things that rock

sin city: goddamn, this movie is badass. if you haven't read any of the comics, they are very gritty, very violent pulp. tough half-naked dames (who often become fully naked soon enough), even tougher guys in trenchcoats, corrupt cops, crime on every corner, prostitutes, strippers, killers, sleazy underworld dealings: these are the bread and butter of sin city. there's very little goodness left in sin city, making it so precious that people are willing to die...or kill...to save it.

when i think of sin city, i think of terms like decadence, depravity, debauchery, and of course pulp. this movie revels in its unwholesomeness; it delights in its decadence. it's intense, and definitely not for everyone.

i have read that the movie uses the sin city comics as actual storyboards for the movie, which was shot in the "sky captain" style wherein all backgrounds and effects were rendered digitally. just like the comics, the movie is black-and-white with spot color. the result is probably the most accurate comic adaptation ever. and it looks amazing: you could take practically any frame of this movie and blow it up into a cool-looking poster. the mise en scene is outstanding.

the style can be a bit jarring at first, with the sam spade-style voiceover narration and highly stylized visuals. the first time you see white blood it's a bit bizarre, but it makes sense within the world that's been created here. this is anything but realistic: it's more like the grittiest anime you've ever seen than any live-action movie that's come before it. but even the best modern animation couldn't look this lifelike and exciting. this movie really shows off just how much is possible now using digital animation technology.

the office (us version): when the reviews for this started coming out, the consensus was that it was very good, but not as good as the uk original. and yes, if you compare the two pilot episodes then the us version kind of pales, considering that the bulk of the script was copied for the american version.

but the second and third episodes of the american show were all-new, and allowed the new version to really shine. the second episode (diversity day) was pretty good, but the third episode about health care... oh my god, i was in stitches the whole time. outstanding.

i'm still getting used to jim in place of tim. but these aren't the same characters; they're just similar characters. steve carell (who i loved on the daily show) is delightful as the boss, and rainn wilson (who was so wonderfully weird on six feet under) does a great job as dwight (analogous to gareth on the uk show), really making the role his own.