It appears I may have to break my one rule...

Yes, folks. I think the day has come, much sooner than I thought was possible. But I believe I will have to break my one rule about buying BRDs. Well, I guess there were two rules...

Anywho, I think I'll have to break any and all rules that I had before for this one exception. And that exception is...

Scrubs, Season 8

Yes, yes, I know. It's not action/adventure/thriller/sci-fi/fantasy, but, BUT... it was filmed in 1080. Not sure if filming was done in 1080i or 1080p, but the BRD will be 1080p, so that's got something going for it.

The reason why I bring this up is because I can't understand why the DVD version came out this week and the BRD version doesn't come out until November 17!!! I don't know of any recent television show that has done this, and it's pissing me off!

No doubt this all stems from me purchasing the DVD version (still in its original wrapping, so I can return it) and realizing that the aspect ratio is 1.33:1. That's right... 1.33:1. The show was done in HD, shown on HDTVs as 1080i, meaning it should be 16:9 for all DVD/BRD versions. So why is the DVD version in freakin' 1.33:1?!?! I understand why the previous seasons might be that way, but season 8 was filmed in HD, so at minimum the DVD should be 1.85:1 or 2.35:1. It makes no sense!

Now that I got that off my chest, I can say I've got some interesting ideas for next week's postings. I can't wait to write them. Later!

St. Elmo's Fire and the NFL - Who knew they had similarities?

Because of the (lack of) success for the movie Post Grad, which earned just $2.8 million this past weekend, it had me thinking about the road lying ahead for this year's crop of rookies in the NFL. Who's going to be the immediate star? Who's going to fall off the map? Who's going to surprise us late in the season with veteran prowess at such a young age? So it had me thinking about another post-grad film, St. Elmo's Fire (kinda like a follow-up to those great coming-of-age films by the late John Hughes). In it we have a group of friends who have just graduated from Georgetown University and have to learn to live life after college and become adults in in ever-changing world. Much like the new batch of rookies in the NFL.

But I had to take it one step further. Why not also compare the characters of the film with some of the NFL franchises? In a way, teams graduate after each season, learning to cope with the loss of free agents and retirees, and at the same time build off the success (or lack thereof) from the previous season. With all of this in mind, I give you the St. Elmo's Fire character and their parallels, in terms of NFL rookies and franchises.

Billy Hicks - Michael Crabtree, WR SF - Cleveland Browns

The "frat boy" of the group, Billy is unable to keep a job but has a great talent at saxophone. He also misses the ol' college days. Crabtree doesn't have a job at this moment as he remains unsigned. I'm guessing he wishes he could go back to the ol' college days because I don't know if the 49ers will budge in contract negotiations. The Browns don't have a team, per se, but they have loads of talent (Quinn, Anderson, Lewis, Edwards). Sadly, they probably miss the days back in the 1980s, when St. Elmo's Fire was first released.

Leslie Hunter - Knowshon Moreno, RB DEN - Buffalo Bills

A romantic, Leslie is an architect who wishes to find herself before settling down to marry and have a family. She wants to make sure she doesn't lose her sense of self later in married life. Moreno has been a name mentioned on every possible sports medium as a great potential at running back, but in a system like the Broncos, he could get lost in the mix. With a plethora of RBs around him and a preseason injury, Moreno will need to show he's the number one choice for Denver. The Buffalo Bills want to try the T.O experiment to find out if they have what it takes to compete in the AFC (East). But with T.O., they may lose their team identiy, not to mention the season if it all gets out of control.

Kevin Dolenz - Jason Smith, OT STL - Detroit Lions

A writer with a sullen streak, Kevin is trying to find his meaning of life and is working hard to write an article about it. Smith knows all about being down and out. On a perennial loser like Baylor in college, Smith will try to beef up the offensive line for the Rams, and he'll be working hard for a team with another tough season ahead. The Lions are the definition of losers. 0-16. But after a winningless season, the Lions are out to find if their number 1 pick will be the quarterback of the future (or just the next five years, until they have to draft another QB with the first pick).

Julianna Van Patten - Mark Sanchez, QB NYJ - Washington Redskins

Julianna is the "party girl" of the group, and she lives a rich and extravagant lifestyle (with a nice apartment, as well). She's also looking for love she couldn't find while growing up. Sanchez looks like the "party boy" of the draft, living up the California lifestyle at USC and only starting one meaningful season in college. He (and the Jets) will be looking for something they haven't seen in a long time (well before Sanchez was even born): an electrifying QB like the one-and-only Joe Willie Namath. The Redskins spend and spend to get the biggest free agents every year, and every year the money is not well spent. Redskins fans are looking for something they haven't seen since they were little: a competitive team.

Kirby Keager - Chris Wells, RB ARI - Minnesota Vikings

Working as a waiter, Kirby has aspirations of becoming a lawyer. He also becomes obsessed with a girl he meets and is even willing to change careers to be with her. Wells has aspirations of becoming the next great NFL running back from Ohio State (no need for "The" as there isn't another school like it, that's for sure...). He may want to consider changing careers as another injury sidelines him early in the preseason. The Vikings have aspirations of being an elite team in the NFL. They have become so obsessed with Brett Favre as the answer to their prayers that there will willing to jeopardize their relationship with the other QBs on the team, not to mention the entire locker room.

Wendy Beamish - Matthew Stafford, QB DET - Green Bay Packers

The "innocent" of the group, Wendy dedicates her life to helping others, but at the same time she wishes to break free from her family's overprotectiveness and assert her independence. Stafford is the top of the draft, dedicated to the woeful Detroit Lions for 6 years. He probably wishes he can be the QB to break this losing curse and assert himself as a QB to watch for many years to come. The Packers are a home-grown team, with fans who bleed green and gold. They wish to break free from the Favre debacle (that has lasted too long) with Aaron Rodgers at the helm, in what the Packers hope can be another fruitful era in the league.

Alec Newbury - Darrius Heyward-Bey, WR OAK - Denver Broncos

A shameless, yet ambitious, Democratic yuppie, Alec surprises everyone when he works for a Republican senator. He's desperate to marrie Leslie, even though he cheats on her. Heyward-Bey surprised everyone when he was drafted by the Raiders before Crabtree, the perennial number one wide-out (and potential top draft pick). He needs to show everyone his speed (4.3 in the 40) and skills are worth the seventh overall pick, but being on the Raiders could cheat him from potential productivity. The Denver Broncos surprised everyone when they went with Josh McDaniels as their new head coach. Desperate to show he runs the show, he puts Cutler out there as trade bait (which backfired) and now is stuck with Orton and Simms as his QBs.

So there you have it. Do you agree with these comparisons? If not, let me know what you think. Later!

John Parr - Man In Motion (St. Elmo's Fire)
Uploaded by jpdc11. - See the latest featured music videos.

Character descriptions from Wikipedia

Images from Google

Top 5 Signs You Take Fantasy Football Way Too Seriously

It's that time of year again. Time when school starts up, the temps go down, and fantasy football (FFB) corrupts the minds of America for the next 5 months. But for some individuals, FFB is a matter of life and death. Each decision made with the draft picks must be scrutinized to no end. Any mistake in picking up the next great running back could spell doom for his/her team and a season will have been lost. So for those wondering if they fit into this category, I give you the Top 5 signs you take fantasy football way too seriously. Why 5? Because "Top Ten" has already been taken, eleven is one more, and any more than 5 and I would be taking this list way too seriously. With that, I give you...

5. You have to take out a second mortgage to cover the costs of FFB guides and kits, just so you can determine who is the best choice in your draft slot.

Now I know it can be really crucial who you choose with your first pick, especially how your league is set up, point-wise. But if it takes the same amount of money spent on "Cash For Clunkers" to help you with your selection, then you might want to think about becoming a politician so at least you waste the taxpayers' dollars and not your own.

4. You think The Wire should really be a weekly show about how to choose from the waiver list.

Isn't it annoying when you have a guy/girl in your league who drops and adds players from waivers more often than Favre wavers between retirement and un-retirement (okay, I'll stop with the Favre jokes... but it's so much fun). Sadly that's why you can find, implemented in fantasy leagues, a restriction on the number of changes made to rosters during the season and a time limit on when these changes can be made. I say if you want that wide-out who's fourth on the depth chart of his own team, be my guest.

3. You believe holding on to Michael Vick in your "keeper" league for the past two years will finally pay off.

That's a little too extreme, even for the league I'm in. Although, if you wanted to start an all-convict team, you'd have Vick at QB, Jamal Lewis at RB, and Donte' Stallworth and Plaxico Burress at WR. Not a bad starting lineup... in 2005 (And yes, for those of you who like to leave rebuttals, I know Lewis didn't have a stellar season in '05, but who should I have put in his place? Travis Henry?).

2. You take more time considering your FFB team name than you would for naming your own kid.

Yes, I know you want to be witty, I know you want to be funny, I know you want to strike fear in those teams who dare compete against you, but who's going to remember your team's name after the season is over? If your team does poorly, it'll just be a reminder of how terribly managed your team was. And with 20 characters available, you're not winning a Pulitzer Prize anytime soon.

1. You get all worked up over how a player looks against the 4-3 versus the 3-4, rather than how this looks:

In a bikini... or less.

When you care about 3-4 defenses more than 34-24-35, it can only mean one of two things. Either you've had any inkling of looking at beautiful ladies beaten out of you by your women, or you've been living way too long at home. If you're in the group because of the first reason, then my apologies to you. If you're in the latter group, time to get out of the house and meet someone... who will at least share your passion for FFB.

Feel free to leave comments and let me know if you can think of any other signs that show you could be taking FFB way too seriously. Later!

Sorry for the delay

Long day today in lab, but Monday I'll try my luck again with a strong posting. Have a great weekend!

I'm so sneaky...

Okay, so yesterday's post was a little different than most of my usual stuff I write about, but it got me on SI's Hot Clicks, so I'm on this amazing high right now. I thought it might get out there, but never in my wildest dreams did I think this would get shown on a popular site like Sports Illustrated. Freakin' awe... wait for it... some!

Now it's time to get back into some of my usual postings: DVD purchases! Yeah, I know I swore those off back in May, but my BF got me thinking, not everything needs to be seen in BR. Last I checked, any movie filmed before the creation and use of high-def cameras will not be in true 1080p! So instead of getting any movie before the turn of the century on BR, it just makes sense to get them on DVD and watch them on the BR. Still looks pretty nice. Rule two for purchasing BRDs dictates that anything that doesn't have great action sequences shouldn't be needed in BR. And that rule almost got broken...

I would consider myself a fairly manly man. I like to watch sports 24/7, I enjoy action-packed movies, I could eat Jimmy John's every day. But in other ways, I'm not so much a manly man, including not knowing the inner workings of a car, I can't use power tools to save my life, and I don't drink beer (although appletinis do sound nice right now...). Anywho, when I saw the trailer for I Love You, Man I knew this movie was for me. Mostly because it has Jason Segel (love just about anything Freaks and Geeks) and the SO swears I have a bromance with my BF. Not true, althoug I haven't seen him since the wedding... No, not like that, he married a WOMAN. A beautiful woman, and no I wasn't heartbroken that I have to share him with her (tear...).

To make a long story short, the movie finally came out on DVD and BRD last week, and I was ready to buy it on DVD... but a little voice in my head said, "But BR would look amazing." It was a loud voice, but it was persistent. The problem is about 10 bucks - the difference between DVD and BRD. The other problem is it would set a bad precedent for purchasing future BRDs. If a comedy could be bought in BR, why not a drama? Or a TV series (which is a dilemma, with Scrubs Season 8 coming out next week...).

I thought very long as I stood in the DVD area at SuperTarget about what to do. I knew the SO would kill me, and that it would put more money towards her buying shoes and/or yarn. It was really tough to not have the movie in BR, but I reasoned with myself that it was best to get the DVD. Tough choice, but at least I stuck to my rules. Now about Scrubs...

Later!

Scrubs vs. Favre - Who Made the Bigger Mistake of Returning This Fall?

Well, I just had to write this post, seeing as it seemed appropriate to discuss this issue. We all love it when our favorite show returns for another season, and we love when our favorite athletes come back one more time to win one more championship. But that is the case when we feel the final chapter of the book needs to be written. But it had already been written for both.

The once series finale for Scrubs was the perfect ending to not only the die-hards (myself included) but also those who may have just started to watch. It gave us the ending we wanted for J.D. and his relationship with Elliott, Turk, and Dr. Cox. We were able to see characters from seasons past, and we had the ability to possibly see what was in store for J.D. and his friends and family.

Brett Favre was football. He was everything we loved about the hero who comes to save the day. He was brash and bold. He risked it all for the final score that would put his team on top. He gave Packers fans a reason to love their team and the season ahead. Although it was rather messy with the initial finale for Brett and the Packers, at least he was able to show he still had a little left in him, without embarrassing himself and his family. Yet, even Madden knew when to say enough is enough and retire...

But that has all changed since last spring. Clearly the story of the day yesterday was how Favre was back in the NFL, with all teams, the Minnesota Vikings, the hated archrival of the Green Bay Packers. Pretty amazing how quickly they had him out there on the field Tuesday afternoon.

ABC has decided that Scrubs could continue on without the main cast of characters, including J.D., who IS the show. Rather than end on a high note, the show will still have the same title and instead have Turk and Cox teach medical students in a university setting, while having the Sacred Heart Hospital ready for cameos by Janitor, Ted, Kelso, and Carla.

Here are three reasons why these abominations are wrong:

1. They destroyed any relationship they had with their true fans. Favre has no chance of ever entering Wisconsin and coming out unscathed. It's going to be ugly come November 1st when the Vikes come to Lambeau Field to play the Packers. It might be Mexico soccer ugly...

Message boards have a resounding theme for Scrubs: Don't come back! Many, if not most, if not ALL, have said that Scrubs ended last spring and that that's the end. This new show is not Scrubs, nor shall it be considered the "ninth" season.

2. There is nothing to gain from another season. What is Favre going to do? Win a Super Bowl? It's not going to be as easy as just needing one more player to be the dominant favorite to take the NFC or the Lombardi Trophy (pretty sure Vince is turning in his grave as we speak). If he truly believed he could win, why wasn't he out there day one? Because he wants the Clemens treatment. He wants to go out there on game day, wing a couple downfield, then go home and not deal with practice, video sessions, etc. He wants all the glory and has none of the guts.

And wasn't this the SERIES finale for Scrubs? How can a show called Scrubs continue on when we had the conclusion of THE MAIN CHARACTER. No, J.D. didn't die, but his time at Sacred Heart was over and we, the fans, had a chance to keep the dream alive of how J.D. and Elliott, Turk and Carla, and the rest of the gang would live the next few years of their lives. I think if they at least called it a spin-off and renamed the show (How about AfterScrubs? Come on, that's funny!), we would at least feel like it's a different show. But if we're following a straight line for how spin-offs fare, then it's all downhill for this one (Frasier and Cheers, Joey and Friends... you get my point).

3. Their legacy will be lost. What's Favre going to do when he gets to the Hall of Fame? Enter as a Packer? Yeah, most of his career was there, but imagine yourself if a girl just broke up with you, then you bumped into her with her new boyfriend, then spit on you? That's how the Packer fans feel right now. Now imagine if that girl, for some strange reason, asks you to be at her wedding. Are you going to show up? And if so, wouldn't you want to get revenge on what is to be the greatest day in her life? Favre better be in the Pope-mobile that day, cause there could be Muenster raining down on him...

Yeah, there were a couple of bad seasons in the mix, and yeah, NBC screwed them over royally for being an ABC-owned show while on the rival network, but these 8 seasons of Scrubs (as a whole) created a wonderful world with interesting characters that made us laugh, cry, and think (just as Jimmy V would want it). Now let's say 10 years from now, our children are watching Scrubs on syndication and want to watch all the episodes in one big marathon. Well, if they get the complete series on DVD (or BRD, or whatever version is available 10 years from now), this season (and God forbid any more) will be included in that collection. What do you tell your kids when they ask what this suckfest is at the end of the series? As it will make no sense to the story, nor does it all for the near-perfect finale of season 8, it will tarnish the "little show that could."

In conclusion, there's nothing we can really do about it. 10 years from now, a million things could have happened to the legacy of Favre and Scrubs that would set them on a higher path than where they go from here today. Maybe we'll look back and realize it was the right step for them to take. But here today, in 2009, it is a dark and ugly road they're on. And I don't think anyone will help them if they get a flat tire along the way. Later!

Four Movies, Four Reviews, Four Brain Cells Left...

Okay, so I think I may have more than four brain cells left in me, but whatever is left definitely has to work overtime after all the stupidity that destroyed what could be considered, at one point, my intelligence. And I think that's why they invented HBO, to destroy my intelligence with movies that I've always wanted to see, but now I'm thinking they should have remained unseen. What movie(s) could incur such wrath from me? Well,...

The Wizard. A joyful 1989 romp through a clearly concise, yet way too long commercial for Nintendo and its soon-to-be-released Super Mario Bros. 3 video game. I can't believe I sat through it. The only thing that helped was that it was in HD. That piece of drivel should have been left in California. I don't have to trash this movie, as the AVGN and the Nostalgia Critic have both torn this movie to shreds. What I want to point out are two things that were way wrong with this movie:

1: Tobey Maguire's mullet: When the "badboy" Lucas is shown outside the video game tournament in California, his rough and tough gang of misfit boys included a young Maguire who should be thankful that this wasn't his last film, although someone should have squashed the debacle that was Spiderman 3...

2. Did no one notice that in the finals, the lady over the loud speaker says two minutes are left, yet the clock on the screen says one minute?!?! We can't do any final edits so that the film is at least making one bit of sense?

National Lampoon's Loaded Weapon 1. This is a really bad movie, yet I can't seem to help myself in thinking that it had some really funny parts. Not really sure why there was a need to do a spoof on the Lethal Weapon movies, but in 1993, I guess anything was possible. Emilio Estevez was in his heyday as a passable actor, Samuel L. Jackson was decent, but there's no real outstanding performance from anyone in this film. I think it was more about the inside jokes about the absurdity of the Lethal Weapon movies and any movies within that genre (Die Hard, as one example). The reason why this film has any girth is that it made the SO laugh... at one line. But still it was a great line. Can't find the scene on YouTube, but the line was, "Maybe it was the bullets that killed her." That got a rise out of the SO. Still, a bad movie with great jokes that really could have delivered in a better way.

Now not all movies on HBO were bad. I finally was able to get the chance to see Tropic Thunder. I thought it was a pretty good movie, mostly because I was not ready for the director's last scene that just blew me away...

Still, I thought it had strong performances from Robert Downey, Jr., Jay Baruchel, and amazingly enough (I can't believe I'm saying this), Tom Cruise. Even though I think he went cuckoo a long time ago, Cruise still has it in him to put up a great performance, a COMEDIC performance. Jack Black was probably the weakest character out of the bunch, mostly because his drug-addicted character was more annoying than comical. Very refreshing to watch, as I wanted to know what situation these actors could get themselves into, once they landed in a real war-torn land. If only I could get my hands on the extended version...

Finally, this wasn't a film that was on HBO, although it should be lucky if it ever makes a cable network release. The timeless classic (from 2009)... Inkheart. I think it's an appropriate title as I wanted to shove a pen into my chest cavity to get me out of watching this atrocity on the HDTV. The SO rented it on DVD at a local rental store, without warning (i.e. I was so ready to watch another movie, so the movie already had two strikes against it - 1, it was something the SO wanted to see, and 2, it was keeping me from watching a film I wanted to see. Bad omen...)

Because this movie came out in January, I already knew this had to be a bomb of a movie. That was pretty evident after about the first two minutes when the SO became rather grumpy (as the movie did not depict the book series she adored so much). Although I wanted to get pleasure out of this fact, it was depressing because of the way she would describe this book and yet the garbage on the screen clearly killed any chance for a sequel (and as there are three books in the series, I'm guessing we have a good chance of the other two books becoming films as we have the chance to have a strong health care system...Ba-zinga). From the plot of the story, it was clear the movie studio tried to cram in as much as they could from the first two books into one movie. That's never a good sign. Without the story as it was written in the book, the film folded faster than Los Angeles' chances of getting a pro football team. And as much as I love him in such classics as Encino Man and two episodes from Scrubs, Brendan Fraser is like the Ted McGinley of film: he's the sign that the shark has been jumped. All I can say is it's a good thing it only cost $2.50 to rent, because if I had to pay for that movie, I would have had to ask for my money back.

On a happier note...

My next post is about more DVD purchases!

Yeah, I know, I'm a DVD/BR whore...

Later!

Gather 'Round, Kids. It's Story Time!

"Just sit back and you'll hear a tale,

A tale of a fateful (road) trip,

That started from the local Borders store,

Aboard this tiny Sentra..."

That's how it all started, one of the worst debacles I have ever been a part of. This story will be told for centuries, about how the SO and I never seemed to reach what seemed like a reasonable goal. I'm talking, of course, about that horrifying tale entitled, "The Blu-Ray Purchase...From Hell!"

All of this begins about a month ago, when one average day I received an e-mail from Borders with a coupon for 50% off any two BRDs. Now I had to jump on this chance, as I had just recently bought my BR and I thought this would be a great way to start my collection (and show off the capabilities of the BR for people who came over to our apartment... yeah, I like to brag about the BR, but it's so freakin' sweet!). I printed off the coupon and waited until the weekend to stop by the Borders near the SO and I.

The one rule I have made for myself, when it comes to BRD purchases, is that the BRD must be worth it in BRD format, i.e. there better be a lot of action and/or need for high definition quality of the film. The first BRD fit both of those stipulations. If you remember from earlier, I had wanted to purchase Batman on DVD, but the SO said that if I bought that DVD, I would have to tape all the screams from Kim Basinger and the SO could play the tape at any point just to annoy me. Well, since a BRD is not a DVD, I just happened to see that Batman was available in BRD form. Yeah, I'm sneaky but I just love this movie.

The second movie I bought definitely fulfills the first stipulation about action, and it also was a movie I have loved since I first saw it 10 years ago. "Enemy of the State" always made me wonder what's really going on without our knowing, and since I didn't have it on DVD, I thought it would be worth it to have it on BRD. So simple purchase, right?

No! Of course around that time the new Harry Potter movie was coming out, so the SO had a look through the BRDs and spotted the BR collection of all 5 movies. Well, she decided at that point in the day (late morning) that she would just wait until all 8 movies were out to get them all on BRD in one set.

Early afternoon: After some talking, the SO starts thinking that it might be cool to have the 5-disc set now instead of waiting for the 8-disc set (probably released sometime in 2012). Okay, so maybe I talked her into it. But I knew she would rather have those in BR format than stick with the DVD versions we had. This was all decided while we were out doing errands, meaning we had to go back to the apartment to print off another coupon! We finished our errands run and made it back to the apartment.

At this point, I should mention that we were in the process of moving into a new apartment, so we actually wanted to spend the afternoon moving a bunch of our stuff into the new place, which we ended up doinganyways. We also needed to pick up the SO's car from the mechanic in my hometown. The day was clearly packed with lots to do. Somehow we left for my hometown to pick up the SO's car in our "apartment-moving" clothes (i.e. scrubs), not thinking that we should change clothes. Bad idea...

After picking up the car, we were driving back to town and thought now would be the time to stop by Borders to buy the Potter 5-disc set. So we pull into the parking lot, we get to the BR section... and it's not there! Yeah, I looked through every single shelf to no avail. The people in the section could clearly tell that I was in no mood for anyone getting in my way, as I had a face of determination to find it, if it was the last thing I'd do (i.e. the other people could see the SO wasn't too happy about it no longer being there, mostly because she had promised to send our DVDs of the movies to her parents in NH for two of the SO's "cousins" from Korea who were at the age group designed for the Harry Potter books... yeah, it meant that we no longer had either the DVDs or BRDs of the movies).

I went to the front to ask the lady if there were any copies in the stores in Indy. She said the computer was saying one copy was likely in a couple of the stores (meaning I had no chance) but gave me the phone numbers so I could call to find out. So the SO and I each tried two numbers and luckily the downtown store had a copy, so I told the lady on the phone that we'd be down there to pick it up. The coupon said it would no work for any BRDs put on hold, but I figured the lady would help us out anyway if we told her our story.

So we drive an hour to Indy, in the SO's car, in our scrubs, to buy the 5-disc set. It's approaching 8pm and we drive by the store. In the back of my mind, I thought I should drop off the SO so she can pick it up while I park. Little did I know I should have, as the store had new hours. It closed at 8pm Saturday nights!

By the time we parked, walked to the store, it was 8:15! I was pissed. I couldn't believe it. Most Borders seemed to close around 9 or 10 at night, not 8! I could see people inside cleaning up the place and I wanted to knock on the window to get their attention but the SO stopped me. It was no use. The coupon was only good for Saturday, and I blew it...

Even worse, we couldn't get to Trader Joe's in time before it closed. So we drove home, my head down in shame...

Well, I couldn't let this stop me, so I went on Amazon to see if I could get anything close to the price I would have paid at Borders. The SO said not to worry, that we would survive without them but I was too stubborn (and OCD) to not get this set. After perusing through the selection, I found one that was about 10 dollars more than if I had bought it at Borders, so I bought it.

The SO was thrilled when I surprised her with the set. She was happy, I was happy...

Until later in the week, Amazon had a sale on the BRD set of Harry Potter, selling it for $55! So after trying to get it at Borders for $65, after buying it for $75, Amazon itself was selling it for 55 bucks... the irony...

Later!

"...The SO and the DVD/BR whore,

Here on Funny Story Isle!"

One post, 16 reviews. Am I insane?!?

Hey-yo! Back with another post, getting to my roots about reviewing my DVDs (and now BRDs!!!). I've also watched a couple movies from HBO (now that the SO and I have the channel) and also rented a few movies from the library (which is amazing because of all the classics they have). So let's see if I can get through all of these without damaging my reputation, my computer, or my hands...

Almost Famous - Bill Simmons from ESPN said this is the movie of this decade. We'll have to wait until this decade is actually over to decide this fact, but it was an enjoyable movie about a young guy wanting to be a music journalist and his journey with an up-and-coming band. Rented from the library, loved the music, almost bought the BRD of the extended edition (just to know what happens in the extended parts).

Bananas - There's never a moment when Woody Allen let's the comedy stop, so it's hard to catch your breath from all the laughing. No words can describe the plot as it just comes from left field... or Howard Cossell's toupee. A good renter from the library, now if they only had Sleeper...

Coraline (BR) - Really cool story, and the 3D capabilities were nifty, if only because it's the only movie I have that can do this. Too bad we still have to wear the glasses that only a 10-year-old can wear...

Definitely, Maybe - Romantic comedy with Ryan Reynolds, a pretty good story that kept my attention, and the SO really loved Reynolds as a father. It even has a tearjerker moment near the end of the film. Thank you HBO, because I never had plans to rent or buy, and now I don't have to!

Diner - Pretty sure this could represent my fraternity boys and me. I would definitely have to be Daniel Stern's "Shrevie", and where did Mickey Rourke's face go? Did he leave it in Baltimore?

Enemy of the State (BR) - Even though I can't understand how Will Smith is a scientologist, this is a great movie and really started my whole belief system about the gov't and how it... ***(libel material "edited" by the U.S. Government)*** ... I mean, really scary.

Harry Potter and the...

*Sorcerer's Stone (BR) - Good start to the series, the actors look like babies, and it's so cheerful compared to the latest installments.

*Chamber of Secrets (BR) - Kinda forgettable, mostly because the series get much darker and better with Prisoner of Azkaban.

*Order of the Phoenix (BR) - Jumping around in the series, but this movie finally shows what Voldemort can do, and the sad ending reminds us that anyone related to Harry Potter is doomed!

*Half-Blood Prince (IMAX) - Wish the whole movie could be made in IMAX-3D (the last two movies should be), but the glasses were a little tight on the face, so luckily it was only 3D for 15 minutes...15 pointless minutes in 3D! Slughorn was not what the book described, and it was the first time I've seen an IMAX film stop in mid-showing (about 10 minutes left in the film... I know, it totally killed the mood). Can't imagine how big of a mark that'll leave on the digital print...

Harvey - By the end, I truly believed there really was a 6-foot, 3-and-a-half inch rabbit. Can't imagine anyone but Jimmy Stewart in that role... you hear that, Spielberg?!?

The Incredible Hulk - Another movie I never wanted to give money to, thankfully HBO had it on. Pretty fun movie, but nothing intellectually stimulating. Never saw the 2003 abomination (get it?) of a film, so I have to assume this was better.

Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House - Never thought I'd see this one, but luckily the library had it. Always enjoy a Cary Grant film, and this one didn't disappoint, as it appears this movie was a prediction about how the SO and I would act if/when we'd build our home. And the DVD came with a Hanna Barbera cartoon!

Step Brothers - Rented from the library, watched the first 48 minutes, returned it. Not much to be said about a terrible movie with one joke repeated over and over and over and... you get the point. Left a bad taste in my mouth, almost as bad as dog poop...

Wayne's World - It's Wayne's World! Party Time! Excellent! If I could only take one film with me to heaven, this would definitely be a finalist, a top-three in my all-time fave films. I'm not worthy!

So, you're probably thinking, "That was only 15." Well, the one movie I didn't review was The Dark Knight in BR. You already know what I think of this film from an earlier post, and I didn't feel it needed... it was amazing, awesome, rad, groovy, the greatest thing ever since sliced bread... with a cherry on top! The only problem was going back and forth between IMAX and non-IMAX shots. It became a little distracting by the end. But it was still cool!

And there you have it. 1 post, 16 reviews. And I still have my brain intact. If you'll excuse me, I have to qah[g0rq 8h3[gqh er[buenb[erbn[eiqbn[atib...

Whoa! What was that? Maybe my brain is...

THERE IS NO SPOODAWG, ONLY ZUUL!!!

Wait, where did that come from? I gotta get outta here! Later!

Hu-WHAA?!?

Where did the time go? Looks like I've been more truant than Kate Hudson's career, but seriously folks...

Man, it has been a wild time since my last post from July 13th. Moving into a new apartment, my BF's wedding, the loss and addition of new movies to my collection...

Oh yeah, that's right. I have more DVDs! And I also have my first BRDs, too! So rather than write a post for each of these losses and additions, I figured I'd just write a sentence or two about what's new and what's out of my life. Without further adieu, here are the DVDs that we had to say goodbye to:

Duck Soup - Even though I have it in my collection, this particular copy was what kept me laughing for days and weeks. The very definition of what a comedy should be.

Harry Potter Series - Even though they weren't the best fantasy series I owned (cough, Lord of the Rings, cough) I did enjoy the story because I had read all the books.

National Security - Never saw it, don't want to.

Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines - Without Cameron at the helm, it just hasn't been the same. And it was full-screen!!!

Win a Date With Tad Hamilton - Oh, Topher Grace, this was the best you could find? Love the Topher, just will never watch this movie.

The loss will truly be felt... in terms of number of DVDs.

And now for the new additions:

Animaniacs, Volumes 1-3 - I have to blame Nostalgia Critic (NC) for this. And I have to blame Angry Video Game Nerd (AVGN) and Cinemassacre for introducing me to NC.

Batman (BR) - Finally! I had been waiting forever to own this movie, and Border's had a 50% off BRDs last month, which will tie into a future post about how truly insane I am (because of the SO).

Coraline (BR) - One look at the word "3D" on the box, and the SO was hooked. Plus, it shows off the capabilities of the BR, so not a bad purchase.

The Dark Knight (BR) - This is what started it all, my BRD collection, and it was so worth it to buy. Didn't think it could get any better, but in BR it can.

Enemy of the State (BR) - Loved it when I first saw it. Loved it again because I bought it with Batman, meaning I bought 2 BRDs for the price of 1!!!

Harry Potter 1-5 (BR) - Let's just say the SO better love me for them, because I went through hell (and a tank of gas) to get these for her. Again, this story will be in the future post I spoke of above.

Independent America: The Search For Mom and Pop - The SO really loved this movie. And because we had to give up our DVR (which has had that movie on there since July 2007!) for a new one, I thought having a copy of it on DVD might bring a smile to her face.

Robot Chicken Star Wars Episode Two - If you can't understand why I bought this, then you obviously have never seen Star Wars...which is a shame...because this was hilarious! And the extended version makes this worth the buy.

Congratulations to all the new additions, I hope you enjoy your new home. In the next post, I'll give reviews of all the movies I have seen since I last posted in July. They'll just be one to two sentences long, because there are a lot to go through, and I don't have the patience to write that much on each of them. Until then, later!

PS - I still want to get rid of both copies of Transformers and the special edition of Dark Knight. Someone please take these away from me!!!