The Kingsington Journal

Saturday, December 31, 2011

Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol – Questions and Comments

Last weekend, I saw the latest installment to the Mission: Impossible film series, Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol and must say its better than I thought it would be….However, I feel Mission: Impossible III is the best in the series. That movie had more of a sense of urgency for the main character, Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and dealt with his own personal life vs. his life as a secret agent. Plus it had the best villain in the series so far, Owen Davian (Philip Seymour Hoffman).

Only a few questions/comments this time around….

1) Why wasn’t the villain given a more distinguishable look? Most villains in spy movies are sooo over the top sometimes but it would have been cool to have the villain in Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol with one-arm or a scar or a patch over his eye…something to make him more menacing… AND that goes for his goon too…Put some metal in his mouth or something!!

2) Why is the locale and scenes soooo limited to the Middle East and Russia? Couldn’t we get a trip to the Alps or the Pacific Islands as well? Not that it was bad, its just I was looking forward to more scenery…felt like I was watching an episode of 24…everything happening in a day and in the same place.

3) And speaking of 24, the actor, Anil Kapoor, who plays the wealthy target of the team Brij Nath also played the character, President Omar Hassan in 24. Had much respect for his performance on that show and other movies he's been in…but in Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol he is played like a real chump…any new actor could have played an oversexed, arrogant billionaire playboy but Anil’s performance or just being in this role just seemed out of place, especially for such a great actor who has been doing movies since the 1980s.

4) And, of course, critics have been talking about the plot with the Russian missiles and the goal of the villains to start a nuclear war between the U.S. and Russia…ummm, the Cold War has been over for a while guys…Not unless the writers and producers know something we don’t….

5) Simon Pegg’s character Benji Dunn came very close to becoming annoying…and not good annoying but Joe Pesci (Leo Getz) Lethal Weapon 3 bad annoying…but he eventually tone it down a bit as the movie progressed…

6) Any mission that agent Jane Carter (Paula Patton) is accepting, I will accept also…

7) Great job to director Brad Bird for this being his first live-action film.

8) At one point, I was beginning to wonder Where the hell is Ving Rhames? He’s been in every Mission Possible movie up to this point but eventually they do address that later…as well as other minor things that I began to question….Great ending and very exceptional way they cleared up things in the last few minutes….

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Mission Impossible 4: Ghost Protocol Trailer 2 (HD)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zl6vmRNAUsE

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Friday, December 30, 2011

Playlist 2011 – Favorite Songs of The Year

Here, submitted for and despite your approval, are my favorite and/or most listened to songs of 2011. Some of them are new, while other songs are a bit older that I either discovered or re-discovered, that is, songs that either grew on me from albums of previous years or I had not listened to in a long while or music that just fit a certain mood for me during the certain points in time of my life throughout the past year.. – I’ve also posted a selection of song videos that I feel sums up my personal musicality during the past year among humanity….

Now, The Kingsington Post Playlsit 2011 in order of titles alphabetically…..

1. A Beautiful Mine - RJD2 (theme from the television series Mad Men)
2. A House Wife Love Song – Starflyer 59
3. After – Moby
4. Alive – Pearl Jam
5. At Your Best (You Are Love) - Aaliyah
6. Be The One – Moby
7. Best And Marsh – New Order
8. Birthday – Kings of Leon
9. Black – Pearl Jam
10. Blue Collar Love – Starflyer 59
11. Blue Moon – Moby
12. Body and Soul – Tony Bennett and Amy Winehouse
13. Come To My Aid (Live) – Simply Red
14. Commotion – Creedance Clearwater Revival
15. Daydreams – Lemon
16. Derezzed – Daft Punk (from the motion picture soundtrack Tron: Legacy)
17. Dog Days Are Over - Florence + The Machine
18. Dreaming in Metaphors – Seal
19. Duel Overhead Cam – Starflyer 59
20. End of Line - Daft Punk (from the motion picture soundtrack Tron: Legacy)
21. Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall – Coldplay
22. Fake – Simply Red
23. Fall - Daft Punk (from the motion picture soundtrack Tron: Legacy)
24. Give Me Everything - Pitbull Featuring Ne-Yo, Afrojack & Nayer
25. Go – Pearl Jam

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Fake - Simply Red

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=olr1ySlWmBs

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26. Harmony – Starflyer 59
27. Hazelwould – Starflyer 59
28. How You Like Me Now – The Heavy
29. I Drive A Lot – Starflyer 59
30. I Will Be Your Friend (Remix) – Sade
31. I’m Alive – Seal
32. If I Could – Seal
33. Imitation of Life – R.E.M.
34. In the Air Tonight (Cure & Cause Remix) - Phil Collins
35. In the Night (Electric Allstars Radio Edit) – Lemon
36. Inner Universe – Origa (from the Anime Television Series Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex)
37. It's The End Of The World As We Know It (and I Feel Fine...) – R.E.M.
38. Kiss of Life (Unreleased House Mix) – Sade
39. Lacrimae – Moby
40. Lie Down In Darkness – Moby
41. Love Song – Adele
42. Lunatic Fringe - Red Rider
43. Magneto Theme - Henry Jackman (from the motion picture soundtrack X-Men: First Class)
44. Man Or Muppet - Jason Segel and Walter (from the motion picture soundtrack The Muppets)
45. Modern Man – Arcade Fire
46. Monarchy of Roses – Red Hot Chilli Peppers
47. Moves Like Jagger - Maroon 5 feat. Christina Aguilera
48. No Light, No Light - Florence + The Machine
49. No Money – Kings of Leon
50. Not Even Close – Lemon

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Inner Universe – Origa (from the Anime Television Series Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5c4_8soYxY

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51. Not In Love - Crystal Castles ft Robert Smith

52. On Her Majesty’s Secret Service – John Barry

53. On The Floor – Jennifer Lopez ft. Pitbull

54. Our Day Will Come – Amy Winehouse

55. Out of Touch (DJ Kue Remix) - Hall and Oates

56. Paradise – Coldplay

57. Party Rock Anthem – LMFAO Featuring Lauren Bennett & GoonRock

58. Personal Jesus (Stargate Remix) 2011 – Depeche Mode

59. Pumped Up Kicks - Foster the People

60. Pyro – Kings of Leon

61. Raise Your Glass – Pink

62. Ready to Start – Arcade Fire

63. Rockets – Moby

64. Rolling in The Deep – Adele

65. Set Fire to The Rain – Adele

66. Sevastopol – Moby

67. Sex is On Fire – Kings of Leon

68. Somewhere Beyond (Radio Edit) - Michael Gray and Steve Edwards

69. Spirit ( Original 12 Inch B-side) – Sade

70. Stella Maris – Moby

71. Strangelove (Tim Simenon, Mark Saunders Remix) – Depeche Mode

72. Strip My Mind – Red Hot Chilli Peppers

73. Sub-Culture – New Order

74. Sukiyaki - Kyu Sakamoto

75. The Adventures Of Rain Dance Maggie - Red Hot Chilli Peppers

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Rolling in The Deep – Adele

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYEDA3JcQqw&ob=av2e

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76. The Broken Places – Moby

77. The Day – Moby

78. The End – Kings of Leon

79. The Ends – Basement Jaxx (from the motion picture soundtrack Attack The Block)

80. The Face – Kings of Leon

81. The Immortals – Kings of Leon

82. The Low Hum – Moby

83. The One – Elton John

84. The Perfect Kiss (Hot Tracks Mix) – New Order

85. The Right Thing – Moby

86. The Suburbs – Arcade Fire

87. The Undoing – Interpol

88. The Violent Bear It Away – Moby

89. Try it On (Live @ Space 15 Twenty) – Interpol

90. Unthinkable – Alicia Keys

91. Until the End of the World – U2

92. Valerie – Amy Winehouse

93. Vanishing Point [Instrumental Making Out Mix] – New Order

94. Victoria Lucas – Moby

95. We Found Love - Rihanna ft. Calvin Harris

96. We Got Love (Frank Iengo Remix) – Lemon

97. When the World is Running Down (Different Gear Remix) - The Police

98. When You Are Old – Moby

99. Wish I Didn't Miss You - Angie Stone

100. Won't Back Down - Eminem feat. Pink (from the motion picture trailer for Mission : Impossible - Ghost Protocol)

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The Immortals – Kings of Leon

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4A736xJ50tg

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The Ends – Basement Jaxx (from the motion picture soundtrack Attack The Block)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LG7TD0p0Zg4

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Wednesday, December 21, 2011

MyMovies: The Lord of The Rings - Film Series

The Lord of the Rings is an epic film trilogy consisting of three fantasy adventure films based on the three-volume book of the same name by English author J. R. R. Tolkien. The films are The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), The Two Towers (2002) and The Return of the King (2003).

The films were directed by Peter Jackson and distributed by New Line Cinema. Considered to be one of the biggest and most ambitious movie projects ever undertaken, with an overall budget of $285 million, the entire project took eight years, with the filming for all three films done simultaneously and entirely in Jackson's native New Zealand. Each film in the trilogy also had Special Extended Editions, released on DVD a year after the theatrical releases. While the films follow the book's general storyline, they do omit some of the plot elements from the novel and include some additions to and other deviations from the source material.

Set in the fictional world of Middle-earth, the three films follow the hobbit Frodo Baggins (Elijah Wood) as he and a Fellowship embark on a quest to destroy the One Ring, and thus ensure the destruction of its maker, the Dark Lord Sauron. The Fellowship becomes divided and Frodo continues the quest together with his loyal companion Sam (Sean Astin) and the treacherous Gollum (Andy Serkis). Meanwhile, the wizard Gandalf (Ian McKellen) and Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen), heir in exile to the throne of Gondor, unite and rally the Free Peoples of Middle-earth, who are ultimately victorious in the War of the Ring.

The trilogy was a great financial success, with the films collectively being the sixth highest-grossing film series of all-time (behind Harry Potter, James Bond, Star Wars, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Shrek). The films were critically acclaimed and heavily awarded, winning 17 out of 30 Academy Awards nominated in total. The final film in the trilogy, The Return of the King, won all 11 of the Academy Awards for which it was nominated, tying it with Ben-Hur and Titanic for most Academy Awards received for a film. The trilogy received wide praise for the innovative special effects, both practical and digital.

Read More: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lord_of_the_Rings_film_trilogy

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The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring - Official Trailer [2001]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIgkpEgCV-I

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The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers - Official Trailer [2002]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBNSOdEjtZs

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The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King - Official Trailer [2003]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atKEVOpFL5Q

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The Lord of the Rings - Trilogy Super Trailer [2001-2003]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQ63fpBxAw0

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BONUS: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Trailer HD

(Release Date: December 14, 2012) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0k3kHtyoqc

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Tuesday, December 20, 2011

It's a Wonderful Life (1946)

It's a Wonderful Life is an American Christmas drama film released on December 20, 1946; Produced and directed by Frank Capra and based on the short story "The Greatest Gift" written by Philip Van Doren Stern.

The film stars James Stewart as George Bailey, a man whose imminent suicide on Christmas Eve brings about the intervention of his guardian angel, Clarence Odbody (Henry Travers). Clarence shows George all the lives he has touched and the contributions he has made to his community.

Despite initially being considered a box office flop due to high production costs and stiff competition at the time of its release, the film has come to be regarded as a classic and a staple of Christmas television around the world. Theatrically, the film's break-even point was actually $6.3 million, approximately twice the production cost, a figure it never came close to achieving in its initial release. An appraisal in 2006 reported: "Although it was not the complete box-office failure that today everyone believes ... it was initially a major disappointment and confirmed, at least to the studios, that Capra was no longer capable of turning out the populist features that made his films the must-see, money-making events they once were."

It's a Wonderful Life was nominated for five Oscars without winning any, although the film has since been recognized by the American Film Institute as one of the 100 best American films ever made, and placed number one on their list of the most inspirational American films of all time.

Read More: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/It's_a_Wonderful_Life
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It's A Wonderful Life Original - Uncut Version 1946
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQoXV6oCzsQ