So I was surfing around IMDB today, when I found something quite to my liking. Yes, for those of you who love ridiculously elaborate death sequences combined with weak teenage drama, then get ready for “Final Destination 4” due out in 2009. Now why should a series of a somewhat mediocre teen thrillers excite me? Well I must say and I think the other Cat Fancy contributors will agree, that we all have a soft spot for the Final Destinations series. I mean they’re cheesy and stupid but god damn, they are actually really entertaining and never fail to deliver. The elaborate deaths are gory and fun and sometimes even funny, thus they’ve kept me coming back.

Now something I think we all get curious about when a new F.D. comes out is, “What’s going to be the inciting incident that starts all the teen deaths” Well according to IMDB this is the scoop “After a teen’s premonition of a deadly race-car crash helps saves the lives of his peers, Death sets out to collect those who evaded their end.” Oooh a race-car crash, I was guessing the next one would involve a train but who really rides trains anymore? Definitely not hip teenagers. The cast is of course a bunch of young beautiful people who I’ve never heard of (but that’s what I come to expect from this series) and the film will be written by Eric Bess (The Butterfly Effect, Final Destination 2) and directed by David R. Ellis, who brought us such masterpieces as “Final Destination 2” and “Snakes on a Plane. So get ready for January of 2009 cause that’ll be a good time to see some quality entertainment… Will this be the Final Destination?

Tuesday evening Colin, John and I had the privilege of seeing Lawrence of Arabia for the first time on a tremendous Cinerama screen. We all came into it with the knowledge that it would probably be good, and really long, and really epic. I can’t speak for the others, but at least I did not expect to be quite as blown away as I was.

If you do not already know, Lawrence of Arabia is the story of T.E. Lawrence, a British officer who finds his loyalties torn between his native peoples and the Arabian warriors with which he sympathizes. A recurring question is the film is, “who are you,” and Lawrence spends the film trying to find that answer.

The script is tight, calling for many epic sequences as well as plenty of humorous and emotional moments. Steven Spielberg considers it perhaps the greatest screenplay ever written, how can you argue with that?

All the actors are very strong in their roles. Peter O’Toole truly embodies his character, no other man could play Lawrence as well. Omar Sharif is outstanding as Lawrence’s best friend Sherif Ali. You could complain that it is not P.C. to have white actors playing non-white parts, but that’s the way they did things back then. Alec Guinness and Anthony Quinn both look and sound Arabian as well, props to them.

The cinematography and editing are a big part of why the film is famous, and with good reason. Every frame is gorgeous. To see it in anything but widescreen would be a travesty. Some sequences are just awe-inspiring; how often can you saw that about a movie? Everything we see in the film, except for a few shots of the sun, is real. That might not seem like something that important to those who have not seen it before, but when you know everything that unfolds its quite incredible. This is a movie that could not be done with special effects and computers toady.

The editing is inspired, to say the least. Some of the scene changes are just awesome. Lawrence blowing out the match cutting to a sunrise, the long shot of the retaking of Aqaba, the use of direct cutting. If you have aspirations of becoming an editor, or really any job in film, this is a required viewing.

But you probably already knew all this, didn’t you, you smart Cat Fancy reader? You know that films like this are often surrounded with hyperbole. Well this is one case where it’s definitely all true. The movie is nearly four hours long but there isn’t a boring moment. Honestly, Lawrence of Arabia is probably the best film I have had the privilege of seeing on the big screen. If you ever get a similar opportunity, take it.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl

Released on March 9, Super Smash Bros. Brawl is the third entry in the franchise which has spanned just as many consoles. With a bigger roster than ever and more modes that any fighter in recent memory, it is also the best so far as well.

I won’t bore you with the details I’m sure you’ve already read by now. Snake and Sonic are in it, Subspace Emissary is the cool single player mode, there are many control options but those using the Wii Remotes pretty much suck. The game is great.

Instead, I’d like to address the haters. I’ve found that there are really two groups of haters, hardcore fighting game fans and those who say its overrated because of all the Nintendo characters.

To the first group, I’d ask that you not think of it in the same way you think of other fighting games. Smash Bros. is a very different kind of fighter, almost more akin to an adventure game. But don’t mistake that for a lack of depth. Smash Bros. is great because it’s so simple and easy to pick up, yet there’s a lot of depth to the game as well, just look at how big the tournament scene is. Think of it with an open mind and you might be very pleased.

To the other group, I’d just like to say, “so what?” The game was made with the idea of Nintendo characters fighting each other. It was a very exciting and fun premise that many people enjoy. To say that it wouldn’t garner as much praise without the Nintendo cast is a moot point. The cast and mythos are essential parts of the game. It gets high review scores because it deserves them for what it is, not what it could be.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl is not a perfect game, but there’s a lot to it and the multiplayer fun is hard to match. If you’ve got a Wii, you need to own this game.

One other thing: I’ve been thinking about the reviews we do and was wondering, do we really need the stars at all? Could we just do a “buy – rent – skip” review scale? Does it make a difference to you if I give something four stars or 4.5? Holler back.

Unlike Josh Brown, some football players actually like to win games. Lofa Tatupu signed a 6 year contract extension today, making him what seems to be a Seahawk for life. The 25 year old middle linebacker is the cornerstone of the Hawk defense, and hopefully produce the more of what we’ve seen the past three years. Since his rookie season he has led the team in tackles all three years and been to all three Pro Bowls.

The coolest thing I thought came out of all this, is how the team banded together to get this deal done. Patrick Kerney, Deon Grant, Jordan Babineaux and Craig Terrill all restructured their contracts so the extension would fit under the salary cap. It just shows how the Seattle Seahawks are committed to winning, and hopefully Seattle will be a winning city for years to come.

For anyone that saw Barack Obama’s latest speech in Philadelphia, (I assume most people heard about on the news or “The Daily Show” or whatever) I must say that it was quite impressive even “Lincolnesque” if you will. I can’t recall seeing anyone on TV (let alone a Presidential candidate) fearlessly address such a controversial topic as race to the people. Him saying that he doesn’t disown his white grandmother or pastor for saying somewhat offensive or even rascist remarks shows real courage, in a situation that most politicians would try to deny or seperate themselves from. I caught the speech on the internet and I can’t help but find his words very much captivating. Now I can’t possibly see how any democratic voter could even think about supporting Clinton, when we have such a strong and straight forward candidate right in front of us. I mean Politicians like Hilary Clinton are a dime a dozen but Barack Obama is truly inspirational.

P.S. The handling of this whole speech on “The Daily Show” was hilarious, I’ve really been liking that Larry Willmore guy which is good because I don’t much care for most of the shows current correspondents. Also if you haven’t checked out Obama’s speech, it’s all over the internet so If your curious you should definitely give it a peek.

Now it’s been known for awhile (at least to fans) that alternative rock band The Raconteurs (Led by Jack White) have currently been working on the follow up to their 2006 album “Broken Boy Soldiers” But while I was scanning around the web, I ran into something that shook my world. According to The Raconteurs Official Myspace, they not only have a new album coming out this year but it’s coming out next week? As several sources are saying the next Raconteurs album supposedly titled “Consolers of the Lonely” is due for stores March 25th despite the strange lack of advertising. Now the only reason I’m confused by this, is that I can hardly find any information on the internet regarding info on the new album or it’s release date. All I could find was a Rolling Stone article (written today) with the same question… “Do The Raconteurs really have a new album coming out next week?!?” This article came to the conclusion that this rumor appears to be true, as many employees of various CD stores are confirming the shipment of a new Raconteurs album next week. Personally I’m as Paul might say “Sto Excited” I really loved the last album by these Detroit rockers and liked them even better live, when I saw them at The Moore in 2006. So it’s pretty exciting and perhaps I’ll even look into seeing them at Neumos this April, but probably not.