tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77311921251585119072024-03-19T01:24:50.256-07:00DVDs with SpoodawgPreviously "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the DVD Store"...
I own a lot of DVDs, and in order to keep my girlfriend from selling them away, I'm going through and reviewing all my DVDs as a way of proving why I need them.Spoodawghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13065327889142519545noreply@blogger.comBlogger98125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731192125158511907.post-6131921443618524762010-07-14T09:00:00.000-07:002010-07-14T09:00:02.873-07:00I'm disappointed with (fill in with your favorite actor/athlete/dignitary)<div style="text-align: left;">It has been a rough time for us normal folk to get behind any of our heroes or inspirational people lately. Every time we think someone is wholesome, smart, and genuinely a good person, we get swatted down to earth just in time to hear our childhood shatter into a thousand pieces. What I have compiled are four individuals who may have been heroes of children, but it's really hard to say that these days. But for every negative, there is a positive, and so I will suggest a better hero for everyone to look up to. So let's get this started...</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>Newly appointed villain #1: Tiger Woods</div><img src="http://dailygab.com/files/2009/12/tiger-woods.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" border="0" alt="" /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>I have never been a fan of him or his game, so the allegations and truths behind the Thanksgiving debacle were not a shock to me. But there a shock to the millions of people who thought that at least one athlete was above it all. Unfortunately, that idea was a slice into the rough (multiple puns intended). Tiger probably thought he could get away with it, especially as it sounds like most of his entourage allowed him to do this. And with a wife and kids, he threw it all away for what? The chance to live his childhood he never had? Maybe he never grew up because he never had the opportunity, but that's no excuse for what he did.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>Alternative: Myron Rolle</div><img src="http://www.insidesocal.com/tomhoffarth/t2_rolle_bridge.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 298px; height: 407px;" border="0" alt="" /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>A sixth-round draft pick for the Tennessee Titans, this doesn't look like much of an alternative. Until you realize this is the man who graduated from college in less than three years, earned the honor of Rhodes Scholar, and still plans to pursue his dream of becoming a neurosurgeon after his NFL days are over. Why would so many teams pass on the opportunity to draft him? Was he too smart? Last I checked, smarts were a good thing. And there have been no reports of late night shenanigans with him, so he's a positive role model for all boys and girls.</div><div><img src="http://www.hoopsmanifesto.com/images/stories/lebron%20james%20sad.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 287px;" border="0" alt="" /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div>Newly appointed villain #2: Lebron James</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>Man, did he screw that one up. He WAS the face of a franchise, of a league, of a worldwide icon. But he'd rather win by backing up an actual champion, Dwayne Wade. Yeah, yeah, we don't know the whole story. We don't understand because we're simple folk who don't get why a guy who was deemed the best in the league wants to play second fiddle to get a championship. Did Michael Jordan do that? No. Did Larry Bird do that? No. Did Magic Johnson do that? No. I'm pretty sure that's 14 NBA championships without leaving an organization (we won't count Jordan's Wizard years... no else does, anyways).</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>Alternative: Kevin Durant</div><img src="http://www.slamonline.com/online/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/kevin_durant_main.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 307px; height: 425px;" border="0" alt="" /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>While LBJ was trying to get all the attention like a Kentucky basketball recruit, Durant kept a low profile on his extension to stay with his team. Let me emphasize that, he STAYED with his team. Durant may never be LBJ, he may never be Jordan, but he will stay in Oklahoma City to earn an championship with his team. I know it may be hard to understand, but there are some players out there who are willing to do what it takes with the pieces they have. And there are some who have the guts to LEAD their team to a championship. And while he's still young, Durant shows much more promise of being that leader.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>Newly appointed villain #3: David Ortiz</div><img src="http://cache.boston.com/bonzai-fba/Globe_Photo/2006/07/16/1153087927_5447.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 256px; height: 375px;" border="0" alt="" /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>What's that, Red Sox Nation? Your boy, Big Papi, won the Home Run Derby last night? Well, let me bring you back down to earth with the news that your boy once tested positive for steroids. Yeah, that's right. For all the talk of Selig cleaning up MLB, he got a 'roids boy winning the very title that he was trying to make 'roids free. And yes, he may not have any pumping through his blood right now, but it still feels kinda dirty to have him win.</div><div><br /></div><div>Alternative: Hanley Ramirez</div><img src="http://www.baseballprof.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/hanley-ramirez.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 250px; height: 250px;" border="0" alt="" /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>The runner-up to Ortiz, Ramirez may be a bright beacon in a sport trying to clean up its image. A. 314 career hitter with 113 home runs, he's one player the "Saux" should have held on to. And most likely with Florida's history, the money put on the table by Boston will probably entice him back north. But with so much talent, does he have it all to clean up the most cherished record of all, career home runs? Time will tell, but last night's showing breathes new life into a sport needing rejuvenation.</div><div><br /></div><div>Newly appointed villain #4: Mel Gibson</div><img src="http://www.gossipsauce.com/files/gs_mel_gibson_090602_m.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 462px; height: 300px;" border="0" alt="" /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>This is a movie blog, so I should write about a villain in Hollywood. And he's not really a newly appointed villain, since he did have an unusual discussion about the Jews with police once. But even after people forgot about that, it might be that junction in Gibson's career where people will forget about him. As much as we loved the firecracker that was Gibson on-screen, he was a firecracker with a short fuse that finally got lit... and exploded in his face. I have no idea how this latest controversy will end, but the things he said to his ex-girlfriend go beyond understanding. It'll be hard watching Lethal Weapon or Mad Max films of yesteryear without wondering how big of an a-hole he was. I think Mel took his own freedom away with his latest, and possibly last, public statements.</div><div><br /></div><div>Alternative: Ron Howard</div><img src="http://image3.examiner.com/images/blog/wysiwyg/image/Ron_Howard.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 327px; height: 400px;" border="0" alt="" /><div><br /></div><div>Was there any other alternative? Howard has been a class act ever since he donned those overalls in Mayberry. In front of the camera, behind the camera, a cartoonish character on the Simpsons, Howard can roll with the punches. And yet, as much as we make fun of that wholesomeness he has displayed as Opie or Richie or just himself, we sometime forget that that's who he is. A decent guy who was able to make it through Hollywood without compromising who he is and what he wanted to become. We can only dream of having the success Howard has had and still be the same person on the other end. Our hats off to you, Mr. Hum Drum.</div><div><br /></div><div>Any other villains/alternatives?</div>Spoodawghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13065327889142519545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731192125158511907.post-62953476259081134672010-06-17T09:00:00.000-07:002010-06-17T09:00:03.245-07:00Behind the Scenes... with Short Circuit<div style="text-align: left;">Finally, part 3 of my little series of movie locations in Astoria, Oregon. And I'm getting to another great movie about a robot who comes alive, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091949/">Short Circuit</a>. Although I don't have as many locations as the previous ones, there is plenty to tell.</div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://scifiwire.com/assets_c/2009/06/Short_circuit-thumb-400x275-18928.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 275px;" src="http://scifiwire.com/assets_c/2009/06/Short_circuit-thumb-400x275-18928.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />Actually, there is only one location, Stephanie's home, that is highlighted as a location in Astoria. And it is a HIKE to get to the house. You remember how I talked about the hills with The Goonies, how the roads were just that steep as seen in the high speed car chase? Well, the SO and I hiked up one of those roads (on foot, because the rental car was NOT going to make it). Or should I say, we hiked up to the END of the road, where the house is located at the top of this hill, or mountain, or really high topographical point in Astoria.<div><br /></div><div>First, we decided we'd park the car at the bottom of the hill, behind the visitor's center. The map we had showed that this would be the best place to park, because it'd be almost a straight shot up the road. Little did we know this road was an incline, a HUGE incline!</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgofL_fXnpUDjCD7CcsXICnyY_Y1tXmfLDg4IbU8U7D7uCtuv1CU7yZZgT1cPdXE8s7NsBGo6jfQ2_Bje02RwgZbtFTjjGR2bacPI0dlnikYC-d7eTMqRMU51ztTlUeH0nICIPmpMuyUp_O/s320/AstoriaDay2_+061.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5478272147625050114" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 239px; height: 320px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div>And to top it off, where it looks like the road ends, that's where the road actually continues, as a dirt path! </div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimPn_xHAk3IlPuEj0mugVbB6L76e721DsqM6ch5I9IgnF6ez9_yjfpaFl4pa-6slUxy7l0Z1Trduwxmx5fcZKLNdHQ2SiRnPXtryLVXdst1snQaTuuCjQ2dakggVQvA_qdbyhR0L9X0-Tw/s320/AstoriaDay2_+066.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5478272154335949202" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 239px; height: 320px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div>We had no idea if we were going up a road or a private drive. All we knew is that there were trees on top of us and we had no idea what was at the end of this path. </div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizkG53DNzN6JTUjeKwc3XmuwJD3Ycd2IUqOUKvDuZnVUdngFoGQb-P6mgmOLQRBalFVym-bpsSwVXbp3bfZiE27uW7x2AVwoAZdfo0GYrGHUg6T66YVGJuoebrp6UthHDYWBZ6uO13PnnD/s1600/AstoriaDay2_+068.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizkG53DNzN6JTUjeKwc3XmuwJD3Ycd2IUqOUKvDuZnVUdngFoGQb-P6mgmOLQRBalFVym-bpsSwVXbp3bfZiE27uW7x2AVwoAZdfo0GYrGHUg6T66YVGJuoebrp6UthHDYWBZ6uO13PnnD/s320/AstoriaDay2_+068.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5478272159939322706" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 239px; height: 320px; " /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Luckily, the house was there.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAgt2DlTmvHV5DWJn2OmnAAWwcBzbmBSEWYPLDUoltzogHJ3xgKD-qI1s6ehPMcNCpt6yKbHzEvyalAN9rIIv0m2FjLSGkuBqFPPNCAO5b47globjhUTS7dwOKu0hcSil7rDGhch_gaByU/s320/AstoriaDay2_+072.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5478272165423568130" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 239px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div>It looks much like it did in the film. Of course there are differences, like no huge back yard for Number 5 to take apart a car. But the view is amazing. </div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWxn__Tz_AU_kJmoIUIQ0C5Spkb7m81C0oZZBdh9mcjF3ngahXnq9LeTQNde7SOcO5YDG0RF8p66WAf6dGZWOttab9oKqzt3gMvr103Y82H9jnEUdNb7G2Y2e6sZgSXIAEocITugloHCRU/s320/AstoriaDay2_+070.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5478272175437300450" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 239px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div>I just have no idea how Stephanie could drive her vehicle down that road. It's deadly on foot, I can't imagine trying to safely get that down and across the Astoria bridge.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipthie1jDFnQpUmZ54h8Dc8xMUBb97B2pad00gGiqyseEs-oH0ROU0gJwJiXHWlhJeWT4xALFS5LkRcirwTHOsDVmo_dicKbhdvmm_DyaRLlNXY9D02TASAgL36RooDz2w3VBtk0U2RS_H/s320/AstoriaDay2_+073.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5478272296127801426" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 239px; height: 320px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div>So, there you have it. The three films and their locations that the SO and I explored while in Astoria, Oregon. It was a lot of fun, and I hope to do another pilgrimage to other film locations. But it'll be hard to top what we could see in just one town. I think the SO went crazy over the Goonies locations, while I shed a tear every time we went to a location where Ah-nald once breathed. All in all, it was a film lover's dream come true... although it would have been cool to find Number 5 and ask how to program robots to recreate the 3 Stooges...</div><div><br /></div><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/kC1LSSL-d50&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/kC1LSSL-d50&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><div><br /></div>Spoodawghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13065327889142519545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731192125158511907.post-39740269466231783942010-06-10T09:00:00.000-07:002010-06-10T09:00:06.033-07:00Behind the Scenes... with Kindergarten Cop<div style="text-align: left;">I'm back with another installment of Behind the Scenes, and this time we're looking at <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0099938/">Kindergarten Cop</a>. Can you believe the SO has never seen this movie? Her childhood has to be deemed incomplete for missing this <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OaTO8_KNcuo">Ah-nald</a> gem of a film. Of course there are plenty of locations in the town of Astoria, Oregon which we went to to see if they still looked the same or if they were just a fading memory.</div><div><br /><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(85, 26, 139); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="http://mydogumentary.files.wordpress.com/2008/11/kindergarten_cop.jpg" border="0" alt="" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 505px; height: 755px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; ">So, where should we begin? I would start with the school, but better yet, let's start with the hotel where Ah-nald would have stayed while in Astoria, the Bay View Inn.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioyuFWpHHOsa-iZSQ9_vBd1RloMtY4n7H0Pysf55nzj2-gjfDmcteSqkmmIrVCWUOquIyOLZe9uLxircJGUZQoRTTWZ7BRDCVPHc42DoAk68_0uN0lS18b8gVfuNCDFAjubfYj3svNKJRG/s320/AstoriaDay2_+046.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5478262586015324434" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 239px; height: 320px; " /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; ">This is the location of his room, number 5. And from the outside, it looks exactly like it does in the film. The interior was recreated in Hollywood, but the exterior is all Astoria. I almost feel "pumped up" just being there.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; ">Now, we can go to the school, as this is where Ah-nald is going to teach little children how to be good little soldiers in his boot camp.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq7o-gVqjnTPP6toNHA5YBbYtWROW8CbfGSSgthnLIUrZX_jDu3qaOllx9KXxlEkGeADXffw7vO5rHBHLOOdmKFfpI4wk_5SI1-KBfokjdWDSehidM4uEM5s8ssro3szIWeTIHpbnoBW-D/s320/AstoriaDay2_+031.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5478262599274790898" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 239px; " /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; ">It's a little hard to tell, but the paintings on the outside of the building (as seen in the movie) are still there!</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6f9cJsMZMMZeL09mooWnAuMGhgQu-wf0cnbiojcST2-Dwlzs5H2TCWS65pyqxBeY-UFHQ2t_NWneml86RfbVWhXK8UoRl3-EVfBJ5V74vVswp3flJCZnx_RS5MLXrZNvjSKojyM8AXXpE/s320/AstoriaDay2_+027.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5478264269731624802" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 239px; " /></span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; ">There were created by local Astorian artists, which makes it that much cooler.</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; ">Ah-nald gets to know his fellow pedagogue, Rachel Crisp/Joyce Palmieri, at the restaurant located here, at the Red Lion Inn.</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB_mffhGiJJta51L1Z2gJc7I2ycmzK4j40fFIH-xRMeG2yhuJcWuoJ9bwfVntAFdV8-zhoN0UlIRSsfc7Defwj2vGTGQqPMmWIHXDZz-ULuGAUq95fmfKY-UdJXchi7omssbuNF7IKH7Xf/s320/AstoriaDay2_+056.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5478262606082266178" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 239px; " /></span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; ">A very romantic spot near the water. I can just smell the Ah-nald sweat from that encounter.</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; ">The villain in this film, Cullen Crisp, Sr., gets a toy train set from the local drug store.</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhByQRmno2YmSPMjjpppIXw3McrVodVIMrAy1C6zJfm5VyRR00OnxCivXtB07gqjrta71rpN2IBl76YyahzjfpohUCtTJWo9-ZChrPQZfOPmfBybz6UXje9NrwLJFrYplkqLq_RBgX2y0H/s320/AstoriaDay2_+113.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5478262614656085218" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 239px; height: 320px; " /></span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; ">Now, this location is actually a restaurant. Too bad. I really like toy train sets...</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; ">The theater is diagonal from the drug store, which made the pilgrimage nice and short between these two locations.</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo4lln3_jVjq4pYTo24sM8Z0k5htDlR5VHLOxWVG-k1PTC5ChNv5r7hKtB1M1ErLmaRRHwQQ6bC5j3KNSJVFbDo1GMGYv4oaL-YyGXmy2r82LJSh8Wf6GqSQid5l6YJm98bPDFeaQcxfMh/s1600/AstoriaDay2_+112.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo4lln3_jVjq4pYTo24sM8Z0k5htDlR5VHLOxWVG-k1PTC5ChNv5r7hKtB1M1ErLmaRRHwQQ6bC5j3KNSJVFbDo1GMGYv4oaL-YyGXmy2r82LJSh8Wf6GqSQid5l6YJm98bPDFeaQcxfMh/s320/AstoriaDay2_+112.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5478262616722305746" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 239px; height: 320px; " /></a><br /></span></span></span></div><div>And this short pilgrimage meant that the next would involve walking up a "hill", with what had to be a 25% incline, to get to Rachel/Joyce's home in Astoria. No wonder everyone in the town is fit. If I had to walk that everyday, I'd be as fit as Ah-nald, too!</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit9ZZ-q1_gqWlvXfhvsKTX9EmYny8J7kE9b8FpJwvj__snPC8N_YzEVP6Ptx23bm6F0qE0J2Lf0If3QO0fNdKqC_n96YGCV2oOyEafhi6vs-lm0xLDNGcgWtLIxMC-3R5zWcoQ6APWRXk5/s1600/AstoriaDay2_+094.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit9ZZ-q1_gqWlvXfhvsKTX9EmYny8J7kE9b8FpJwvj__snPC8N_YzEVP6Ptx23bm6F0qE0J2Lf0If3QO0fNdKqC_n96YGCV2oOyEafhi6vs-lm0xLDNGcgWtLIxMC-3R5zWcoQ6APWRXk5/s320/AstoriaDay2_+094.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5478263169566699874" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 239px; " /></a><br /></div><div>So those are the locations I was able to visit from Kindergarten Cop while in Astoria. Of course, it was very awkward taking pictures in front of the elementary school as class was still in session! Very awkward, indeed. The SO didn't want to be in any of the pictures as she hadn't actually seen the movie. That's why she's the party pooper...</div><div><br /></div><div>Okay, enough with the Ah-nald jokes. But seriously, it was amazing to see how the locations were, compared to what we see in the movie. I can't wait to buy the DVD and watch it all over again!</div><div><br /></div><div>Because we all need our Ah-nald fix every day...</div><div><br /></div><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/wZDRDCMZbp8&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/wZDRDCMZbp8&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><div><br /></div></div>Spoodawghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13065327889142519545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731192125158511907.post-61595638431092283892010-06-03T09:00:00.000-07:002010-06-03T09:52:45.995-07:00Behind the Scenes... with The Goonies<div><div><div><div><div>I know I haven't done this whole blogging thing in almost a year, but I do have a special 3-part series of blog posts that I want to do. Mostly because I don't want to forget the experiences I had while traveling the Pacific Northwest. Because we all know what kind of memory I have for... what was it I was writing about?</div><div><div><div><div><div><br /></div><div>...</div><div><br /></div><div>Oh yeah, so I'm going to do a 3-part series of blog posts on three unique movies that were all filmed in... Astoria, Oregon! It was really cool to see some of the locations for the films I'll be describing. The first film to discuss has to be <u><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0089218/">The Goonies</a></u>, as it just screams Astoria (on top of sweet memories from childhood). The SO and I were both excited to see where Mikey, Brand, Mouth, Data, and especially Chunk had their misadventures in the Goondocks of Astoria.</div><div><br /></div></div></div><a href="http://blogs.1077theend.com/files/2009/04/goonies1.jpg"><img src="http://blogs.1077theend.com/files/2009/04/goonies1.jpg" border="0" alt="" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 420px; height: 392px; " /></a><div><br /><div>I'll try to do this in order, so it goes with the flow of the movie. You can follow along with this clip of the opening sequence:</div><div><br /></div><object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" width="400" height="300"><param name="movie" value="http://pics.smotri.com/scrubber_custom8.swf?file=v111297778d5&bufferTime=3&autoStart=false&str_lang=rus&xmlsource=http%3A%2F%2Fpics.smotri.com%2Fcskins%2Fblue%2Fskin_color_lightaqua.xml&xmldatasource=http%3A%2F%2Fpics.smotri.com%2Fskin_ng.xml"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="bgcolor" value="#ffffff"><embed src="http://pics.smotri.com/scrubber_custom8.swf?file=v111297778d5&bufferTime=3&autoStart=false&str_lang=rus&xmlsource=http%3A%2F%2Fpics.smotri.com%2Fcskins%2Fblue%2Fskin_color_lightaqua.xml&xmldatasource=http%3A%2F%2Fpics.smotri.com%2Fskin_ng.xml" quality="high" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" wmode="opaque" width="400" height="300" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed></object><br /><b><br /></b><div>Of course, the beginning of this tour means we begin at the county jail...</div><div><br /></div></div></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFkqq2HNXF8hLEtjQLWD8HRCG57Z97CAYRo3vB0qcwG2BVPWZRaIcF2m42pxlBo3Elqc9ql_XNByFCFvdZ4StFApIDh-Fkt9XBOMfkZMtf8oVuzMV7TMjwJSSfIvwilQ5xPU7KaD_A0Bfc/s1600/AstoriaDay2_+083.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFkqq2HNXF8hLEtjQLWD8HRCG57Z97CAYRo3vB0qcwG2BVPWZRaIcF2m42pxlBo3Elqc9ql_XNByFCFvdZ4StFApIDh-Fkt9XBOMfkZMtf8oVuzMV7TMjwJSSfIvwilQ5xPU7KaD_A0Bfc/s320/AstoriaDay2_+083.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5478250311789890226" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 239px; height: 320px; " /></a><div><br /></div><div><div>Not a bad action shot, if I do say so myself. (I was actually just holding myself in that position, trying to look like I was running.) And let me tell you, those hills the cops chase the Fratellis across are just as steep as they look.</div></div></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfaTpioj5R_6VLg1Ap1eYHpIevWLga69Ij8T0WzvvL7bSdcjg4HNIts5eXObffpU8nzTnfHZTwI_4oQghVpoPal00xc1kSD6ueaw0Hjh8F2Yn2pHB7cY0Ie5UNXTB1Eay6lBWr9uT52diE/s1600/AstoriaDay2_+097.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfaTpioj5R_6VLg1Ap1eYHpIevWLga69Ij8T0WzvvL7bSdcjg4HNIts5eXObffpU8nzTnfHZTwI_4oQghVpoPal00xc1kSD6ueaw0Hjh8F2Yn2pHB7cY0Ie5UNXTB1Eay6lBWr9uT52diE/s320/AstoriaDay2_+097.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5478251050452711154" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 239px; height: 320px; " /></a><div><div><br /></div><div>Here's the football field, where Andy is trying to get the cheerleaders to do a pyramid.</div><div><br /></div></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb7ekhFDXojm1oexB1JQnhdvTWb-pv9ZaLMR3qbQLo7DPnc6LnhqpsTlIUTW3yMTKO_zrTd3xoRIQCQbTvqeGm3rowNdU1gmpd_aC8qpyrjiQscaxsCB4mpw79t-qlX6KsdNooxAtHIlHa/s1600/AstoriaDay2_+114.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb7ekhFDXojm1oexB1JQnhdvTWb-pv9ZaLMR3qbQLo7DPnc6LnhqpsTlIUTW3yMTKO_zrTd3xoRIQCQbTvqeGm3rowNdU1gmpd_aC8qpyrjiQscaxsCB4mpw79t-qlX6KsdNooxAtHIlHa/s320/AstoriaDay2_+114.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5478252984738791986" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 239px; " /></a><div>The seating section is very "old school", with sections reserved for ticket holders, students, and the band. Astoria High School has the Fighting Fisherman as their mascot, and his name is Stomper.</div><div><br /></div><div></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTeUfBR_YXe6AzmIZihZBFqlLiDwCEdzaNLdQGvlMgrg8ULNlnUTX7HZv3X9qWKLGJhes9RM6ywDJjTKptly2yu37VRwnWLMavj8hDYtsdmqv3QpB6WjbzQi7DjMfZrUURklSiDH6myOL3/s1600/AstoriaDay2_+120.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTeUfBR_YXe6AzmIZihZBFqlLiDwCEdzaNLdQGvlMgrg8ULNlnUTX7HZv3X9qWKLGJhes9RM6ywDJjTKptly2yu37VRwnWLMavj8hDYtsdmqv3QpB6WjbzQi7DjMfZrUURklSiDH6myOL3/s320/AstoriaDay2_+120.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5478254516039464786" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 239px; height: 320px; " /></a><div><br /></div><div><div>This location is where the maid tried going across the street, supposedly because she was walking to the house of Mikey and Brand, I think.</div></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmVxOXqIQJzlVoGVhm_GAHwmb_POpkwETt7vKdXVjw00qUohaXyGR1HnPkB5_ZGmJ-SNryG6LVfB0YnPWXQfEShjZfncJd4iGHVLMuAW8tWUtSMSdZAh02q0rlIuP7yNoiSI8uob8AzuSV/s1600/AstoriaDay2_+009.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmVxOXqIQJzlVoGVhm_GAHwmb_POpkwETt7vKdXVjw00qUohaXyGR1HnPkB5_ZGmJ-SNryG6LVfB0YnPWXQfEShjZfncJd4iGHVLMuAW8tWUtSMSdZAh02q0rlIuP7yNoiSI8uob8AzuSV/s320/AstoriaDay2_+009.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5478246045033543570" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 239px; " /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left; ">The funny thing about this location: the direction she was walking was actually towards the beach. So if she was trying to get to the house, she actually needed to turn around and go the other way... to the Goonies house!</div><div style="text-align: left; "><br /></div><div style="text-align: left; ">The bowling alley where Chunk sees the high speed car chase looks the same from the outside, but the window where he's looking out has changed a bit.</div><div style="text-align: left; "><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqu3UN1X90O5hgVeVLlJfEgYTsRGdp4JFOP2xDtFAUUv3ya748a5ioE3bvqVFUstmAGOt7us4rgH5pcHxgD_MwmNNw-XMzXOx1eyhgNzzFPnD_f4SvuPlP-3Yyi8AnNW4zXCe_6SaQcn4x/s1600/AstoriaDay2_+104.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqu3UN1X90O5hgVeVLlJfEgYTsRGdp4JFOP2xDtFAUUv3ya748a5ioE3bvqVFUstmAGOt7us4rgH5pcHxgD_MwmNNw-XMzXOx1eyhgNzzFPnD_f4SvuPlP-3Yyi8AnNW4zXCe_6SaQcn4x/s320/AstoriaDay2_+104.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5478254523503957170" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 239px; " /></a><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: left; ">The view from where he's looking is pretty dead on, too.</div><div><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfzYh3NQvnhKtreQZb_l6WHu_B48nM9vOwcdr-Ncz8kZ9sRMruGD1sMcdvaConH2sxf9OzkDqumog5or9rrzJq7IW5mk5uzgyHVgpj4luwj5fzDjfK7drCSclE2mv-uU8ocWYbmnnXkMPk/s1600/AstoriaDay2_+108.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfzYh3NQvnhKtreQZb_l6WHu_B48nM9vOwcdr-Ncz8kZ9sRMruGD1sMcdvaConH2sxf9OzkDqumog5or9rrzJq7IW5mk5uzgyHVgpj4luwj5fzDjfK7drCSclE2mv-uU8ocWYbmnnXkMPk/s320/AstoriaDay2_+108.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5478254525424251970" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 239px; " /></a><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: left; ">The beach where the Fratellis speed away is <a href="http://www.cannonbeach.org/">Cannon Beach</a>, which is where you can find the famous Haystack Rock.</div><div><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAKPna4WPJXJ1jXVgQhHlq5DQ7wMbstlou61QKxDsT5I25YztTTiPTDEwXr8yLJeIsEAMfKY61CDx5dJcQ-8SpynDIm8KyvZ7xItKeJFLmIZ5o75eCYu7vHmT0P9jwAv7vvpsXhYv-c2cF/s1600/oregon-coast-drive+129.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAKPna4WPJXJ1jXVgQhHlq5DQ7wMbstlou61QKxDsT5I25YztTTiPTDEwXr8yLJeIsEAMfKY61CDx5dJcQ-8SpynDIm8KyvZ7xItKeJFLmIZ5o75eCYu7vHmT0P9jwAv7vvpsXhYv-c2cF/s320/oregon-coast-drive+129.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5478254534884523890" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 239px; " /></a><div><br /></div><div>Of course, we're then transported to... the Goonies house!</div><div><br /></div></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTtJJ__X6l2JahuII3DJganIvg6g75gBjzlOJzxWJb0jUq4-BoOoySPMd2x-htoMHWey-qzLKfWZtMHTQbMqMh3rkTc1ouZZuu_MuCIDNUo0OILbTCnadH9cCtjGzM1YMflKZMm1KXY5P8/s1600/AstoriaDay2_+035.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTtJJ__X6l2JahuII3DJganIvg6g75gBjzlOJzxWJb0jUq4-BoOoySPMd2x-htoMHWey-qzLKfWZtMHTQbMqMh3rkTc1ouZZuu_MuCIDNUo0OILbTCnadH9cCtjGzM1YMflKZMm1KXY5P8/s320/AstoriaDay2_+035.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5478254538852800882" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 239px; height: 320px; " /></a><div><br /></div><div>I know, it's pretty sweet. And yes, I did the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5whaRkuipU">Truffle Shuffle</a> in front of the house, which I have video of on my phone. I know, it's so awesome! No cars are allowed up the drive to the home, but we were both willing to walk up the hill to see not only the house, but the view of Astoria, as well.</div></div></div><div><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEishqo9gjmpedC5o87LBzol0havcK75xEyTW2ZPN_0DuaqMrvg4t_X674S3K3V9FhxDNGZZziOXoZx2-GYRnFg_FjVOhRKyZIlsxoQgVQUFM0gbLJl6yut8ksnGi2pB2Q1ls7-oxmbMNy2j/s1600/AstoriaDay2_+018.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEishqo9gjmpedC5o87LBzol0havcK75xEyTW2ZPN_0DuaqMrvg4t_X674S3K3V9FhxDNGZZziOXoZx2-GYRnFg_FjVOhRKyZIlsxoQgVQUFM0gbLJl6yut8ksnGi2pB2Q1ls7-oxmbMNy2j/s320/AstoriaDay2_+018.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5478256024369773554" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 239px; " /></a><div><div><br /></div><div>The view from the Goonies house is just as beautiful as it appears in the movie.</div><div><div><br /></div><div>I can't forget Data's house...</div><div><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfRNty8bx245afeOg13unyyq_HxpRMPhstJcpiq6YSHZhw-PoJ5tOxJ_qpO9G_zQrHbJrF7DP-SeICjE9q9Cv8er-LlictFJs7fCJj7cPgqNV6AgPjCBGMYeAL14JPY2z5Gjy_W6v8RpB3/s1600/AstoriaDay2_+019.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfRNty8bx245afeOg13unyyq_HxpRMPhstJcpiq6YSHZhw-PoJ5tOxJ_qpO9G_zQrHbJrF7DP-SeICjE9q9Cv8er-LlictFJs7fCJj7cPgqNV6AgPjCBGMYeAL14JPY2z5Gjy_W6v8RpB3/s320/AstoriaDay2_+019.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5478256035710902226" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 239px; " /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEishqo9gjmpedC5o87LBzol0havcK75xEyTW2ZPN_0DuaqMrvg4t_X674S3K3V9FhxDNGZZziOXoZx2-GYRnFg_FjVOhRKyZIlsxoQgVQUFM0gbLJl6yut8ksnGi2pB2Q1ls7-oxmbMNy2j/s1600/AstoriaDay2_+018.JPG"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEishqo9gjmpedC5o87LBzol0havcK75xEyTW2ZPN_0DuaqMrvg4t_X674S3K3V9FhxDNGZZziOXoZx2-GYRnFg_FjVOhRKyZIlsxoQgVQUFM0gbLJl6yut8ksnGi2pB2Q1ls7-oxmbMNy2j/s1600/AstoriaDay2_+018.JPG"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEishqo9gjmpedC5o87LBzol0havcK75xEyTW2ZPN_0DuaqMrvg4t_X674S3K3V9FhxDNGZZziOXoZx2-GYRnFg_FjVOhRKyZIlsxoQgVQUFM0gbLJl6yut8ksnGi2pB2Q1ls7-oxmbMNy2j/s1600/AstoriaDay2_+018.JPG"></a></div><div><br /></div><div>But the bike ride the boys take from the house to the Fratellis' hide-out is not as short and quick as they make it out to be. The bike ride starts at 1:45...</div><div><br /></div><object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" width="400" height="300"><param name="movie" value="http://pics.smotri.com/scrubber_custom8.swf?file=v1113019f6da&bufferTime=3&autoStart=false&str_lang=rus&xmlsource=http%3A%2F%2Fpics.smotri.com%2Fcskins%2Fblue%2Fskin_color_lightaqua.xml&xmldatasource=http%3A%2F%2Fpics.smotri.com%2Fskin_ng.xml"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="bgcolor" value="#ffffff"><embed src="http://pics.smotri.com/scrubber_custom8.swf?file=v1113019f6da&bufferTime=3&autoStart=false&str_lang=rus&xmlsource=http%3A%2F%2Fpics.smotri.com%2Fcskins%2Fblue%2Fskin_color_lightaqua.xml&xmldatasource=http%3A%2F%2Fpics.smotri.com%2Fskin_ng.xml" quality="high" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" wmode="opaque" width="400" height="300" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed></object><br /><div><b><br /></b></div><div>We measured it out, and the Goonies house is approximately 20 to 30 miles from the abandoned restaurant! What kid (especially Chunk, or for that matter, asthmatic Mikey) is going to make it that far?</div><div><br /></div><div>On that deceiving bike ride, the boys pass Mike and Brand's father as he takes the flag down at his museum, which in real life is the <a href="http://www.cumtux.org/default.asp?pageid=35&deptid=1">Flavel House</a>.</div><div><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXmLrw4pdllA66SHscnxUTrfqHbyfiSSqa6gP2uRoEOjsCvGnuHrSSSpOquo7uHRIGjQZhV9NavHbPjIrscmB-kbl2ekH_0a9urNcgGHbsBCIXhbKARZLTZx3W_aOcT2VALrcNr8xWV9k3/s1600/AstoriaDay2_+078.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXmLrw4pdllA66SHscnxUTrfqHbyfiSSqa6gP2uRoEOjsCvGnuHrSSSpOquo7uHRIGjQZhV9NavHbPjIrscmB-kbl2ekH_0a9urNcgGHbsBCIXhbKARZLTZx3W_aOcT2VALrcNr8xWV9k3/s320/AstoriaDay2_+078.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5478256036624623394" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 239px; height: 320px; " /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>We traveled to <a href="http://www.cannon-beach.net/recreation/cbecola.html">Ecola State Park</a>, which is south of Astoria about 20 miles, to the approximate location where the boys leave their bikes in the road to find the location of the buried treasure.</div><div><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiop5odGTSK3yX4VmuskkSzBT9H6FSzUqjB1wXlP3MD9yJcoh6P2omPvvgdbgaTlMoFU8PYyQiDy3gcvzFvQRkx1gZ8mHeafXkAVXWtVqqB-qJ2Jqd5PXjacKKt_HxHjqCgGb9loGrQbv1D/s1600/oregon-coast-drive+010.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiop5odGTSK3yX4VmuskkSzBT9H6FSzUqjB1wXlP3MD9yJcoh6P2omPvvgdbgaTlMoFU8PYyQiDy3gcvzFvQRkx1gZ8mHeafXkAVXWtVqqB-qJ2Jqd5PXjacKKt_HxHjqCgGb9loGrQbv1D/s320/oregon-coast-drive+010.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5478256041532354754" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 239px; height: 320px; " /></a><div><div><div><div><div><br /></div></div></div></div><div>The final location of the film is again near <a href="http://www.cannon-beach.net/cbhaystack.html">Haystack Rock</a> (I just wanted to get another picture of it in this post!).</div></div></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhthIyytIehY3kTMB7Ri_u9yO_VMFA3GQlMwNohq5Ic1vPevMQ68gLbi_GOJyO0Oqqn7U2clUmW5gDuil0QXW9PuoB2SYKCKGS-0RL0zgKvcVao7-YBAsgQCMygo7Ks5mUO-uiNgNC2X5At/s1600/oregon-coast-drive+167.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhthIyytIehY3kTMB7Ri_u9yO_VMFA3GQlMwNohq5Ic1vPevMQ68gLbi_GOJyO0Oqqn7U2clUmW5gDuil0QXW9PuoB2SYKCKGS-0RL0zgKvcVao7-YBAsgQCMygo7Ks5mUO-uiNgNC2X5At/s320/oregon-coast-drive+167.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5478256049759642738" /></a><div><div><div><div><br /></div></div></div></div><div><div><br /></div><div>The rest of the locations are either non-existent or were created in a Hollywood studio. No matter what, it was pretty cool to see these locations and how they are a part of the town of Astoria!</div><div><br /></div><div>Of course, this weekend Astoria is having a <a href="http://www.oldoregon.com/visitor-info/entry/goonies-never-say-die/">Goonies 25th anniversary reunion</a>, which includes cast members and a Truffle Shuffle 5K! The gods really must like to toy with us as we were two weeks early! Oh well, we got a t-shirt, some amazing pictures, and wonderful (and sweaty) memories of the Goonies locations in this tiny town off the coast of Oregon.</div><div><br /></div></div><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/5kMi9tvuuZY&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/5kMi9tvuuZY&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>Spoodawghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13065327889142519545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731192125158511907.post-60772671512867834022010-03-10T09:09:00.000-08:002010-03-10T13:14:33.327-08:00Corey HaimEveryone who's anyone will know that Corey Haim passed away this morning. And in a way, another piece of my childhood from the '80s has disappeared forever. It seems like only when we've lost something do we really take the time to look back and appreciate what we had and what we won't have again. The Haimster was like that.<div><br /></div><div>Although he had the drugs problems and disappeared from the silver screen once the clock turned to 1990, the youth and enthusiasm he displayed in his movies with and without the other Corey (Feldman, for those of you playing the game). It can't be explained, but I was drawn to A&E's "The Two Coreys." For some reason, I had to see what the two guys were up to. Yeah, it was a reality show that was more staged than anything Haim had done in years. But it was the two Coreys on the screen, something new, and yet, something old. The old being the way the two interacted was like the Coreys we had seen in the movies. The new was how different their lives were at that point.</div><div><br /></div><div>And in some way, it almost feels as if we were waiting for them to get back together, to be friends again. It's as if waiting all summer to watch your favorite show return in the fall, only to be told it was canceled at the last minute. We'll never know if the two Coreys would have gotten back together or not. And now we'll never know. Sure, we'll hear Feldman say the two were in an amicable relationship at the time of Haim's death. And yet, it's hard to believe that.</div><div><br /></div><div>Ultimately, the time we shared with Haim on the big screen was a good time, and we'll always have those movies... except for <u>License to Drive</u>. For reasons unknown, it's very hard to find a cheap DVD of this film, which I consider the best Haim movie from my childhood. Yeah, I know, <u>Lucas</u> was pretty good, but it's hard to believe he could have really done all that. But in <u>License to Drive</u>, it was almost as if we were watching a documentary of Haim (and Feldman). Sadly, I don't have the DVD and will have to hope that one of the movie channels will have it on in the next few days. If so, it'll be one way to reminisce about the Haimster and all that was important to me while growing up in the '80s.</div><div><br /></div><div>We'll miss you, Corey Haim. Rest in peace.</div><div><br /></div><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/a4KJtDxTqWQ&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/a4KJtDxTqWQ&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>Spoodawghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13065327889142519545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731192125158511907.post-66330405862169304602009-09-10T09:46:00.000-07:002009-09-10T10:00:51.648-07:00A Hard Day's Night<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4bZNDgq10IMw5cC_u-Tye1SRLHFQW4QfPfGCyxPWOQDdXugCGExQzbHgO-uDL6wUb760-qtXT_b5I6oKKyL7SI90a4ms7Zna4aeDOn64VjXefIjVobV4WJ3yrp96xVW6thGxGAdB1uXLo/s1600-h/1+(9).jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4bZNDgq10IMw5cC_u-Tye1SRLHFQW4QfPfGCyxPWOQDdXugCGExQzbHgO-uDL6wUb760-qtXT_b5I6oKKyL7SI90a4ms7Zna4aeDOn64VjXefIjVobV4WJ3yrp96xVW6thGxGAdB1uXLo/s200/1+(9).jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379884771350504594" /></a><br />This is it. The ultimate Beatles movie. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0058182/">A Hard Day's Night</a>. Probably anything I say here will have already been said. A day in the life of The Beatles, in a very comedic way. Like a mockumentary, almost. Pre-<span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">Spinal Tap</span>. Starring John, Paul, George, and Ringo, the movie has us behind-the-scenes with the band before they do a show. Clearly at the height of Beatlemania, the movie helped keep the band in the limelight, in a way for all fans to see them if they never got to be at a concert, just like <span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">Help!</span> But it really does have a concert at the end of this film.<div><br /></div><div>What really stands out in this film is how funny the guys are. I realize they were given lines, but it's all about delivery, and John is spot on every time. In the scene where they are meeting with reporters, John is asked how he finds America. "Turn left at Greenland." Brilliant.</div><div><br /></div><div>One wonders about how Ringo is treated in this movie, almost as if they're recreating how the media almost portrayed Ringo as the guy behind the drums. In this film and in <span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">Help!</span> Ringo seems to be the brunt of most jokes. But in a way you can tell that the band is in on the joke.</div><div><br /></div><div>Not quite sure how they came up with the idea for needing a character to portray Paul's grandfather... no, the other one. And yes, even in black and white he seems clean.</div><div><br /></div><div>Overall, the film is incredible both cinematically and from the standpoint that it gives us more insight to the Fab Four. Even though it was done in 1964, I still want to follow them into the helicopter and continue on their journey, just to find out a little more about them. And because they seem so fun to be around... John included, although he doesn't look a thing like him...</div><div><br /></div><div>While the SO has been dying this week from oversaturation of everything The Beatles, I have to commend her for standing tall during this time of me acting like a screaming Beatles fan. But I have to say thank you to my SO for not biting my head off this week, and I promise when I play <i>The Beatles: Rock Band</i>, I'll put headphones on.</div><div><br /></div><div>Alright, next week, will be something non-Beatles. I know. Hard to believe. But I'll do my best to try something without John, Paul, George, and Ringo. Later!</div><div><br /></div><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/cQwwqajZXD8&hl=en&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/cQwwqajZXD8&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Spoodawghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13065327889142519545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731192125158511907.post-62249275792826230572009-09-09T09:39:00.000-07:002009-09-10T10:01:34.779-07:00Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://991.com/newgallery/Bee-Gees-Sgt-Peppers-Lonel-151200.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 450px; height: 447px;" src="http://991.com/newgallery/Bee-Gees-Sgt-Peppers-Lonel-151200.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />I thought it was funny when someone suggested I was going to write this post about <span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">Across the Universe</span>. Like I would own that dribble. When I talk about a cheesy movie, I'm talking about something that resembles muenster cheese being shoved up your nose. Yeah, that cheesy. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0078239/">Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band</a> "starred" Peter Frampton and the Bee Gees. Now I say starred with quotations because it's hard to star in a movie that just dies from the instant it hits the screen.<div><br /></div><div>Story: There's a real Sgt. Pepper and he has a Lonely Hearts Club Band. He's a WWI hero and their music keeps the town Heartland alive and prospering. Yeah, great start. Well, Sgt. Pepper dies in 1958, but he leaves to Billy Shears (Frampton) his musical legacy. With the help of the Hendersons (the Bee Gees), they become the second incarnation of the band. They get noticed by music execs in the City of Angels, and get lost in the mix of big city life. In Heartland, FVB tells Mean Mr. Mustard to steal Pepper's instruments and Heartland falls apart with crime, prostitution, and gambling.</div><div><br /></div><div>Strawberry Fields, Shears' girlfriend from Heartland, leaves for the big city to get Shears and the Hendersons to come back home to save the town, but she finds Shears falling for Lucy (the girl with kaleidoscope eyes). Shears falls for Fields again, and the band find Mr. Mustard's van outside the studio, and are able to get back one of the instruments. Using the van, they get back the instruments from Mr. Maxwell and Father Sun. But before they can get the last instrument, the computer in the van breaks down. So the band decides to put on a benefit concert to save Heartland. The only problem is Mr. Mustard kidnaps Fields and steals the instruments again to give to FVB. The band follow Mustard to FVB, which we find out means Future Villain Band. The band gets the instruments back but not without the price of losing Fields. A funeral takes place but Shears feels he can't on and jumps from a tall building when Sgt. Pepper (Billy Preston) saves the day to stop Shears, turn Mustard and the villains of the movie into catholic priests and nuns, and bring back Fields with the energy/lightning from Pepper's fingers. In the end, a huge group of musicians, comedians, etc. sing us out to "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (reprise)".</div><div><br /></div><div>Yeah, it's that ugly of a story. The things that save it are the songs sung by the Bee Gees. The dated 1970s wardrobes, sets, and futuristic computers are awful and really make no sense. Okay, the whole movie doesn't make sense! Why is this even needed? Even the Bee Gees wanted to step away from this. I think this movie may have single-handedly killed disco. Why? Because disco tried to touch The Beatles' music, and it failed. Miserably.</div><div><br /></div><div>I haven't seen <span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">Across the Universe</span>, but I'm going to guess it's in the same vein as this. For some reason, it's like John Lennon said in "A Day in the Life": I just had to look. I can't turn away from it. Probably because I'm trying to figure out why they did this. So many famous actors, musicians, comedians: what did they have to gain from this?</div><div><br /></div><div>And Billy Preston, the only "Beatle" in the film: why would you do it? Love your take on "Get Back" but you had to know this was a bomb. Were you desperate for money?</div><div><br /></div><div>So yes, I own on DVD probably one of the worst movies of all-time, and yet I can't help but love it. It's so bad, it's something to watch. That's all I can say. See it once, and you're hooked.</div><div><br /></div><div>Alright, next post is about the movie that started it all for The Beatles. Pretty simple clue, pretty cool movie. Later!</div><div><br /></div><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/nkQXOskDlKw&hl=en&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/nkQXOskDlKw&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Spoodawghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13065327889142519545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731192125158511907.post-44100992529326208142009-09-08T11:39:00.001-07:002009-09-08T12:02:15.402-07:00Help!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSkSJXjkwjTuz8kBN-gcEIgk9kJjxHwxbPkVVUWXqCTLw1LZlgcxXbcNJa4V5zO__IHKbbofw0UVEFsUuE14TSIbBnunrAgIzkp9pzEw4I94Fy2fqdxXWio-mcL9BZT5caVwZtChXLYPeN/s1600-h/1+(8).jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSkSJXjkwjTuz8kBN-gcEIgk9kJjxHwxbPkVVUWXqCTLw1LZlgcxXbcNJa4V5zO__IHKbbofw0UVEFsUuE14TSIbBnunrAgIzkp9pzEw4I94Fy2fqdxXWio-mcL9BZT5caVwZtChXLYPeN/s200/1+(8).jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379171352037824578" /></a><br />So this is the week it all goes down, 09.09.09. That's right, The Beatles entire recordings re-released in what is being dubbed, "what it sounded like in the studio." To top that, the gaming series, Rock Band, is coming out with a game solely dedicated to the Fab Four. And to top that, Apple (the music corporation, not the a-hole computer corporation) is set to make a major announcement that day. Well, here at DVDs with Spoodawg (I'm really thinking of a name change, something that flows better... any suggestions?) we're going to celebrate this occasion with reviews of movies with The Beatles and one movie with their music. To start this off, I'm going with a hilarious romp in the lives of the boys from Liverpool... <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0059260/">Help!</a><div><br /></div><div>Simply put, Ringo's got this ring on his finger, an Eastern religious group wants to sacrifice him because he's wearing the ring, and so he and John, Paul, and George are trying to get the ring off of him before he's painted red and sliced open. Yeah, sounds psychotic, and yet, I love it (and there are tunes, too!). Really, when looking at it, it's really a movie for those who couldn't see the boys up close and personal at a concert. But on a big screen, everyone could see them, as if they were at a concert, with all the songs mixed throughout the film.</div><div><br /></div><div>Now this film is not considered the highlight that <span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">A Hard Day's Night</span> was, cinematically. And that's true, it wasn't as earth-shattering as their first film, but The Beatles do put on a good time, and to me, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">Help!</span> is funnier, it seems to have a better storyline, and they seem to be having more fun on the screen, almost as if they're allowed to be themselves this time around. Even if that included them being doped up through most of those scenes in the Alps.</div><div><br /></div><div>And never did I think you could mix The Beatles with Beethoven with the 1812 Overture... and opera! How is that possible? The range of music in this film is incredible. And you know what also is incredible? Check out that scene when they're in the airport heading towards the Bahamas. Doesn't Ringo and George have their future haircuts twenty years before the fact? I'm just saying they must've thought really long and hard about their disguises in this scene, and possibly they liked them so much they wanted to have that look later in life.</div><div><br /></div><div>So as far as breaking the mold, they did that with <span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">A Hard Day's Night</span>. But for pure fun and mischief, with Beatles music mixed in, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">Help!</span> is a blast of a film. I highly recommend it for any Beatles fan who wants to dig a little deeper beyond their music. Next review: a film that uses the music of the Beatles, although even that couldn't overcome the stench of the plot nor the actors/musicians.</div><div><br /></div><div>Later!</div><div><br /></div><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/sXh4EuJa2TU&hl=en&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/sXh4EuJa2TU&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Spoodawghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13065327889142519545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731192125158511907.post-54871601203589331852009-09-01T12:07:00.000-07:002009-09-01T12:11:11.865-07:00This just isn't my weekSorry, but this week might be one without any posts. I'm trying to battle lab work and a headache that is ripping my head right off my neck (that just might make the pain go away... hmm...). I'll be ready to go next Monday, with those posts I promised you last week. <div><br /></div><div>And I can't leave you this week without something...</div><div><br /></div><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/8v2mEg9Cpvs&hl=en&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/8v2mEg9Cpvs&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><div><br /></div><div>Later!</div>Spoodawghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13065327889142519545noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731192125158511907.post-28025162084177397852009-08-28T12:07:00.001-07:002009-08-28T12:21:25.141-07:00It 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...<div><br /></div><div>Anywho, I think I'll have to break any and all rules that I had before for this one exception. And that exception is...</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Scrubs-Complete-Eighth-Season-Blu-ray/dp/B0029R81BW/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1251487098&sr=8-2">Scrubs, Season 8</a></div><div><br /></div><div>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.</div><div><br /></div><div>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!</div><div><br /></div><div>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!</div><div><br /></div><div>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!</div>Spoodawghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13065327889142519545noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731192125158511907.post-60130386669312121262009-08-26T09:00:00.000-07:002009-08-26T09:00:06.259-07:00St. Elmo's Fire and the NFL - Who knew they had similarities?Because of the (lack of) success for the movie <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1142433/">Post Grad</a>, 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, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090060/">St. Elmo's Fire</a> (kinda like a follow-up to those great coming-of-age films by the late <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Hughes_(filmmaker)">John Hughes</a>). 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.<div><br /></div><div>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.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Billy Hicks - Michael Crabtree, WR SF - Cleveland Browns</b></div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNsbuk9qmvjAfgkMHFU3sBISnbVvbUqS9AEQZrOWgQUR-DW3mMOXPCTcFqNoCWJ9nnyoBJW6hiRgbeupkrBvYVwl_ZRPc4Ny2_UnqEhtSK1XvIsIfypVlZpG0GUuFmwdw5KqEFvfgLQ9DD/s200/Image1.jpg" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 156px; height: 200px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374014379923060754" /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmVpKRCfFGL1WYK3pcGaW2zPjnlWtkNs9zrw_ANpS9u76S4viNOjJz4_Clpv5lq85KaVD23Gn0E8HmgM43_kxWBOCJrAZJoaXAqlythxLHd5NcsQQ2Dy9KZXcagi7coUT74v7EskrdP_nJ/s200/Image2.jpg" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 153px; height: 200px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374014470655031906" /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL4LB0YG5G6TiBO2f-yCTdzLJw856nd2ceM4YMDMmJBTuOO6r3Ah8DqrH963H4ldRyz5dh8cyGS5rGTZ8KlB1dLfFsHnjcMAB_r2xhqE6ndW_KNVAqfNsJES8hWsP3uS2Sjfg6BBRrDgwU/s200/Image3.jpg" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 154px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374014560495749410" /></div><div>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.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Leslie Hunter - Knowshon Moreno, RB DEN - Buffalo Bills</b></div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihLwVAGvj6QcltuSLATS9Oj70lHbVCZlpmQzsLp_uMUmpEx42WMOf2QlhEZuuCwU9woedXMAPSNo4dx0ZBrX51zLEIKjAlpOrAMrSVB4VOUietYreN3mv_TeSp7UWDC0Lslb-6jy45kY6y/s200/Image4.jpg" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 162px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374014668433729506" /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYjeGzAYbScHKHJYygKDTE84bp3QQyaZfWvkzLUT4yGt4pI06pmsCwir6PtaB1hK5tr5NIpEtLmZ_sDToUn_aFgpiqwA152SdztTyAQok0uyBoh6XRcd-kzMUsx-Hj4EhR1D42Hm1iNSpn/s200/Image5.jpg" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 189px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374014754517764066" /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisPi0H0U78SZdWUOc1JqRhbACDxMhgdCadZwY2MY3EhLBZFdCEJl-nCAelnYc6GCEVrs8MFeKAiUIFvCkzjrDMAQXIp96fdTGKEeJReTg21ujIuvvNPSNmDgnyN42nJf6Rtm7YeEpu8Qyh/s200/Image6.jpg" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 134px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374014865228490210" /></div><div>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.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Kevin Dolenz - Jason Smith, OT STL - Detroit Lions</b></div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHhQW0yXEJICGAvauYqDCwpFGQD0N6zuCnSMwU9-iHe7IRDGPts3Rap4n7N9GTcPwZ5TZP2nVLi4fiYusRgGLMEqPZsUzK6qzAVZ571uhxPgL17NCrAFcVG6mMTzbQOAnoZgfdsMiKwWnX/s200/Image7.jpg" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 90px; height: 64px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374015063477218066" /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyXF3ECWppw9NvJhVRFclixiJ3zB2rVbqn2dNxiojPbT6qxyTc2zLXXETB8_LFyhwZ3yKzf2LiYZreGEs-O_yNLDDW7Sgf4noZdH74ejkC7VaReLI4xsslEPbsUyM3TQMrZgah-1hF_KXZ/s200/Image8.jpg" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 145px; height: 200px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374015068094280626" /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvvRHh8GP3zjJny5hE-H6GCWGG4ZNfY16ji4RwC5UcJ5qjAww9Y4sIpt_PGwNRCxToUMwvPaM8MHvQvuzSwlahILVpTFly14lkg0_mVjsHJzoaYiuoJRCJCJ8A1wrZhTXhmfou_UngViDn/s200/Image9.jpg" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 147px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374015072762399602" /></div><div>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).</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Julianna Van Patten - Mark Sanchez, QB NYJ - Washington Redskins</b></div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmgUajcKHjk82xT17fcpxnjuW_QADpk5457mvaVxiqpVOwu560UhMubtqcIhmnq_njOCHgq04Unj0FEzNQwEWFFfkZ1vwG4KXyHK2WSm9P0en_13Q1MlnfB6KldJNUrE6yJJ7xwEobCWUU/s200/Image10.jpg" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 189px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374015346261172754" /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG1BXliPpC-o_r9tGux9J259AM9cyESnlpdssUN3ztn7G1gjGRkvzMPwWgnrtuWEzbHGA9Rn-phNNXaGpnDUIhufjr9YpRC4FkSNYuSEQtUa-RgD6tox7yVmyuQa9gu_zpkIS22MGDh44k/s200/Image11.jpg" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 175px; height: 200px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374015355840182210" /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivm0Jm7XNEkM45z7TdZ8b5nUku8OuSoEUSdBMMMfy_t6BlLoOF2x01Li4FHNlB24NQLQeurzQa0ErF-MdJ6ZuAj7UABspNl04iKo2MfAUhC1jg-yfM3xBm8nZZRrIc4LRQJ9U9DkzQTwyb/s200/Image12.jpg" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 134px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374015361911777314" /></div><div>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.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Kirby Keager - Chris Wells, RB ARI - Minnesota Vikings</b></div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBZGOD4r9PVjuR6-IbYwj5AfzEv_epjfqLFQvenDwW2Q9tN3VKYkEhybyxkqVY0gHULSXIu566DaqFOyJQ3GvX6wqEzbFyt9eq8J8-v-krkPDZ-U_cw5n0DUXgTeZc-mFVOfmVkdFZne9L/s200/Image13.jpg" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 100px; height: 123px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374015683172189730" /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHSBGGuBhYN3pmoXTfu7SaXFj2MRyzLIcPZhqsYpNyDZ7qt_vQbo_wjmBsbYmnE652KDi6rjOhwujog5orM8YPiCvKDN9bnq4JJtbT6zHnSuuz6P18ipiMNG9uzZfGtqAHx4OfJGYaTwlS/s200/Image14.jpg" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 172px; height: 200px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374015689059632994" /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNcGB6DItV5hbsnvFIsSuavQqJGi60FSRCR8D6WfG2ShWJTduFy8mhqyc6wcdeb0E9gkyL6HnHsu_HYS_wkarkupsOO1XZqT_HiZO_jHfw71N7HVsOVY3qWzUVk3V7a3ZweIFI9gu5b3jw/s200/Image15.jpg" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 158px; height: 200px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374015697095876306" /></div><div>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.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Wendy Beamish - Matthew Stafford, QB DET - Green Bay Packers</b></div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Pu3YEyRsFVRvNVy1uvJsWeLOiRbFY6Uh_2B0RhOW9LoKJZz0Rp0S508x1Tgp8XMJjXyMDHtVRR5sVnFM68rPbZd6hFInC91XlOdlLyqIZCvdB9jtxeYYYZQgHFUuzjqKyKm3E8LN-g3o/s200/Image16.jpg" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 143px; height: 156px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374016117020900242" /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFeIX8velo1EamSwQeR45c1mwmJfjoA0fSi0Mn3jy6b9VtyYWvj8ySbm-dSYnLvn6YLd8cqBFIIxZCsBYGqaXS8KED2a6BUgl2cSjO906_EDu_GdtprfYXCPAIQyYBY35FRLKmAWXLfmdB/s200/Image17.jpg" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 143px; height: 181px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374016125167519122" /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh02zVMeDGyHzenY4kIQk-4X47TYz-INwXauNTkZ6JHAOj0rVvsCTMwgeZu5XvQkvXrZ5exNC3-drTbnpN10Q-zsspbzq_MaAn58flrUqGs-YP_XAljzeNGEvp1tDtH7equM7yrTzKxwAqE/s200/Image18.jpg" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 200px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374016129893657554" /></div><div>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.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Alec Newbury - Darrius Heyward-Bey, WR OAK - Denver Broncos</b></div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3VsKpKXnxyYj8bVssqpA9duY3VIANbajmY8NlRo2DCtuCTAQbfPhsvzTGm90ciHusD_FCpHXikyJreUNkU3VNA3LVTqdtUekesRvoS7MHuS949f4dAVJrUgGNGMQV1XhJAyXqE5D12HNB/s200/Image19.jpg" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 110px; height: 126px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374016671585887666" /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipJ1NluYjqxyBseGtgL7gBhEKKD1NS2qTYnygFU7SXaPddFcJjq3OGedQ7a-yZHqpAApQsY0GsMBORHc0iWqFlb6kaOSaLcOOKVkNS7thKDzcLDwxzjCX7SjL6GVnmJXRO2kryfK8wkU-g/s200/Image20.jpg" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 164px; height: 200px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374016676976085602" /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1NJ6kvLUGa6YH8j0K42AWa_xMOY6s7VhF-LQ079enk1UOvLFW7Uy0y9exzFVrSReMeHI1ep7emAiplvE0eXsNfTjNHft-92upuXapZrOFvirBLdWhushErGOiWNw9V9t8UV688om9nAju/s200/Image21.jpg" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 200px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374016684216476834" /></div><div>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.</div><div><br /></div><div>So there you have it. Do you agree with these comparisons? If not, let me know what you think. Later!</div><div><br /></div><div><object width="480" height="381" classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000"><param name="movie" value="http://www.dailymotion.com/swf/x21a7r_john-parr-man-in-motion-st-elmos-fi_music"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.dailymotion.com/swf/x21a7r_john-parr-man-in-motion-st-elmos-fi_music" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="480" height="381" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always"></embed></object><br /><b><a href="http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x21a7r_john-parr-man-in-motion-st-elmos-fi_music">John Parr - Man In Motion (St. Elmo's Fire)</a></b><br /><i>Uploaded by <a href="http://www.dailymotion.com/jpdc11">jpdc11</a>. - <a href="http://www.dailymotion.com/us/channel/music">See the latest featured music videos.</a></i></div><div><br /></div><div>Character descriptions from <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Elmo's_Fire_(film)">Wikipedia</a></div><div>Images from Google</div>Spoodawghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13065327889142519545noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731192125158511907.post-55094356574732895462009-08-24T09:00:00.000-07:002009-08-24T09:00:04.173-07:00Top 5 Signs You Take Fantasy Football Way Too Seriously<div style="text-align: left;">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, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EbVKWCpNFhY">eleven is one more</a>, and any more than 5 and I would be taking this list way too seriously. With that, I give you...</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><b>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.</b></div><div><br /></div><div>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 <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Car_Allowance_Rebate_System">"Cash For Clunkers"</a> 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.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><b>4. You think <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wire">The Wire</a></i> should really be a weekly show about how to choose from the waiver list.</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>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.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>3. You believe holding on to Michael Vick in your "keeper" league for the past two years will finally pay off.</b></div><div><br /></div><div>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?).</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><b>2. You take more time considering your FFB team name than you would for naming your own kid.</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8fsgT9YcOjmPaJOB6XS2v1qhaPjqr8w2ilZBqrEqaf2joKBZeqA2eKMYpM80uNGwaJ7InlVXpXMzT4bMo5560KfDY28UbxdaDPDUNSiTPRYsvmsFU1Ki4M9ccsqGX1R7vn3tWI2y8sIF7/s200/fantasy+teams.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 133px; height: 200px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5373219221553928994" /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div>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.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>1. You get all worked up over how a player looks against the 4-3 versus the 3-4, rather than how this looks:</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6e-0G3ikNn-Okh8McjseOyl_QQa7-aM3ou-npk-6pdoFcrSiB8n6KgMi1HYO5ST54zy5X-dnXEaozUL4sUsGHq4Mm1DBYwQOtdWE1NkdTcJ1mbkGWxBtXsim_vfNfvl01DCHbV1Ip3dcQ/s200/adriana-lima+(2).jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 135px; height: 200px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5373221978773289042" /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><b>In a bikini... or less.</b></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://stylefrizz.com/img/inez-and-vinoodh-adriana-lima-gq-magazine-april.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 450px; height: 300px;" border="0" alt="" /></div><div><br /></div><div>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.</div><div><br /></div><div>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!</div>Spoodawghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13065327889142519545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731192125158511907.post-45062403840183712902009-08-21T13:47:00.001-07:002009-08-21T13:47:49.900-07:00Sorry for the delayLong day today in lab, but Monday I'll try my luck again with a strong posting. Have a great weekend!Spoodawghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13065327889142519545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731192125158511907.post-12833034295995762822009-08-20T08:54:00.000-07:002009-08-20T09:21:27.281-07:00I'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 <a href="http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/extramustard/hotclicks/08/20/brooklyn-decker-photoshoot-managers-fight/index.html">SI's Hot Clicks</a>, 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!<div><br /></div><div>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...</div><div><br /></div><div>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 <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Love-You-Man-Paul-Rudd/dp/B001PR0Y6W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1250785232&sr=8-1">I Love You, Man</a> I knew this movie was for me. Mostly because it has Jason Segel (love just about anything <span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">Freaks and Geeks</span>) 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...).</div><div><br /></div><div>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...).</div><div><br /></div><div>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...</div><div><br /></div><div>Later!</div><div><br /></div>Spoodawghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13065327889142519545noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731192125158511907.post-82104724221530993092009-08-17T12:30:00.001-07:002009-08-19T11:32:48.736-07:00Scrubs vs. Favre - Who Made the Bigger Mistake of Returning This Fall?<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-WqJ0aJzdDObuaTBkSHqEXTdC68WfoLprKSTu0Z6e5fw9vkFZm49Blt6ADf4dC0MkhpTL391Gw3wlL8OcCdQ8ZDU6PoD9uD0vCuA7kj-EmiVWyyTRjTDQprK3CE-xSZtswOkzonxKtb3H/s200/brett-favre-jersey-11+(2).jpg" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 179px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371744284983378050" /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoscvAunBSj5g33y5aHfSw-iVyOgt67zcqgX9V3xvSOIdQSxGVH8S8AeGaOzyp8NA7XxmQDF9um_FgVy4qc361SWeGBMBDt201SGIeu00rZSlDGecl0cQR5PgyyDAqsUhc7tNEfmH6U-rk/s200/scrubs+(2).jpg" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 130px; height: 200px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371744280313603010" /><br /><br /><br /><div>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. <div><br /></div><div>The once series finale for <span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">Scrubs</span> 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.</div><div><br /></div><div>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...</div><div><br /></div><div>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.</div><div><br /></div><div>ABC has decided that <span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">Scrubs</span> 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.</div><div><br /></div><div>Here are three reasons why these abominations are wrong:</div><div><br /></div><div><b>1.</b> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">They destroyed any relationship they had with their true fans.</span> 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...</div><div><br /></div><div>Message boards have a resounding theme for <span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">Scrubs</span>: Don't come back! Many, if not most, if not ALL, have said that <span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">Scrubs</span> ended last spring and that that's the end. This new show is not <span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">Scrubs</span>, nor shall it be considered the "ninth" season.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>2. </b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">There is nothing to gain from another season.</span> 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.</div><div><br /></div><div>And wasn't this the SERIES finale for <span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">Scrubs</span>? How can a show called <span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">Scrubs</span> 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 <span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">AfterScrubs</span>? 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 (<span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">Frasier</span> and <span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">Cheers</span>, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">Joey</span> and <span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">Friends</span>... you get my point).</div><div><br /></div><div><b>3.</b> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">Their legacy will be lost.</span> 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...</div><div><br /></div><div>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 <span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">Scrubs</span> (as a whole) created a wonderful world with interesting characters that made us laugh, cry, and think (just as <a href="http://www.jimmyv.org/">Jimmy V</a> would want it). Now let's say 10 years from now, our children are watching <span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">Scrubs</span> 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."</div><div><br /></div><div>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 <span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">Scrubs</span> 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!</div><div><br /></div><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/qC99OJ7sk1Q&hl=en&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/qC99OJ7sk1Q&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/G8-0R2ckE8E&hl=en&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/G8-0R2ckE8E&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object></div>Spoodawghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13065327889142519545noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731192125158511907.post-9035114845196007412009-08-17T12:28:00.001-07:002009-08-18T13:50:30.152-07:00Four 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,...<div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098663/">The Wizard</a>. 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 <a href="http://screwattack.com/AVGN/2008/SMB3">AVGN</a> and the <a href="http://thatguywiththeglasses.com/videolinks/thatguywiththeglasses/nostalgia-critic/215-the-wizard">Nostalgia Critic</a> have both torn this movie to shreds. What I want to point out are two things that were way wrong with this movie:</div><div><br /></div><div>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...</div><div><br /></div><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Bvvdsstw7Wo&hl=en&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Bvvdsstw7Wo&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><div><br /></div><div>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?</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107659/">National Lampoon's Loaded Weapon 1</a>. 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.</div><div><br /></div><div>Now not all movies on HBO were bad. I finally was able to get the chance to see <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0942385/">Tropic Thunder</a>. 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...</div><div><br /></div><div>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 <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Tropic-Thunder-Unrated-Directors-Cut/dp/B001H5X7JS/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1250619186&sr=8-2">extended version</a>... </div><div><br /></div><div>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)... <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0494238/">Inkheart</a>. 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...)</div><div><br /></div><object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/WUKGkTkT_3c&hl=en&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/WUKGkTkT_3c&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object><div><br /></div><div>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 <span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">Encino Man</span> and two episodes from <span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">Scrubs</span>, Brendan Fraser is like the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_McGinley">Ted McGinley</a> of film: he's the sign that the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jumping_the_shark">shark has been jumped</a>. 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.</div><div><br /></div><div>On a happier note...</div><div><br /></div><div>My next post is about more DVD purchases!</div><div><br /></div><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/tGQNSNKwqfc&hl=en&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/tGQNSNKwqfc&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><div><br /></div><div>Yeah, I know, I'm a DVD/BR whore...</div><div><br /></div><div>Later!</div>Spoodawghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13065327889142519545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731192125158511907.post-89774542018139283482009-08-17T11:39:00.000-07:002009-08-17T12:25:27.671-07:00Gather 'Round, Kids. It's Story Time!"Just sit back and you'll hear a tale,<div>A tale of a fateful (road) trip,</div><div>That started from the local Borders store,</div><div>Aboard this tiny Sentra..."</div><div><br /></div><div>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!"</div><div><br /></div><div>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.</div><div><br /></div><div>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 <a href="http://spoodawgdvd.blogspot.com/2009/02/well-theres-your-problem.html">Batman on DVD</a>, 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.</div><div><br /></div><div>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?</div><div><br /></div><div>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.</div><div><br /></div><div>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.</div><div><br /></div><div>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...</div><div><br /></div><div>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).</div><div><br /></div><div>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.</div><div><br /></div><div>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!</div><div><br /></div><div>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...</div><div><br /></div><div>Even worse, we couldn't get to Trader Joe's in time before it closed. So we drove home, my head down in shame...</div><div><br /></div><div>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.</div><div><br /></div><div>The SO was thrilled when I surprised her with the set. She was happy, I was happy...</div><div><br /></div><div>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...</div><div><br /></div><div>Later!</div><div><br /></div><div>"...The SO and the DVD/BR whore,</div><div>Here on Funny Story Isle!"</div>Spoodawghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13065327889142519545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731192125158511907.post-40016117182087798942009-08-10T07:36:00.000-07:002009-08-10T09:56:22.236-07:00One 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...<div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0181875/">Almost Famous</a></span> - 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).</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0066808/">Bananas</a></span> - 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 <span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">Sleeper</span>...</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0327597/">Coraline</a></span> (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...</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0832266/">Definitely, Maybe</a></span> - 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!</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083833/">Diner</a></span> - 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?</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120660/">Enemy of the State</a></span> (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. </div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">Harry Potter and the</span>...</div><div><br /></div><div>*<span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0241527/">Sorcerer's Stone</a></span> (BR) - Good start to the series, the actors look like babies, and it's so cheerful compared to the latest installments.</div><div><br /></div><div>*<span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0295297/">Chamber of Secrets</a></span> (BR) - Kinda forgettable, mostly because the series get much darker and better with Prisoner of Azkaban.</div><div><br /></div><div>*<span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0373889/">Order of the Phoenix</a></span> (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!</div><div><br /></div><div>*<span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0417741/">Half-Blood Prince</a></span> (IMAX) - Wish the whole movie could be made in IMAX-3D (the last two movies <span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;"><i>should</i></span> 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...</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0042546/">Harvey</a></span> - 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?!?</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0800080/">The Incredible Hulk</a></span> - 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.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0040613/">Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House</a></span> - 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!</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0838283/">Step Brothers</a></span> - 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...</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0105793/">Wayne's World</a></span> - 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!</div><div><br /></div><div>So, you're probably thinking, "That was only 15." Well, the one movie I didn't review was <span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0468569/">The Dark Knight</a></span> in BR. You already know what I think of this film from <a href="http://spoodawgdvd.blogspot.com/2009/01/lets-create-some-chaos-shall-we.html">an earlier post</a>, 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!</div><div><br /></div><div>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 <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>8h3[gqh<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>er[buenb[erbn[eiqbn[atib...</div><div><br /></div><div>Whoa! What was that? Maybe my brain is...</div><div><br /></div><div>THERE IS NO SPOODAWG, ONLY ZUUL!!!</div><div><br /></div><div>Wait, where did that come from? I gotta get outta here! Later!</div>Spoodawghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13065327889142519545noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731192125158511907.post-37445070123325450942009-08-07T07:10:00.000-07:002009-08-07T08:53:22.525-07:00Hu-WHAA?!?Where did the time go? Looks like I've been more truant than Kate Hudson's career, but seriously folks...<div><br /></div><div>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...</div><div><br /></div><div>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:</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">Duck Soup</span> - 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.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">Harry Potter</span> 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.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">National Security</span> - Never saw it, don't want to.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines</span> - Without Cameron at the helm, it just hasn't been the same. And it was full-screen!!!</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">Win a Date With Tad Hamilton</span> - Oh, Topher Grace, this was the best you could find? Love the Topher, just will never watch this movie.</div><div><br /></div><div>The loss will truly be felt... in terms of number of DVDs.</div><div><br /></div><div>And now for the new additions:</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">Animaniacs</span>, Volumes 1-3 - I have to blame <a href="http://thatguywiththeglasses.com/">Nostalgia Critic</a> (NC) for <a href="http://thatguywiththeglasses.com/videolinks/thatguywiththeglasses/nostalgia-critic/221-the-top-moments-in-animaniacs">this</a>. And I have to blame <a href="http://www.cinemassacre.com/new/?page_id=13">Angry Video Game Nerd</a> (AVGN) and <a href="http://www.cinemassacre.com/new/index.php">Cinemassacre</a> for introducing me to <a href="http://www.cinemassacre.com/new/?p=252">NC</a>. </div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">Batman</span> (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).</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">Coraline</span> (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.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">The Dark Knight</span> (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.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">Enemy of the State</span> (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!!!</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">Harry Potter 1-5</span> (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.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">Independent America: The Search For Mom and Pop</span> - 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.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">Robot Chicken Star Wars Episode Two</span> - If you can't understand why I bought this, then you obviously have never seen <span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">Star Wars</span>...which is a shame...because this was hilarious! And the extended version makes this worth the buy.</div><div><br /></div><div>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!</div><div><br /></div><div>PS - I still want to get rid of both copies of <span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">Transformers</span> and the special edition of <span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">Dark Knight</span>. Someone please take these away from me!!!</div>Spoodawghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13065327889142519545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731192125158511907.post-9719022343659254652009-07-13T00:01:00.000-07:002009-07-13T00:01:00.701-07:00Once you get the itch, you better get some lotion for it...<div style="text-align: left;">After the <span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">Transformers</span> debacle, I started thinking about what other DVDs I could get rid of.</div><div><br /></div><div>You remember, I watched <span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">Transformers</span> a couple weeks ago. Realized it's a piece of garbage. Want to sell both copies.</div><div><br /></div><div>Well, I decided that there might be more DVDs to get rid of, especially as the SO and I move into our new apartment this week. And it seems there might be more than one DVD that could be leaving the collection.</div><br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzVSMyd3D9uz1GHL8_T8IOYYB7iyz2el1MYM0CVsgk-EIyhh-0vfMwB3r41hat7kOmDCckETLSnu_w9_UHhHmarwsUl8onTIXfwF2xHc2q8EiRGrEyLxfxVIGI7usPzsV443nTvFirpee0/s320/lastcrusade+005.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 239px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353190556083503106" /><br /><div>Of course there's my two copies of <span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">Transformers</span>:</div><div><br /></div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqgPOP6Q_1qs8MruDSRvUqpHCj1P3upSPMLEKrLIEf_NDlxWuQrZyJWPczAqaHFrNx77uysTtuwFgzXa3cgD2TldbTyccEdxNgjZTZdyWovB3DpZpAwq72Fe1SxDZgnrKf7HLouMA1-hPC/s200/lastcrusade+013.jpg" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353190782634115538" /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzZzoPUfvBD6EtpAaE9iVtIKQIggT3mhlFlJ0vAxSonWf-LVTSBxjp3Ogu-lVz26RWks7zW-UAIgc_A_7nxOJwOxhnSSAq1S9vVBmz6dHGXjmkwqb7-jNYMKn30VZj-suvfmZ3F5nZOm8a/s200/lastcrusade+015.jpg" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353190785121783698" /></div><div><br /></div><div>Getting rid of these because I no longer can stand to watch that movie, let alone believe I used MY money to buy these.</div><div><br /></div><div>There's also:</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline; "><br /></span></div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnSVm5LcTaxxgxp1uhxIQDKr4F9J3H4yvEX7wM68WG0MiJyWdrq4oGirOofN2nsbI5onviSN6Obvc7HyuATUB8vOwpp7l4Vo4A8UrQVNSKP8E-NGZXOVwI5_kMghJNnusuUFLN4K_j8_gO/s200/lastcrusade+014.jpg" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353191022394810386" /></div><div><br /></div><div>Not a film I ever bought. Think it might be one that Suzy got from an ex. Too bad it's Full Screen! And if I'm going to own a Terminator movie, it'll be either the original or T2. Simple as that.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">The Dark Knight: Target Special Edition</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;"><br /></span></div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjbA_eUxuLrN0d_494kaltI40sBjh6K59oBQ3xXPcCklp9yirRpyLgcbqz_Nrz0ahOudQOJhF2WpLqFcEftHlwpuj57Yctkp1FUC0cVnxH-Fc2zEYzAm_j7U866dqscu64HbdhAL-RjPP-/s200/lastcrusade+016.jpg" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353191222446652786" /></div><div><br /></div><div>This is another one of those cases where I wanted another version but ended up with a different version. Well, I bought this special edition DVD first, but I really wanted the special edition from Circuit City... which I ended up getting a week or two after this initial purchase. And because I want this on BR, the SO will kill me if I have three copies of this film.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">Duck Soup</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;"><br /></span></div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcBPQ6NmxA7tq65A28EajO1Jq5PbVjbHWt9eK7PWcOa_X28hB_6CSBcZ3a3EYmX0pdFaPPOZBI50ubqCnZypcXny3C88rpRsFKIwWjEwGChLU1i2NDbS1hhBZ4tiNAByJkIKtsFRXxXkTS/s200/lastcrusade+012.jpg" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353193513522526290" /></div><div><br /></div><div>There's nothing wrong with this film. I consider it the greatest comedy of all time, and everyone who's anyone that thinks about doing comedy either for fun or for a living will give this film all the respect it deserves. Everyone has copied the gags and one-liners from this film and put it in another production. So I love this film. It's just that I bought <span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Brothers-Collection-Cocoanuts-Crackers-Business/dp/B0002MHDYW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1246387109&sr=1-1">The Marx Brothers Silver Screen Collection</a></span>, and that means that this film is a part of that set. So I have no need for two copies. See the trend?</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">Donald Duck in Mathmagic Land</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline; "><br /></span></div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCTArT9BssUmjTyrYD4T_PfE0-42PMbRh1hXrApux9-yKrcdm7RiWemlX8G_aL2MJui4vToM6JoqvdL5evlpYSGWD9YZOv-SaTK_lATkyXygLUleCjQ3y5PXO7Kyh1ys9t0OzfEpJYK9Up/s200/lastcrusade+008.jpg" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353194061123227458" /></div><div><br /></div><div>The SO loves this feature, as it shows Donald learning the importance of math in everything that we do on a daily basis. It really is a cute film, but it also is a part of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Walt-Disney-Treasures-Chronological-Collectors/dp/B001DPHDC4/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1246387263&sr=1-6">Walt Disney Treasures: The Chronological Donald Volume 4, 1951-1961</a>. I sound like a broken record with this post, but it's not my fault. I already had the Treasures DVD and the SO wanted to get this DVD because it was an exclusive DVD for members of the Disney Movie Club.</div><div><br /></div><div>A double feature: <span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">National Security</span> and <span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">Win a Date with Tad Hamilton</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;"><br /></span></div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_gZykf8zbPP3WwYfe9QZR1JdgghP-jqXsCxpNvOxvJxlkPo9vipMd3hfe_ILaYTfmRZqpHJd4tYMgl2kX8_xztkB3oAeoTAMhArnsuLeyxM-ZPhZihqOrc162yEE7ujmMS7FylPA82uGN/s200/lastcrusade+011.jpg" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353198399263906610" /></div><div>These are the SO's, and again, I think they're from an ex. So I don't believe she'll miss these one bit. And I'll be glad to rid them from the collection. What's so great about them is they are stored together in the DVD case for <span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline; ">Devil's Advocate</span>.</div><div><br /></div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRKJBdZcDrpdfI4TJesh0xvnuYYdDQpCDCP_xxMXCyF6eftwpya5HfBAkHdQUMmkCk_C1kqhhKY3eI_jU77LY87hYTnuPjYw64Cqblafw03V701UZkLQP8V_Z9rhbXPIA4VdDiq2V6jWHo/s200/lastcrusade+010.jpg" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353198400501434402" /></div><div><br /></div><div>Yeah, I cared so little for these movies that I put both of them in a case for which I don't actually own the movie.</div><div><br /></div><div>And finally...</div><div><br /></div><div>The original <span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">Star Wars</span> trilogy</div><div><br /></div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2TH_FvoALeznHX7NP-FEuucHya2iwBnUVeKj3N2y5ze6JioC6qaPuqtU53nL-sqLVWGvIqe5_R71C0FM6FIAoPdPcWfVrkXoi3I4XimQXFQCqj-TcJjcQTowuNHgQhexk3d9-9vw5AhPe/s200/lastcrusade+009.jpg" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353197327281265154" /></div><div><br /></div><div>Now hear me out on this. I haven't truly decided if I'm going to do this or not. But here's what I'm thinking...</div><div><br /></div><div>So I bought the original trilogy when it first came out as a set with a bonus material DVD. </div><div><br /></div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcuSgj4LZszgHzsXF3ZwZGMPKcQLD-8dLrAxHICFAiwm44oNg25lfo4WVYNm0iq35eD3L-fdxww8zhM99k4ciy5DMW5bTgD5UCh_rd2Ww_Cd-gBCV_CJFWgSMQyJprHTFZd8Jlx6rNG9BV/s200/lastcrusade+007.jpg" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353197325369539026" /></div><div><br /></div><div>Then they came out with the movies as individual DVDs that had both the original theatrical version and the special edition (i.e. Lucas' slaughtering of his own original vision for the films) in one case.</div><div><br /></div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuGEkToMdJ8G7wlVf7KQWSWUPoyjxACN1Tw6lqqHIC3v4jQCeEH75orx-qWdOLXyZfJiB8rz3SfUXx2m40WVN3kWueECiwYZsNNLtCHShtiC0oI-qUrA2PAOPSUEEZX08Gb3FpUx9oYvsu/s200/lastcrusade+006.jpg" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353197318839444930" /></div><div><br /></div><div>The original set I bought only had the special editions of the films. In theory, then, I would not have the need for the special edition only DVDs.</div><div><br /></div><div>But there are two drawbacks to this. One, the artwork on the covers are different among the two sets of trilogies. And two, I never planned on opening the set with both versions of the film. It just seemed symbolic to keep those sealed until the moment in time when I would show these films to any future progeny of mine. I still have the original VHS copies, so whenever I wanted to avoid any special edition changes, I could pop those in.</div><div><br /></div><div>Therefore, I'm still hesitant to sell those (as you can see in the first pic I left them separate from the "definitely selling" pile) but if I was desperate for money (or if the SO finally did snap and want to kill me) I would be willing to part with them and keep the other set plus the bonus material DVD. I am definitely, 100% not selling that away.</div><div><br /></div><div>So there you have it. DVDs that I'm willing to sell or get rid of. A crazy new era has dawned, and I'm just trying to stay afloat. Later!</div>Spoodawghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13065327889142519545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731192125158511907.post-81587128715185100542009-07-10T00:01:00.000-07:002009-07-10T00:01:02.142-07:00"That better be your lucky R2 poking me."<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOUjx9Rbixb1pUJZ9VQ86SmW0b4TuYC88Uw-SOOcK5XkbSeNj9RUEmJtuDZjJVyWMQyTXsw0gFewgpq9JwsgGnvQGjSGT0M-hTC5Vcj3nA8LkOL6fNuaDE2ek6bzf17q_anvvSCNS1y31d/s320/lastcrusade+001.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 239px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353185740382902242" /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>It seems like I had been waiting forever to see this movie. First waiting for it to hit theaters, then waiting until it came out on DVD, and finally for the right moment to sit down and watch it and appreciate it for what it is: a really cool movie. What the hell could I be talking about? The greatest movie to be about crazy fans for <span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">Star Wars</span>... <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0489049/">Fanboys</a>!<div><br /><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG22uYoPGMbDgIWyCh4xsN0uMhWqTfseeGiuoV6uS_POW5kETkdld3N80Kxztf_H8RA5JGtKJiBdeoSs-MczeXkDNZQ1b-SJ3u3P6VQkzoOb1ZnP6PsBTUsg8wE39rktWst5UqvY0XV5dz/s200/fanboys+001.jpg" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353185946223623762" /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuIywAenDXUH4JTCgH6oyJkyiPiqWvdwFQ-FoIj7pLlw_-PNX2rdXoH3h9LFL1G7JleS_WJiXWGJ9N9BSj87z23130jnDdLRIxuBxFMQC2trkab1NIzQxJfzFWy0ZxBE1J_ZS5R90wij1j/s200/fanboys+002.jpg" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353185950509394066" /></div><div><br /></div><div>Three reasons make this movie great. One, when I put it in the ol' BR, it filled the screen of my HDTV, meaning there weren't those stupid black borders on top and bottom. Two, the storyline kept the cancer angle (which everyone knew was the best way to go with this movie even if the movie studios tried to screw that up). Three, it's about <span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">Star Wars</span>!</div><div><br /></div><div>As far as the basic plot, it's very simple: four friends plan to storm the Skywalker Ranch to steal and watch a copy of Episode I before it hit theatres. What drives them to do this is that one of the guys has cancer and you never get it in plain English, but it sounds like the kind of cancer that will probably end his life in the near future.</div><div><br /></div><div>What makes it great is not the basic plot but the journey these guys make along the way from Ohio to California, fighting Trekkies, hacking into the Ranch thanks to William Shatner, and that kickass van kicking ass! Feels like a modern-day Millennium Falcon. I don't know if I had had as much fun watching a movie in a long time, and it got me all excited to watch the original trilogy again, followed by another viewing of <span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">Fanboys</span>. It's probably something a Star Wars fan can truly appreciate. If you oblivious to the original trilogy, you might think this is just some crappy road trip movie. But then again, you might be a Trekkie! Either way, a little bit of knowledge about the Star Wars universe probably would help.</div><div><br /></div><div>About the only thing I didn't care for in the movie was Seth Rogen. I know, it's blasphemy! 30 lashes to the back! His characters seemed over-the-top and out of place. I don't know if I've ever thought that about him as an actor, but this was not the film for him. All other cameos were good, although the Kevin Smith/Jason Mewes cameo was a bit odd. A <span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;"><i>Bit</i></span> odd.</div><div><br /></div><div>I don't even care what the SO thought of it. This is a keeper. It may be a movie I watch once a week, just to keep me motivated for the week ahead. Yeah, it's one of those movies, one that just makes you forget about your troubles in the world. And I need a lot of forgetting (just not the SO...whew! saved my ass).</div><div><br /></div><div>Later!</div></div>Spoodawghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13065327889142519545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731192125158511907.post-33803235209014160782009-07-08T00:01:00.000-07:002009-07-08T22:47:33.649-07:00"He's leaked lubricants all over my foot!"You know how you get so excited over a cartoon from your past that you think that a big, live-action version of it would be so cool? That's how I felt with <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0418279/">Transformers</a>. Never went to see it in theaters. Not really sure why. But when it came out on DVD, that's when I knew I had to own it... well, two copies of it actually. Yeah, I know.<div><br /></div><div>So intead of talking about the plot of the movie (which there really isn't one... at least a plot worth the time to write it), I thought I'd go with two stories that will explain why I plan on selling both copies of the film. That's right. I've finally found a film that can be deemed unwatchable by me, especially one that I was crazy over. Let's begin with story number one...</div><div><br /></div><div>We begin around the time the DVD was coming out for the film. Target was coming out with a special edition of the DVD, i.e. the case was going to be a Transformers, literally, that went from a DVD case to a DVD case that looks like Optimus Prime. Well, when it came out, I remember going that night of the DVD release to buy it, only I didn't see it at the Target I regularly visit. So I thought that the DVD that was there might be the right version. Little did I know that after opening it up, it wasn't the right one!</div><div><br /></div><div>The SO wasn't happy about that, because that meant I couldn't return it. And I still wanted the transforming DVD case. So of course we had to go back and get it, and safe to say, it was back at the store a couple days later. But this also meant that I spent almost 50 dollars on one movie!</div><div><br /></div><div>Story number two begins a week or so ago. I'm at my BF's new house because I had to drop off the SO at a bachelorette party and wait for her until it was over so I could drive her home. Well, the BF and I decided to watch something on his BR and I said I hadn't seen <span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">Transformers</span> in a long time, and I wanted to see what it would look like in BR. Soon enough I realized why this movie (series) was awful. The acting, the action, the jokes. It just wasn't up to par with the cartoon. And Shia Labeuf, don't get me started on him. Either you're a comedian or you're an action hero. You can't be both.</div><div><br /></div><div>The next day at the apartment, I realized that I no longer cared for the movie and the only thing I could do is sell my two copies of the DVD. Obviously both cases have been opened, but I only watched it once on the DVD in the normal case. I had only taken out the tranforming case to see what it looked like. So, really, there should be some value left in these DVDs. And with the second one out in theatres, there could be some draw.</div><div><br /></div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWxMIeXGIKuYzLmvNucDjkVBlTFx4SWd4MBl6P6cZo8ctTDaeKAcU16Vgg9mOlkEnwTV7Z3M1KhSYeO025Xs0P2ot6N4iM94Te0K0Zu3ldx6wLExdBpRTZbnledUKXkQRpLWgb57ZXaMkn/s200/lastcrusade+013.jpg" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353182072623457154" /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilFqRBMqsGtrtCGTHuCT8G5hBTK_NB8vzoU6xOcgw0jtcreXFo2PZAsFK2gmaQIfbfqHIpcF-0T5_9rnAMtJM7e8GMZUB-VOxrWpBpjaYNwPCJ7eZPOhbCupOGqjkJWjwJ4A1OiMA6I1tv/s200/lastcrusade+015.jpg" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353182076167745138" /></div><div><br /></div><div>Yes, I'm flaunting these DVDs to try and get some interest, and I haven't yet figured out where to sell them online, but once I do, I really hope there's someone who actually loves the film and wants at least one of these DVDs. Probably 10 bucks for the normal and 30 bucks for the transforming case. We'll see, and I'll let you know how that goes. </div><div><br /></div><div>A sad day when a man has to sell his DVDs...</div><div><br /></div><div>Later...</div>Spoodawghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13065327889142519545noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731192125158511907.post-81862820277111895682009-07-06T00:01:00.000-07:002009-07-06T10:48:29.353-07:00"I'm like a bad penny, I always turn up."<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnW7NYhPlMhWA65MwMk2R77OEynMmUeNYOMpjm6haCCpevhBctTyIPhvocO_x1P2o3u5OD0-LXlukOX8lpCJElfpy-N-kN8JeyQbq4Ij_j6cf7T1zR2jWr9aa20pjFW2gmamVRE5yTCfGE/s320/lastcrusade+002.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 239px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353176408801257330" /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>That's definitely the sentiment most of us felt with the latest reincarnation of Indiana Jones, and with the fifth one sounding more and more like a certainty, I had to go back and view the good Indy movies, starting with <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097576/">Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade</a>.<div><br /><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxURLC3LmVhLb_6AzJTKRJJXHMfawkyCI6NY4fzwUwyJbum4-gyeWB2xddvoeePo8GqVcpODr1fEVFdG71XKhFvn4Fs4d9XjmCmFwH-2z5TgDXAPcK7N6LywfuK3gZLjz0BtVXyYLRIgcE/s200/lastcrusade+003.jpg" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353176502903605442" /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG4Af4xrc2DD9GbUozJqytMohqPeTkSLbM3Bnxde2rbplEccBKxd65oRfmBUH86Wfcq2dwzEjsdQODRESc_Agbo1xqbrxXUFv4j5AX3YphdGaOIP9Um0VQBpFzXAX8NBwgqfL1OfkXSpQc/s200/lastcrusade+004.jpg" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353176504543490978" /></div><div><br /></div><div>Yes, I know the series starts with <span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">Raiders of the Last Ark</span> and it's better as a stand-alone film than <span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">Last Crusade</span>, but when you have Sean Connery, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">Last Crusade</span> is a must-watch movie. That, and I wanted to watch an entire film instead of snippets of <span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">Star Wars</span> with the BR (Of course the first movie I put in was <span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">Star Wars</span>, but I wanted to save that film for a Star Wars marathon on the BR!). And at least with the third film, Indy got back to doing what he's best at: kicking Nazi ass!</div><div><br /></div><div>Starting out, it's Utah 1912 (sounds like a rip-roaring good time) and Indy is a young boy scout keeping an artifact out of the hands of criminals, but is unable to accomplish this. We move to 1938, where he is able to capture that artifact from the same criminals and completes his adventure safely. Back at the university, he's approached by some men who wish to take him to Walter Donovan, who tells him his father is missing, after attempting to locate the Holy Grail (without <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzcLQRXW6B0">coconuts</a>, it can be troublesome...). Traveling to Venice with Marcus Brody, Indy has to find his father, locate the whereabouts of the Grail (I knew he should have made that left turn at Alexandretta), and save all mankind from the Nazis producing immortal soldiers... and of course he does it. With a name like Indiana, he can't fail...</div><div><br /></div><div>I love this film. Definitely not as good as the first film, but better than the second and fourth installments. It has one of my favorite lines I like to use whenever I'm somewhere I don't like: "We're pilgrims in an unholy land." And with Connery saying the line, it makes it priceless.</div><div><br /></div><div>The quality of the picture was fantastic. No, it's not BR, but it still holds up really well. And really, with older films, the whole use of BR seems pointless, as if we're trying to strip away the history of that film. But since I have yet to view classic movies in BR (e.g. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">Dr. Strangelove</span>, I will remain neutral on the topic until I have watched a classic in BR).</div><div><br /></div><div>Clearly it has hints of '80s cheesiness all over, and it's a very light film, in terms of drama. Some of the scenes seem impossible (like sinking into the pool of gasoline to avoid burning flesh) and some lines are flat-out laughable ("He chose... poorly"). But the movie does harken back to a time when I was young and I could watch this movie 20 times in a row. Not sure I could do that now, but if anyone's in the mood for watching, I will not hesitate to put it in the BR.</div><div><br /></div><div>No doubt the SO loves the film, as she can't decide who's hotter: Ford or Connery. Clearly that's a tough decision, as you have the greatest actor versus the greatest accent. Come on, Ford is the best actor because he was able to survive not only Star Wars fame but also Indiana Jones fame to do other films that are classics (e.g. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline; ">Blade Runner</span>, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">Patriot Games</span>, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">Air Force One</span>). And Connery can say anything, like, "I eat my poop" and women will come flocking to him with their panties down to their ankles. So it could be the greatest combo on film (may be questionable to say, but it's always something to debate).</span></div><div><br /></div><div>Without a doubt, this film is staying, and that last film with Indy (which shall remain nameless) will NEVER be a part of my collection. That is a fact, no, a theory, no, a law! Later!</div></div>Spoodawghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13065327889142519545noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731192125158511907.post-76650578213447498262009-07-03T00:01:00.000-07:002009-07-06T10:48:18.236-07:00Feeling a little Blu... part II<div style="text-align: left;">Quick recap: bought a BR with the SO not in town. Spent $567. SO not happy.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>So the next day after this ginormous purhcase, I went to lab to get stuff ready for the week. I planned out everything for that week so I could keep busy and get everything necessary done before my advisor left. That took an hour or so. At that point I thought I would check to see what cnet.com had to say about <a href="http://reviews.cnet.com/hdmi-cable/?tag=rb_content;rb_mtx">HDMI cables</a> and what I needed. Little did I know that would start a chain of events I'd never be able to stop...</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>Come to find out that you should never pay more than $10 for an HDMI cable. I was livid. I could feel the blood just oozing out of my eyes. Yeah, my eyes, I was that mad. How could I be so stupid to spend 130 bucks on a cable, when I could get a quality cable for 10 bucks or less? I followed cnet's advice, went to <a href="http://www.amazon.com/HDMI-meter-foot-cable-1080P/dp/B0002L5R78/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1246293361&sr=8-1">Amazon</a>, and bought a cable for 22 cents! I know, that's incredible! With shipping, it was a total of $3.20. That meant I was returning the cable, and I knew I could be back at Fry's next weekend because I would be traveling that way to take the SO to my BF's fiancee's bachelorette party.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>With a much cheaper cable (like 100% cheaper), I went through cnet's review of the 4600, and it flat out said that the 3600 was just as good. The blood began to ooze out of my ears. It was as if I knew at that moment that I got hosed by the Fry guy and I wanted to zoom down there to return it because I felt so dirty by being in possession of this filth. With the blink of an eye, I left lab to go to HH Gregg's and talk to the people who sold us our TV. I told them how I wanted a BR for DVDs and he pointed out the <a href="http://www.samsung.com/us/consumer/detail/detail.do?group=audiovideo&type=blu_ray&subtype=blu_raydiscplayers&model_cd=BD-P1600/XAA">Samsung BD P1600</a>, and that it was the ability for Netflix streaming if I needed (through an ethernet cable, not wirelessly like the 3600 or 4600). Doubtful that I would ever use that service, I knew this was a better BR for the SO and me. The price there for the 1600 was $279.99. That sounded like such a reasonable price after dropping 400 bucks on something that looked like it could fly to Mars.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>The whole idea sounded absurd after the fact, but I decided after getting out of HH Gregg's that I needed to go to Fry's to return the BR and HDMI cable. Of course I was delayed by the fact that I wanted to drive my car but forgot to grab the keys as I left lab! So with the SO's car freshly gassed up (and no cruise control), I zoomed down to Fry's to get my money back. I was able to get everything back on my debit card, but I thought I should see what kind of price Fry's had on the 1600 (I know, I never learn). $249.99! It's a shame I couldn't have bought this from HH Gregg's but this was a good deal. With the box in hand, the cashier rang it up and I swear I first thought I heard him say 300 dollars. I looked at the receipt and he priced it at 200 bucks! I couldn't believe it. A 300 dollar BR for 200!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>In total, I went from spending 567 dollars to spending 317 dollars... a savings of $250! At this point, I needed to grease the wheels of my SO's heart, and the first thing I thought of was going to Border's to get her the knitting mag she had wanted. Of course they didn't have it, but I knew there was something I could get her: a large Dunkin Donuts iced coffee with coconut syrup, cream, and sugar. Bringing it to her, she knew that something was up. I told her the whole story about how I was really angry about getting ripped off and how I saved so much money and now we have a BR that will be perfect for us. Yeah I was doing everything not to permamently stay in the doghouse. And somehow... it worked.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuvedwqS_bGTebLdbapi-wOmhEkXyh0Jtu5uT0zgluPBplu4wk5M-AzAC9qX03bsFS4Y3XTTMucc_eYwpz9ARDjdWj96U4aWp_KzS2aoQlMEx_CSitJIUkK_dAxQfp0czZK8FiJzSRzgY1/s200/backtothefuture+002.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352795932103649970" />Opening it up that week was like having Christmas in June. The smile couldn't get off my face. Only one problem... where could it go? With the cable box, Wii, and surround sound, there wasn't much room for the BR on the entertainment center. But I found room... I also found out I didn't need the A/V cable (which I returned before dropping the SO off at the bachelorette party).</div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1asKSvA6ksypyuc01GWTrtE6OJkzvjlvcNx_2tu4ss0_6Ci1yXLXUheNZ3SNOi1dgmHWSwChT2Z4WNLJoJK4RNQIsY7HPHRduk54VxBaRGf5XLv2DMi_CqDA0QEACaFKLOZi2SJOKlHBP/s200/backtothefuture+007.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352828466519165330" /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPj0QmVRWPaBuTzA1Hg7H5_bBQ0AhvH10faZ21AymHcSizki-5nLR5L9x14ROzLGFodwACLTjZJwT6W2-eEoxbmaG3UdXZXSbd9Xu7-OX8Xg5Kwsoy9RrSsZIpzyoaPEPSXAx9F1m8o-57/s320/backtothefuture+008.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 239px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352828685156554098" /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg77RC3Z75M3vX-dgAyfTWHatmAyx-yn9JYQgNToXodjf-GaxVSVzs9IapGPyeNqHhbg8xjZ4vR1QcQXTlR9eJ9EihymrdvMQ6a1PYhtW8pqnKS8hwUoAOfUOYsj9bzwgqDt4ejfkUMuF2T/s320/backtothefuture+009.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 239px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352829382092309490" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>And so, from this point on, I can give reviews for movies that will be in quality picture. And someday I might be able to purchase a BR disc (BRD), but what will be the first choice? My first DVD was <span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">The Matrix</span>, but I'm not sure I want that as my first BRD. It'll come to me at some point what should be the first, and I know it'll be a good one. But until then, I have all these DVDs that need to be watched with the clarity and quality from a BR. Later!</div>Spoodawghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13065327889142519545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731192125158511907.post-29049109938783061152009-07-02T07:56:00.000-07:002009-07-02T08:01:46.248-07:00Check out these links!!!The SO, for some reason, has been nagging that I don't link to her blog (even though there's a link for it on the right hand side... if she'd REALLY take a look at my blog). For those of you who love movies and knitting, then you can get your knitting fill from the <a href="http://drchopsuey.blogspot.com/">SO's blog</a>.<div><br /></div><div>For those of you who need a daily morning monologue (in case you don't stay up for Conan or Dave), then check out one of my best friend's blog, what he likes to call <a href="http://coachsmonoblog.blogspot.com">Monoblog</a>. I'd say it's a nice start, and I can't wait to get my funny for the day from him.</div><div><br /></div><div>There you have it, folks. Two more blogs for you to check out... once you're done perusing through mine!</div><div><br /></div><div>Later!</div>Spoodawghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13065327889142519545noreply@blogger.com0