for Dummies" and unexpected ones like "If I Did It" have Kindle editions. Some books that were expected were not to be found - like Terry Brooks' Landover series.
• The screen does have a very good resolution to it. Text is very easy to read and not stressful on the eyes.
• Playing music while reading; Some might not like this, but I do. There's nothing like listening to the likes of David Benoit, Joe Sample, Brian Culbertson, Rick Braun, Boney James, Kirk Whalum, etc...while reading a good book!
• The built in storage is quite sufficient for all but the most frequent reader. I've got a number of books on my Kindle and I've barely cracked my space allocation.
• The cool factor. I showed it to a guy at work who was curious about the Kindle, and he was like me: price turned him off, but after seeing it in action he's seriously considering getting one.
• Battery life was quite good, even when playing music constantly. The key is to turn the wireless off if you're not browsing the store.

The biggest turn offs are:

• The form factor - too bulky compared to its closest competitors;
• The price for the device, higher than competitors;
• The lack of touchscreen capability;
• Interface/processor speed, not good at multitasking;
• Lack of foldering/grouping/stacking options to make it easier to organize your library;
• Not every book is Kindle'd. You would think that an author would want every book they published to be Kindle'd if they allowed at least one to be, but sadly this is not the case.

Some of those are personal nitpicks, as I said, but there are so many...

In summary: Do I recommend it for the reader who doesn't read a lot of books? Maybe...but not at its current price point. Right now it's for early adopters for sure. Anyone who is a book veteran and spends their hours at Barnes and Noble should just keep on doing it. However this could open up doors of potential if they do it right. Schoolbooks, more widespread Kindling of books, faster processor performance, and a better web experience would help to justify the price tag.