tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34425602024-03-07T13:14:08.385-05:00Thoughts of CyenCyen's thoughts on the world.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger962125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442560.post-69937812733143931802022-03-18T17:00:00.002-04:002022-03-18T17:00:41.221-04:00xkcd - nerd shopping<a href="http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/shopping_teams.png" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/shopping_teams.png" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a>
The above is another funny cartoon by xkcd. I don't know if you have to be a nerd or not to think this is funny though :) (click on the image to see it larger)
Speaking of comics, the Monty comic has been really funny these past couple of days. I think they have a much more strict copyright policy, so I won't post the actual comic, instead, I'll point you to where you can sign up to have these emails sent to you on a daily basis. There are a ton of other comics there. What better way to start off the day, than with a comic delivered to you daily (except weekends).Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442560.post-91015763868494893772013-11-06T09:32:00.001-05:002013-11-06T09:32:09.426-05:00Having ignored this blog for almost 2 years, I'm wondering if it's time to start things up again. We shall see.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442560.post-5495376425780926822011-01-01T19:32:00.003-05:002011-01-01T20:17:53.710-05:00Media of 2010 - Movies (on DVD)1/1/10 - Is Anybody There - ★★★ - A bit of a depressing movie. Which if anyone has followed any of my previous reviews you know I don't really like depressing movies. That said, it was some nice acting on behalf of Michael Caine and the young chap Bill Milner (who was in Son of Rambow). At times it was rather difficult understanding the thick English accents. All in all a decent movie, just not the right genre for me.<br /><br />1/2/10 - Pond Hockey - ★★★★ - A documentary that I stumbled upon on Hulu.com of all places. I'm also not a big fan of Hockey (or sports in general), so for it to keep my interest for about 2 hours was saying something. Of all topics I would not have thought you could fill 2 hours on a subject of "Pond Hockey" but they did a nice job with this. I'm not sure if this link will work in the future but this is where I saw it:<br />http://www.hulu.com/watch/118204/pond-hockey<br /><br />1/3/10 - Seven Pounds - ★★★★★ - wow, this was a good movie. A bit of a chick flick I suppose, but a really good story telling. Will Smith pulls through with this acting talents yet again. Oh and yes... you might need a box of tissues for this one. I'm glad I didn't see it in the theater so as not to have to explain that I had some dust in my eye!<br /><br />1/3/10 - The Take - ★★★★★ - An Amazing documentary. I had seen Naomi Klein interviewed on C-Span, and she (or the interviewer did?) mentioned this documentary that she and her husband worked on. I thought she was a very interesting person so I decided to look into the dvd. (Netflix pulls through again!) What an interesting (though somewhat sad to see the levels of poverty and hardships these people were/are living through). But the concept was so foreign to me... in a nutshell... Argentina used to be a manufacturing hub and they were prosperous with a strong middle class. Along came some politicians who under the name of Capitalism, decided to sell off everything to the big corporations. Then things turned sour. The big Corps simply closed down the factories and moved away leaving the factory towns with 60% unemployment. Now here's the kicker... The workers decided to TAKE back the factory buildings and re-open them! No management at all, just completely run by the workers (who all got the same pay). There is a lot more but I don't want to give away too much of the film. If you like documentaries and politics, I'd highly recommend this one.<br /><br />1/7/10 - 30 Days: Season 2 - ★★★★★ - So I actually watched the first 2 parts in 2009, but finally got around to finishing this last disk of season 2. Tonight's episode was about going to jail. I really tip my hat to Morgan Spurlock for putting himself (and others) through these experiences so that someone like me can get a glimpse into what life is like in places I don't get to see. His commentary is thoughtful and thought provoking. If you like documentaries, you must check out all of these series.<br /><br />1/30/10 - Transformers 2 - ★★ - I won't go into detail here, it's not worth it. It's a movie with punching, kicking robots, and lots and lots of explosions. The entire movie is people yelling, like they all just drank a case of some sort of energy drink. At times it was also a terrific advertisement for the armed services. Logic and physics is thrown out the window, and the girl is smokin hot (though I had to Laugh-out-loud, when they showed her posed sexily on a motorcycle trying to airbrush a gas-tank... it was clear she (or the director) had no idea how to use an airbrush - but who cares right? She looked good faking it. ugh. I'm giving it one extra ★ for the effects and especially the sound effects. There was absolutely no reason this movie should have been 2.5 hours long.<br /><br />1/31/10 - Once - ★★★★★ - A Fantastic film. It has an Indy feel to it. Rather simple storyline, but that doesn't detract from the film and in fact actually adds to it. The music was fantastic (about to purchase the soundtrack now). The cinematography was really nice at times. The only small complaint (which is a reflection on me, not the film) was that the Irish accent was a bit tough to understand at times (especially the first scene). This is one of those movies that I consider a gem in the rough.<br /><br />2/6/10 - Ricky Gervais: Out of England - ★★★ - Meh. There were some funny parts I guess, but lots of "blue" material - and rather graphic too. I didn't need to hear all that.<br /><br />2/7/10 - Away we go - ★ - I tried. I really tried to like this, but it was just laced with too much estrogen.<br /><br />2/17/10 - A Perfect Getaway - ★★★ - Not a great movie, and not terrible either. I was entertained. The plot was a little thin at times, yet that wasn't enough to make this a bad movie. Perhaps if I had paid $9.75 for a ticket, I would not be so kind, but for a dvd rental on a night where the only other thing on tv is bad re-runs then this movie fits the bill. Oh, I should say too... that I'm a fan of Steve Zahn, so take that for what it's worth.<br /><br />2/x/10 - House - Season one - ★★★ - I'm basically enjoying this new series on dvd. (It originally aired in 2004, but it's new to me). The storyline is repetitive though - patient comes in, they can't figure out what's wrong, they diagnose something, and it usually ends up being wrong... then Dr. House thinks of something (usually from one obscure fact that was overlooked, or unknown at the beginning of the show), then Dr. House looks like the genius for rescuing the patient's life. But, that's really no different from any other TV show with a basic formula. And... I've learned some medical items that I found interesting.<br /><br />2/?/10 - The Cove - ★★★★ - I'm late in writing this review, so I'll just keep it short. A documentary, that tries to uncover a small cove in Japan that sells dolphins to aquariums around the world, then whatever dolphins don't sell they attempt to slaughter. While, tragic, and brutal at times, my only complaint was that the tone of the movie seemed to be off, in regards to the subject matter. For example... This is a serious problem of a hidden and possibly illegal slaughter, yet the filmmakers seemed to have a lighthearted sometimes joking around, about the technology involved with trying to capture film footage. Like they were all enjoying playing the role of an undercover spy, rather than being serious about what they were doing. I don't doubt, they are serious, but the film portrayed them at times as if they were just out for some fun.<br /><br />2/28/10 - Charles Darwin: Genius - ★★★ - An ok documentary. Only 50 minutes long it seemed to just barely scratch the surface of Darwin's life and endeavors. Also, the production value was on the cheap side (though perhaps that was because it was dated and more a sign of the times - I just looked it up and it says 2000, I would have guessed about 1983, so I will put the blame on cheapness). I feel like the script just highlighted a few important facts about his life without delving too deep. Reminded me of a 4th grader's book report. That sounds a bit harsh, and I will say, that I did learn some new things about Mr. Darwin, and it was a good 50 minutes spent on a Sunday afternoon.<br /><br />2/28/10 - Taking Woodstock - ★★★★ - I'm being generous with a that last "★", because I can see underneath, that this had/has the makings of a good film. First off, it wasn't exactly what I was expecting, I thought it was just going to be a slapstick sort of comedy (Demetri Martin is pretty funny), but underneath some of the comedy and goofiness there were some heavier topics. All in all, I enjoyed the movie, and I can't quite put my finger on why it just wasn't a solid 4★ film. I suspect it may have been the directing, or a feeling of not really delving too far into any of the other characters (other than Demetri's). I don't expect everyone will like this movie, but that's ok. Everything is groovy man.<br /><br />3/19/10 - Paper Heart - ★★★★ - A fun quirky little movie. Filmed in the style of a documentary, but I'm abou 76% sure it was just a movie made to look like a documentary. The movie did have moments of awkwardness (perhaps intentional), but all in all, I enjoyed the ride. The few scenes of puppetry were actually really well done - yet I can't put my finger on what made them so well done. Perhaps the combination of great lighting, and sound and creativity.<br /><br />3/24/10 - Coraline - ★★★ - A strange movie. While I enjoyed the animation and visuals, the storyline was just a little too far out there for me. I'll just leave it at that.<br /><br />3/25/10 - Precious - ★★★★★ - A really difficult movie to watch, regarding the subject matter, but wow, what a film. I can't comment on the story at all at this point. Words fail me. As to the acting it is top notch, all around. The main reason I rented this film, was because of all the recent Oscar Buzz, and I was curious... I'm glad I rented this.<br /><br />4/14/10 - Moon - ★★★★ - Almost a 5★, but I just couldn't be generous enough for that last ★. Sam Rockwell though was amazing! The film was great too, though my only complaint (which may really bother others) was that it was a slow moving film. A lot depended on 'Mood' rather than action. I was able to stay interested and Rockwell never let me look away. I remember missing this in the theater because it just didn't "grab me"... but I'm really glad I gave it a second chance on dvd.<br /><br />4/18/10 - The Jacket - ★★★★★ - I was really pleasantly surprised with this movie. I wasn't sure what to expect, It was a recommendation from netflix and I took a gamble. It paid off. I really enjoyed this psyche thriller, with elements of sci-fi. If you like somewhat unusual films, this is it. Go rent it now.<br /><br />4/18/10 - The Fourth Kind - ★★★★ - I'm being generous with the last ★. I was entertained by this movie, but I would certainly understand if others thought it was bad. I think because I like the subject matter, explains why I enjoyed it. The acting at times was good, at other times... not so much. Basically the story is what carried the movie for me.<br /><br />5/10 - Northern Exposure: Season one - ★★★★★ - I was really hesitant to watch this series. I was a big fan of the show back when it first started, and it has been quite a few years since last I saw an episode, but I was not disappointed. I've had movies and TV shows like this in the past, where the memory of you liking something is worth more than actually watching it a second time and seeing how "cheesy" it was. But I gotta say, the writing still held up for me. Granted some of the 80's fashion was cheesy, but for the most part, I am enjoying the series (again).<br /><br />5/5/10 - Saint Ralph - ★★★★ - I don't recall how I heard of this movie (perhaps it was a netflix recommendation), but I'm glad I gave it a shot. It was a typical "underdog" movie for sure, meaning the story has been told 100 times before, but I still enjoyed the ride of the show and got sucked into rooting for Ralph.<br /><br />6/?/10 - Beautiful Losers - ★★★★★ - a really nice indie-film about 'underground' art.<br /><br />6/12/10 - The Bourne Identity - ★★★★★ - I saw this a long time ago in the theater, and happened to catch some of this movie on TV about a week prior, but with all the added commercials, it was driving me crazy. So I stopped watching the movie on TV, and ordered it on Netflix. I really enjoyed this movie again. Perhaps more the second time, as I went back to netflix and boosted my rating from a 4 star to a 5 star.<br /><br />6/12/10 - Transiberia - ★★ - A long drawn out movie with poor acting. I managed to watch the entire movie, but it was a struggle at times. I mainly rented it because it had Woody Harrelson in it, but even his character was thin. I saw moments in the movie where a couple twists could have made the story-line much better. Ben Kingsley was good though his role was not that large.<br /><br />7/4/10 - Che - ★★★ - I wasn't sure what to expect with this film. It was more of a historical movie rather than a Hollywood retelling of Che's story (though I suspect even Hollywood couldn't resist some embellishment). This movie - or should I say "movies" had a few strikes against it right from the start... It was LONG. Technically they broke the 4 hour movie into two. One dealing mainly with Che's fight in Cuba, and the second half dealing with Che's fight in Bolivia. Another strike (for many), is that the movie was subtitled. This didn't bother me that much. But what did bother me... the movie treated the viewer like they had some prior knowledge of Che, The struggle of the Cuban fight, historical facts and dates, and geography. I had none of that. So for MUCH of the 4 hours, I was in a state of confusion. The enemies were not clearly defined. It was just told as the "guys (and gals) in green versus the other army guys)". Had it not been for Benicio Del Toro's portrayal of Che and his acting and his commanding presence, this movie would have fallen far short of the generous ★★★'s I gave it. I admit though... towards the end of the second half, I found it almost funny, how the majority of the scenes were just Benicio striking a commanding pose, in front of a handful of men, while sitting in the woods.<br />But... I managed to stick out the entire 4 hours and that must account for something.<br /><br />7/10/10 - Doc Martin - ★★★★ - while I just watched only one episode of the British comedy, I did enjoy it. So perhaps it's too early to let this one episode decide the entire series. I couldn't help but notice a similarity to two other shows I'm currently watching too - House and Northern Exposure... it's as if you mashed those two shows up, you'd get Doc Martin. But... I also wanted to mention, that I really enjoyed the scenery of the British landscape as much as the show. Perhaps I'll update the rating as I see more shows. (update: I've now watched almost to the end of season 4 and I'm going to be sad that I finished this series. I've become attached to the characters (and town) which says a lot for a TV show. One thing I should note too... what I thought was going to be mainly a "comedy" series, they have quite a few "serious" episodes as well. I HOPE there is a future for this show and that Season 5 will be out eventually.<br /><br />7/23/10 - Paranormal Activity - ★★★★ - Ok, I know... perhaps it's not worthy of a full 4 ★'s, but I was entertained and enjoyed this movie. I did watch it on my TV (on DVR actually), and I would imagine it was much more intense and scary in a large movie theater. I admit, I got the willies AFTER the movie was over - you know that ol' imagination can start to get to you after a movie like this. Was it as "scary" as they hyped it? maybe not for me (I used to be a "ghost hunter", so a lot of the things they did in the movie are things I did also - though NEVER with the same results). But all in all, I was glad to have finally gotten around to seeing this movie.<br /><br />7/30/10 - The Machinist - ★★★★ - I'm not really sure if this was a good movie or not. It was rather twisted, and really had a feel of an old Hitchcock film. A slow moving psych thriller with lots of twists and turns. I enjoyed some of the attention to detail (ie: license plates, dead fish, etc...). Perhaps most disturbing though... to see an emaciated Christian Bale... wikipedia says he lost approx 62 pounds to get down to a weight of 120lbs. Now that's dedication (or crazy - or both).<br /><br />8/?/10 - Pretty Bird - ★★★ - Not the best of movies, but as a fan of Paul Giamatti, I made it through the entire show. It could have been a good flick, but it lacked something, perhaps direction or better editing. nutshell... a guy with a salesman attitude and gift, tries to put together a team to build a rocket belt. (supposedly based on a true story?).<br /><br />8/5/10 - Paris, Je T'aime - ★★★★ - An interesting movie, made up of a bunch of "shorts" or approx. 5 minute films, with the common theme of Paris (and love) tying them all together. While I didn't like every single one, there was one that stood out the best for me... "Place des fêtes" - that one blew me away with it's content and range of feelings all pushed neatly into a 5 minute film. I also found it slightly ironic the amount of "American actors and/or directors" involved with this film. (yes most of it is in french so if subtitles bother you, well... learn to speak french then.<br /><br />8/9/10 - She's out of my league - ★★★ - I'm not sure why I'm giving it a three. There were times where it's a solid one, but there were moments I guess (in-between all the cliché musical montages) that I enjoyed this movie. Some of the jokes were good (some not so much), but there towards the end, it managed to keep my interest, and thus I finished watching the movie. Yes, it has a teen R-rated mentality, but I think it's saving grace... everyone loves an underdog story.<br /><br />8/21/10 - Quarantine - ★★★★ - for a horror movie this was pretty good. I was entertained, and the overall storyline I felt had a thread of believability. Jennifer Carpenter (who I liked very much in Dexter), was good... well sort of... She has a way of "over reacting" which some might say is a good thing, but for me it's just a bit too over-the-top. So at some scenes where she was screaming and carrying on, I admit, I fast-forwarded it just to get to the next scene. But again, this is a horror movie, so the standard is not too high.<br /><br />8/23/10 - Youth in Revolt - ★★★★ - All in all and decent quirky movie. Some of the situations... ok... MOST of the situations were rather unbelievable, but hey, it made for an entertaining movie. It was definitely rated R, and it reminded me of a sort of R-rated hipster style "animal house" movie, done as a teen romance/coming of age genre. A good cast of characters though.<br /><br />9/1/10 - Waltz with Bashir - ★ - I'm not sure how I discovered this movie, but I can tell you that it was the animation that caught my interest. I also liked the fact that it was an Israeli film. But... maybe I just wasn't in the right mood for a foreign film, but I just could not get into this movie at all. Yes, the animation was pretty awesome at first, but then it soon became just another animated movie. quickly after that point, I lost all interest. Which is a bit sad, because I think there was an important message in there, but as I said, I lost interest.<br /><br />9/3/10 - The Pursuit of Happyness - ★★★★ - Ok, yes... I admit it, I enjoyed this movie. I ALMOST gave it a 5★ rating too... but then I considered two points... 1) it was kinda depressing 2) it was a "typical" underdog movie. But I, like most people, enjoy underdog movies. I won't say much more about the plot, but Will Smith did another good job, as did his son Jaden. Oh... and I really enjoyed seeing all the city and street shots of San Francisco area. I've visited there and it's a fantastic place.<br /><br />9/11/10 - To Kill a Mocking Bird - ★★★★★ - I really enjoyed this movie. (apparently a lot of people have because it's considered a classic). The acting was well done, and the story was what held my interest. The kids (Scout, Jem, Dill) were fun to watch as well. And one of the things that I enjoy about watching old movies (this was set in the late 30's, but filmed in 1961) is to see how things "used to be". For example, this father of 2 young kids, had a nanny, but for the most part, these kids were free to roam around the small town with no adult supervision. In today's world this would be unthinkable. (unless there are small towns out there who still feel safe in their communities like that). But all in all, this is a classic that everyone should watch.<br /><br />9/23/10 - The Crazies - ★★★★ - Basically, this movie is a typical zombie genre horror movie, so when you see my 4★ rating, it's meant to be relative. But, I thought it was well done. Timothy Olyphant played a good role as the sheriff, and the other actors did a pretty good job as well. I liked the basic concept of the story in that it had a thread of believability. Worth a rental if you like zombie style movies.<br /><br />9/22/10 - Aliens vs Monsters - ★★★★ - A kids movie that my friend let me borrow, and it was pretty good. The animation was well done as was the voice acting. I especially liked Seth Rogen's character of "the blob".<br /><br />I've gotten a bit lazy on updating this list, so a handful of short reviews:<br /><br />10/10/10 - The Ghost Writer - ★★★ - not bad really, but it just felt a bit on the slow side. The story was interesting and Ewan Macgreggor did a pretty good job of carrying the film, I wished I got to see more of Pierce Brosnan's character.<br /><br />10/8/10 - The Happening - ★ - I was warned about even wasting my time to rent this movie, and even all the buzz on the internet as to how bad it was, but that made me curious... really how bad could it be? Yep... it was bad. Mark Wahlberg, who I usually like, was pitiful in this film. I don't know why he was so bad (I can only blame the director?). But the combination of a stupid plot-line, with horrible dialogue with poor directing made this movie a real stinker. That said... I watched the entire thing... I supposed I just have to give it some credit for keeping me hooked for the whole movie.<br /><br />10/9/10 - The Usual Suspects - ★★★ - a classic that I have heard a lot of good things about, that I finally got around to seeing. Maybe I'm being a bit harsh with only 3 stars, but I think the time period really distracted me from enjoying the movie, Filmed in 1995, but it felt so long ago (Benicio was so young looking). Stephen Baldwin surprised me, in that he was pretty good. It was a very strange cast of actors, but for some reason it worked. The story was a bit hard to follow at times (time jumping, between present day and flashbacks), along with some characters not being explained until later, but all in all a decent movie.<br /><br />10/10/10 - (Untitled) - ★★★★ - a smaller indy film that poked fun at the "art world" of the New York Gallery scene. I heard about this movie from my sister (thanks sis!). I liked it overall, but it's not a movie for everyone. I've had plenty of discussions of "what is art" so I thought I could relate a little more than perhaps the average movie goer. The "music" even, I thought was interesting as was some of the art (they were trying to spoof cutting edge, and I think they may have actually made some decent art i the process). I'm also a fan of Adam Goldberg, so that helped as well. I enjoyed Lucy Punch's character too (who played a secondary character) - and was later looking up her profile on imdb, and was very surprised to see that she was the one who played in Doc Martin's BBC tv series. (she was the secretary from the first season).<br /><br />Note: I became lax in writing my reviews so I may have missed a handful of dvd's here.<br /><br />10/?/10 - Baghead - ★ - I gave this small indy movie a chance, but it was basically horrible. I won't even bother getting into it.<br /><br />10/?/10 - face/off - ★ - and older movie (1997), that I had missed, and finally got around to watching. I like Nicolas Cage and Travolta, but this was bad. Maybe in 1997 I would have liked it more? But just a typical action movie, with bad acting, and lame plot, depending too much on computer graphics.<br /><br />10/?/10 - The Box - ★★ - Another pretty bad movie. It wasn't horrible, but it was close. It had its moments where I found myself enjoying it, and being sucked back to the 1970's (not sure why it was set i that time period though). But for the most part, I was just left scratching my head wondering what the heck was going on.<br /><br />10/29/10 - X-Files: I want to believe - ★★★ - Perhaps my review is biased since I was a BIG fan of the TV show. So it was good to see these old characters back on my TV screen again. Unfortunately, the entire storyline seemed like a stretch. The acting was so-so. But in spite of the negatives, I was entertained for a bit.<br /><br />(side note) - a string of bad movies lately. I hope a good one comes along to break the trend.<br /><br />10/30/10 - Rocky Horror Picture Show - ★★★ - Not much to say on this one. I'm sure you're familiar with this movie in some way or another (from the 70's!). And yes, I've been to a few of the "midnight showings" for this, but I was never the one to get involved with memorizing the lines or bringing props. But... perhaps this was the first time since watching this movie since I was in my late teens, and I gotta say... what a screwy movie! I'm still not sure if it's good or not... in that it's SO BAD, that it's good.<br />Anyway... I'll just add this... I was on the internet wondering where some of the actors are now... I discovered an odd (to me) fact... that Riff Raff, Dr. Frank, and Brad Majors... all key players in TRHPS, that they have all done voice work for the Disney cartoon Phineas and Ferb. Odd you ask? Well... yeah kinda... an R-rated movie about transsexuals doesn't seem like the pool that Disney swims in for cartoons for kids. Kooky.<br /><br />11/5/10 - Henry Rollins: live uncut from NYC - ★★★★ - intelligent, philosophy, funny, sad, angry, profanity, life stories = good stuff<br />A tad long winded though… might be better to watch this in two doses.<br /><br />11/19/20 - The invention of lying - ★★ - While I like Ricky Gervais (most of the time), this movie just felt too trite. While dancing around the subject of morality, or more directly Religion… The movie skated on the edge of being insulting. I kept waiting for the big "twist" that would explain the movies motives… there was none. At times the movie brought me in, and I had fun, but eventually it just left a stale taste. And!!! the blatant product placement was a huge distraction to me.<br /><br />11/21/10 - The White Stripes Under Northern Lights - ★★★★★ - at first I wasn't getting into the dvd. But the longer I watched the more I tuned in. By the end, I loved it. While I have to admit, I can't say as I like all of their songs/performances, but I can certainly appreciate the level of talent in both Meg and Jack. I'll say it here too… I think Jack is a musical genius. As to the dvd, I enjoyed some of the "behind the scenes" looks of what went on in the Canadian tour. If you're a fan, I'd rate this as a must see.<br /><br />11/25/10 - American Psycho - ★ - Stupid. That is all.<br /><br />11/26/10 - The Universe Of Keith Harring - ★★★ - one of my favorite artists, and I enjoyed learning a bit about him as a person, and about his life, but as a documentary… it left me wanting more. I felt too much focus was spent on holding Keith up as a "celebrity" and not enough background about the art itself. ie: Why the line art? What does the crawling baby represent? What about the dog or the three eyed monster? I still like Keith's art, but I wasn't really interested in the New York social scene in the late 80's.<br /><br />11/??/10 - In Bruges - ★★★★★ - I have seen this movie before, but decided to rent it again. (I usually don't do that). But yes, I very much enjoyed this the second time around.<br /><br />12/12/10 - who the #$@% is Jackson Pollock? - ★★★ - I found this movie interesting, and the story a good one, but felt it was just a bit too long winded. While the film presents some interesting "opinions/facts" in the end, I found myself just not agreeing with the premise that this was a Pollock. Don't let that discourage YOU for making up your own mind though, don't view this as a "spoiler" - because I'm sure there are plenty of people who will side with Loraine. But my "gut instinct" tells me that it's not a true Pollock painting. It does highlight the fact though behind the "art world" - in that it's not just about "is it a nice painting" that determines the worth of a piece of art, but rather the story, the signature (or lack of), and which "critic" deems it worth of a price tag. This is how the real world operates and it's a bit of a sham if you ask me.<br /><br />12/12/10 - Capote - ★★★★ - A rather depressing story. I'm not too big of a fan of movies that depress me, but I have to give this a 4★ for no other reason than Philip seymour hoffman's portrayal of Truman Capote. Just a great performance. That said, I don't really know what capote's mannerisms are/were, I've only seen a clip or two in the past, so all I know is that he had a high pitched voice. But… I do know Hoffman, and the person I watched tonight on my tv screen was not Hoffman. I found the story compelling too, in that I am torn with how to feel about it… But, I guess that's the sign of a good story.<br /><br />12/16/10 - Splice - ★★★★ - I know! You're saying 4-∆'s?! Yep. Ok, first off… this was not a great movie - but, i have to admit, I was entertained throughout, and enjoyed it. Adrian Brody did an ok job here, the effects were really well done as well. I'm sorry to say though, Sarah Polley, who played Brody's girlfriend was horrible! Almost comical at times as to how bad. The story was interesting as well. Perhaps one of the reasons I enjoyed this movie, was that I had read other reviews that said it was awful, so perhaps my expectations were so low that I didn't hold it to any high standards.<br /><br />12/18/10 - Ushpizin - ★★★★★ - Sometimes it's a great treat to just stumble upon a movie. I actually don't recall where I heard of this movie, other than I think it was on a previous dvd that I rented and it was in the trailers. The main actor (who I think also wrote the screenplay) caught my attention. That, and I've had pretty good luck with foreign films lately, so I gave it shot. I'm glad I did. It was basically a comedy, in that situations were a bit over the top and somewhat humorous, but underneath the comedy was a really nice story. I liked the scenery too (though I wanted to see more), and that's one of the main reasons I enjoy these foreign films so much, it's like looking into another part of the world. If you enjoy a 'slice of life' film, with a real independent feel to it, and don't mind reading subtitles, then I'd highly recommend this film. note: Ushpizin is an Aramaic word that means "guests".<br />Oh… and this is one of those movies that the less you know ahead of time the better.<br /><br />12/20/10 - The day the earth stood still - ★★★★ - A dvd i borrowed from my friend, and I enjoyed it. The audio quality was annoying though, in that, once the conversations stopped, they'd cut to either music or some sound effects, and they boosted the volume really loud. I kept having to reduce the volume, then once they started talking again, I'd have to raise it back up. The story was an interesting one. The effects for the time were pretty good too.<br />Spoiler…<br />I later looked up some info about the movie on wikipedia, and read that the screenwriter wanted the "Christ" reference to be "subliminal" - really? Because I thought it was rather blatant :)<br /><br />12/26/10 - Mic Macs - ★★★ - I suspect I wasn't in the right frame of mind to enjoy this movie. I liked the visuals, and some of the bits were funny, but I just couldn't get drawn into the movie. It was certainly a quirky one. Currently, it's been snowing for about 10 hours and there is predictions that it will continue to snow throughout the night, so I think I've been distracted and couldn't devote my full attention to the movie.<br /><br />12/27/10 - Fur - ★★ - I actually feel bad for not liking this movie. I can see what they were trying for, but in my opinion they just focused on a narrow window and drew that out into a long winded 2 hour movie. The acting was well done, even the cinematography was nice at times, but I found myself fast-forwarding a couple times just to get on a bit quicker. I will say this, hands down, the strangest movie of 2010. I bet this movie puts me in the realm of a *true* Robert Downey fan as I bet most people have never seen (or heard about) this movie.<br /><br />12/30/10 - Please give - ★★(★) - So on Netflix they have ratings for each movie based on a 5 star system. You would think that a 3 star would be a "middle-of-the-road" rating, but on Netflix they make it difficult (for me anyway). They have it so a 2 star rating is "I didn't like it" and a 3 star is "I liked it". Me… I like gray areas on certain things. The movie… The subject was a "slice-of-life" type movie with several characters in a New York apartment. Several of these people were just downright nasty and unlikeable. Some of the subjects (like death) were pretty depressing. For those two reasons, I did not like this movie. The world is full of suck, and I watch movies to escape that for 2 hours. That said… I can appreciate that this was a good movie. The acting was well done all around, the scenery was nice, the conflicts of the story was enough to build a good tension… it just didn't make me feel good - so, only 2 stars. Oh, I should mention, this is 100% a chick-flick.<br /><br />12/30/10 - I Like Killing Flies - ★★★★ - An unusual documentary. Overall I liked it, but like some of the scenes, I felt a bit like I was covered in grease and grime after watching it. I do know this… I'll never eat at a little dive restaurant in New York City. Also, at just over an hour, this was a good "short" movie for a subject like this. There were some pearls of wisdom in this film too, but they were grease covered. I find it also interesting, that this person, and how he lives, speaks, and thinks - was formed by some psychologist for 14 years.<br /><br /><br />total 63*<br />I may have skipped one or two and a few of these were TV series where there were multiple shows and dvd's - I only counted the entire season as one dvd.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442560.post-77317115478551595662011-01-01T19:13:00.002-05:002011-01-01T19:21:11.657-05:00Media of 2010 - Movies (in the theater)1/2/10 - <span style="font-weight: bold;">Sherlock Holmes</span> - ★★★★ - A fun and entertaining movie. I will admit though I struggled at times with keeping up with the story and dialogue - it was VERY fast, and then with the English accents I missed some of the words as well. I wanted them to slow things down a little so I could take in more of what was happening. I'd be willing to bet the high speed action of it all was the fingerprint of director Guy Ritchie. I was not familiar with the story-line, so that was nice for me as well. I had read the "Hounds of Baskerville".<br />All in all, a fun ride.<br /><br />1/9/10 - <span style="font-weight: bold;">Avatar</span> - ★★★★ - Yes, I'm a bit surprised myself that I'm giving it a 4 ★ rating. I think I had something going in my favor though upon going into this event... I knew that the storyline stunk. From all the things I saw on the web, I knew that was one of the biggest complaints over the movie. And I'd have to agree. But... I think the graphics of it all more than made up for it, and I just enjoyed being transported to another world. Yes, my friend and I saw it in 3d as well. I think in hindsight I'm kinda glad I did, but I think in the future I might just choose to forego the 3d effect. I find it too distracting actually. But there as my friend pointed out, of all the movies to see in 3d, this was the one.<br /><br />1/17/10 - <span style="font-weight: bold;">The Book of Eli</span> - ★★★★★ - a rare 5★ rating. Denzel does not disappoint. I was also impressed (again) with Mila Kunis, I think she may have some real talent as an actress, perhaps just needs a bit more polish until we see her in a really great role. And of course Gary Oldman plays yet another great bad guy. The filming and cinematography on this movie was really well done as well. As was the soundtrack. The storyline was unusual, and entertaining and thought provoking. The whole package for me, to make for a really good movie.<br /><br />1/23/10 - <span style="font-weight: bold;">Legion</span> - ★ - Yep, the critics were right on this one. A confusing story-line. Supposedly about the apocalypse, but I suspect the writer had never read the Bible. I would love to understand how semi-big name actors get rolls like this. Is there some sort of contract agreement? I don't get it.<br /><br />2/13/10 - <span style="font-weight: bold;">The Wolfman</span> - ★★★ - So, I realize this was basically a bad movie... but I actually kinda enjoyed it. I think about half-way through the movie I realized I was watching a modernized B-Movie, and then once I accepted that, it was enjoyable. Were there holes in the plot? you bet. Was the acting forced and kinda lame at times? Yep (though some of the acting was pretty good). Was the editing poorly done? Absolutely (my biggest complaint). Was the "background" music IN-YOUR-FACE? YES! But there were some aspects (mostly visual) that just made it a good b-movie horror flick.<br /><br />2/20/10 - <span style="font-weight: bold;">Shutter Island</span> - ★★★★ - almost a 5 start movie for me. I only took off one star, because I did get lost in the story once or twice, trying to figure out who all the characters were. But all in all, I really enjoyed this movie. The one scene with the water glass I will have to watch again on dvd to figure out what that was all about.<br />What a movie should be... good story, good acting, and nice cinematography.<br /><br />3/6/10 - <span style="font-weight: bold;">Cop Out</span> - ★★★ - I'm being generous with that last ★, but I'm giving it because a few times in the movie I did giggle, and perhaps a laugh or two. Any movie that can do that gets points in my book. That said... the plot was mediocre, the acting was bleh, and Tracy Morgan, while funny at times spent most all his time on screen yelling. Even "Stiffler" (Sean William Scott) was funny but his character was so jumbled I spent all my time trying to figure him out. The other curious thing in this movie was the odd 80's soundtrack or background music. It was like they took the music right from "Beverly Hill's Cop". Good for a few laughs but a pass unless there's nothing else to rent.<br /><br />3/13/10 - <span style="font-weight: bold;">Alice in Wonderland</span> - ★★★ - This movie was just middle of the road for me. While the visuals were fantastic, the story was just kinda all over the place. And... perhaps this is a big factor... we saw it in "2D" instead of "3D", and it was blatantly obvious that there were quite a few scenes that were specifically designed to be viewed in 3D (For example the falling down the rabbit hole). That just kinda turned me off a little. Rather than depend on all the things that are important to the making of a good movie, it's a sort of cheap tactic to depend on the delivery or graphics. The sign of a good graphics based movie is when it's seamlessly woven into the movie. Depp was Depp. Burton was Burton. But I really have to tip my hat to Mia Wasikowska, she did a good job. But overall the movie just was missing something to draw me in.<br /><br />3/20/10 - <span style="font-weight: bold;">Green Zone</span> - ★★★★ - a strong and powerful movie about a difficult subject matter (war). Matt Damon was fantastic, along with a really well done plot. It was a deep storyline without being over complicated. The only reason I didn't give it the full 5 ★'s is due to the filming style - the dreaded shaky camera effect. I understand the reason for it, and it did give a feeling of being in the middle of it all and the chaos involved, but at times it was difficult to watch. The political message did not shy away from having a strong opinion, and while I appreciate it, I suspect people on the other side of the aisle would come away from the movie thinking it was just more "Hollywood propaganda". Which is a real shame if people feel that way, because the underlining message (There were no WMD's) is a real and powerful message. A multi-national war is being fought, in part, due to faulty or perhaps intentionally misleading facts - and no one seems to care.<br /><br />3/27/10 - <span style="font-weight: bold;">Repo Men</span> - ★★ - I won't spend a lot of time on this one. While my brain tells me it was a bad movie - it was... I kinda enjoyed it. There were parts that reminded me of Blade Runner. If it were not for the acting of Jude and Forest, I think this might have gone straight to dvd. But I'm trying not to be too too harsh, since after-all it is a sci-fi film.<br /><br />4/3/10 - <span style="font-weight: bold;">How To Train Your Dragon</span> - ★★★★★ - A rare 5★ for me. I almost took a point off because the storyline was a tad thin and predictable, but I reminded myself that it was a kid's movie. But, for me the animation was fantastic. The details and textures were amazing. I did see if in 3D, but that doesn't really impress me, the animation and 3D models did. The only other negative comment for me was the lead characters voice reminded me so much of Christian Slater, and his voice annoys me. (Jay Baruchel was the voice incase you were interested). I just enjoyed the visuals and yes the storyline too - even though it was for kids.<br /><br />4/10/10 - <span style="font-weight: bold;">Date Night</span> - ★★★ - I'm a few days late in writing this so details are fuzzy. But I just remember laughing a couple times, smiling a few more times, that is an automatic ★★★. Will it win awards? No. But was I entertained for an evening? yep. I do remember some moments were awkward though, and some lines were obviously dubbed in, which really bothered me.<br /><br />4/17/10 - <span style="font-weight: bold;">Kick Ass</span> - ★★ - While there were parts of this movie that I did like, there were parts that I found a bit too disturbing to actually say that I liked the movie overall. I felt like the film kept tearing me from a 'nerdy comic book teen comedy' to a 'Kill Bill" Quentin Tarantino movie. Perhaps if I knew ahead of time that this was going to be a darker movie, I would have been more prepared, but I was uncomfortable. IF the film-makers did this intentionally then it was brilliant of them, and a good social commentary about "violence in films". But I think I may be reading too much into it, and it was just a disjointed movie that had goofy moments mixed with dark violent ones.<br />The BEST PART of the movie though for me... one of the background songs was a punk rock version of the "Banana Splits" (performed by "The Dickies").<br /><br />4/24/10 - <span style="font-weight: bold;">Exit through the gift shop</span> - ★★★★★ - So glad I got to see this movie in the theater. disclaimer: I'm a big fan of street art. So guess what this documentary is about... yep- Street Art. But it was more than just a movie about the underground art movement. It was also a character study of not only a handful of street artists (Shepard Fairy, Banksy) but more about a person that I had not heard of before (Not surprising, I don't claim to be an expert and know ALL the street artists out there). He goes by "MBW or Mister Brain Wash" aka: Thierry Guetta. What I also enjoyed about this movie, was the way it made you think about art. The age old question "What is art". Which then also begs the follow-up question... "Who is an artist?". And lastly, I enjoyed the comedy scattered through-out the movie. It was mostly subtle or tongue in cheek sort, and I found it interesting that the small theater that we saw it in... it was like the audience was not sure if they should laugh or not. (I did).<br />I highly recommend this movie if you like art, and want to be confronted with food for thought.<br />PS> I'm still struggling with this... is Thierry an idiot or a genius? :)<br />PS2> While there was not a lot of camera time dedicated to Thierry's "Art", there were some paintings that I did enjoy and like. I don't doubt that there is talent there, I only question if it's developed or not.<br />Sorry one more PS> It was really cool to also see original "Street" art outside of the theater done by Ellis G. (he does chalk outlines of shadows on city streets).<br /><br />5/1/10 - <span style="font-weight: bold;">The Losers</span> - ★★ - While there were moments in this movie that were cool, for the most part it was just another cheap action movie. I tried not to be too hard on it - after-all it is a comic book movie, but still. Perhaps a rental when nothing else strikes you, but just don't expect a whole lot.<br /><br />5/8/10 - <span style="font-weight: bold;">Iron Man 2</span> - ★★★★★ - I just really enjoyed this movie. Sure it's a comic book action film, but I still enjoyed it a lot. My only complaint... (as with the first movie)... these high-tech half-robots with massive weapon systems, and it always comes down to a fist fight. Minor point for a comic book movie. Also, I wasn't sure that Scarlet Johannsen would be able to pull off a "tough girl" action hero role... uh, she did with no problem. I hope she gets her own film out of this. Lastly... DAFT PUNK!!!<br /><br />5/14/10 - <span style="font-weight: bold;">Män som hatar kvinnor</span> - ★★★ - Also known as "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo". A film made in Denmark, with English subtitles, that's about 2:30 hours long... whew, this was a difficult movie to get through. And in spite of it being a REALLY long and drawn out movie, I actually liked it when all was said and done. I certainly wouldn't recommend this to just anyone, but if you want something off the beaten trail, and are willing to work through a complicated plot with a ton of foreign names to follow, then by all means, this is the film for you. I should warn though (minor spoiler alert...) There were a couple scenes that dealt with rape, and the filming of it held nothing back. It was very brutal and difficult to watch. If you're sensitive to this, then by all means skip this film.<br /><br />5/21/10 - <span style="font-weight: bold;">Harry Brown</span> - ★★★★ - Perhaps I'm being a bit generous with the last ★. All in all, I liked this movie, but I did feel like it lacked something. I kept waiting for something more to happen, but it didn't. I do have one complaint in that it was a very slow moving film. While I was able to take that extra time and appreciate some of the cinematography (for example the shot of Michael Cain putting his shoes on, while filmed from under the bed, was nice). A word of caution too... the movie was rather harsh at exposing the underside or dark-side of humanity. The language was horrible, the drug use and abuse of that one woman was difficult to watch, This may not sit well with other viewers. While I understood it from the story point of view, it did bother me. I tip my hat though to Michael as always a great performance.<br /><br />6/5/10 - <span style="font-weight: bold;">Robin hood</span> - ★★★ - I'm writing this review a week late so I'll keep it short. I'm a BIG fan of knight movies, but this film just never seemed to take off. MY biggest complaint was that it was 2 hours and 20 minutes, which is entirely too long. It did have some good moments, but overall, It just left me with a "meh" moment.<br /><br />7/3/10- <span style="font-weight: bold;">Knight and Day</span> - ★★★ - A spoof style movie with Cameron Diaz and Tom Cruise. Making fun at times of 007 and all other spy genre action movies. While not to be taken seriously, I was entertained and laughed at a few of the lines. It started to get a bit tedious towards the end, but all in all entertained. (side note: Some of the camera shots of Cameron were rather unflattering as it showed that she may have a bit of age showing, and perhaps a bit too much make-up to cover up those marks of age.)<br /><br />7/17/10 - <span style="font-weight: bold;">Inception </span>- ★★★★ - I'm a week late in writing this mini-review so details will be few... Upon leaving the theater, I told my friend, I did not like this movie so much. I though it was too jumbled. At one point, I likened it to watching television with someone who has the remote, and keeps changing the channels on you every three seconds. At one point, it felt like it was literally three different movies going on all at the same time. The "suspense" was driven to such a frenzy (helped along by the intense soundtrack) that it was a bit too much for me. But then... my friend and I started talking about the film (which by the way, he liked). We started to get into some of the deeper philosophical points and even some of the psychological points (which that I enjoyed), and I started to realize... hey, this was a pretty good movie. So, with bit of hesitation, I changed what was more of a ★★ movie for me, into a ★★★★. Just be prepared for 1) confusion and 2) intense action and suspense. If you're prepared, perhaps you'll enjoy the ride a little more.<br /><br />7/31/10 - <span style="font-weight: bold;">Dinner with schmucks</span> - ★★★ - Well, during this movie, I stopped for a minute or so and was trying to think, what was the stupidest movie I've ever seen. And I couldn't really come up with a list, perhaps I blocked those movies out, or just deleted them from my memory banks. But... this movie I'm sure would rank well up in the top 5 or top 10. The only reason I'm giving it 3★'s is because I will admit that some parts did make me laugh. (I enjoyed the 'play dead' scenes).<br /><br />8/7/10 - <span style="font-weight: bold;">The other guys</span> - ★★★★ - A good comedy pair of Will and Mark. Some parts I thought were really funny, other parts kinda brought the movie down to crawl, but all in all, I was entertained and laughed. If you see it in the theater or rent it, make sure to watch until the end of the credits for a small bonus scene.<br /><br />8/14/10 - <span style="font-weight: bold;">Get Low</span> - ★★★★★ - A solid five star movie for me. (there was one complaint in that it was a slow paced movie and at times a bit too slow, and a couple bad edits, but all of the rest made up for those shortcomings). I'll just say this... Fantastic story and fantastic acting all around. Duvall was amazing as always. Lucas Black has got real talent, I HOPE to see him if good roles like this one more often. Sissy Spacek, again good. Bill Murry, yep... awesome. I wanted to add one other thing here... there was some fantastic lines in this movie that was really deep in some philosophical wisdom. A sign of some great writers behind the story (Chris Provenzano & Scott Seeke). And David Boyd should be commended for some really nice cinematography as well.<br /><br />8/21/10 - <span style="font-weight: bold;">Scott Pilgrim vs. The World</span> - ★★★ - This one is a strange one. While there were things I liked in this movie, there were parts I didn't. The music was great! (very raw punk). The effects were well done too. I really give it credit because it was a creative film as well. But... perhaps where I can't compliment this movie is on the storyline. It just felt stale compared to everything else I was watching. Story is important to me, so I guess that's why I'm being critical.<br /><br />8/28/10 - <span style="font-weight: bold;">Animal Kingdom</span> - ★★★★ - A foreign film from Australia that caught my eye from the trailer. I also was curious to see this because it won some award(s) at Sundance. A very dark movie (not literally), but it showed how some families can just really be messed up, and it doesn't take that much in life for things to turn sour. I did actually have some trouble with the thick Aussie accents, but not enough to detract from the movie overall.<br /><br />9/4/10 - <span style="font-weight: bold;">The American</span> - ★★★ - I'm usually generous when giving an extra ★, but this time, I'm going to stick with my 3★'s. First, it was a good movie. The story was interesting, not overly complicated, but kept you guessing throughout. But, it was a very slow paced film. In my opinion it was too slow. On the plus side, the scenery of the Italian countryside was really nice! The little town that he visited "castel del monte" (assuming it was actually shot there) looked like an amazing place to visit. Perhaps a note of warning too... there was a lot of nudity in this movie.<br /><br />9/18/10 - <span style="font-weight: bold;">The Town</span> - ★★★★ - Very impressed with Ben Affleck's film here. The acting was good all the way around, the story was interesting, and it moved at a good pace.<br /><br />9/25/10 - <span style="font-weight: bold;">Catfish</span> - ★★★ - This is a difficult one for me to judge... I feel like the trailer of the film tricked me. With quotes like "The Hitchcock movie that Hitchcock never made" - I don't think it had anything to do with a Hitchcock movie. They portrayed it like it might be some sort of horror movie or at the very least a murder mystery - It was not. I don't want to say too much, because yes... it was a mystery in a sense, and I think had I not been waiting for some sort of gruesome twist, I would have enjoyed the film a lot more. I will say, I thought the storyline was interesting, the way they used things like "google maps" and "google earth" in the movie (more than a few times), was creative. But I can't help but to wonder how much of this was actually a "documentary" and how much was staged... the fact that JJ Abrams was attached to this movie leaves me suspicious - which I guess is what still makes for a mystery.<br />(side note: The theater that we usually go to, installed a new "digital projector" and this was the first movie we saw on it... I liked it. The colors were bright, and the lines seemed crisper, I look forward to seeing other digital movies this way and I'm curious to see how it compares with other movies).<br /><br />10/2/10 - <span style="font-weight: bold;">Let me in</span> - ★★★★ - using the "relative" rating for a horror movie here. I had seen the original Swedish version of this movie on dvd (thanks netflix) called "Let the right one in". While the movie did make several changes (mostly to time period, and settings, such as Video arcades), it did stick to the original movie closely. As far as overall feel, I think the Swedish version was a bit creepier, whereas the American version depended a bit more on over-the-top visual effects. But all in all, I enjoyed this movie, perhaps even more than the Swedish version - maybe because I was not reading subtitles the whole time.<br /><br />10/9/10 - <span style="font-weight: bold;">The Social Network</span> - ★★★ - Maybe I went in to this movie believing the hype, but for some reason I was disappointed. I had heard how great this movie was (Rotten Tomatoes gave it a 97%), and a lot of my twitter folks were talking about it as well. While I wouldn't say it was a bad movie, I just expected a little more. Instead it was basically a good story (though I'm not sure what truth was stretched to make for a good movie) - but that's about it. The dialogue was VERY fast, which left little time for something called "acting". Zuckerberg's character, (played by Jesse Eisenberg) was a rather monotone character. I think my biggest surprise was watching Justin Timberlake, who did a pretty good job (although was it really much of a stretch for him to play a rock-star like character?). One other comment... I became very aware at how the women were portrayed in this film... and it wasn't very flattering. Most of them were portrayed as slutty party girls, and hardly any of the women had any significant speaking roles. There was a couple exceptions (the lawyer who took a certain amount of pity on Zuckerberg, and one bit with Zuckerberg's girlfriend, but even that she was "just the angry girlfriend").<br /><br />10/16/10 - <span style="font-weight: bold;">It's kind of a funny story</span> - ★★★★★ - (another review that I'm behind writing on (3 weeks!) so I'll keep it short...)<br />We took a gamble on this one. I wasn't quite sure what to expect. The trailer made it look like it might be a teen romance movie (which in a way it was), but it was also much more than that. It was well written and well acted. (note: I am a fan of Zach Galinifakis, so that helped). Really enjoyed this one, and could be the highlight of 2010 movies for me.<br /><br />10/23/10 - <span style="font-weight: bold;">Hereafter </span>- ★★ - Sorry, this one just didn't cut it for me. A confusing message (it tried very hard to stay away from any sort of religious message to a fault). Lots and lots of "Hollywood coincidences" that became unbelievable. Acting was ok by Matt Damon though, but still a bit flat. Strange cast (Jay Mohr as Damon's brother?) I usually like Clint Eastwood films, but this one... not so much. (note: it wasn't played up, but Steven Speilberg also had his hand in this movie... that did not surprise me... I think Steven is suffering from the M. Night syndrome).<br /><br />11/6/10 - <span style="font-weight: bold;">Due Date</span> - ★★★ - Just couldn't quite bring myself to give it a 2 ★★ rating, but it was close. While I like all the actors involved, this movie was borderline tedious. Sure, there were some funny moments, and overall I was entertained, but in general the laughs were few. I should note… there was one woman in the audience who laughed (loudly) throughout the entire movie, so I know some people really thought it was funny. As my friend pointed out… Zach Galinafakis is starting to play the same role over and over again.<br /><br />11/20/10 - <span style="font-weight: bold;">Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows (Part 1)</span> - ★★★★ - Overall I enjoyed this film. I was surprised how much of the story I have forgotten so there were quite a few parts to the movie that left me confused as to what was happening. I should have either rented the previous movie(s), or re-read the book. I can't fault the movie for that point though. I had trouble at times with the dialogue. I'm not sure if it was that I wasn't hearing the words very well or that the English accents were a bit thick. (Yes, I'm aware that those two complaints make me sound like an old man!). I VERY much enjoyed the cinematography. I like a lot of the atmosphere shots, and a lot of the blue or cool tints. This is a strange point, I'll admit: While the movie had a lot of magic and effects in it, I felt like the experience seemed a bit less magical. Perhaps because there seemed to be less fantastical creature or plants, or even characters at this stage.<br />But again, all in all, I enjoyed the story, the acting, the effects, and I'll definitely be back for the final installment.<br /><br />12/11/10 - <span style="font-weight: bold;">Black Swan</span> - ★★★ - To be honest, I'm still not 100% sure I'd give this movie the 3★ rating or not. Yes, the acting was very well done. Natalie may even get an oscar for this one. But the story left me feeling a little lost and somehow cheated. I'm not sure how, but i was both confused during the telling of the story, and yet I also felt the storyline was a bit predictable. While I knew the movie dealt with the ballet as a topic, I was not aware that the entire movie was about the ballet. I don't know, maybe that 3★ rating is right down the middle for me and is accurate as to how I feel about it.<br /><br />12/19/10 - <span style="font-weight: bold;">Tron - Legacy</span> - ★★ - I really tried to like this movie. First the positives… The visuals (aka effects) were VERY well done. The sounds also was very well done (lots of attention to detail and subtle uses of effects to make it seem other-worldly). I also enjoyed the soundtrack by Daft Punk (note: I bought the soundtrack, and taken outside of the movie, I did not enjoy the soundtrack as much). Now the negative… the acting was sub-par. I liked Jeff Bridges parts, but even those were a bit one dimensional. Garrett Hedlund, who played the main character, was just borderline too. But most of all, I didn't like the storyline. Maybe if i recently re-watched the original Tron, some of it would have been clearer (netflix does not have the original Tron -why?!). Lastly, the graphics/effects of the digital "Jeff Bridges" (character name Clu) Was nice, but still looked totally fake. It really diminished the movie for me.<br /><br />12/24/10 - <span style="font-weight: bold;">Tangled</span> - ★★★★ - A last minute decision to go see Disney's Tangled in the theater… and I'm glad I went. Of course I rationalized this to myself that I really wanted to go to view the 3d animation, but I'll be honest… I had a good time watching the movie. I won't critique the story, after all it is a kids movie. I absolutely loved the animation though. They made some real progress with computer graphics, and this movie showcased that. Of note: The character design, the hands, needless to say - the hair was amazing, the water, and perhaps most enjoyable - the vibrant colors and lighting. A good movie to end the year on.<br /><br />Total = 38Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442560.post-16365104991573830252011-01-01T18:45:00.004-05:002011-01-01T19:01:50.097-05:00Media of 2010 - BooksWow, almost a full year since I last blogged here. And to think I posted something almost daily before. Anyway - lets get right to it:<br /><br />BOOKS OF 2010<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Makers</span> - by Cory Doctorow - ★★★ - It's odd, but I just had a really difficult time getting into this book. I'm a fan of Cory's. I REALLY enjoyed his last book called "Little Brother". I also liked (though it was a struggle at times) his book previous to that called "Someone comes to town, Someone leaves town". The subject matter of "Makers" was right up my alley too... I'm a big fan of Make magazine, and I've dabbled in the "maker culture", of which I know a lot about the subjects in the book (eg: 3d printers that can be set up in a person's living room). But I felt like the story was just a bit too forced. Like he created an outline first of a few key technologies, and then tried to cram a story in-between. I did finish the book, so that explains the 3 ★'s, as any book that can hold my attention that long means something. I just wish I liked it better.<br /><br />1/24/10 - <span style="font-weight: bold;">Altar of Eden </span>- by James Rollins - ★★★★ - Another Rollins book that I enjoyed. While this one took a slightly different turn than his previous books, I still enjoyed the storyline. A few 'hollywood' moments and odd coincidences, but this is the type of book that were it a movie, it would be an action adventure movie where coincidences are often overlooked. As always, I appreciate Rollins' blend of science into his stories.<br /><br />3/15/10 - <span style="font-weight: bold;">Three Cups of Tea</span> - by Greg Mortenson - ★★★★ - this was a difficult book for me to rate, but I chose to go with 4★'s. It is/was an amazing story about Greg's life and the events and things he's accomplished in his life (and those around him). While I appreciate the well told story, and applaud his efforts of building schools in and around Pakistan, I struggled with the book. I was so glad to have finally been done it. It took me a very long time to plow my way through it. I suspect, the main reason is because of all the tons of names involved and places involved and that there were many foreign language names/places/descriptions. I'm glad I did make the extra effort, and finished the book, it was a struggle for me. That said, though, I would highly recommend this book. It is inspiring how one man can make a difference in the world to bring about good.<br /><br />3/23/10 - <span style="font-weight: bold;">Shutter Island</span> - by Dennis Lehane - ★★★ - Perhaps I should not rate this book... the reason being I only read about 70% of it - But - I did see the movie so I know how it ends :) The main reason I decided to try and give the book a shot was because I enjoyed the movie. I enjoyed it because of the story. I also had a couple questions regarding the characters that I thought that if I took my time with the book, those questions would be answered. Sadly - not so much. I even went back and re-read some pages, but I still didn't get it. Finally, I decided to just stop, and move onto a book that I enjoyed more. And what surprised me, was how much the movie stayed true to the book. There were lines of dialogue that were word for word, and I could hear Dicaprio saying it in his Boston Accent. But when I couldn't get my answers, I just decided to move on. So take my rating for the book for what it's worth.<br /><br />4/18/10 - <span style="font-weight: bold;">The Pawn</span> (The Patrick Bowers Files, Book 1) - by Steven James. - ★★★★ -<br />This was a free book I picked up on Amazon for the Kindle. (It's not longer free at this moment -sorry).<br />I enjoyed it. It was a fast read and moved along nicely, like an an action movie. Some interesting plot stories going on as well. I'm not ready to go out and purchase the next book in the series, but perhaps I will come back to the series in the future.<br /><br />7/10 - <span style="font-weight: bold;">The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood</span> - by Howard Pyle - ★★★★★ - (I've since learned that Mr. Howard Pyle is perhaps more well known for being a talented illustrator/artist). I really enjoyed this book, much to my surprise. It was a "freebie" on my Amazon Kindle, and having seen the movie just a week or two before getting this book, I was curious to find out more about this character called Robin Hood. Semi-spoiler alert>>> the book and the movie are NOTHING alike! The book was enjoyable and I liked the somewhat simple stories. It was like reading an "action movie" at times. Now... one thing to mention... at the beginning, I almost gave up on this book. I learned that it contained a lot of "old English" like "thee, thou, mayest, pray they, marry, etc..." - but it was mostly just the dialogue between the characters. I was able to get used to it, and then was able to enjoy it. All in all, a fun book, that takes just a little bit of work to get through.<br /><br />7/24/10 - <span style="font-weight: bold;">The Psychology of Dreams and On the Significance of Number-Dreams</span> - by Carl Jung - ★ - I won't sugar coat this... it was a horrible book, and Carl Jung is probably a quack in my opinion. Ok, to be fair... I've never read anything else by him (though I plan to try once more), so maybe it's unfair to form such an opinion of this man from one small reading. While the first part of the book, had a few interesting points, it was not enough for me to 'enjoy' the read. (also it was written like a college paper, and almost had a lawyer-ish sounding to it). The second part of the book, regarding numbers in dreams, simply stretched all credibility for me. He twisted numbers, and math around into complete hogwash, in order to try and make a connection between points of significance. It reminded me a lot of "numerology". I don't doubt that mr. Jung has insights on dreams (he says he studied between 1500 and 2000 a year!), but I think he might be grasping at straws just a bit much for my liking.<br /><br />11/25/10 - <span style="font-weight: bold;">The Catcher in the Rye</span> - J.D. Salinger - ★★★★ - I wasn't sure what to expect with this book… Of course I've heard this book mentioned a lot, but I can't say that I've ever heard what the story was about. So, I was curious why this book is a "classic". Oh, the other obvious thing… I had heard this book was banned (specifically where it was banned from, I'm not sure.) I went to purchase this book, but was shocked at the price. I ended up borrowing it from a friend. It started off not so good. I felt like I was just reading a college kid's modern-day blog. But I stuck with it, and today upon finishing it, I'm glad I did. I'm still not sure why this book is a "classic", but after all was said and done, I enjoyed the story. Well, "Enjoy" may not be the right word… I found the story interesting, and a bit depressing. I can understand why it was banned, but under today's moral ethics, it was fairly tame.<br /><br />12/25/10 - <span style="font-weight: bold;">Draculas</span> - ★★★ - I learned about this book because it was a sort of experiment in ebooks. It was a collaboration between 4 authors, and posted directly to amazon by the authors. The coast was (I think) around 3-4 dollars, with most of that going directly to the authors and a lesser percentage to amazon.com. I liked the whole idea of the project and the price was right. And… it was right around Halloween and i was looking for a nice scary book. I just finished it last night, and while I do have some complaints, overall I was entertained. Especially when you factor in the price. Now here's my biggest complaint… The title was very misleading… the authors took great liberty as to what makes a creature a vampire. If you ask me, this should have simply been a zombie book, but I suspect they called them "draculas" as a marketing decision since vampire movies are popular now. A simple point that I was able to overlook, but for any vampire purest, this will be an important point. The book was rather gory and detailed in it's gore descriptions. Not for the faint at heart. It reminded me a bit like a B-movie. As I said, just don't expect a lot from this book, and if you view it through the lens of a B-horror movie, you should also be entertained.<br /><br />total = 9<br /><br />(I know... not all that impressive of a number for the year. In my defense, I spent quite a bit of time this year searching for a good book to read. I even tried to re-read one of my favorites from 15+ years ago (The Illuminatus Trilogy) - but even that book, I had a hard time getting back into it. And... This year I also attempted to learn a new software program, so many a night I spent reading the manuals.)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442560.post-16888044701296935302010-02-07T05:56:00.005-05:002010-02-08T22:35:16.904-05:00Nature of Humanity and parking spots<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNdWbon6CaFkqNPQ5FYXQSvYss2OEyvU-oKFayRLMxusrJBvZxcaBGiSlYIe-m1uZXL7O_BXvLjGhv94d2hEPktMcofLnk6jh-tR2TF5xbh5b-3Wx5TJithOxHYbqBIAbWESdjdA/s1600-h/Snow_ParkingSpace.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 243px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNdWbon6CaFkqNPQ5FYXQSvYss2OEyvU-oKFayRLMxusrJBvZxcaBGiSlYIe-m1uZXL7O_BXvLjGhv94d2hEPktMcofLnk6jh-tR2TF5xbh5b-3Wx5TJithOxHYbqBIAbWESdjdA/s320/Snow_ParkingSpace.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435460499027159826" border="0" /></a><br />It's now about 6am on a cold snowy morning. The day after a record setting snowfall in the area.<br />I write this now, because I can't get back to sleep - for fear of worrying about my truck.<br />Let me explain...<br />I live in an apartment complex with a parking lot.<br />When it snows of any reasonable amount, the parking lot becomes a mess.<br />The reason being, is that the complex sends a plow around to clear the streets - that sounds good right? Well, what it does is - it plows the snow up and blocks in every person parked in the parking lot. Now here's the thing... when you have to dig out your car (or pick-up truck in my case), there's no place to throw the snow. You have to walk the length of your car for every shovelful and dump the snow in front of (or behind) the vehicle. It's a real pain.<br />In the years that I've lived here, I've seen people, who are either lazy, or inconsiderate, or just plain both do the following... rather than walk that car length, to dump the snow, they simply throw the snow behind (or in front of) the car next to them! I don't see it happen often, but at least once every major snowstorm.<br />Now, this brings me to why I'm writing this...<br />I woke up around 4:45am and couldn't get back to sleep, so I happened to get up, and look out my front window. Wait... let me back up here a minute... I dug out my truck early in the morning yesterday. I have a 4x4 truck - aka 4-wheel-drive. So as a benefit of that, I don't have to spend too much time clearing out the snow behind my truck. I'm able to drive over most of it - within reason. So that's what I did. I cleaned off the sides, the snow actually on my truck, and most of the snow behind my truck.<br />Ok back to this morning...<br />I glance out the window, and see that someone has dug out the back of my truck, almost clear down to the pavement! Wow! Was someone that nice to me? helping out a fellow neighbor? As I was sitting here, trying to figure out who that neighbor was... it hit me... The SUV/Van next to me, is completely plowed in - and I realized... They didn't dig ME out to be nice and neighborly, they dug ME out for REVENGE!<br />I remembered as I was digging out, my neighbor came out too and was digging out his car (I think it was a Prius). I put 2+2 together and saw that the vehicle next to me was a blue/black SUV. That's when I realized... the guy who dug his car out this morning, came back to "his" spot, and someone had taken it. I know, I know... it's not HIS parking spot, but it's like an unwritten rule in apartment complexes that if someone digs out their car, it's "their" spot. Some people put up folding chairs, to "mark their territory" as their spot.<br />As someone who has been in that exact situation, I've been pissed off too! The nerve of someone taking your spot, after you spent hours digging it out, is beyond frustrating.<br />So that's when I realized what happened. He's a younger guy, I think there might be a couple of roomates there, and while I didn't see this happen, I can garauntee you they probably were angry, and decide to teach the guy a lesson, and RE-shovel him back in.<br />So now, I put 2+2+2 together and think - wait a minute... IF the guy comes out later today and sees MY spot empty, and his spot full - he's going to think that I was the inconsiderate person who just moved my snow to behind his vehicle! Would he take some sort of revenge now on my vehicle?! Would he "key it" with a nice long scratch?! Would he smack his snow-shovel into the side and possibly dent it?! Ugh. So these are the thoughts now running through my head, and preventing me from getting back to sleep.<br />Now, I'll have to try and keep a 24 hour watch on my vehicle to see how the guy reacts, and possibly confront him and try and explain, "It wasn't me!"<br /><br />The joy's of living in an apartment complex.<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">Update:</span> All was fine. I decided to go back to bed and not worry about what might happen. In the end, nothing happened, and when I checked out my window around noon, there was a different vehicle parked there, and some heavy equipment had been brought in to actually remove the snow via a backhoe.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442560.post-79674649804034572232010-02-04T08:38:00.003-05:002010-02-04T08:46:06.140-05:00deleting blogger commentsThis is more of a note to myself, but perhaps someone else will find it too.<br /><br />I keep having trouble remembering how to delete spam comments from my blog.<br />There is "supposed" to be a "trash can" icon next to a comment, that allows the blog owner (me) to remove unwanted comments. But there is a trick to getting to it!<br />First a special thanks to <a href="http://www.bloggertipsandtricks.com/2006/10/how-to-delete-comments.html">this original</a> blog post that taught me how to get to the trash can icon.<br /><br />nutshell...<br />1) Sign into your account (if not already).<br />2) view your blog.<br />3) in the sidebar where the it says "blog archive" and shows the history of your blog posts, click on the MONTH of the post that you wish to delete from.<br />4) NOW... when you look at the posts for that month, at the bottom of each post is a new link that says "1 comment" (obviously, there may be more than 1 comment). Click that! That will bring up a new page, just with the comments for that post, and THERE will be the missing trash can icon.<br /><br />talk about hoops. I don't know why blogger makes it so difficult, or if this is a bug.<br /><br />keywords: delete comments, delete, comments, trashcan, trash-can, trash icon,Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442560.post-31252372686366062422010-01-01T15:21:00.001-05:002010-01-01T19:04:28.456-05:002009 - Media Consumed - part 3 of 3 - Movies (theater)I decided at the beginning of 2009, to keep a list of the media that I consumed. I listed movies that I saw in the theater, movies that I rented on dvd, and books. In hindsight, I WISH I thought to include my music purchases (and gifts) to this list as well.<br />Since the lists also include short "reviews" they've added up to a lengthy post, so I decided to split them into 3 parts: Books, dvd's, and theater.<br />Comments are welcomed.<br /><br />>>><br /><br />Movies (seen in the theater):<br />1/1/09: <span style="font-weight: bold;">The Day the Earth Stood Still</span> - ∆∆∆ overall good - last few minutes of ending was lame though.<br /><br />1/16/09: <span style="font-weight: bold;">Defiance</span> - ∆∆∆ I think it was a good movie but Jerk behind me kept talking and ruined it for me.<br /><br />1/31/09:<span style="font-weight: bold;"> Taken</span> - ∆∆∆∆ really good for an action movie. Other acting = meh.<br /><br />2/15/09: <span style="font-weight: bold;">The International</span> - ∆∆∆∆ pretty good plot, moved along nicely, good action. One scene bothered me towards end -walking around bazaar with handgun in plain view.<br /><br />2/21/09: <span style="font-weight: bold;">The Wrestler</span> - ∆∆ - Almost a 3 star, but I just can't push it that high. Very predictable character study. Good acting though, and subject was just a bit depressing.<br /><br />2/25/09:<span style="font-weight: bold;"> Slumdog Millionaire</span> - ∆∆∆∆ - Good story mostly. Hard to watch with no judgment after winning Oscars and word of mouth buzz about how good it was.<br /><br />3/7/09: <span style="font-weight: bold;">The Watchmen</span> - ∆∆∆∆ - Point off for mediocre acting, and choppy dialogue, but I think I may have been watching "Genius film-making" at work here. Great intricate story.<br /><br />3/28/09: <span style="font-weight: bold;">Knowing</span> - ∆∆∆∆ - Admittedly it was very hokey at times. The acting was so-so. But I really liked this story, and some of the creepiness to the film. There were a lot of different ideas stitched together and for the most part, I think it worked well. Yes, the subject matter was right up my alley.<br /><br />4/11/09:<span style="font-weight: bold;"> Duplicity</span> - ∆∆∆ - not really great and not really good either. The ending of the movie was a big let down as well.<br /><br />4/18/09:<span style="font-weight: bold;"> State of Play</span> - ∆∆∆∆ - I liked this one. A nice conspiracy movie always gets to me. Afleck was pretty good too (surprisingly).<br /><br />4/25/09: <span style="font-weight: bold;">The Soloist</span> - ∆∆∆∆∆ - a really touching story about a man with mental problems (schizophrenia?) who has a gift of playing the Cello, but ends up homeless. A Newspaper man ends up doing a story on him and becomes friends with the man. Great acting by both Downey Jr. and Jamie Foxx.<br /><br />5/2/09: <span style="font-weight: bold;">X-Men Origins: Wolverine</span> - ∆∆∆∆ - I'm being generous with the last triangle, but I'm giving extra credit for being a comic book movie. (confession: I for got to write this review until 4 weeks later! So not much details here other than - I liked it. Deadpool was awesome, and Liev Schreiber was really good as "Sabertooth".<br /><br />5/9/09: <span style="font-weight: bold;">Star Trek</span> - ∆∆∆∆∆ - I REALLY enjoyed this movie. It was just a fun ride for me. Sure, if you think about some of the plot idea for more than a second you might say "hey, wait a minute..." but all in all I just enjoyed the show. Two complaints... the shaky camera technique... and for some reason the OVERUSE of white "Lens flares" as a special effect.<br /><br />5/16/09: <span style="font-weight: bold;">Angels and Demons</span> - ∆∆∆ - Not really a great film, and I can understand some of the negative comments, but for me the subject matter made it all worth it. I'm a fan of Dan Brown's and conspiracy movies. I think the largest complaint... trying to fit such a complicated storyline into a 2 hour movie is impossible.<br /><br />5/23/09: <span style="font-weight: bold;">Terminator Salvation</span> - ∆∆ - While I was entertained by the robots and cool motorcycles, that's about all I can say about this movie. The paradox of time travel (to quote my friend) was "rubbed in our faces" and still didn't make any sense at all. The acting was less than par. Lastly... a pregnant woman on a helicopter during a bombing and air strike - huh?!<br />Just a lame attempt to milk this "brand" for all its worth to perhaps hook a new generation. I'm sure that since it did well at the box office, there will be another one with another lame storyline... and I'll probably go see that too cause it has robots in it.<br /><br />5/30/09:<span style="font-weight: bold;"> UP</span> - ∆∆∆∆∆ - Pixar does it again. A moving animated feature about never giving up on your dreams. In addition to never be afraid to change your dreams either. A bit sad in the beginning as it deals with loss of a loved one, but still has plenty of laughs later. Well written.<br /><br />6/6/09: <span style="font-weight: bold;">The Hangover</span> - ∆∆∆∆ - First this movie was rude and crude... second... it made me really laugh at times! Don't get me wrong, this movie is not about a storyline, or plot twists, it's about jokes, man butts, and Mike Tyson. I'm only being generous with the 4 stars because it made me laugh, and now-a-days, I applaud anything that can make me laugh (even if it's rude and crude).<br /><br />6/16/0/: <span style="font-weight: bold;">The Taking of Pelham 123</span> - ∆∆∆∆ - I'm almost giving this movie a 3 star rating, but I'm being generous for two important reasons... The acting was well done on behalf of Denzel (has he ever made a bad movie?) While John Travolta definitely pulled off the "bad ass" look, I had a hard time believing his character with all the cursing. It was either poorly written, or maybe I just know that John is a good gentle guy in real life, and I couldn't get that out of my head. But - the STORY was well done and that's what kept me engaged for the whole movie. The only other thing that really bothered me was a minor technical problem - all of the inconsistencies with the walkie-talkies and microphones. Apparently Hollywood has a hard time understanding that "push to talk" is how most walkie-talkies work ;)<br />Two minor things but otherwise a good entertaining movie.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Public Enemies</span> - ∆∆∆ - I have to keep this short, because I saw the movie a couple weeks ago and the details have slipped my mind. Johnny Depp was great (as usual). The movie... not so much. I won't say it was bad, but I think first and foremost, it was 2.5 hours long, and they could have easily cut 30 minutes out of that film. There were a TON of characters in this movie to the point where I had trouble keeping track of who was who. Then... After the movie, I looked up some facts about John Dillinger, and learned that the movie took quite a few "liberties".<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Hurt Locker</span> - ∆∆∆∆∆ - Wow, this was a really good movie. Terrific acting (Big hat tip to Jeremy Renner), great cinematography, strong story-line, the only thing that bothered me was the subject matter... War. I had trouble separating the fact that I was enjoying the movie on an "art" level, while at the same time shocked at the idiocy and horror that man can do to one another in the name of "war". It was also a shock as I was leaving the movie theater, I walked out into a cool summer night, I had my coffee, and a Tastycake as a snack, and yet as I'm watching this movie as "entertainment" there are guys on the other side of the world LIVING this thing on a daily basis. As part of my countrymen are off in a foreign land risking their lives and taking other lives, I'm sitting at home watching it on the big screen - there's something really wrong with that. This world we live in is a messed up place.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Harry Potter</span> - ∆∆∆ - Again, I'm writing this a week later, so some of the details have been forgotten, but I'll try to be brief. I liked the movie overall. But for me it was missing something. It was a tad too long. Pardon the pun... but it seemed like some of the magic was missing in this movie. That said, there were also moments where I was drawn into the movie and was just watching everything as if I were in Hogwarts. I tip my hat to a movie that can do that. Some of the "boy meets girl" story-lines started to grate on my nerves a bit, but I think the fans wanted to see that (I didn't). Lastly... I was particularly impressed with two things in the movie... There seemed to be a great attention to detail in this film. One scene, a girl got up at the end of class, and started to leave, when the teacher stopped her and reminded her to remember her rat's tail. The other item I was impressed with was the camera work of the movie. There were quite a few digital effects, but everything worked smoothly and I actually felt like the camera itself was a character in the movie. Well done.<br />I hope the next (two) movies will re-capture some of the magic. (I've learned they are breaking the last book up into two movies (marketing!?)).<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Funny People</span> - ∆∆∆ - This movie had it's moments, but it also had times where it was struggling. The comedy was not always funny (lots of "blue" comedy). I think the best parts were with Seth Rogan, he did a really good job, and I think he has a future in acting with some additional serious roles.<br />The ending was really tedious and not pleasant to watch. My best advice... rent it on dvd, so you can fast forward during the slow parts.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Julie and Julia</span> - ∆∆∆∆∆ - I know... I'm being generous with that last "star". I think realistically It might be a 4 star, but I came out of the theater in a good mood so that's why the extra bonus. That said... I enjoyed this movie. I thought Meryl Streep was really spot on with her julia child imitation. (though I'm certainly not a Julia child expert). She conveyed a feeling of a jovial personality that really came across on the big screen. Her costar Amy Adams also did well. The guy who played "Eric" also had a great supporting role (Chris Messina - I don't recall ever seeing him before). So obviously it's a chick flick, but I enjoyed it anyway. Just two good stories told well, which is the main reason I go to the movies. Now... I need to find a cookbook so as I can try some french cooking. Mmmm Butter....<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">District 9</span> - ∆∆∆∆∆ - Wow. A really good sci-fi movie! I really enjoyed the storyline, the acting was great by an unknown (to me anyway) actor - who made me love him at times and then hate him, and I was being push a pulled emotionally by his character - well done! The effects - wow. For a sci-fi film this one is up there.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">500 days of Summer</span> - ∆ - I came this close to walking out on this one. So sweet and sappy... like a double chocolate cake with extra icing sprinkled with sugar with a bottle of syrup to wash it down. Ugh. At one point, I thought... the only reason they made this movie was to sell the movie soundtrack. To be fair... I went to this movie by myself, and it was a chick flick dating movie, so I guess it makes sense I didn't like the show. Oh well.<br /><br />9/5/09 - <span style="font-weight: bold;">Inglorious Basterds</span> - ∆∆∆∆ - Quintin Tarantino... I give him credit at least for having a certain style to his movies. I'm just not sure I like his style is all. After "kill bill" I thought I'd never watch another Tarantino movie again... but with Inglorious Bastereds I decided to give him another try. Luckily I was surprised that I liked the movie overall. I thought it told a story (or stories) well and I was transported back in time to the 1940's. But two things bothered me abt the movie... 1) The soundtrack! For some reason, I just find Tarantino's music choices annoying! Not to mention how loud they are. 2) But more to the point in the movie... For some reason the ending bothered me. I can't quite put my finger on it, but I just wasn't ready for it I think. But again, overall, I liked the movie. Fine acting all around too.<br /><br />9/12/09 - <span style="font-weight: bold;">9</span> - ∆∆∆ - Perhaps under better circumstances I would have enjoyed this movie better... the theater we usually go to is a fantastic theater. This particular night, they had two odd showtimes (9pm - too early - 11:10pm - too late). So we went to the local mall which had a "multiplex". It's a horrible theater in comparison. higher prices, movie didn't start on time, commercials mixed in with movie previews, and at LEAST 15 minutes of commercials and previews, high concession stand prices (I guess that's normal), uncomfortable seats, and small screens in a long viewing room. So... with that mindset it's difficult to put it all aside and enjoy a movie. ALL that said... the animation and graphics were amazing. High marks for that! But the story was convoluted - it didn't really make sense overall. AND to top it all off... the day before I saw this movie, I leanred that it was based on a 10 minute short movie by Shane Ackerson which was his college film project. I made the mistake of watching the short film on youtube the day before... which was the SAME story just condensed into 10 minutes. So that also kinda ruined it for me, since I knew the ending of the movie.<br /><br />9/26/09 - <span style="font-weight: bold;">The Informant</span> - ∆∆ - Just a really tedious and confusing movie to keep up with. I think there was an interesting story in there somewhere, but this movie did not do it any justice. And, the music or soundtrack really annoyed me as well.<br /><br />10/3/09 - <span style="font-weight: bold;">Zombieland</span> - ∆∆∆ - Keeping in mind that this was a "Zombie" movie, it wasn't bad. There were moments where I laughed, so I give it points for that. Will it earn an Oscar? Not at all! But I was amused for my admission fee and what more can one ask from a Zombie movie.<br /><br />10/10/09 - <span style="font-weight: bold;">Couples Resort</span> - ∆∆∆ - I'm being generous with that third ∆. To be fair, the movie did make me laugh several times in the beginning. I'd go as far to say that I liked the movie about half-way through, but then it just kinda went down hill. The jokes were predictable, the scenes were contrived, and Vince Vaughn just couldn't<br />carry the entire movie with the story line.<br /><br />10/17/09 - <span style="font-weight: bold;">Law Abiding Citizen</span> - ∆∆∆∆ - I really enjoyed this movie. I liked the storyline especially and the acting was great with Jamie Foxx and Gerard Butler held his own also. Granted, the plot had a few "Hollywood coincidences" but sometimes you have to put blinders on for those. For what it's worth, I just looked up on the internet how to spell "Gerard Butler" and noticed it looks like the critics are panning this movie. What do they know!<br /><br />11/7/09 - <span style="font-weight: bold;">Men who stare at goats</span> - ∆∆∆ - Overall I liked this movie but it really left me hanging towards the end. I don't know what, but somehow I expected more. Strangely enough, a lot of the "strange" things that the movie talked about, I had already been aware of: Remote viewing, psy ops, lsd, mk-ultra, etc...<br /><br />11/21/09 - <span style="font-weight: bold;">Pirate Radio</span> - ∆∆∆ - Again, this movie barely got that third ∆. Films like these baffle me in the sense that they can gather a cast of so many talented people, but yet the story or directing or editing just falls flat. The editing on this one is what bothered me the most in that it was choppy. Scenes cut back and forth with no smooth transition at all. As my friend put it nicely, "It was like watching a long music video."<br />The only reason I gave it that extra ∆ was because the ending pulled me back into the movie. They returned to a story-line rather than just showing us a bunch of 'goofy' characters on a boat.<br />A good soundtrack too.<br /><br />11/28/09 - <span style="font-weight: bold;">The Road</span> - ∆∆∆∆ - A difficult movie for me to rate. While I appreciate a lot of what went into the making of this movie (good story, great acting, fantastic cinematography, great scenery (relatively speaking))... the story was depressing. I'm not a big fan of depressing movies. But because I'm able to see those other items that make for a good film, I'm hitting it with the 4 ∆'s. And... this may shock some people... I had read the book not too long ago. The movie MAY have been ever so slightly better than the book! I won't go into all the in's and out's as to why, but I'll just say that the movie added a few more "human" elements that made the story easier to understand and not so stark. The book left me with feelings of wanting more explanations.<br />Difficult now for me to say which one.... to watch the movie before reading the book, or vice versa, personally, I think I liked it better having read the book, and knowing a bit of what I was in store for.<br /><br />12/5/09 - <span style="font-weight: bold;">Brothers</span> - ∆∆∆ - Yet another difficult movie for me to rate. I thought the acting was well done all the way around. The talent of Jake, Toby and Natalie is a great combination (Natalie sometimes falls flat, but I thought she did well on this one). A few scenes (key scenes) could have been done better as far as the story goes, but all in all a good movie... BUT - this is another depressing movie about war and the ravages it takes on all people involved. It really bothers me that we have a packed theater with people eating popcorn, date nights, beer bottles (idiots), and generally going to the movies as a form of entertainment, yet these sorts of stories are happening NOW. our country is at war. There are young men coming home from seeing, hearing and doing horrible things in the name of war, and trying to figure out how to survive again in a civilian world. These movies bother me in that sense. I won't say that I will never go to a war movie ever again, as I do think it is important to remind people and to let people know that stories like these are important and tragic. I am both thankful to our soldiers who put their lives on the line everyday and I am also just as angry at our political leaders who make the decisions to put those troops in harms way.<br /><br />12/26/09 - <span style="font-weight: bold;">Up in the Air</span> - N/A - I'm actually not going to rate this movie, because it wouldn't be fair. Perhaps I share the blame too for not being more informed... but... I thought this movie was a comedy! From the trailer, I assumed it was about a guy (George Clooney) who traveled a lot due to his business and the movie was going to be about that. It had co-actors like Zach Galinfinakis (who is a comedian), and Jason Bateman (who is usually known for his funny roles)... but this may have been the most depressing movie I've seen this year (slightly exaggerating, some of the war movies I saw this year were the most depressing). I suppose this movie falls in the category of a "dark comedy" but I just thought it was dark overall. Other people in the audience were laughing at parts that I was not, so perhaps some thought it more of a comedy. So because I was completely misled, I don't feel it's fair for me to give it a one star - instead, I will give the one star to the trailer itself.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442560.post-36918023760461075152010-01-01T15:18:00.002-05:002010-01-01T19:16:11.206-05:002009 - Media Consumed - part 2 of 3 - dvdsI decided at the beginning of 2009, to keep a list of the media that I consumed. I listed movies that I saw in the theater, movies that I rented on dvd, and books. In hindsight, I WISH I thought to include my music purchases (and gifts) to this list as well.<br />Since the lists also include short "reviews" they've added up to a lengthy post, so I decided to split them into 3 parts: Books, dvd's, and theater.<br />Comments are welcomed.<br /><br />>>>>>>><br /><br />DVD:<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Impressionists</span> (disc one). ∆∆∆<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Big Rig</span> - ∆∆∆ (documentary on truck drivers)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Sweeny Todd</span> - ∆∆<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Be Kind Rewind</span> - ∆<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Kite Runner</span> - ∆∆∆∆ Good movie. Rough story about the evils of some of humanity.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Impressionists</span> (disk 2) - ∆∆∆ Bit rough and dry in the acting, but interesting stories about the painters.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">This American Life</span> (disk 1) - ∆∆∆∆ - some interesting stories.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Invader Zim</span> (vol 1 disk 1) - ∆∆∆ - good, but you can't watch that many shows back to back.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Eagle Eye</span> - ∆∆∆∆ - Some corny scenes, a bit cliché at times, but overall I enjoyed it. And Some really clever/funny lines for Billy-Bob's character.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Le Cercle Rouge</span> - ∆ - a SLOW heist movie. Just couldn't hold my interest. LOTS of continuity mistakes too.<br /><br />2/28/09 - <span style="font-weight: bold;">The Quiet American</span> - ∆∆ - wasn't horrible, but I had trouble with how it was written... in that the characters never seemed believable. Lack of motivation for some of their actions. Could have been a good movie.<br /><br />3/3/09 - <span style="font-weight: bold;">Body of lies</span> - ∆∆∆∆ - Good spook movie. Lots of twists and turns that made it a bit difficult to follow at times, but for the most part I was able to keep up. Leonardo was good. Russell Crowe was so-so, mediocre dialogue for him.<br /><br />3/10/09 - <span style="font-weight: bold;">Max Payne</span> - ∆∆ - Could have been really good, but felt rushed. Poor acting (and I like wahlberg). Connection between spiritual and drug/company never explained or panned out.<br /><br />3/14/09 - <span style="font-weight: bold;">RocknRolla</span> - ∆∆∆∆ - Classic "guy ritchie" british gangster film. Bit complicated at first but pulls together in the end. Well done.<br /><br />3/20/09 - <span style="font-weight: bold;">Let the Right one in</span> - ∆∆∆ - I'm being generous with that third triangle. Only because it was a vampire story like no other I've seen before. This was a Swedish film with English over dubbing, and the overdubbing was horrible.<br /><br />3/27/09 - <span style="font-weight: bold;">Charlie Bartlett</span> - ∆∆∆∆∆ - Really well written teen angst movie. Robert Downey Jr is amazing. Kid who played Charlie also = amazing! Great casting. I do wonder though if teens liked this movie.<br /><br />4/3/09 - <span style="font-weight: bold;">The Conversation</span> - ∆∆ - Almost gave it a 3 rating, but can't. Slow moving. strange dialogue. Jazz. 1970's 'technological' thriller. Good story though. Gene Hackman. Young harrison ford, Cindy williams = odd cast.<br /><br />4/9/09 - <span style="font-weight: bold;">Meet Bill</span> - ∆ - I liked all the actors/actress, it was just a poor story, and poorly acted (directed?). Inconsistent characters. It was a fast-forward movie just to get through it.<br /><br />4/17/09 - <span style="font-weight: bold;">Chaplin: The movie</span> - ∆ - much to my surprise I gave this movie only one star/triangle. I really like Robert Downey. I like Charlie Chaplin. Several other actors and actresses in this movie playing bit parts... but you know what killed the movie for me? The sound. It was horrible. Chaplin/Downey played a very mellow part with soft spoken words, so I had to turn the volume way up to hear him, then the other characters/sound effects were blaring. But perhaps most of all, the entire movie (I actually shut it off about 3/4 in!) appeared to be over-dubbed. The sound didn't quite match up with the video. Not to mention inconsistent volume levels. It actually ruined the movie for me because I was too distracted by the sound.<br /><br />4/19/09 - <span style="font-weight: bold;">Mondrian: From Naturalism to Abstraction</span> - ∆∆∆ - Semi-poor production levels (poor lighting on the paintings for instance), dated music, and lots of odd helicopter footage that must have been filmed while hanging out of the helicopter itself because it was rather bouncy. But put all that aside, and it was a good 1 hour film introducing Mondrian's works.<br /><br />4/19/09 - <span style="font-weight: bold;">Flash of Genius</span> - ∆∆∆∆∆ - I may be a bit too generous with that last star (triangle) but I thought this was a really good movie. The only downside is that it's an underdog story. In all my years of watching movies, I can tell you what usually happens at the end of an underdog movie, so in that sense it was a bit predictable. But none-the-less it was a good story, and Greg Kinnear did another fantastic job at acting on this one. As a wanna-be "maker" this movie should be on every inventor/makers list.<br /><br />4/24/09 - <span style="font-weight: bold;">Special </span>- ∆∆∆∆∆ - a really interesting independent movie. A man thinks he can fly when he takes part in an experimental drug program. One of those indy movies that I feel is a real gem in the rough.<br /><br />4/26/09 - <span style="font-weight: bold;">Doubt</span> - ∆∆∆∆ - really well done job of acting all the way around. Not exactly a happy movie though so I took one star off for that. I won't say anything else as the less you know about the movie the better.<br /><br />5/1/09 - <span style="font-weight: bold;">Run, fat boy, run</span> - ∆ - I liked Simon Pegg in "Shaun of the dead" and I even liked him in "hot fuzz", but sadly, run fat boy run, was just lame. Here's a clue... when the title of the film has "fat boy" in it, then the main character um should be... fat! They basically put a small pillow under his shirt, that had to be some of the lamest prosthetic work I've seen. Then the plot was just so predictable, I ended up watching the second half of the movie in fast forward mode.<br /><br />5/1/09 - <span style="font-weight: bold;">Delicatessen</span> - ∆∆ - Perhaps, had I seen this movie when I was in the right mood I would have liked it more, but I just had a difficult time with this one. It was a french movie (yes subtitled). What is it with the french making weird movies? It had Dominique Pinon in it, which I like (odd looking man, but good actor, though his films that I've seen him in don't exactly push his acting skills (aliens, city of lost children)).<br />It was a very quirky film. Too quirky for me. Characters were over the top on purpose. I just kinda walked away shaking my head after this one.<br /><br />5/?/09 - <span style="font-weight: bold;">Wild China</span> - ∆∆∆ - A BBC documentary series about remote places in China. Disk one (which I finished last night) had 3 episodes (1 hour each). It can be tedious at times, but usually in each episode there is some really interesting piece of information. Not to mention some of the wildlife is incredibly filmed. I hope to get to disk 2 soon.<br /><br />5/24/09 - <span style="font-weight: bold;">Milk</span> - ∆∆∆∆ - Sean Penn is an amazing actor. This entire story was all new to me, and the ending was a complete shock. It amazes me that people who try to do good in this world are almost always seen as a threat.<br /><br />6/3/09 - <span style="font-weight: bold;">Dark Matter</span> - ∆∆ - I hate it when netflix gets my rating right. They said this would be a 2 star rating, and sure enough. I tried very hard to like this movie but it was just disjointed. Meryl Streep and Aidinn Quinn, yet the acting was mediocre and not believable. The film edits were choppy and confusing. The storyline was forced. I ended up fast-forward watching this movie about 3/4 of the way through.<br /><br />6/8/09 - <span style="font-weight: bold;">The Tale of Despereaux</span> - ∆∆ - I tried really hard to like this film. It just didn't cut it for me.<br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">warning - spoilers</span>:<br />Technically speaking - some of the computer animation was nicely done. In fact there were sections (book scene) that I preferred over the main animation - especially how they did the fire effect. But a lot of sections that it looked like they cut corners on the the animation.<br />The storyline - convoluted. The talking vegetable man was totally out of left field, and didn't make any sense to me.<br />They ended the storyline with such abruptness it felt forced. The girl going back to live on a pig farm was supposed to be her living "happily ever after?!"<br />I knew I was in trouble in the first few minutes of the film when they said that "soup day" was more exciting than Christmas! What?! No kid (or me) can relate to that!<br /><br />6/11/09 - <span style="font-weight: bold;">The Battle for Seattle</span> - ∆∆∆∆∆ - An AWESOME protest movie. Ok, it wasn't perfect, some of the acting was forced, some of the storyline was a bit too preachy, but there were plenty of moments where the movie soared. Andre Benjamin (yes, from Outkast) was amazing. I still do not care for Michelle Rodriquez - she always plays the "tough chick" and it's old. Martin Henderson was good as was Woody and Charlize (though I had hoped to see more of Charlize). Also, kudos to Stuart Townsend for showing both sides of the story (protestors and police). Lastly: We the people will never be divided.<br />http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wto<br /><br />6/16/09 - <span style="font-weight: bold;">In the valley of Elah</span> - ∆∆∆∆∆ - Solid 5 star movie. Powerful acting, and a sad story behind it all. Fantastic acting by Tommy Lee Jones and Charlize Theron. I'll end with just this... I wish peace in this world.<br /><br />6/22/09 - <span style="font-weight: bold;">W.</span> - ∆∆ - I almost gave it a 3 star, but just couldn't do it. The movie was long and tedious. While some of the acting was well done (Brolin was very good, Richard Dreyfus was Amazing) the story just was a retelling of events we already knew. Some of the bias was just over-the-top and silly (for example watching "Bush" eat his sandwich and stuffing his mouth, and talking with his mouth full.) Some of the character actors were just too distracting... Rove and Condi. I had hoped for more details and insight into the man, but instead was just met with a 2+ hour retelling of the last 8 years.<br /><br />6/23/09 - <span style="font-weight: bold;">Frost/Nixon</span> - ∆∆∆∆∆ - Unbelievable acting on this one. I was able to keep up with some of politics involved, but admit to not knowing all the names of the key players. Even so, to be on the edge of my seat waiting to see how the "duel" progressed is saying a lot about a subject as dry as an interview. Tip of the hat to all the fine actors, top notch.<br /><br />6/26/09 - <span style="font-weight: bold;">True Blood</span> - ∆ - I had heard a lot about this new show from HBO and it all seemed to be good, so I decided to rent season one and give it a shot. Apparently I'm the only one who thinks this show was lame?! I barely got through the first episode. The characters were stereotypical and over-the-top. The episode was poorly edited - example: The "cool" vampire dude goes outside with two local looneys. The woman (who looks like she's about 98pounds wet) fears for his safety and decides to run out to try and warn him that the looney's might attack him. Her boss, upon learning this, runs out of the bar also to stop her... next we see the woman pick up a big pile of chains (silently I might add), she whips the chains around a guys neck with super speed, then proceeds to pick up a knife and talk like the meanest gangster who ever lived. She rescued the vampire who was held down by a little silver necklace, they sit in the woods for a while and trade stories. Eventually (12 minutes later?) she heads back to the bar, where the boss is just standing in the parking lot (50' away) looking around like a doofus. Ugh. I expected more from you HBO.<br /><br />6/28/09 - ∆∆∆ - <span style="font-weight: bold;">The Ali G show</span> - season one disc one - I am not 100% sure I like This series (also an HBO series). While many of the shorts get me to smile, they're not always funny. Not to mention the strong crudeness factor. I will say though that the first bit, where he trains with the Philadelphia police dept was funny, and the scene where Borat is in the gym trying to learn how to use the tread mill - had me in tears! I'm going to give the next disk a chance. Perhaps because this isn't new anymore, and I know what to expect with Sasha's characters it's not as funny, but he def has talent to make me laugh, just not consistently.<br /><br />7/11/09 - ∆∆∆ - <span style="font-weight: bold;">Valkyrie</span> - I'm being generous with 3 stars here, but the movie held my interest (barely) for the whole time. I felt the movie was long and tedious and we got a dry re-telling of history. Granted it was intense at times, but overall it just lacked something. I've noticed in the past, I also have problems with movies that just have one single tone throughout the entire movie, and this was one of them.<br /><br />7/14/09 - ∆∆ - <span style="font-weight: bold;">Proof</span> - Oh, I tried so hard to like this movie, but I just couldn't. While the storyline was there to make for a good movie, and two very talented actors (Jake Gyllenhaal and Gwyneth Paltrow), the movie just laid there and fizzelled. I blame it on two things... the dialogue was poorly written, and the direction was bad. The feelings of the characters never flowed at all, and most of the movie was spent arguing among the characters. No one wants to sit through 2 hours of arguing.<br /><br />7/22/09 - ∆∆∆∆∆ - <span style="font-weight: bold;">Speak</span> - Wow. What a good movie this was. A strong subject matter of a young girl who... actually I don't want to give any of the story-line away. I'll use the words that netflix did "an unfortunate incident that left a young girl shunned..." It involves this girls struggles to carry the weight of what happened to her, while at the same time trying to juggle the social nightmare that only 9th grade can bring. Kristen Stewart was the star, and she did an incredible job. The reason I rented this was because Steve Zahn was the art teacher in this film and I usually like the movies that he is in - this definitely fell in that category.<br /><br />7/31/09 - ∆∆∆∆∆ - <span style="font-weight: bold;">The Haunting in Connecticut</span> - Yep, you saw that right... I just gave a horror movie a 5 star rating. Oddly enough, I was thinking recently, that I had seen all the good horror movies out there. I have exhausted this genre of movies. That I would never see a good horror movie again. I was wrong. Ok, perhaps I was in the right frame of mind tonight, to sit down and watch a good ghost story, that I turned that little "critic filter" off. Were there some silly parts in the movie? Of course. Lots of "Gotcha" type scares (I think I jumped once*) The effects were gory at times, but for the most part, I enjoyed the movie. Then... I decided to watch the dvd special feature which interviewed the real occupants of the house, that was almost better than the movie. There was one scene there that made me jump as well. All in all, it was a good story if nothing else.<br /><br />8/6/09 - ∆∆∆∆ - <span style="font-weight: bold;">The Future of Food</span> - A really eye opening documentary about the Food industry and genetic engineering. A bit heavy on the science side of things, but overall an educational film. Really makes Monsanto out to be a bad guy (Which I think they might be). Everyone who eats should watch this film.<br /><br />8/09 - ∆∆∆∆∆ - <span style="font-weight: bold;">Dexter</span> - I have been hooked on the Showtime (which I learned is a subsidiary of CBS), called "Dexter", about a serial killer living in Florida who is a forensics cop. Good storyline, good suspense, good acting (for some). MY biggest complaint... the sister character (after watching the entire first series, I still can't name the characters! odd.) I look forward to starting season 2 any day now.<br /><br />8/20/09 - ∆ - <span style="font-weight: bold;">10,000 BC</span> - Just lame. perhaps I wasn't in the right mood, but this one just struck me as really lame. poor acting, mediocre effects, goofy love story. I expected more.<br /><br />8/23/09 - ∆∆∆∆∆ - <span style="font-weight: bold;">The Cats of Mirikitani</span> - Documentary about Japanese/American artist "Jimmy" Mirikitani, who was homeless on the streets of NYC, and through this documentary film maker, Linda Hattebdorf managed to give him a helping hand up and get him back on his feet again. Really nice film. Peace Jimmy.<br /><br />9/13/09 - ∆∆ - <span style="font-weight: bold;">The Assassination of Jesse James</span> - What LONG and tedious film. Yes it had really good acting, yes it had some nice cinematography, hut there was no way that film needed to be dragged out to 2.5 hours! I bet if I went through and edited out all the moments of silence and people just walking in an empty field that could shave off 45 minutes. Skip this film is my suggestion.<br /><br />9/16/09 - <span style="font-weight: bold;">Firewall</span> - ∆∆ - A Harrison ford movie that was really lame. predictable "paint by number" script. poor acting (except for the bad guy who was pretty good). What I thought was a technological thriller amounted to some bogus scenes of hacking an ipod with a fax machine - lame.<br /><br />9/25/09 - <span style="font-weight: bold;">Adventureland</span> - ∆∆∆∆ - I actually thought this movie was ok, and gave it that last "∆" for the soundtrack alone. It was basically a "chick flick" disguised as a stoner movie. A sort of teen-angst movie. It was well written too. The only thing that bothered me, was that the time frame seemed off for me... they said in the beginning of the movie it was 1987, but It seemed more like it might have been early 80's to me.<br /><br />10/4/09 - <span style="font-weight: bold;">The King of Kong</span> - ∆∆∆∆ - Overall a good documentary. It was a bit dry at times, and the production levels were a bit on the low side, but it told a good story, which is what a documentary is supposed to do. I enjoyed seeing the tension, and thought the movie did a good job at creating that tension. By the end you really were rooting for the "underdog" Steve Weibe (weebee). It was neat to see a lot of the old "coin-op" classic video games that I grew up with too. If you are familiar with the 80's, classic arcade games, or enjoy anything that's 8-bit, I'd recommend this dvd. (disclaimer: Yes, I'm a geek so this perhaps that's why it was entertaining to me).<br /><br />10/11/09 - <span style="font-weight: bold;">Stander</span> - ∆∆∆ - A movie I only heard about via Netflix. This was just a solid middle of the road for me. It wasn't bad, and I watched the story-line to see what would happen next, the only thing that I think kept it from being a good movie was that the acting was a bit flat (one sided - cool tough-guy attitude). I also felt like the editing was a bit choppy. I will give credit in that up until I looked it up on imdb, I thought it might of actually been filmed in the 70's. It was actually filmed in 2003, but they did a great job of capturing the feel of the 70's. Based on a True story as well, which is always interesting.<br /><br />10/12/09 - ∆∆∆ - <span style="font-weight: bold;">The Impressionist: Monet</span> - A good documentary about the painter. Not great, but good. I felt like too much time was spent on just a few paintings though, I wish I saw a broader spectrum of his work.<br /><br />10/12/09 - ∆ - <span style="font-weight: bold;">The Pacific and Eddy</span> - An attempt at an "indie film" but just didn't cut it for me. Too many long drawn out shots of trees in the wind, or wave of the ocean. It tried too hard to be an "artsy" film that I was totally board.<br /><br />10/24/09 - ∆∆∆ - <span style="font-weight: bold;">The Brothers Bloom</span> - This is another one of those "con movies" that has twist after twist after twist, until either you give up trying to figure it out, or you're lucky enough to have kept up. I thought the acting was good on Adrien's part, but Rachel Weisz always gets on my nerves for some reason. This movie she was more tolerable to me. It was almost a good movie, but it became tedious. The saving grace I think for me was that it was really nicely filmed. The Cinematography was very well done.<br /><br />10/30/09 - ∆ - <span style="font-weight: bold;">Year One</span> - Sadly another Jack Black movie that scraped the bottom of the barrel. I also really like Michael Cera and the two were not enough to raise the level of this movie. Classic example where the trailer had the funniest parts (and I'm also realizing that a 2 minute trailer can be funny whereas an hour and half movie is not.<br /><br />11/8/09 - ∆∆ - <span style="font-weight: bold;">Sunshine Cleaning</span> - A difficult movie to rate for me because it was a good story, and good acting, but wow, was it ever depressing. It was marked as a "dark comedy" and I'd put the emphasis on "dark" more than comedy. Personally, I just don't like depressing movies, so that's why the low rating. Topics include, death, suicide, drugs, single parenting, unhappy with her job, infidelity. So put all those topics into a "comedy" and this is what you get.<br /><br />11/11/09 - ∆∆∆∆ - <span style="font-weight: bold;">Chaos Theory </span>- Perhaps I'm being a little generous with that last '∆', but it was kind of a 'feel-good' movie so I'm still in a good mood. I mainly rented this movie because it had Ryan Reynolds in it... I think he's a good actor, and usually finds that right balance of comedy with good acting. The movie was a td on the cheesy side, but then would surprise me with a really nice scene. A good story (though a bit predictable at times). Worth a rental.<br /><br />11/14/09 - ∆∆ - <span style="font-weight: bold;">The Boondock Saints</span> - This ended up being a 'fast forward' movie for me. Shortly after getting the gist of the plot, I end up fast forwarding through all the poorly written dialogue, and give the movie one last chance for redemption (ie: something catches my eye.) Sadly, no. Lots of yelling, gun shooting, blood packs, and stereotypes.<br /><br />11/14/09 - ∆∆ - <span style="font-weight: bold;">The Strangers </span>- A horror movie that caught my interest when it first appeared in the theaters. It wasn't something I was willing to spend $9.50 to see, so I waited for dvd. I had joked that when it came out, and Liv Tyler was in it, that I would watch a 2 hour movie of her washing dishes - well, that's about the same entertainment level here. A movie that is 98% suspense, and 1% 'boo' factor, and 1% gore. Psychologically it was scary and creepy, but there had to be a better story for it to pay off.<br /><br />11/22/09 - ∆ - <span style="font-weight: bold;">G.I. Joe</span> - Perhaps I just wasn't in the right mood for this, but this movie just could not hold my interest in the slightest. Lots of nice effects and computer generated art, but beyond that - nothing else. Characters were goofy, one-liners were lame, lots of shaky camera techniques... I could go on, but I won't.<br /><br />12/12/09 - ∆∆∆∆ - <span style="font-weight: bold;">Food Inc</span> - I'm about a week late with this review so the details will be sparse. Nutshell, a good documentary on how the food industry is... not broken per say, but seriously flawed. The motivator is simple... faster and cheaper. But what this means to the consumers is a dangerous trade-off to quality food. A bad combination between Government (lobbyists for big business), and corporation. For example... Chickens are bred now that that do not resemble chickens of 50 years ago. They are slaughtered in just a few months when they're growth rate is altered to produce overweight chicks. These chicks are so over weight at times they can not take more than a few steps at a time before collapsing (usually in the muck and feces of all the other thousands of chicks in the shed.) If you have no idea why it's cheaper to get a $1 hamburger than a $7 salad, you should watch this movie.<br /><br />12/19/09 - ∆∆∆∆∆ - <span style="font-weight: bold;">The Answer Man</span> - Yes, a bit of a chick flick, but this movie really entertained me. Jeff Daniels always does a great job. What I liked most though, was the storyline... not overly complicated, but just a well told story. A small warning though on the language, just a bit harsh at times if that sort of thing bothers you. I feel like it fit the story, so it didn't bother me. Definitely worth a rental.<br /><br />12/30/09 - ∆∆∆ - <span style="font-weight: bold;">Chalk</span> - I'm being very generous with that last ∆. A bit of a strange movie that definitely falls in the category of an "indy film". It was a "mockumentary" style comedy about a group of teachers in what looked to be a high school (or maybe it was middle school?). While there were some funny moments at times there were also many moments that seemed forced and just plain stereotypical. So because it made me chuckle a couple of times, I'm giving the extra ∆, but towards the end, I was ready for it to be over with.<br /><br />12/30/09 - ∆∆∆∆ - <span style="font-weight: bold;">Heavy Metal</span> - Yes, I'm giving this dvd 4 stars mainly for sentimental reasons. By today's standards the movie might be something you'd see on a late night cable program, but back in the day... Of course this may be the greatest soundtrack ever assembled for a movie, which also counts for at least one or two ∆'s. Perhaps this time around, what I enjoyed most about the dvd was the small documentary as the 'bonus' that explained some of the events and thinking and even animation techniques behind the movie. I really enjoyed seeing how they did the scenes where they filmed the B-17 in all black, with white lines, then 'reversed' the film in order to get a black line outline. (hard to describe I guess). A nice way to spend an hour and a half or so remembering my youth in my teens.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442560.post-64748079221674841982010-01-01T15:11:00.004-05:002010-01-01T19:21:28.253-05:002009 - Media Consumed - part 1 of 3 - BooksI decided at the beginning of 2009, to keep a list of the media that I consumed. I listed movies that I saw in the theater, movies that I rented on dvd, and books. In hindsight, I WISH I thought to include my music purchases (and gifts) to this list as well.<br />Since the lists also include short "reviews" they've added up to a lengthy post, so I decided to split them into 3 parts: Books, dvd's, and theater.<br />Comments are welcomed.<br /><br />>>><br /><br />Books:<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Judas Strain</span> - ∆∆∆∆∆ - A bit out there but really good. Enjoyed.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">A Year of living biblically</span> - ∆∆∆∆ - To be fair, I started this book in 08, read about half, then put it down until Jan of 09. I needed that break as it was getting a tad monotonous. But I enjoyed finishing the book and it gave me lots of good thoughts to ponder.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Mondrian</span> - ∆∆∆∆ - A "small" book with lots of pictures, but it had small type too so I'm counting it in this list. At the Cezanne exhibit - much to my surprise I walked away with a much higer appreciation of Mondrian. This little book talked about his life and paintings in more detail. I enjoyed it.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Brain Rules</span> - ∆∆∆∆ - A really intersting book about how the brain works. I took a small break while reading as it got a little tedious at points, but overall lots of interesting facts and stats and stories... sad irony is that I now have a very difficult time remembering any of the interesting facts, stats to relate to others. ugh.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Napoleon's Pyramids</span> - ∆∆∆∆ - While the book had a lot of technical flaws, and in my opinion some poorly written material, I really liked the story. The subject matter was interesting to me, as I've always had an interest in the Great Pyramid and its mysteries. The story moved along well like a hollywood action movie.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Road</span> - ∆∆∆∆ - An odd book, but it held my interest til the end, and made me think about things afterward. I happened upon this book while on vacation and I don't recall if I picked it up, or if my sister handed it to me, but regardless, she said it was "(one of?) the best books I've ever read"! Wow, with an endorsement like that, I HAD to check it out! I found the writing style different but I liked it (for example no quotation marks! If I wrote a book, that's how I'd do it too!). I do have a complaint (though it's my own short fall, and not the author's)... the vocabulary was a bit above me. I felt like every other page, I would stumble on at least 1-2 words that I didn't know the meaning of. But I really can't fault an author for that! I also have to admit I wanted to know more "answers" while reading the story, but again, that's just me.<br />I felt pressured to finish the book quickly too, because it's being released soon on the Big Screen! It should make for a good movie for sure.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Daemon</span> - ∆∆∆∆∆ - A really entertaining book. I don't suppose this book is for everyone though, it has a lot of computer related information, that perhaps the "average joe" may not understand or get lost in. Some of it over my head as well, but I had the general gist of what was going on. It moved along quickly like a good thriller should, and didn't get too bogged down in the details. While I wouldn't call it perfect (the ending felt rushed to me, and didn't make a lot of sense at times). But overall, if you are a geek in anyway, and these topics interest you, then you should def check it out: computer viruses, MMORPG's, computers, cryptography, hacking, government conspiracies, end of days, society, classism, engineering, and on and on.<br />::::Semi - Spoiler alert::::<br />I kinda wish someone would have warned me so I will do the same - This book appears to be the first in a series - the second book is due for release in 2010 - I look forward to it.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Paranoia</span> - ∆∆∆ - I enjoyed this book as a fun read, but I also feel like there were some flaws in the writing and story-line so I took some points off for that. In a nutshell it was a book about corporate espionage. A guy gets "blackmailed" into infiltrating another rival company, and proceeds to work the social ladder and several late night snooping sessions to get company secrets. There was a subplot as well that dealt with a man and his aging and sick father - which was a good side story. I felt like the author was writing down to me at times, and I couldn't tell if he was doing this on purpose or if perhaps he was struggling to write from a higher point of view (in regards to portraying a "working class Joe" versus a high profile corporate CEO). All in all a good summer read I guess. AND this marks a historical moment for me in that it was my first completed ebook on my Kindle. It was FREE to boot - I doubt I would have read it otherwise, so it was a nice surprise to have enjoyed it.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Fantômas</span> - ∆∆∆∆ - I overall enjoyed this book, but towards the end, it kinda fell apart for me. I felt like new characters were being introduced every other page and I was having a hard time keeping track of them all. Speaking of every other page... the other thing that made this book difficult to enjoy was the words... yes the vocabulary was very difficult for me. In my defense, it was written in 1911, and it was orignally written in French, so a lot of words were period related, and French related. I kept a list of them and ended up at 85 words! Still an interesting "who done it" book that some credit as being the first book of its kind in the murder mystery style.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Call of Cthulhu</span> - ∆∆ - It's odd... I've read this story before, and enjoyed it, but for some reason this time around was just tedious. I think it is because my heart wasn't in it... I found some 'free' Lovecraft e-books online and downloaded them to read on my kindle. But I think I was just reading it cause it was free - not a very good reason to read. So, don't take this "review" as anything serious, if you've never read Lovecraft - you must. But do it on a cold october evening with some drizzling rain and perhaps by candlelight.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Doomsday Key</span> by James Rollins - ∆∆∆∆ - I had a little trouble following this story this time, but I suspect it was just me. I tended to let too much time go in-between readings and I felt slightly confused. But all in all, yet another J. Rollins book that I very much enjoyed. As I mentioned... I feel like he's writing his books specifically for me and I thank him for it. Action, adventure, religion, conspiracy, dark-ops, history, etc... Only problem now... I think this was the last of his books that I needed to read - I've read all his others, so now I must wait until he comes out with a new one! Maybe I'll pick up one of his other books and re-read it.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Lost Symbol</span> by Dan Brown - ∆∆∆∆ - Disclaimer: The topics included in Dan's book are right up my alley. Secret Societies, Religion, Conspiracy, Science = awesome. So that being said, this story probably could have been written by a 6 year old, and I would have enjoyed it. But, trying to be objective for a minute... There were times when i felt Dan was spoon feeding me the plot. Little "reminders" of the story that he just finished setting up became annoying to me. I can't help but to wonder if coming off his big success of his last book (The DaVinci Code) that appealed to the masses, if he didn't deliberately dumb this book down. Now, about half way through the book, I didn't notice this anymore. Perhaps he did this only in the beginning to hook people in, or perhaps I just didn't become aware of it later on, I can't be sure. Would I recommend this book to others? Probably not. I think you either like Dan's material or you don't. If you didn't like DaVinci, you will def not like this one. But for me... it was a great read!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Dracula</span> - ∆∆∆ - This is a solid three ∆∆∆. I took off 2 ∆'s mainly because about half-way through the book it became VERY tedious. The story-line focused mainly and almost entirely on the preparation of the group planning an plotting to kill Dracula. I so much wanted the story to move on faster. But, it did hold my interest enough that I plodded through it all with them. I found it interesting, in that of all the movies, TV shows, comic books, etc... that I've seen about Vampires, (Including Copala's version which was supposed to be truer to the book) there were a lot of elements I had never heard before regarding Dracula himself, and or vampires in general. I appreciated thegothic tone in the book as well. The vocabulary again was a struggle for me, something about these older books and the words they used fascinates me. I just hope I am able to retain a FEW of the MANY words I had to look up (Thank goodness for my kindle that has the built in dictionary.)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">On the Road</span> - ∆ - Jack Kerouac was either on drugs when he wrote this or he has ADD (or both). Way too scattered of a story for me to enjoy. I did a longer more involved review on my blog <a href="http://cyenobite.blogspot.com/2009/12/jack-kerouac-on-road.html">here</a>.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Carmilla</span> - ∆∆∆∆ - I discovered this book - or rather short story - in doing a little wikipedia searching about Dracula. Turns out Carmilla came out about 25 years before Dracula, and many credit (or accuse?) Bram from lifting similar ideas and plot lines from Carmilla. I defintely saw some similarities, but whose to say what's "stealing" and what's "Inspiration"... Anyway, I enjoyed Carmilla very much. It was fairly short (being a short story and all). Granted, there is somewhat of a spoiler by knowing ahead of time that this is a vampire story. The author treats it like a mystery, yet the reader already knows what most of the other characters in the book don't - but that was a minor point I suppose. Overall, I just liked the storyline of it all.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Sidenote about books: This year I took the plunge and bought a Kindle. That has influenced my reading list (I've enjoyed several "out of copyright" books because of it. - In other words, they were free!)</span><br /><br />>>>>>>>>><br /><br />comic books:<br />Watchmen<br />Squee<br />Starcraft<br /><br />>>>>>>>>>>>>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442560.post-46009297126054315942009-12-22T09:34:00.003-05:002009-12-22T09:46:23.911-05:00Blanket Physics?I woke up this morning scratching my head...<br />What in the world happened last night?<br />How was this possible?<br /><br />So... I currently have a bed.<br />I have a mattress, with one of those 'fitted sheets' with a tiny bit of extra quilting. Then the usual "fitted sheet" that comes in every sheet set.<br />I have 2 pillows.<br />Then on the outer parts of the bed, I have a sheet, an afghan that my mom made for me a long time ago, and then a quilted comforter (not a big poofy one).<br />This morning I woke up to find...<br />My 'normal' fitted sheet had come unhooked from the top corner of my bed, and had slipped about a quarter of the distance in.<br />My top sheet, was completely shifted in the opposite direction, so that the corner of the sheet was approx where my neck was.<br />My middle layer of the afghan was also shifted to the left, and had also shifted down to about where my waist was.<br />My upper layer of the comforter was at the right height but shifted to the right so the corner was also about where my neck was.<br /><br />What the heck?! Did I get in a fight last night while sleeping? Did those monsters that live under my bed do this just to confuse me?!<br />How is the physics of moving a middle afghan layer possible? Shouldn't the coverings all shift in the same way?!<br /><br />I suspect I'll never know the answers to these questions... until the day I reach those pearly gates... that will probably be in my top ten questions to the Creator of the universe... to explain to me the physics of blankets.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442560.post-43496159655391403272009-12-13T14:43:00.005-05:002009-12-13T15:32:26.501-05:00Jack Kerouac - On the RoadIt's about mid December now and I'm in the final days of the year trying to finish one more book. I decided to keep track of all my media consumed in 2009. Which includes: movies in the theater, dvd's, books, and even a couple comic books (oddly I didn't think to include music on that list, which I'm now regretting).<br />But just a week or so before December, I finished my 13th book, and was afraid that a month to finish a book was cutting it close for me. So I looked at what I had on my kindle and decided to choose a shorter book. I chose Jack Kerouac's "On the Road". While I'm glad it was a short book, and I'm now about it finish it (with abt 2 weeks to spare), I regret that this has been a tedious book! I've plowed through it though, because I knew if I switched books now, I'd never finish another one.<br />So a review here for those interested...<br />Having visited family who live in California, I was aware of Kerouac, and have heard his name mentioned in other circles because I've read a few other "travel/road" books. And of course myself skating into the hippy culture from time to time, I'm familiar with the "beat culture", which I think Kerouac is more known for capturing, rather than it being a "travel" book.<br />So, first the good news and praise.... there are moments in Kerouac's book where he wrote some really great lines. Moments where I was just sort of blown away and thinking, 'THAT was great!". But sadly, these moments were few and far between.<br />I suspect, that perhaps Kerouac was whacked out himself on some of the drugs he describes in his book (wikipedia says he was an alcoholic). The book skates on the edge of describing the late 1940's and early 1950's drug culture in the beginning, only to end up in the later parts focusing more on the drug induced escapades of Dean and Sal. The best way I have thought to describe his writing style is - scattered. I have to wonder if Kerouac had ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder). Having not read any other Kerouac's books perhaps that was his intentional style because it portrayed the characters that way, but man it was tough to follow at times.<br />I also have mention this part as it kinda creeped me out a bit... The characters in the book are in their early to late 20's. On more than one occasion, they talk about getting some girls (or gurls as he often spelled it, not sure why). But... Kerouac (or the characters) talk about the young girls... 14-16, and in the later part of the book they visit a whore house with young girls. I don't know if this was normal for that time period, or again, if Kerouac intentionally put this in to make the characters seem more lowly in societies standing (ie: druggies, bums, and sex crazed?). Regardless, I didn't like this aspect of the book.<br />If this book is a model for the "Beat generation" I'm glad I never got into it.<br />I'll close with a comment that I read on the Amazon page where people posted various comments and ratings... it seems you either love or hate this book. Lots of people either gave it a one-star or a five-star rating. While hate is a bit harsh for me, I certainly am glad I finished it and can put it behind me.<br />More about <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_kerouac">Jack Kerouac here on wikipedia</a>.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442560.post-70037232656886126742009-10-14T19:08:00.002-04:002009-10-14T19:14:47.808-04:00dustyJust blowing off all the dust that has accumulated on my blog here.<br />I forget... how does this work again?<br /><br />Let see... a topic... I'll just start with something small.<br />Spam in google mail - It always amuses me when I go to clean out the spam in my gmail account, that the small "google ads" that appear above the main window is always recipes that involve spam. Ok, I admit, I'm easily amused.<br /><br />another small topic...<br />A few months ago, I rescued an amazing looking Jade plant that someone had put by the dumpster in my apartment complex. Obviously, they wanted someone to rescue the plant because they put it next to the dumpster and not IN the dumpster. So I brought it home, and placed it on my patio where it has done well. I just tonight, decided it was time to bring it inside for the winter. There is talk of Frost now, and I don't think it would survive.<br />I hesitate though, because I don't get a lot of daylight in my window, so I HOPE it will survive the 6 months (or so) of winter ahead. Fingers crossed. If anyone has tips on raising a Jade plant please leave me a comment. The only thing I know is they like sun, and they don't need much water.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442560.post-87789877392937283052009-09-16T19:44:00.003-04:002009-09-16T20:00:05.166-04:00Oh the Irony...The other night I was flipping through the channels and landed upon Faux News. Sean Hannity was on (I can only take about 5 minutes of his show at a time).<br />The latest "scandal du jour" was regarding the group called ACORN.<br />While I'm in no way defending the out and out wrong actions of a select few of the ACORN employees, I still had to smile at the irony of Hannity's comments...<br />A little backstory...<br />A young man and young woman used an undercover disguise of a prostitute and her pimp to catch ACORN employees in the act of allegedly providing tax evasion advice (among other bad advice and possibly illegal advice). This couple used a hiden camera to record the events, and have been releasing the footage a bit at a time to the Fox news network (who is reveling in playing it over and over again).<br />Back to last night's show...<br />Sean Hannity made a comment something to the effect of "Journalism is dead in 2009" - now on the one hand I absolutely get his point... it took two younger "kids" (I think they are around 20). to land a MAJOR news story and they put the major networks and reporters to shame in doing so. On a budget of about $3000 they managed to break this story. So Sean's point is right on in that sense. (yes - you read that right - I'm agreeing with Hannity!).<br />Now here's where the Irony comes into play...<br />The new footage last night featured an ACORN employee apparently BRAGGING about killing her ex-husband! Shocking right?! I was. Hannity even mentioned something about - "did anyone check this out yet?" - the young woman danced around the issue and didn't really give a good answer. I thought 1) Here we have Hannity a "news reporter" on a "News network" asking the same kid if she had investigated the ACORN woman's claims.<br />Now... today, I learn (via the intertubes)... apparently the entire "bit" of the woman bragging about killing her ex-husband was a made up story! She claimed in an interview, that she "knew" that these kids were "playing her" so she decided to "play back" and make some wild claims of her own. IT even garnered a visit from the local police to investigate the woman in her claims of shooting her Ex - to which they found no evidence of.<br />So here we have a "news reporter" airing an amateur video claiming that "journalism" is dead, when if Hannity (or his co-workers) had done an ounce of investigating themselves before releasing the story, they would have found out that the woman's claims were false.<br />Irony.<br /><br />Again - for the sake of making a point - I'm not condoning ACORN's bad employee's at all. I think what they did in several of the other video's is completely wrong. The ACORN group obviously needs to clean up their act.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442560.post-1861201045058323782009-09-06T11:44:00.003-04:002009-09-06T12:13:18.865-04:00facebook privacy - newFor those of you who know me, I'm not crazy over the privacy (or lack of) options on facebook. I have created an account, but I am still leery, and have not filled out much information about myself on their website other than my email and name.<br />Well, last night, I signed on, and discovered something new and slightly disturbing... In the top panel of the screen, facebook often times "recommends" people that you might wish to become friends with. In the past this didn't bother me because basically, it would just take "friends of a friend" and suggest them - for example... I am friends with my sister. She is friends with "mrs. x" - so facebook says to me: Do you know "Mrs. x"? Not really a big deal.<br />Last night, I was surprised to see who they recommended to me. Yes, I knew the guy. BUT we have NO connections via facebook at all. I started to wonder, how could facebook have made the connection that I know this guy - I'll call him "Mr. y" - I started thinking... do any of my current facebook friends know him? No. Then how? Then I realized... the ONLY way... was because I have emailed Mr. y a few times. SO.... Either facebook is reading my email contact list (which I have not given them permission to do)... or facebook has accessed my friends email contacts and then found that it matched my email that they had on file. Now that's kinda creepy for a second if you think about it. Lets say I add some random emails to my email contacts... like stevejobs@apple.com - obviously Steve may not want the world to know he has a facebook profile. But thanks to facebook now, I might be able to learn his facebook identity.<br />I don't know... I think facebook has crossed yet another line on this one.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442560.post-81448591016380307092009-08-25T19:27:00.003-04:002009-08-25T19:46:44.487-04:00strange neighborI'm confused with how to deal with this topic...<br />On one hand I want to appear neighborly, and on the other hand I want nothing to do with this guy...<br />Story: For the past 7 month (perhaps a year?) I've had a new neighbor that lives a few doors down from me (not sure exactly which apartment he lives in). He's a strange looking fella... skinny, blond hair, perhaps in his mid 50's, though I suspect he might be younger than he looks, and that his 'life experiences' have aged him prematurely. He kinda looks like an ugly version of Tom Petty (I know, that's not saying much, apologies). He has an odd habit... he walks the parking lot almost constantly with shorts and no shirt on. I'm not sure if he's on disability, but I don't think he works, and he walks with a strange limp - not to mention about 1/4 the speed of an average walking pace. Well, I've passed him in the past, and I always try to keep my distance from him. Just one of those 'gut feelings' that I can't explain that the guy's bad news. Well, about 2-3 weeks ago, I cracked... I walked out to take my garbage to the dumpster, and he was out strolling. I finally acknowledged him just by giving him a "head nod" as if to say "hey, what's up" without actually saying the words. Boom... that's all he needed for an invite. A few days later he approached me as I was headed out somewhere, and proceeded to tell me that he used to have long hair (which I do - what's left of it anyway). He went on to say that he had long hair up until one day when some strangers stopped on the side of the road thinking he was a girl - so he cut it off.<br />Um... great. You're telling me this why? Are you calling me a girl? Are you trying to say you're 'cooler' than me cause you cut it? I didn't get it, nor did I wish to find out. I simply laughed, nodded, then went on my way.<br />Tonight, he cornered me again...<br />He asked me what I did for a living and what hours I worked, because he noticed my vehicle in the parking lot is always out there in the morning and that I usually come home late. Yes, I said, I have odd hours (without telling him what I did for a living). Then he said, "Oh you mean you work the 'lazy a$$' second shift?" - Um... yeah I said, if you say so.<br />So now he's basically called me a girl, and a "lazy a$$" - how's that for neighborly?<br />Actually, I guess I just answered my question. I think I'll go back to ignoring him. If I just have to 'nod' and acknowledge him and leads him to insulting me - I guess the answer is pretty obvious. But I'm not that type of person, so I'll continue to fight with this internally - AND I'm also aware too that this is 'twice' now that he's spoken with me, and with each time it will get easier to bring up things to talk about. Ugh.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442560.post-35911779292810914352009-08-19T23:49:00.004-04:002009-08-20T00:02:35.456-04:00Vocabulary Test<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidwWksp_HIJVKuEvWJytLKOxYrijAHHRq168ThhAowh0N6yEucYPe3_3MHjGKmRF8oP8cJfubPcxo_tpaGhl5ex8Fcc1R9oPSRRCEhJTJabrCfe2dSCggK0C4Ljyrdq26kSm3qDw/s1600-h/fantomas.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 217px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidwWksp_HIJVKuEvWJytLKOxYrijAHHRq168ThhAowh0N6yEucYPe3_3MHjGKmRF8oP8cJfubPcxo_tpaGhl5ex8Fcc1R9oPSRRCEhJTJabrCfe2dSCggK0C4Ljyrdq26kSm3qDw/s320/fantomas.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371890423536497170" border="0" /></a><br />A little back story first... While on twitter, one of <a href="http://twitter.com/biphenyl">folks</a> I follow was talking about a FREE e-book that he just got for his Kindle. I have enjoyed his tweets, so I thought, 'it's free - why not give it a try'. I finished the book last night and I have to say it was one of the toughest books I've read in as long as I can remember. It seemed like every other page, I was coming across a word that I didn't know the meaning of! Luckily the Kindle has a "built-in" dictionary, and I obviously took advantage of that feature. In my defense... the book was written around 1911, and it was originally written in French, so some of the words have a French origin.<br />But I'm curious: out of these 86 words, how many do you know the meaning of?<br />(also, some of the words, I was able to deduce the meaning of based on the context, but even so I marked it as a word I didn't know). (also: any misspellings are from the book).<br />Oh - and if you're interested... you can download the book <a href="http://manybooks.net/titles/souvestrep2779427794-8.html">here</a>. I found it a good read overall (the ending kinda fell apart for me only due to an increase of character names and I was getting a bit lost).<br />>>><br />munificent<br />remunerated<br />coign<br />vexation<br />chit<br />copse<br />presentiment<br />escritoire<br />circumlocutions<br />pretermitted<br />vouchsafed<br />gendarme<br />peremptory<br />navvies<br />quietened<br />crapulous<br />monomania<br />paroxysms<br />adduce<br />efface<br />dentelated<br />pilules<br />peremptorily<br />képi<br />impassivity<br />fastidiousness<br />wen<br />equipage<br />felloes<br />perambulator<br />rushes<br />mien<br />pursy<br />squireens<br />ulster<br />disquisition<br />obloquy<br />deferent<br />abstracted<br />impudence<br />conciliate<br />abdicate<br />expiate<br />peremptory<br />throve<br />anodynes<br />unctuous<br />evinced<br />discomfited<br />ministrations<br />interminable<br />libations :one of my favorites<br />evincing<br />potations<br />unctuously<br />garrulity<br />peremptorily<br />brooked<br />alighted<br />jemmy :one of my favorites<br />vouchsafed<br />peccadillo<br />privations<br />adroitly<br />plucky<br />major-domo<br />paroxysm<br />peripatetic<br />warder<br />blenched<br />acclivity<br />soliloquising<br />vituperation<br />calumny<br />Bosh<br />Torquemada<br />lorgnettes<br />adducing<br />Proteus<br />perfunctorily<br />deprecatingly<br />inveterate<br />callow<br />toffs :one of my favorites<br />lugubriousUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442560.post-76566219932016566962009-08-16T19:23:00.004-04:002009-08-19T23:30:01.284-04:00The MallToday I took a trip over to the local mall. I have not been there in quite some time so it was interesting to see how things changed. I used to frequent this mall regularly in most cases to eat at the food court. They had a big array of restaurants and I enjoyed "people watching". Well, the first change was that the food court moved. Some of the same names there, but also quite a few were missing from the lineup. It seemed like a more condensed version of how I remembered it. Now, perhaps, it was a HOT Sunday afternoon, but it also seemed very crowded. I have a feeling people were there just sucking up the free air conditioning (and it was nice and cool there, I admit). The main reason I went there is that I thought I might get my new eye-glass prescription fulfilled at the Lenscrafters (which is where I got my glasses about 4 years ago). At the same time, I wanted to see what their selection of Rx Sunglasses were and to check out the prices. Wow. That was a bit of a setback. JUST to get new lenses into my existing frames... $325!!! Suddenly I can see much better today! For a "cheap" pair of sunglasses the prices started at $119 for the frames, and went up from there. Needless to say, I walked out of there to re-think my options. I'm still not sure what I'll do now.<br />Back to the mall...<br />One of the things that struck me most about all the shops (some new some old)... MOST of the shops are geared to the younger crowd. Hard to pinpoint an age, but I'll say late teens to mid 20's. I actually started to feel 'old' as I was walking around!<br />One other observation... I thought while I was there, I might as well check the Apple Store there. It was PACKED with people! But as I looked around, it was packed with kids! I mean like 12-15 year old! At one point, the iphones on display were all being "played" with by little kids!? Other teens were just surfing the web, one kid was watching "ultimate wrestling" online. It was like a day care center in there or something. So throw in all the hustle and bustle, the loud music, and I just couldn't wait to get out of the store!<br />So maybe it is a sign I'm getting older, but I doubt I'll be headed back to the mall any time soon (unless I do decide to get the sunglasses there - but I won't be "shopping").<br /><br />edit: This was just a great coincidence, I had to update this post...<br />As I talk about the younger kids hanging out in the apple store, I have seen this youtube clip (and soon to be internet star (if he isn't already)) popping up all over the place.<br />I admire this kids creativity and his ability to make a name for himself at his local apple store.<br />So enjoy a little "Boom Boom Pow" lip sync from Nicholifavs...<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/5anVB-PqtuE&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/5anVB-PqtuE&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442560.post-23513605708359798182009-07-17T23:20:00.002-04:002009-07-17T23:35:59.904-04:00Verizon and FIOSI'll try to keep this short.<br />I decided to call Verizon this morning to see if I could take care of a problem that has been annoying me. My neighborhood had FIOS installed about a year ago (perhaps longer). Almost once a week, I get a mailer (sometimes 2!) encouraging me to switch to FIOS. I can't believe the money they've wasted on these mailings to me, not to mention all the dead trees, ink, etc... I tried calling about a month ago to get them to remove my name from the mailing list. Oddly enough, the man told me he could do that, but then just after I gave him my name, I was disconnected. Irony?<br />I thought, well he had my name, and my phone number so he should have the right information to complete my request. No. A month later, and I'm STILL getting a mailer a week. So I decided to try again.<br />I spoke with a VERY nice and polite woman. I really tip my hat to her. (note: I think I got a nice person, because I called the "sales" line, and not the tech support). She agreed she could do that, and apologized for the mulitple mailings. Great!<br />It all went well, that I decided to take care of the next issue with her...<br />I signed up for Verizon DSL about 2-3 years ago. At the time, I got a price of about $29.99 if I agreed to a one year term. Fine. I didn't really pay attention to the data rate because it was the only one they had. Since that time, my friend and relative who signed up within the year, they had an option of a 1MB plan for $17.99 (which they now have raised to $19.99) OR a 3MB plan for $29.99.<br />Well, I've been checking my speeds and I'm only getting about 1.5MB, so I thought, I must be on an old plan.<br />I asked the woman all of the above, and she confirmed that she could switch me to the 3MB plan for $29.99 - GREAT! But....<br />Tonight I get home, and check my speeds... again, it's still at 1.5MB. I call up again to find out what happened.<br />Over an hour and a half on the phone, I talked to a customer service rep, who transfered me to tech support, who said there was nothing he could do, because my plan still said 3MB OR 1.5MB - and I had to take the issue back up with customer service. ugh.<br />I called back, and spent another 30 minutes on the phone (with another nice woman), and long story short, she says she was able to switch me to the 3MB/1.5MB plan.<br />Really verizon?! These are the plans you offer for $29.99?<br />1) a 3MB OR 1.5MB<br />2) a 3MB/1.5MB<br />Seriously?<br /><br />Note the use of the plan names... it's not "up to" 3MB it's presented as an "either, or" - how can this be possible?<br /><br />Verizon - you're at the top of my list now. You have made Comcast look good today. Ugh.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442560.post-25036548425192941302009-07-11T00:19:00.002-04:002009-07-11T00:31:51.929-04:00small rant...It amazes me now how the time gets away from me regarding this here blog...<br /><br />So a small rant I wanted to get off my chest.<br />My new pet peeve is companies who CHANGE their product.<br />I am a creature of habit. I admit that. I don't like change. I understand all the points behind it though; learning to adapt, exploring the world, growing as a person, etc...<br />I've gotten used to (and enjoy) the same type or flavor of Lance Crackers every morning for breakfast (except weekends). They are a Swiss Cheese flavor - though they taste NOTHING like Swiss cheese. But I enjoy them. Well, about 3 months (perhaps longer) ago, Lance crackers phased out that particular flavor! I since learned that they were introducing new flavors that involve a new "whole wheat" cracker - and big surprise - they cost more. Now I must adapt to these new flavors, which I don't like as much.<br />Then to top that off... the local supermarket where I get them... has just stopped carrying them! They only have a "keebler" ones which to me are horrible because their cracker parts are too sweet. So now, I have to find a new grocery store that sells lance crackers. I did notice the other day that the local "club store" carries Austin brand wheat crackers so perhaps I'll give that a try next time I'm low.<br />I'll throw out another one though I hope it's not too personal...<br />Underwear! I am picky about the type of clothes I like mostly regarding fit and fabric (I don't care "as much" as what they look like, as long as they are comfortable). When I find a brand I like, I usually stick with it. So a couple weeks ago, I went out to pick up some replacement undies, so I went back to the store I got them at last time, and picked out the same ones. I bring them home, try them on next time, and they feel different. Here, I look at the label and they are 95% cotton, and 5% Spandex!?!?! Grr. So 90's! :) So now, what do I do, do I have to start the search for a whole new brand name now? What made them decide to change the fabric percentages?!<br />So companies out there... don't be so quick to change products. There are such things as loyal customers.<br />Ok, that feels better now.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442560.post-76682304891649984542009-07-02T10:11:00.004-04:002009-07-02T10:34:40.757-04:00Kindle - first impressions<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPamKHj2gKVTRCzVPOqs7oQwj6p30Xphzv1QCdZzyxiRAZqw0gNRgno0o6Z4xOg_iVHdi9PaAzXJQioIaaMvfC7Gb0W-xcysXa0QvKliblKNVa2nFpo7ccWcJeCtqnrkWuAEvo2Q/s1600-h/Kindle_image.png"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 211px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPamKHj2gKVTRCzVPOqs7oQwj6p30Xphzv1QCdZzyxiRAZqw0gNRgno0o6Z4xOg_iVHdi9PaAzXJQioIaaMvfC7Gb0W-xcysXa0QvKliblKNVa2nFpo7ccWcJeCtqnrkWuAEvo2Q/s320/Kindle_image.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353869797631617954" border="0" /></a><br />Yep, I got myself a Kindle! Well, with help from some recent birthday gift certificates that is...<br />I've been eyeing these things for quite some time now. But I could never justify the price. While I very much enjoy reading, I tend to do my reading before bed each night which means I usually only get a few pages in per night before Mr. Sandman clunks me over the head. BUT I do love books. In fact, I admire others who have or make more time for reading. I am making an effort to increase my reading time as well.<br /><br />So first let me say, there are some things that trouble me regarding a Kindle.<br />1) I've never had an issue where I couldn't read anything because I had a dead battery.<br />2) I've never dropped my entire bookcase to the point where if I did, I wouldn't be able to read those books anymore.<br />3) I'm very troubled by the tight grips that Amazon is building into their Kindle format.<br />4) I don't like the high costs of the Kindle editions (on some books - other books are FREE!)<br /><br />But... I received mine yesterday morning, and upon opening it, and getting to know it as the day progressed, I felt like I was holding a magical device.<br />It seems to be VERY nicely designed which is important for a device like this. As I was unpacking it (which the packing is really nicely done as well), I couldn't help but notice a heavy "Apple" influence. (Learn from the best).<br />The device is a tad heavier than what I expected, but it's certainly a good weight.<br />I so far have "purchased" only one book - which was a wopping ¢99! It was Thomas Paine's "Common Sense" (I started to read this book some time ago, but never finished it). I've also "purchased" a handful of the FREE books. (I had to laugh as many of the "top sellers" are FREE books - I suspect that is because people who buy a Kindle can't afford to buy books anymore!)<br />There is defintely going to be a price war ahead (happening now!). People are NOT going to want to spend more than the $9.99 base price. They view an e-book as not being as expensive as a paper book (I do anyway). But I'm sure in due time the prices will even out.<br /><br />As far as readbility and navigation etc...<br />The e-ink is very nice. The only complaint is that the background is a tad too dark in my opinion. IF Amazon were smart, they would not have made the unit a stark bright white. It only emphasizes that the "paper" is about 40% gray. They should have made the unit a dark gray (abt 80% which would have given the illusion of a brighter "paper". So far though, It is very readable though (I've heard some people complain of eyestrain on long periods).<br />The navigation is nice, but I think it could use a little work. I'm sure though, once I get the hang of what the buttons do, I'll adapt and it won't be an issue (for example, I tend to want to use the 5-way button to turn pages).<br /><br />All in all, a really nice device, and I hope to get many hours of enjoyment from it.<br />One last comment... this is only the "second generation" Kindle... and it's only been out for a little over a year or so (meaning the first gen Kindle). I'm aware that soon my unit will be out of date, but such is the price to pay for adopting new technology.<br />I will enjoy it for a long time I'm sure.<br />(note, I'm STILL using my second gen. ipod and like it very much!)<br /><br />Oh... one more thing... the images they have while the unit is in sleep mode are fantastic! The levels of gray are enough to do justice to a black and white image.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442560.post-74760428855824990572009-06-30T18:49:00.002-04:002009-06-30T19:03:59.578-04:00political commentSometimes the web can make you feel good.<br /><br />I find myself on twitter a lot. I enjoy seeing.hearing what people who I choose to "follow" are doing. One of those reasons is because I tend to pick people who I find interesting. So it's a sort of self-fulling loop.<br />One of those persons that I chose to follow is a republican. Not just a regular republican but a right wing republican with his own blog and his own video blog. I can't recall where I discovered this person and how I came about following him. But I enjoy keeping an ear on what "the other side" is up to. I don't comment on his tweets, and usually I don't comment on his blog posts. I feel like it's not my place to be the "troll" on his thoughts and opinions. By all means he's free to post what he believes in. But... (You knew there was a but coming right? :)<br />The other day, I read a post on his blog. It was (I think) by another person as it was listed under commentary. The title of the blog was something like "Why I'm through with the Republican party". It was a short post actually. Only 8 paragraphs. I read through the 7 paragraphs and they all were criticisms of the current party and basically pointing out how they are not the voice of a "true conservative" anymore. I even found myself agreeing with some of his/her points. But then... In the last paragraph, he starts with "But I will continue to support the Republican party..." (there was a vague disclaimer attached to that sentence something like if they act like how they promised on the campaign trail).<br />I couldn't believe it. Here was a poignant expression about how the GOP is losing it's way, and it ends with the author claiming he'll still support the party?! I couldn't help myself to post a comment. I tried to be respectful, and not use personal attacks (like so many internet comments), but I also pointed out how I didn't understand the thinking and and logic.<br />I went back today, to check the blog post to see if I had raised the ire of all the other Rep's on that site. I was expecting to get an earful, but much to my surprise the article is not there. Earlier today, I got an error that said the website is being re-designed so perhaps it was just a technical glitch, and once the web designer gets around to it, he'll fix the link, but for now, I can't help but wonder... did I have anything to do with the pulling of the article because they read the article and said "gee, he's right, that doesn't make any sense".<br />I'll try to remember to check over the next few days and see if it reappears. If it does, I'll update this post.<br />(note: I realize I'm being vague, and not listing the blog. I don't want to drive either other Reps or Dems and start a comment flame war.)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442560.post-24077777373304769312009-06-25T19:27:00.004-04:002009-06-25T19:36:27.174-04:00Funny photo | SF compost<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOexHM9zEYuzDcowPuRjB_Hgn5xajWgODWyRsgDXcPI0GbPExwoxyocliMV_ZtZkW7D07hOciJRy3iQ9LphhjqbL508ftDV54B0cnHXQf2myAkRmUjf0Gckmrj1LGGk3wMLmouOQ/s1600-h/mayor-newsom-1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOexHM9zEYuzDcowPuRjB_Hgn5xajWgODWyRsgDXcPI0GbPExwoxyocliMV_ZtZkW7D07hOciJRy3iQ9LphhjqbL508ftDV54B0cnHXQf2myAkRmUjf0Gckmrj1LGGk3wMLmouOQ/s320/mayor-newsom-1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351412754622597090" border="0" /></a><br />This morning I read over on the <a href="http://www.inhabitat.com/2009/06/24/san-francisco-mandates-recycling-composting/">Inhabitat blog</a> that San Francisco has jut made it a "law" (seems odd to think of this as a law) that the city will now add mandatory composting to their waste management. I applaud this effort (though I'm a little confused how it all will work - I'm sorry, I can't see how this will a) Not smell! (because people will not know what is the right thing to compost or not, and because people are lazy (and/or stupid) and they'll just put anything they want into the compost catagory) and b) not attract rodents.<br />But hopefully they have it all figured out - because I know first hand - no wait, I guess it's "second hand" that my ma also composts for their small backyard garden. It's really a good thing.<br /><br />All of the above said... when I looked at the photo above, I just had to laugh at the guy in the lower right hand side. He's just got his head down, and is pinching his nose as if he has the worst tension headache. I can just imagine him as one of the mayor's advisers and he's thinking to himself, 'THIS will be a disaster!' :)<br /><br />(if you can't see it, you can click on the image to enlarge it).Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442560.post-56723310003897701922009-06-21T21:50:00.004-04:002009-06-21T22:07:01.285-04:00Iran Election thoughts...First off, let me admit I am not following the Iran Election events closely. But that being said, I have a few thoughts I want to throw out there...<br />I am very much into twitter now as a means of communication, mini-blogging, and in general keeping an eye on whats going on in the world. A trend I see on twitter is people making their avatar green to show support for the Iranian people who are protesting for democracy and legitimate elections. I have refrained from taking part on this bandwagon. For fear of sounding callous (which I'm not), I don't see the point. In fact, someone on twitter said it nicely... "it's like putting the yellow ribbons on our trees and cars to show support for the troops". It's a superficial sign that shows what you think, rather than actually helping in a meaningful way. Again, if you are supporting the Iranians and want to show solidarity that's great, but I would hope that the people doing this are also doing more than just changing their avatars.<br />Another item that I really just noticed today (Sunday), is that the republicans are now using this event to criticize Obama. You have two lines of critiques... one: He's meddling in other countries affairs too much, or two: he's not doing enough. The cry today coming from the right wing is that he's not doing enough. Yet, I hear them claim this but I don't hear what it is they want him to do. In my opinion, he's handling it well for the moment. He's raised concern over the legitimacy of the election, and condemned any violent behavior and at the same time praised the protestors for peacful demonstrations. That to me sounds like the right thing to do. It's up to their lawmakers and lawenforcers to determine if the election has been rigged or not. We (as a country) should stay out of their affiars. I think back to when our election was possibly stolen in When our president was "appointed" by the Supreme Court. I would not have listened to another countries leader regarding the election.<br />So, I'll continue to follow this news with some minor interest. I support the Iranians who are passionate enough to protest (matter of fact, WE should learn a lesson from them if our election is ever called into question again). I hope the people in Iran continue to demonstrate peacfully, and I hope it is all resolved in a favorable way that is best for the Iranian people.<br />(disclaimer: I reserve the right to change my mind on any of this upon learning further information).Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442560.post-28143769540753615342009-06-19T08:27:00.002-04:002009-06-19T08:33:21.746-04:00not much to sayno really... I've been trying to think about something to blog about for the past couple days and nothing has struck me.<br />I'm enjoying the time spent now visiting with "west coast" family as they are in town now for their vacation.<br />I'm still keeping an eye on political stuff, but to be honest I'm also trying to take a brake from all the mud slinging and negativity.<br />I'm sort of in mid-limbo on my hobbies - mostly frustrated with my whole lack of space in my small apartment to do anything.<br />I guess the only bit of good news is that I FINALLY got around to shelling out the money to buy two new tires for my truck. I've needed them for a while, yet kept postponing it until I made up my mind about keeping my truck or selling it and gettting a Prius. I still want a prius, but I'm not ready to go into debt again just yet (or deplete my savings to buy a car). So the new tires will buy me some more time to make up my mind.<br />So that's about it for now.<br />I hope to have more intersting topics soon.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0