House of 9 (2005)

House of 9 (2005). This movie is a lot like the movie Exam, which I've previously written about somewhere in this blog.

I think I read a description about how it was like Saw. It really isn't. There are no death traps that are accidentally triggered or have time limits. I'd say it is 95% more like Exam.

I don't recall how I came across this movie and put it on my Netflix watch instantly queue. I think it may have had something to do with Kelly Brook being in it. I'm sure I followed some filmography or suggested viewings from somewhere. Dennis Hopper was in it too but let's get back to Kelly Brook.

She actually wasn't as annoying in this movie as she is in some others I've seen her in. She didn't have that consistently annoying, whining voice she normally has. I guess it's because she's usually playing a victimized woman or something, I don't know. I think she looked younger in this one too and not as heavy as in others. Don't get me wrong. She's by no means fat or heavy but she was much thinner in this one than I've seen in others...but still not fat. Know what I mean?

SPOILER ALERT POSSIBLY AHEAD

Anyway, the movie plays out like any other of the same genre before it. "There can be only one" (that's from The Highlander movies) survivor and in the end she just happens to be it based on pure luck and predictable scripting. Just about every stereotypical thing was written in this movie...

• Cop is one of the captives and he assumes "leadership" without any actual voting/electing and everyone is okay with it (I wouldn't have been)
• Black man is a rapper, gets blamed for everything (although he did accidentally kill someone), cop rules him a threat and locks him in a room without any discussion and no one disagrees with the "due process"
• Priest (Dennis Hopper) is faced with protecting himself and others or taking a life. Chooses the latter. Has regrets but meets his maker later at the hands of another house mate
• Hot, pretty girl (Brook) ends up winning
• Winner is given the prize but instead of actual release looks to have been let out of one house into another house of previous winners. There is not continuation but one is led to believe that the "winners" can now become bigger winners by killing previous winners and taking their money

In the end, the movie was laughable, annoying, predictable and could have been much better with the addition of some boobies being shown. I mean come on, there were like 3-4 attractive females and not a one of them even so much had a nipple slip! FAIL!

FINAL VERDICT: This movie is passable. It's not even worth snagging from a friend. If you have Netflix already, then it might be one of those "just had to check it out" viewings but otherwise pass on it.

Skullcandy 2XL Shakedown Full Suspension Headband

Skullcandy 2XL Shakedown Full Suspension Headband. I purchased these a few weeks or so ago. I saw a link from some "links to deals" web site like Slickdeals. In fact, it could have been Slickdeals. Anyway, there was a really good deal for these over-the-ear headphones that I figured they were worth a try. I think the price was like $5.99/ea + s/h and maybe tax which made the total cost very close to $10. Again, worth it in my eyes because I could always eBay them for the exact amount I paid and possibly break even. Not to mention that I wasn't expecting or looking for them to be this fantastically sounding headphones. I was looking for decent, good sound cheaply priced. They would be put through a lot by me and my kids (I actually got three sets) so they would need to be somewhat sturdy and again costs low. But without some sense of quality sound, what's the point. Yeah?

So, here are a few things I can share about these little babies:

• They don't exactly feel like the sturdiest headphones but they seem to be durable enough so far. I didn't expect top-quality but the plastic feels frail like a plastic water gun but also durable like that of the smaller Nerf guns.
• The cord is a little shorter than most headphones cords. I would guess it's like three feet versus the typical six feet. Do you really need that extra three feet? Sometimes. I mean if you are using the MP3 player pocket in your backpack while listening with these headphones, there may be an occasional pulling or tugging on the phones. I guess it entirely depends on how far down the MP3 player pocket is or how low you let your backpack hang down your ass. Either way, I wouldn't think three feet is very accommodating. At the same time, I had some earphones that had the six foot cord and at times I felt like it was too long.
• These are definiley on-ear headphones. They may be over-the-ear for some people with smaller heads/ears, like my kids, but they are on-ear for me. No a big deal, but don't expect them to be long-term comfortable.
• Speaking of comfortability. These are mildly comfortable after wearing for some time but sometimes get uncomfortable after much longer. The ear muffs are not the softest but I expected as much. I've worn them for an entire movie with mild irritation after 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Again, the muffs do not contain the most padding and the plastic/pleather covering tends to cause slight perspiration. I think I've experienced the perspiration with high-end headphones as well...it's just what happens when you cover your ear with no air circulation so I don't blame it on these. The headband securely holds the muffs on my ears but because of the lack of softness, my ears have gotten irritated a few times after extended use.
• The sound seems to be pretty good. I'm no audio expert but for what I've used them for, they have performed well. Decent bass and treble with enough seal on the ears to block out background noises...to an extent. I haven't reached that extent but I'm sure there is an "extent."
• These aren't ear buds. They are a little more cumbersome than ear buds...okay, a lot. These are not the type to fit snuggly and take up little space in a backpack or purse or whatever. Again, I didn't plan on walking around town with them...very often if at all...but I do like to be able to use headphones over ear buds on occasion.

I guess that's about all I can say about these so far. I use them on occasion like I said. The kids have started using them a little more than their ear buds but it turns out it's because they often misplace their buds and they have the headphones as back up. I think thye still sell these on their eBay listing for about the same price. It might be a decent gift for a teenager or a non-audiophile snob.

Just a shot of one of my headphones in the package before opening.