DVDs with Spoodawg

I'm disappointed with (fill in with your favorite actor/athlete/dignitary)

2010-07-14T09:00:00.000-07:00

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...

Newly appointed villain #1: Tiger Woods

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.

Alternative: Myron Rolle

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.

Newly appointed villain #2: Lebron James

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).

Alternative: Kevin Durant

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.

Newly appointed villain #3: David Ortiz

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.

Alternative: Hanley Ramirez

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.

Newly appointed villain #4: Mel Gibson

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.

Alternative: Ron Howard

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.

Any other villains/alternatives?

Behind the Scenes... with Short Circuit

2010-06-17T09:00:00.000-07:00

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, Short Circuit. Although I don't have as many locations as the previous ones, there is plenty to tell.

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.

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!

And to top it off, where it looks like the road ends, that's where the road actually continues, as a dirt path!

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.

Luckily, the house was there.

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.

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.

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...

Behind the Scenes... with Kindergarten Cop

2010-06-10T09:00:00.000-07:00

I'm back with another installment of Behind the Scenes, and this time we're looking at Kindergarten Cop. Can you believe the SO has never seen this movie? Her childhood has to be deemed incomplete for missing this Ah-nald 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.

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.

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.

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.

It's a little hard to tell, but the paintings on the outside of the building (as seen in the movie) are still there!

There were created by local Astorian artists, which makes it that much cooler.

Ah-nald gets to know his fellow pedagogue, Rachel Crisp/Joyce Palmieri, at the restaurant located here, at the Red Lion Inn.

A very romantic spot near the water. I can just smell the Ah-nald sweat from that encounter.

The villain in this film, Cullen Crisp, Sr., gets a toy train set from the local drug store.

Now, this location is actually a restaurant. Too bad. I really like toy train sets...

The theater is diagonal from the drug store, which made the pilgrimage nice and short between these two locations.

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!

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...

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!

Because we all need our Ah-nald fix every day...

Behind the Scenes... with The Goonies

2010-06-03T09:00:00.000-07:00

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?

...

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 The Goonies, 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.

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:

Of course, the beginning of this tour means we begin at the county jail...

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.

Here's the football field, where Andy is trying to get the cheerleaders to do a pyramid.

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.

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.

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!

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.

The view from where he's looking is pretty dead on, too.

The beach where the Fratellis speed away is Cannon Beach, which is where you can find the famous Haystack Rock.

Of course, we're then transported to... the Goonies house!

I know, it's pretty sweet. And yes, I did the Truffle Shuffle 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.

The view from the Goonies house is just as beautiful as it appears in the movie.

I can't forget Data's house...

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...

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?

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 Flavel House.

We traveled to Ecola State Park, 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.

The final location of the film is again near Haystack Rock (I just wanted to get another picture of it in this post!).

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!

Of course, this weekend Astoria is having a Goonies 25th anniversary reunion, 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.

Corey Haim

2010-03-10T09:09:00.000-08:00

Everyone 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.

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.

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.

Ultimately, the time we shared with Haim on the big screen was a good time, and we'll always have those movies... except for License to Drive. 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, Lucas was pretty good, but it's hard to believe he could have really done all that. But in License to Drive, 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.

We'll miss you, Corey Haim. Rest in peace.

A Hard Day's Night

2009-09-10T09:46:00.000-07:00

This is it. The ultimate Beatles movie. A Hard Day's Night. 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-Spinal Tap. 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 Help! But it really does have a concert at the end of this film.

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.

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 Help! Ringo seems to be the brunt of most jokes. But in a way you can tell that the band is in on the joke.

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.

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...

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 The Beatles: Rock Band, I'll put headphones on.

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!

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

2009-09-09T09:39:00.000-07:00

I thought it was funny when someone suggested I was going to write this post about Across the Universe. 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. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band "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.

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.

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)".

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.

I haven't seen Across the Universe, 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?

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?

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.

Alright, next post is about the movie that started it all for The Beatles. Pretty simple clue, pretty cool movie. Later!

Help!

2009-09-08T11:39:00.001-07:00

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... Help!

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.

Now this film is not considered the highlight that A Hard Day's Night 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, Help! 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.

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.

So as far as breaking the mold, they did that with A Hard Day's Night. But for pure fun and mischief, with Beatles music mixed in, Help! 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.

Later!

This just isn't my week

2009-09-01T12:07:00.000-07:00

Sorry, 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.

And I can't leave you this week without something...

Later!

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

2009-08-28T12:07:00.001-07:00

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

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

Scrubs, Season 8

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

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

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

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

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

2009-08-26T09:00:00.000-07:00

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

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

Billy Hicks - Michael Crabtree, WR SF - Cleveland Browns

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

Leslie Hunter - Knowshon Moreno, RB DEN - Buffalo Bills

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

Kevin Dolenz - Jason Smith, OT STL - Detroit Lions

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

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

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

Kirby Keager - Chris Wells, RB ARI - Minnesota Vikings

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Character descriptions from Wikipedia

Images from Google

Top 5 Signs You Take Fantasy Football Way Too Seriously

2009-08-24T09:00:00.000-07:00

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

In a bikini... or less.

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

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

Sorry for the delay

2009-08-21T13:47:00.001-07:00

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

I'm so sneaky...

2009-08-20T08:54:00.000-07:00

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

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

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

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

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

Later!

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

2009-08-17T12:30:00.001-07:00

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

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

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

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

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

Here are three reasons why these abominations are wrong:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

2009-08-17T12:28:00.001-07:00

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

On a happier note...

My next post is about more DVD purchases!

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

Later!

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

2009-08-17T11:39:00.000-07:00

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

A tale of a fateful (road) trip,

That started from the local Borders store,

Aboard this tiny Sentra..."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Later!

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

Here on Funny Story Isle!"

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

2009-08-10T07:36:00.000-07:00

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Harry Potter and the...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

THERE IS NO SPOODAWG, ONLY ZUUL!!!

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

Hu-WHAA?!?

2009-08-07T07:10:00.000-07:00

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

And now for the new additions:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Once you get the itch, you better get some lotion for it...

2009-07-13T00:01:00.000-07:00

After the Transformers debacle, I started thinking about what other DVDs I could get rid of.

You remember, I watched Transformers a couple weeks ago. Realized it's a piece of garbage. Want to sell both copies.

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.

Of course there's my two copies of Transformers:

Getting rid of these because I no longer can stand to watch that movie, let alone believe I used MY money to buy these.

There's also:

Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines

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.

The Dark Knight: Target Special Edition

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.

Duck Soup

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 The Marx Brothers Silver Screen Collection, and that means that this film is a part of that set. So I have no need for two copies. See the trend?

Donald Duck in Mathmagic Land

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 Walt Disney Treasures: The Chronological Donald Volume 4, 1951-1961. 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.

A double feature: National Security and Win a Date with Tad Hamilton

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 Devil's Advocate.

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.

And finally...

The original Star Wars trilogy

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...

So I bought the original trilogy when it first came out as a set with a bonus material DVD.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

"That better be your lucky R2 poking me."

2009-07-10T00:01:00.000-07:00

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 Star Wars... Fanboys!

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 Star Wars!

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.

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 Fanboys. 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.

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 Bit odd.

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).

Later!

"He's leaked lubricants all over my foot!"

2009-07-08T00:01:00.000-07:00

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 Transformers. 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.

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...

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!

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!

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 Transformers 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.

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.

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.

A sad day when a man has to sell his DVDs...

Later...

"I'm like a bad penny, I always turn up."

2009-07-06T00:01:00.000-07:00

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 Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.

Yes, I know the series starts with Raiders of the Last Ark and it's better as a stand-alone film than Last Crusade, but when you have Sean Connery, Last Crusade is a must-watch movie. That, and I wanted to watch an entire film instead of snippets of Star Wars with the BR (Of course the first movie I put in was Star Wars, 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!

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 coconuts, 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...

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.

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. Dr. Strangelove, I will remain neutral on the topic until I have watched a classic in BR).

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.

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. Blade Runner, Patriot Games, Air Force One). 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).

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!

Feeling a little Blu... part II

2009-07-03T00:01:00.000-07:00

Quick recap: bought a BR with the SO not in town. Spent $567. SO not happy.

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 HDMI cables and what I needed. Little did I know that would start a chain of events I'd never be able to stop...

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 Amazon, 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.

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 Samsung BD P1600, 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.

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!

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.

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).

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 The Matrix, 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!

Check out these links!!!

2009-07-02T07:56:00.000-07:00

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 SO's blog.

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 Monoblog. I'd say it's a nice start, and I can't wait to get my funny for the day from him.

There you have it, folks. Two more blogs for you to check out... once you're done perusing through mine!

Later!

Feeling a little Blu... part I

2009-07-01T00:01:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone. Back with an update about getting a Blu-ray. So funny story...

A couple weekends ago, the SO and her friend were planning on going up to Chi-town to see the Harry Potter exhibit at the Museum of Science and Industry. For some strange reason, I had to ask her if I were to go out and get a Blu-ray (BR), what would be her reaction? Would she kill me or kill me beyond recognition so not even the coroner's office would know it was my body (or what's left of it). She actually responded by saying she would be really mad but she wouldn't be completely disappointed. I was as happy as a little school girl...

It just happened that I was going to meet my 'rents for lunch for Father's Day so I would be able to hit up some electronic stores, like Fry's, and see what was available and what was in the budget (budget... hahaha!). Now I had been looking on cnet.com for what was the best BR player available and what sort of prices there were, but when I get in an electronic store without the SO, my brain goes out the door.

So I'm clearly interested in a BR that will give the best quality to my DVDs, while at the same time will be good for years to come with future purchases. So I'm looking at the Samsung BD P4600. Priced at 400 big ones. Again, the latest and the greatest. Of course there's no one around to help me figure out what is good and what isn't. After about 10 minutes of looking, an employee of Fry's finally comes over to ask if I need help. I put it simply to him: "What's the best BR for watching DVDs?" With my eye on the 4600, he of course said the 4600 or the 3600 (probably because they were the most expensive). He said the 4600 has built-in Wi-fi so I can easily update the BR when needed.

This is when he went in for the kill. He asked what kind of TV I had. I puffed up the chest, metaphorically, and said a Samsung 860 series plasma, 50 inch. He was impressed with my TV, and he knew he could get me with the line: "Well, if you have the top-of-the-line TV, for high quality you'll want a top-of-the-line BR." So I naively grabbed the box. Of course now I needed a top-of-the-line HDMI cable, which he gladly led me to the Monster HDMI cables, the 900 and the 1200. He said the 1200 is what I want...at 130 dollars! Being the idiot I was at the time, I went with the 1200, thinking I need the most expensive to have the best quality. He quickly rang me up so he could have the sale, and I went to the Cashier to make the purchase. In total, it was 567 dollars.

I felt the rush alright. So much that I forgot I'd probably need an A/V cable for hooking the BR up to the surround sound. So I dropped another $8.55 at Fry's. I felt so paranoid with it in the car all afternoon while having lunch with the 'rents and doing errands. I wanted to get home so it would be safe. During the car ride home, I thought, "I won't open anything so I can talk with the SO and decide if this is what we need."

Around 7:30 that evening, the SO called to say she was starting the trek back home from Chi-town. She asked if I bought a BR and I flatly said yes I did. She was surprised when she responded, but it didn't sound like an angry surprise. It was a "Oh, I'm so mad at you but I know that a BR is what we need so I will try to sound angry but I can't do it right now" response.

When she finally did get home, I showed her what I had purchased. She was still in shock and asked how much. That's when I felt my throat closing as I told her 567 bucks. She really gave me the death look. I quickly calmed the fire by saying I would take a look the next day at cnet.com and we can go to HH Gregg to see what they tell us about what we should have for BR. Little did I know that wouldn't be the end of this debacle...

Next post: The exciting conclusion to whether or not I would ever see the light of day again, or at least my half of the bed. Tune in to find out!

Later!

"What-what the hell is a gigawatt?"

2009-06-29T00:01:00.000-07:00

You'll all probably relate to this, at one time or another. You know, that time when you feel all nostalgic and you want to watch those movies that you watched as a kid, over and over and over and... Well, it seemed like this past weekend was perfect for it. And there's not just one movie to this post but TWO! Yeah, the SO allowed a mini movie marathon. But I think she was feeling just as nostalgic as I was, so all was good. There's one movie that is probably the single defining movie of my young life, at least from age 5-12, until Star Wars. That movie is... Back to the Future. And to top it off, I also get to talk about... Back to the Future... PART 2!

Pretty simple premise really. Doc Brown creates a time machine out of a DeLorean and his own invention, the flux capacitor. All you need is plutonium and enough room to get up to 88 miles per hour to generate the 1.21 gigawatts necessary for time travel (I know, it's so easy!). Marty McFly is there to witness it all happening for the first time when the Libyans (it was the 80s...) seek revenge for Doc stealing their plutonium, killing him. Marty jumps in the DeLorean and travels to 1955, only to ruin the moment when his mother and father met. So he has to get those two together so he doesn't disappear AND get back to 1985.

Part 2: Marty must go with Doc to 2015 to save his kids' futures, but all hell breaks loose when they go back to 1985 because someone (2015 Biff, archenemy of the McFlys) gave another person (1955 Biff) a sports almanac with scores through to 2000. Biff gets his money, kills Marty's father and marries Marty's mother. Marty and the Doc have to go back to 1955, get the almanac from 1955 Biff and not bump into their counterparts at the same time. All ends well, except Doc is transported to 1885 (because of a lightning strike to the DeLorean) and so Marty must get 1955 Doc to help him.

First movie: ingenious, original, funny. Second movie: exciting futuristic inventions, but uses jokes from first movie. My question has always been: how did the Doc and Marty meet? Doesn't it seem weird how close they are? What's that all about? I never understood their relationship, how close they were as friends. Were they acquaintances, colleagues, a weird uncle-nephew type of relationship? That's never explained to me, so I don't know.

And what about the future? They travel to 2015, only 6 years away. Where's hover conversion? Where are the hoverboards? I want my hoverboard! I expect it, because if I don't get one, I'm personally going to Robert Zemeckis' door and asking for a refund for purchasing the VHS tapes, the DVDs, and merchandise for the movie. He should have realized what he was doing to my generation when he introduced those hoverboards. Every single one of us wants one, and I'm not seeing that technology appearing anytime soon for the general public.

And what's with the different Jennifer's? First movie: Claudia Wells. Second (and third) movie: Elisabeth Shue. ??? You didn't think we could tell the difference? What happened to Claudia? ...AND I feel like an ass... because Wikipedia says her mother was diagnosed with cancer at that time, so Claudia was unavailable for the sequels. I'm truly sorry for what she and her mother had to go through. But Claudia, you are much hotter than Elisabeth (aka Daniel's "girlfriend" from Karate Kid) and will always be Jennifer in my mind.

So yeah, the movies were just so amazing. Looking back, the manure truck joke, the use of the boards to get away, calling Marty "chicken" so he'd get mad... a little overdone. But looking past some of the small things that can be considered annoying, this movie series is always fun to watch.

So why not Part 3? One, it was getting late that night, and two, the SO says she doesn't like the third one... I know. Yeah, it's in the Ol' West, but it's still Back to the Future. Again, it shows the same jokes, probably making the point that we are doomed to repeat the same corny jokes forever. Great.

So these movies are forever staying in the DVD collection, and I know the SO won't fight me on it. Next post: the next great thing that will change the way I (and the SO) will view movies in the future. Later!

My last DVD purchase...

2009-06-26T10:01:00.000-07:00

I know, it's sad.

But I have to post it, seeing as from this point on, it's Blu-Ray for me.

Now this happened just after we got the HDTV, so it comes before the moment I proved to the SO we need a Blu-Ray player. Actually, this took place the day after we got the TV in our apartment. We just dropped off the SO's mom at the airport. And I had been waiting two days (TWO DAYS) to go out to Best Buy and get it. In those two days, the local BB had sold out of it (yeah, crappy). So I knew that the BB near the airport still had a copy. Too bad that BB is in the middle of the ghetto. No joke, I think there were bars on every window.

And we stroll in, the SO freaking out over us looking for a DVD in the ghetto. But I figured we go in, we find it, we pay for it, we get out. Simple plan. Luckily, this BB did have what I was looking for: Fanboys. It seems fitting that this would be my last DVD, as it's about people with no lives... like me with my DVDs!

So my DVD-buying days are now over...

Blu-Ray-buying days have begun! Woo-hoo!

And I imagine the Blu-Ray experience to be something like this:

Later!

"Wait, you've got to tell me - was it spongy?"

2009-06-24T09:07:00.000-07:00

There are some moments in life you want to capture forever: the day you say I do, the birth of your child, the day your SO realizes that you need a Blu-Ray player. I really wish I had a camera to take a picture of the SO's face to show you just how she felt when we watched our first live-action DVD on the HDTV, Fever Pitch.

Now, the SO loves this movie, most because it's got the Boston Red Sox in it, and she LOVES the Red Sox. And it's a simple enough story, so I'll have plenty of space to write about her reaction. So the story: Girl and guy meet and start dating. Girl comes to find out guy is a crazy Red Sox fan. He chooses the Red Sox over her too many times and she leaves him. Guy is willing to sell his season tickets to be with the girl, and the girl stops him before he does and they are back together.

Okay, so for the real drama...

I specifically put this on just so I could show the SO just how crappy the picture is with a DVD player on a HDTV. And she was not saying a word. Somehow her face was scrunching up so much her face was about to disappear. She couldn't stand how bad the picture was. I kept telling her.

By the luck of God, a Harry Potter movie was on one of the HD channels, so I put it on. She was amazed at how crisp and sharp the picture was. I then showed her what it looked like on the DVD player. She was disgusted. And then that's when it happened...

"So does this mean we have to buy everything on Blu-Ray you just bought on DVD?"

In a blink of an eye, I told her that Blu-Ray actually upconverts the DVD to HD quality. Not 1080p quality, but very close. And I think it made her even angrier, because now my DVD fund has become, drum roll please...

...

a Blu-Ray fund!

That's right, I'm no longer going to buy DVDs, which is what the SO wanted with the use of this fund. It's true, because now I'm saving up for a Blu-Ray player! And as I can feel the hatred of the SO on the back of my neck, I have no idea what Blu-Ray player to get, as I want one that has everything I would need for Blu-ray that also can present my DVDs in the highest quality picture as well. I am NOT buying all those movies again, I can assure you (and the SO) of that.

So if you have any suggestions as to what Blu-Ray players I should be researching, please drop me a line. I'm open to any and all ideas, including your thoughts on PS3. Because I have one shot at this, and I can't blow it (i.e. the SO will kill me after telling her an HDTV will be awesome for our movies and then we have to go out and get a Blu-Ray player to achieve this goal). Thanks in advance. Later!

"I'll teach you to laugh at something that's funny!"

2009-06-22T09:04:00.000-07:00

It's pretty simple, really. If you know you're going to put the SO through a stressful day, make sure to give her a great evening before. That's why I chose to go with The Simpsons Movie this week.

What, you may be asking, could this movie do that would destress the SO before stressing her the next day? Well, when the next day involves 8 hours of driving and my relatives, you can understand. But I'm not here to talk about that, I'm here for the movie (we can talk about that stuff at the END of the post...)

Plot: Homer causes an environmental catastrophe in Springfield, EPA puts a biodome over the city. Springfieldians want to kill Homer, wormhole in sandtrap allows Simpsons family to escape and find refuge in Alaska. Springfield is planned to be eliminated from the map, the Simpsons (minus Homer) want to help and go back, only to be captured by EPA and put back in the dome. Homer has an epiphany and realizes that he must save Springfield to save his family and to have happiness in his life. Homer and Bart go "Strangelove" on the dome and save the town.

In my opinion, it was amazing to see The Simpsons on the big screen. Of course it's impossible to have the compact storyline of a 30-minute show spread over 90 minutes. Of course it's impossible to get every character involved in the plot (that's why they invented sequels... duh). And of course it could never live up to our expectations because they've been doing this for 20 years.

But it's still a great adventure. More than anything, it was a chance to see The Simpsons, a staple of television watching for almost everyone, do something that we had never seen them do before: attempt to be in a full-length movie. I'm pretty sure most of us could have sat down for a 4-hour Simpsons movie and would still be crying out for more. Yeah, the storyline was a little lame, and it would have been cool to have more characters involved, but that's nearly impossible, even in a 24-episode season on TV.

What was cool about it were the references to old and recent episodes, the clarity of the images on the screen, and of course, seeing Maggie saving the family once again. But what was really amazing was watching it on the HDTV and again pointing out how it's not quite a high-def picture coming out of the DVD player. But that will become a sticking point in the proverbial back of the SO in the next post, just you wait... bwa-hahaha! Later!

"Eeeee... va?"

2009-06-19T08:32:00.000-07:00

I'm not even sure why I chose this movie to watch as the first film to watch in its entirety. But I thought it might look the best now with the HDTV. Boy, was I wrong (even if the SO didn't believe me, but she will soon enough). What movie could that be? Probably now one of the SO's favorite Pixar films, WALL-E.

The story is simple enough. Humans have been consuming way too much waste and not recycling, reusing, reducing their consumption to the point where humans had to leave the planet in order to allow Waste Allocation Load Lifter Earth-Class (or WALL-E) robots to clean up the planet. When we first see the planet, we meet the one remaining WALL-E robot who's been cleaning up for 700 years. But WALL-E seems different, in that he has a personality. And it's almost like he's reawakened the spirit of Charlie Chaplin, with his silent movie approach to comedy. The second day, WALL-E has company on the planet, as a probe ship releases an Extraterrestrial Vegetation Evaluator (EVE) robot to look for plant life on Earth. WALL-E is smitten with love for EVE, but she's in no mood for love (kinda like the SO when I get on her bad side... which can be a lot, so I empathize with WALL-E). Luckily, he's able to demonstrate to EVE he's no enemy, and he shows her everything that he finds interesting that he's collected in his shelter, including a green, leafy plant. This stimulates EVE to send a signal to the probe ship to pick her up, and WALL-E and EVE are transported to Axiom, the flagship that has been the home of humans the last 700 years.

Not to my surprise, humans have become fat and lazy because of technolgical advances. Very 2001-esque, and by no surprise, the ship's main computer is the enemy, not allowing the humans to return to Earth because it is in autopilot mode. With the help of the captain of the ship, WALL-E and EVE are able to get the ship to return to Earth with the sacrifice of WALL-E's body. The ship zooms home, and EVE finds the necessary parts to save him but initially his personality is missing. By some miracle, WALL-E gets his personality back, and all is well with humans and nature again.

A little sappy at the end, but I love the beginning of the movie. No words, just actions and gestures that get the point across about WALL-E and his love for EVE. It's depressing how bad the planet is left, with garbage covering every inch of the planet. And I'm sure that's the underlying message for us. If we don't start changing our ways, we could end up like this. For the SO, she loves the underlying message, but I think more than anything, she likes to say WALL-E like it's said in the film (some weird Boston thing, I think).

What I noticed with the film on our HDTV is how the DVD player doesn't provide a clear picture, definitely not high definition. And it was blatantly obvious, but the SO disagreed with me. I kept telling her that it's not quite clear, but with an animated feature, it won't show up as bad as a live-action film. And that will become evident in a future post, I guarantee it.

So, the DVD is a keeper, mostly because it puts a smile on the SO's face, and getting rid of it would permanently put me in the doghouse (if we had a real doghouse, she probably would shove me in there) and I can't risk that. So I'll just avoid that confrontation. Later!

"Ah dear, the young. Why do they never listen? When will they ever learn?"

2009-06-17T06:56:00.000-07:00

That statement is so true for this movie review, or should I say, miss-view. I can, without a doubt, say this will be the hardest movie to review as I literally saw the first twenty minutes and the last twenty minutes. How, you're saying, is that possible? I'd say it the combination of sleep deprivation, apartment cleaning, and a film that can somehow bore me to death. Yep, you guessed it, Clash of the Titans.

I'm guessing that it really isn't that boring, it just seems like the dialogue and action are really slow. I don't even mind the old special effects. I actually appreciate that fact of the movie, but I cannot get into this movie. One of the SO's faves, maybe that's why I have a tough time with it. Whatever movie she likes, I on average do not. But for most, I can at least stand it because the plot is half-way interesting.

So let's start there. We first see Perseus, son of Zeus, as an infant with his mother trapped in a coffin sent out to sea, as he is prophecied to lead to the destruction of his grandfather, King Acrisius of Argos. Zeus safely transports Perseus and his mom to Seriphos, while at the same time destroying Argos with the Kraken.

Move forward a couple decades, and we find Calibos, son of Thetis, engaged to be married to Andromeda, the heir to the city of Joppa. Calibos pisses off Zeus for killing all of his horses (minus Pegasus) and turns him into a goat-like creature, leading Thetis to proclaim that no man could marry Andromeda if her son Calibos could not. Of course, Perseus falls for Andromeda as he is transported from Seriphos to Joppa (thanks to Thetis). With the help of the gods, Perseus receives a sword, shield, and helmet to help him solve the riddle which will allow him to marry Andromeda.

Of course, Calibos prays to Thetis to take care of Perseus, but instead she threatens to destroy Joppa is the city does not sacrifice Andromeda to the Kraken. With the help of Bubo the mechanical owl, Perseus seeks out Medusa, to use her "stoning" abilities to defeat the Kraken. Perseus kills Medusa and takes her head, saving Andromeda from the Kraken. They live happily ever after, yada yada yada, they become constellations. The end.

The plot when read in mythology, is quite interesting. The way it's done in the movie, can't keep my attention going. I'm thinking I need to see it again after reading the plot on Wikipedia. Because reading it made it seem a whole lot cooler than watching it. Even with great actors, you can't make a great movie. Just look at Ocean's Twelve (and Thirteen). The great Laurence Olivier and Maggie Smith, the seductress Ursula Andress, and the handsome Harry Hamlin weren't enough to keep me awake. I remember Perseus being saved as an infant and then nothing, then getting the weapons and armor, then nothing, then getting Medusa's head until the end of the movie. That's it.

What probably kills the most is that it's a 2-hour movie that feels like 2 days. Maybe I need to get in the right mood, knock back a few appletinis, and then that movie might be the best thing since sliced bread.

All kidding aside, I'm going to need to view this movie again to get an accurate representation for my review. Rather than continue to hack away at this movie, I'm going to give it a second chance. It may not be soon, but soon enough I will sit down and watch it (as the SO's smile widens to the size of New Jersey, just on the thought of watching it again soon). Later!

Then God created the plasma TV, and all was good

2009-06-15T09:42:00.000-07:00

Cue music... (Read this post as the music plays)

It's finally here...

The moment you've been waiting for...

Yes!

In all of its glory, I give you the new TV I've been waiting for my whole life (well, actually three weeks, but it seemed like an eternity!). I give you the Samsung 860 series 50-inch plasma TV, able to provide 1080p picture with 0.001 ms response time, it just makes your toes curl thinking about it!

And I wasn't even there for the unveiling. I know, it's sad, but I think I can forgive myself by basking in its glow, it's 50-inch glow. And the first thing I watched on it was... Dancing with the Stars (ugh).

Okay, not a great way to start but the next thing was... American Idol (Ugh).

Well, third time's the charm. And I finally got to watch... Star Wars (yay!)! Only ten minutes, as it was early in the morning and I had to get ready for the day, but still, it was great. Not HD great, but that's for future posts. It was worth the wait, and I have so much sports, so many movies, so little time to watch it all. Hmm, maybe if I... no, that would involve me losing my one source of income, so what if I... no, I can't sell that much of my bodily fluids, so... I guess I'll just have to watch when I can. And it's great, if I can just figure out why the cable signal is only coming in at 1080i and 60 hz. Maybe it's the cable box...

Later!

"Have you gone berserk? Can't you see that man is a ni?"

2009-06-12T06:21:00.000-07:00

Sometimes you have a movie that you choose because you're in the mood for a particular genre, or sometimes it's because you haven't seen a particular film in a long time. Or sometimes you watch a movie because the recent passing of an actor makes you want to watch any and every movie with him or her in it, no matter how small the part. And that's how I came up with watching Blazing Saddles.

Although Dom DeLuise has passed away over a month ago, it still seems like he should be here, making even the tiniest part in a movie the stand-out performance. And that's pretty hard to do in a film like this. From the start, I could tell the SO was not into it. Maybe it had to do with the use of the word "ni" in it. Or maybe because it's just flat out funny! Yes, there's a lot of use of the "ni" word, but somehow it reminds us of how stupid our ancestors were in the degrading term of an African-American, especially when he's the hero of the movie.

Anywho...

Simple plot, Hedy Lamarr (that's HEDLEY!)...

Sorry...Hedley Lamarr, the State Attorney General, needs land to continue building the railroad system in the old American West. Of course, that land is located where Rock Ridge, a quaint little town of Johnsons (no joke, everyone there is a Johnson). Hedley sends a gang of thugs to terrorize the town, killing the sheriff. Well, Hedley suggests to the Governor that Bart, previously an enslaved railroad worker, should be the sheriff (knowing that the entire town would be opposed to the color of his skin). Of course the town is up in arms over this, but soon they warm up to him when he saves the town from Hedley's thugs and Webster's dad (yes, that's Alex Karras who plays Mongo). Bart also helps out Jim aka "The Waco Kid", an over-the-hill alcoholic who is still a sharpshooter but can't control his drinking or his shooting hand. Together they try to control the chaos in the town.

But... Hedley plans one last attempt to get rid of the inhabitants of Rock Ridge by employing "rustlers, cutthroats, murderers, bounty hunters, desperadoes, mugs, pugs, thugs, nitwits, half-wits, dimwits, vipers, snipers, con men, Indian agents, Mexican bandits, muggers, buggers, bushwhackers, hornswagglers, horse thieves, bull dykes, train robbers, bank robbers, ass kickers, shit kickers and Methodists" into an ambush of the town. With the help of the town of Rock Ridge and Bart's railroad buddies, they build an exact replica to fool Hedley's evil gang... and that's when all hell breaks loose, as the joke is released on all of us like a bunch of farting cowboys.

We are transported to a closed set in Hollywood, where Dom DeLuise is trying to get a bunch of flaming men (it's twue, it's twue) to do a dance number, when Hedley's gang and the people of Rock Ridge bust through the set! WTF?!? So the joke is this is a 1974 movie that takes place in 1874 with the characters' mindset from 1974... I know, it's crazy, but then again, it's Mel Brooks! Of course Bart saves the day, defeating Hedey (that's Hedley!) and driving off into the sunset (in a limo...).

I love, Love, LOVE this movie. Probably Mel Brooks' finest creation on film. So many inside jokes, so much physical comedy, it has everything you want to make you laugh for a couple hours. Clearly, it went over the SO's head (by a mile). A movie that has Dom DeLuise, Gene Wilder, AND Harvey Korman cannot fail, and with so many quotable quotes, it's one of those movies that will always be funny. So in the end, of course it's a keeper. And thank you, Dom, for always being "on" even in the short time you were on screen and on Earth. Later!

The moment you've been waiting for...that could crush the very fabric of this blog!!

2009-05-08T12:12:00.000-07:00

I'm afraid of what this might have done to what has been a fairly solid blog for me. I can't believe I've been writing for this blog for over four months, and up until now, things have been pretty good. That is, until NOW!

What could create such a rip in the space-time continuum? Well, if you must know, the SO and I bought a new television. And not just any television, a Samsung 860 series 50" plasma HDTV!

And here's the backstory...

April 25: I set up an entire day of surprises for the SO as it is her birthday. I won't say how old she is, because I'd never be able to see my testicles again. Long story short, I propose to her, she says yes, and all is good.

April 26: We have errands to do, but because it's early on Sunday, we stop by H.H. Gregg because it's the only thing open near the mall. SO jokes about getting a TV, as if because I bought her an engagement ring, she must return the favor with a new TV.

Backstory to my backstory: we're moving in July, we have an old cathode ray tube TV that weighs a metric ton, I have the back of an 82-year old. You do the math, now back to my original backstory...

We're looking at TVs, when the SO spots the new LED television sets. They're described as eco-friendly, and use 40% less energy than Samsung's 2008 LCD models of the same size. As she's a treehugger (nothing wrong with it, just have to point it out), this means a lot to her. Means a lot to me too, but I'm hesitant about it for some reason. The salesman (a good guy for putting up with us...I mean, it takes us a month, literally, to decide what to have for dinner the next day) points out that even the best LED/LCD will lag with fast motion on the screen, including football and fast action sequences in movies. Ugh, don't like the sound of that, so we say we have to think about it. At that time, the 55" LED, normally $3599.99, was on sale for $2999.99 until Tuesday.

April 28: We go back to H.H. Gregg to look again at the TVs, when I see it in the corner of my eye. A 58" plasma TV from Samsung. Clearly, Samsung has the market for LED and plasma! I'm torn. I want to help the environment, but the plasma picture looked really good. So the SO and I go back and forth for 90 minutes. For some reason, she was leaning yes for buying the LED and I was hesitant! We decide to investigate plasma TVs, as the same salesman pointed out the myths about plasma, and plan to come back on May 1 with our decision.

April 29: I ask a co-worker about his TVs, if he preferred plasma over LCD. He loves them both! No help there, until he realizes we've been to H.H. Gregg. Somehow, his wife is friends with the wife of the general manager of H.H. Gregg! So after lab, we rush to the store to meet with the general manager, who makes an incredible deal on the 55" LED: $2699.99! But I was noticing after viewing that TV that I was slightly getting a headache. Considering a TV is the last thing I need to give me a headache, I'm really hesitant about LED. Because of this, the SO starts to lean away from LED.

May 1: Judgment day. After long consideration, the SO and I agreed on a TV. Since I liked plasma and we were going to have this TV for the next 25 years, I had to make this purchase a good one. But the 58" plasma was $3499.99. Too pricey for us. So I had researched the day before about the 50" version. I love it, Love It, LOVE IT! It was priced from Samsung's website at $2399.99. Because we know the general manager is a good guy willing to lower the price, we're hoping he has or would have that TV in stock. He had put the purchase in last week for the 50" model and is willing to sell it to us for $1929.00! Sold!

Because we have bad luck with electronics, we got the 5-year warranty, plus we paid for H.H. Gregg to deliver the new TV and take the behemoth away. So all in all, we paid $2600 for this beautiful piece of work.

And why might this destroy the very essence of this blog? Because I might not be able to ever take my eyes off of it. It's too beautiful not to get mesmerized by it. I can already picture watching DVDs 24 hours a day just to see what they look like on 50" plasma. Not to mention football, basketball, sitcoms! It just makes me drool...

The punchline to this story is: the TV is so new it probably won't come in until the end of this month. But it'll be worth the wait. Now I just have to decide what will be the first thing to watch on it...hmm...Star Wars, anyone?

Later!

"Still shooting first? Asking questions later?"

2009-05-07T11:35:00.000-07:00

Never thought I'd be saying, let alone writing, these words down, but I had very low expectations for X-Men Origins: Wolverine.

Since word first got out that this movie was happening, I was as giddy as a little school girl for this movie. I thought that 20th Century Fox couldn't get it wrong twice in a row with X-Men, let alone Wolverine. The first film would be X-Men: The Last Stand, which really disappointed me because everything that was good with the first two films in this series was really, really wrong in the third film. It seemed like it was less about the story and more about blowing stuff up. And don't even get me started about the "mutant levels"...

And so I thought that things couldn't really get messed up with the most popular mutant of X-Men. Wolverine had to be the greatest X-Men member. He sliced first, asked questions when it suited him. He's everything that we wish we could be, meaning taking the initiative to get things done, no matter what it takes. With the release of XO: Wolverine and its subsequent reviews, though, I thought this could get ugly.

I don't even know where to begin. James Howlett (young Logan/Wolverine) finds his "father" killed by his real father, whose last name really is Logan but only finds this out after killing his real father with his boney hand claws. James and his half-brother Victor Creed run away, to which we have a quick speed-up of time during the opening credits, learning that the brothers fought in the Civil War, World War I and II, and the Vietnam War. At this point, time goes back to normal speed. The boys get in trouble in a Vietnamese village, leading to death by firing squad, which they survive as they have the power to HEAL!

Williams Stryker approaches the two in their jail cell, and they agree to join his special elite team of mutants, including Wade Wilson, Fred Dukes, John Wraith, Agent Zero, and Chris Bradley. Stryker is bent on finding the source of a meteorite in Africa and is willing to kill the innocent to find it. Logan can take it no more and leaves to find a quiet life in Canada, where he starts a life with his girlfriend and has a career as a logger. Stryker comes back into his life six years later, warning him that Victor is killing everyone involved in the elite team and wants Logan back. Logan brushes him off, only to later deal with the death of his wife at the hands of Victor.

Logan is persuaded by Stryker to be a part of Weapon X, which involves reinforcing his skeleton with adamantium, the stuff found in the meteorite. Logan survives this, and Stryker is ready to wipe his memory so he can use Logan as his own personal weapon. Logan gets word of this and escapes, only to be hunted down by Agent Zero. Logan is able to defeat Agent Zero, and finds Wraith and Dukes, hoping to get some info on the whereabouts of Stryker's new laboratory. After a hard-fought battle against Dukes, Logan learns of a mutant who was once held by Stryker in this lab, a gentleman in New Orleans who was described as "Gambit." Logan is able to find Gambit and the lab, leading to a whole bunch of answers to the questions he had had since his time with Stryker.

To avoid any spoilers, I have to stop there. Really, the first three-quarters of the movie was predictable and had been shown in all those trailers running on the networks. Where it finally got interesting was in the "final battle" with an enemy ready to take down Logan. Too bad the battle was all of five minutes!! And the way that Logan has his memory wiped of his past was really hard to swallow. I guess what I'm saying is it was nice to see it on the big screen, but it really could have been so So SO much better.

Way too many characters without enough development. Yes, this was about Wolverine, but you still need to set the foundation to really run with it. It seemed the writers were just trying to fit whoever they could into the film, even if it didn't really fit with the comic books or the storyline. I really think the blades coming out of Wolverine's hands looked very CGI compared to those in the first three films. Didn't think that was possible. And what they did with Deadpool...

Maybe it was the shakiness of the projector or the fact that I didn't get the Transformers 2 trailer that I was told showed before this film, but I'm glad I kept the expectations low. It was fun to discuss with the SO the little intricacies of the film and the history of the X-Men, the villains, and the spin-offs. It really made us want to go through and read every comic available for the Marvel universe.

Finally, two things that were really wrong with the film. One, no cameo by Stan Lee. Un-freakin-believable! How could you not have him in this film? He's been in every Marvel film I've watched but not this one? He's an executive producer, how could he be left out?!

And two, everyone started walking out just as the end credits started. What was the kicker was the film returned for a short scene, so everyone stopped, including the fat guy who stopped right in front of me! And to really add flame to the fire, everyone but the SO, myself, and one guy stayed to the very end to see the special easter egg at the end. For all of you who left before the bitter end, how could you?! Have you never watched a Marvel film before? Who does that?

Ultimately, I know this will be a future DVD purchase, mainly because the SO will want to see a naked Hugh Jackman again. But maybe the deleted and extended scenes will satisfy my thirst for a solid Wolverine origins film. A bummer to write, but it's how I feel. Later!

For once, Best Buy actually means what they say!

2009-05-06T11:24:00.000-07:00

Hey-yo! I'm back with a post I haven't been able to write for a long time: a post about a DVD purchase. Well, it might get thinner yet, but that's for another time. So what goody did I shell out money for this time?

Tiny Toon Adventures, Season One Volume Two.

Long title, I know. But it's worth it to have another piece of my childhood in DVD form. And thanks to one of my peeps, I was reminded why Best Buy has that name. Luckily, they still honor the price of a competitor, meaning if a competitor has a lower price and I have proof of it, they will sell the product to me at the lower price. Which means I have more money to spend, er, save on DVDs!

Who would be crazy enough to sell this DVD for cheap? Of course that would be our favorite retailer, Wal-Mart. For once, they served a purpose. Saved me 7 bucks. I'd say that was pretty good. And at just $30 for this purchase, I still have $9 in the DVD fund. Yay!

I don't know when my next purchase might be, because I have something that might shake the very foundation of this blog. I know, it's that big! But that's for another post... (of course I have to raise the intensity level, it makes for good drama, like TNT...seriously, I've seen way too many of those commercials). Later!

"Back home everyone said I didn't have any talent. They might be saying the same thing over here but it sounds better in French."

2009-05-05T10:56:00.000-07:00

Well, welcome back. I'm finally able to get the opportunity to write for this blog on a regular basis again... which means it should end pretty soon. But with the semester winding down, I can get down to the basics: research, exercising, and writing for this blog (hopefully in that order!). So this review dabbles with one of my secret passions: the musical. There's just something about them that really keeps my butt in the seat. I guess because I grew up seeing a musical almost once a year for a long time meant that I grew accustomed to the genre, whether on stage or on television. And I'm amazed I had never seen this musical until now, An American in Paris.

Pretty simple story: American artist in Paris who's trying to make a living selling his works gets taken in by a socialite who falls for him. Artist falls for another girl who's engaged to French singer. Artist's neighbor is struggling concert pianist who's friends with singer and realizes that the artist and singer are in love with the same woman. Artist expresses his love to girl at party, being overheard by singer. Girl walks away with singer, while artist dreams about what it would be like to see all of Paris with girl but is awoken from daydream by carhorn because the car brings the girl back to artist, and they embrace one another in only a way 1950s musicals show romantic embraces.

Now I wasn't sure what to think of this film. I love Gene Kelly, a multi-talented actor who can sing and dance. Combine that with George and Ira Gershwin music, and I'm sold on the idea. I thought the SO might get into it for the dancing, especially the big number at the end, but she looked like she was having a root canal done, her face contorted in ways I didn't know were possible for the human face.

Of course the plot was predictable but the music was what keeps you wanting more. And because I did experience Paris for a bit, I did reminisce about my time over in Europe. But I didn't see an American artist dancing in the streets to the tune of "I Got Rhythm." That's probably the major difference between the movie and real life. Anywho...

Solid four-star movie that was just released on Blu-ray, it's something that truly needs to be seen, and if I need a Gene Kelly fix, I know I have another choice (after Singin' in the Rain, of course!). Good pick from TCM's 31 Days of Oscar, I would see if it's on the network again, so go see it...come on, go...I mean it! Later!

"It's not a piece of equipment, it's a suit! It's ME!"

2009-05-04T10:24:00.000-07:00

Well, I thought I would take the time to get back to some writing... no, not thesis writing. That can wait a bit (cue SO's glare... and continue). No, what I need to write about is the last DVD I've actually watched. It's been way too long, almost two weeks since I've seen it, but I think I can still do the movie justice. Because the SO didn't want to decide on what to watch, I took the initiative to choose something with action, comedy, a little romance, something that really gets the blood pumping... a little something I like to call Iron Man.

So what's Iron Man about? Have you been living in a hole for the past year? This involves the origins of Iron Man, aka Tony Stark, a billionaire who gets his money from his design and construction of weapons. He's a very arrogant man who "gets around" any way he likes. The movie starts with Stark in a Hum-vee in Afghanistan, on his way back from a weapons demonstration. Along the way, the convoy is attacked, and Stark is hit, so we fade to black. Stark is held prisoner by a terrorist group, who want him to make his latest weapon, the Jericho missile, for them from weapons they have "confiscated" from Stark Industries.

Unbeknownst to Stark, he has a battery attached to an electromagnet in his chest, which is keeping schrapnel from collecting in his heart. This contraption is the work of Dr. Yinsen, who helps Stark "create" the Jericho missile, which actually is Stark's way of creating a self-contained electromagnet powered by an arc reactor. During his captivity, he has created a suit which allows him to escape, unfortunately without Dr. Yinsen.

Stark gets back to the United States to stop Stark Industries from producing weapons, while at the same time he works on a better suit. With the help of Pepper Potts, Stark's assistant, and some "Stooges"-like robots, Stark is able to create his better suit, thus creating Iron Man.

Unfortunately, Stark finds out that his company has been supplying terrorists through his company's overseer, Obadiah Stane. Because of his work with terrorists, he finds out the secrets to Stark's original suit, creating new suits through Stark Industries, which would create a new wave in weapons technology. By incapacitating Stark, he's able to take the arc reactor to power his new suit. Stark luckily has his old arc reactor, which he uses to power his Iron Man suit and fight Stane, who ultimately loses (because it's the movies).

Stark, in a press conference announces he is Iron Man, to which we see Mr. Badass himself, Samuel L. Jackson, as Col. Nick Fury of S.H.I.E.L.D. who wants to talk with Stark about the Avenger Initiative. End movie.

It's really hard to write a synopsis of this movie without being wordy. That's what happens with origin stories. There's so much you have to set up in one movie in order for an entire film series to work. Without it, Iron Man 2 would not take off. That's not to say Hollywood wouldn't have tried to create a sequel, but the anticipation for it would have been less. Suffice it to say, Iron Man is just as good on the little screen as it is on the big screen. The action, the comedic relief, it's a very smooth movie with few faults. Of course those who are closest to the original material might scoff at some of the ideas and plotlines that occurred, but for the average viewer, the film is a smash hit.

Easily, the SO likes it, so it's a keeper. Probably one of the funnest movies we saw in the theatres when it came out. Not being a devout follower of Iron Man, I thought the story moved very well, but then Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark/Iron Man made the entire movie experience. He body language, his mood, his take on the role was something that just fit. Without him, the movie doesn't work.

So in the end, this DVD is a keeper (it should be, I didn't even get the super duper deluxe version, just the regular single-disc widescreen... I know, I held back!). Later!

"You crapped on my heart."

2009-04-23T11:08:00.000-07:00

That's how I felt after the SO told me she didn't "feel it" with this movie. How can you not feel it with a movie about Vermont highway cops just trying to keep their jobs by screwing with everything and everyone they meet? That's right, I'm talking about Super Troopers.

Pretty simple plot, really. So this will be a short post, which is a shame. For this movie has so much comedy oozing from it, you might need to get it checked out. So, here's the plot. Vermont is going through a bit of an economic crunch (sound familiar to the current state of our economy, hmm?). Well, the governor of Vermont is closing some branches of the police force, and one of them might be this rag-tag bunch of Vermont state troopers. They seem to find any way possible to have fun on and off the job. Wonder if there was a huge increase in applications for the department back in 2001...

Well, anywho, they also like to pull pranks on the local police force of Spurbury, and of course the pranks go back and forth. So you know someone will have to win in the end (hint: not Spurbury). Both departments investigate a huge drug smuggling operation occurring in their area, but things aren't adding up correctly. The state troopers stumble (literally stumble, because they are drunk... yeah, anything can happen with this police force) onto the shenanigans (hehe) of the real culprit and appear to save the day... until they get shut down. What will they do? Of course, because it's a comedy, they have to end up on top. End of movie.

What you don't get out of this review is the hilarity that ensues from the Broken Lizard comedy group, who have been a part of other hits like Dukes of Hazzard and Beerfest. This is still their best work, because it seems very fresh and new. Clearly a cult favorite, this movie is probably continuously being played on college campuses around the nation. What is key is keeping track of the pranks that are being pulled and who's getting the raw (sugar) end of the deal because that is what keeps the movie hilarious. A few gross-out points, which I think totally shocked the SO, who was waiting for a movie that would have tons of quotable lines. Sorry that this isn't Van Wilder or Anchorman. It's all about boys being boys, even when they're grown men.

So although I don't own it, it could potentially end up in a Future Purchases post (wink wink), but for now, I was satisfied from the DVR recording. May not be everyone's taste, but it does leave you wanting more... and by more, it definitely could fit into this green week of reviews, if you know what I mean... I mean pot, and not the kind you put plants in. Later!

I'm 420! During the week of 4/20! How cool is that?!

2009-04-22T13:16:00.000-07:00

Quick sidenote: I noticed my place in the top blog sites list, and it's 420. That is freakin' awesome during this most auspicious occasion of green week.

And so it remains I have three more reviews, which I will space out for one a day for the next three days.

Oh, and so I don't forget...a new DVD purchase this week!!! I'll update you on that, too.

Finally, to give a shout-out to a place that rocks:

Von's Book Shop and Von's Comics, both great places to find just about anything you need when it comes to books, comics (obviously), music, DVDs (to buy and rent), beads, cards, and a whole bunch of things. So please stop on by to support this local business, or if you aren't from around here, support local businesses around you, especially during this green week.

Later!

"I'm sorry Dave, I'm afraid I can't do that."

2009-04-22T09:26:00.000-07:00

I totally apologize for not writing for over two weeks on this blog. If it wasn't lab work, it was school work. If it wasn't school work, it was a sinus infection that made my head feel like someone was squeezing out the last drop of toothpaste from my noggin. But with a majority of these distractions quieting down now, I can get back to more important things, and this is one of them. In the time that I've been away, I've seen 4 movies, but not all were seen in one continuous loop. I'll explain with the first of four reviews.

Almost two weekends ago, the SO wanted to lighten up the memory load on the DVR, and since most of the movies I had kept on it were "boring" to her, it came as no surprise that we would watch 2001: A Space Odyssey. I really don't where to being to describe the plot of this movie, but here goes...

Cue "Thus Spake Zarathustra" theme, which we all know as the theme to 2001, where we see the moon, earth, and sun in alignment. We then go into the "Dawn of Man." This basically entails where primates first learned to use bones as weapons to not only hunt but also to take down enemies. They learn this all-important skill from a huge black bar, or monolith. How this happens, I haven't a clue. But at this end of this phase of the movie, the primate throws his weapon up into the sky and we move to the second phase of the movie, which is untitled.

Described as TMA-1, we are introduced to Dr. Heywood Floyd who travels to Clavius base, which is a U.S. base on the moon. There has been a huge mystery surrounding this base, as no contact has been received from this region in some time. The thought is an epidemic has broken out and killed any individuals there. Dr. Floyd's actual purpose is to investigate an strange anomaly dug up on the moon that emits a magnetic signal. This anomaly is described as "Tycho Magnetic Anomaly One," or TMA-1. When Dr. Floyd and a group of scientists travel to this site, the huge black monolith is the anomaly, which emits a high-pitched signal and the second phase of the movie ends.

Third phase is described as "Jupiter Mission: Eighteen Months Later," or as I like to call it, "I knew we shouldn't have given computers artificial intelligence." Yes, this is where we meet two space pilots headed to Jupiter with three scientists cryogenically frozen until they reach Jupiter, and HAL-9000, the computer that gives everyone the heebie-jeebies. Everything is working fine until one day HAL reports something is wrong with the communications system. When the two pilots start to question HAL, that's when HAL goes nuts. Well, to make a long story short (which I'm sure the SO would like to have known BEFORE we started watching the movie), HAL is turned off and we find out from a video that the mission to Jupiter is because the monolith on the moon was sending the signal to Jupiter.

The final phase of the movie is called "Jupiter and Beyond the Infinite" or as I like to call it "It's time to do drugs and watch the pretty colors part of the movie." Really, it's totally trippy as we follow the surviving pilot from the Jupiter mission continue his travels to Jupiter, but as he's getting there there are all these weird colors and lines the we see, which are intermittently disrupted by a close-up of the pilot's eye (in weird colors). This goes on for what seems like 10 minutes, until we end up in a room with a slightly older version of the pilot. We follow this version until it witnesses an even older version, until we eventually see the version ready to "kick the bucket" and at this point the monolith returns. Then all of a sudden we see a fetus in a bubble and the musical theme of 2001.

So yeah, totally trippy movie from 1968, when it seemed like it was encouraged to take acid or smoke the mary jane and create a movie, besides using these drugs while watching it. The SO said she had to watch it because it's considered the movie that is the foundation for science fiction movies since its premiere... but she wouldn't watch it again. She said this after the third phase of the movie, when the DVR recording stopped...

Yeah, missed the last twenty minutes of the movie because TCM had it only going for two hours, and the movie is two hours AND twenty minutes long. Kind of a bummer really, because we had to wait until it was on again five days later on another movie channel. Kinda killed the buzz, especially if you were hoping to get the entire experience over quickly. Which I think is how the SO felt, who was just dying during the slow parts of the movie (which is most of it, for her anyways). And the strange singing/screaming when the monolith entered the film...

So at least we won't have to buy the DVD. And even though it is this monumental film, when it first premiered in theatres, it was panned. Only after watching it a second and third time did reviewers give it the praise it has received for over forty years.

Funny story (not really funny at all...for me, anways), the first time I watched this movie was with my father which was not a good idea. Imagine watching this movie with your dad, who's strong in his Christian beliefs and the start of the movie begins with an evolutionary theme. Awkward...

So it's a historical movie for science fiction, but I'm going to guess it's the only time the SO will ever watch it. I think it's pretty cool, at least for the music, but it's going to remain one of this films that only will be viewed by these blue eyes when I have to introduce it to someone naive to the movie. Hoping that will be a long time from now...

Later!

"That meat lover's pizza is NOT loving me back!"

2009-04-06T14:59:00.000-07:00

It seems like it's been forever since I've been on a regular schedule of reviewing DVDs, so it was nice to get back to some normalcy for this weekend. And because I felt bad that the SO didn't pick a DVD last week, I thought she could have the first crack for this weekend (So does this count as last month's SO pick or this month's SO pick? Hmm...).

And of course, she never disappoints with her pick, meaning it's going to be a Disney selection, and what better selection to make than the most recent DVD purchase involving a film from that lovable mouse... about a dog. But not just any dog, I'm talking about Bolt.

Yes, yes, I know. It's pretty obvious that Disney went the old-fashioned route of selecting a topic for a movie: they copied someone else's idea, then Disneyfied it. You know what I'm talking about. They even stole from a company they routinely work with (Pixar) by using the same premise as with Buzz Lightyear in Toy Story. Then they had to increase the cuteness factor of the main character the only way they know how: increase the size of the eyes and you have millions of girls lining up to want to see the film. I know, the SO is one of them. She didn't see it in theaters, but she didn't hide her feelings for buying the DVD once it came out.

So here's the quick synopsis: Girl buys Bolt (voiced by John Travolta) from a shelter when he's a puppy, they are part of a television show, and just like The Truman Show, Bolt doesn't know he's a character in the production. He thinks it's all real, including his super powers (including Super Bark... ooh, sc-ary). To boost ratings, the show has Penny (voiced by Miley Cyrus... thank God she played a minimal part, her voice alone can be quite annoying!) kidnapped, but Bolt really thinks she needs to be rescued. He's able to escape into the real world, and along the way, he learns from his new acquaintances that he's living a fantasy world. As much as this hurts, Bolt still searches for his human. And in typical fashion, there's a climax and a resolution to the problem.

This movie felt like Homeward Bound: the CGI version. Bolt has to go across America to find his human, with the help of a cat and in this case a hamster. And it seemed like every other movie that Disney does these days and in the past. Usually there's a new take on the theme, but there didn't seem to be that new take. I will say that if you had never seen a Disney movie, and you were under the age of 10, you probably love this movie. But I can't say the same, as I've seen a lot of Disney movies, and the last time I checked, I couldn't pass for a 10-year old if I tried.

I think the only reason the SO loved it was because of how cute Bolt was. How could I tell this? She gets this look in her eyes that says, "I want a puppy." We can't afford a bunny, let alone a canine, so as much as she may look at me with those puppy-dog eyes of hers, we can't get one. And why did I agree to get this DVD? If you are in a relationship (straight or gay) you know there are certain things you have to do to keep your SO happy, and if this is one little thing that does that, I'll suffer... for now.

That's okay, I get her back with this blog, including her incredible spelling skills...

Yeah, I didn't know Indiana's capital was named for Native Americans AND the eastern European nation of Poland. That's good to know.

Ultimately, this is how I break it down. Typical Disney trite, but it keeps the SO happy. So I lose on all fronts. Except in this post...hehehe! Later!

NOW we have a fund cap!

2009-04-04T14:34:00.000-07:00

It finally happened, a purchase which raised the issue with how to manage the DVD-Yarn/Shoe Fund. And again, I can blame Borders for it all...

So on Thursday, I received an e-mail (I should probably just unsubscribe to the mailing list) from Borders that said select DVD titles were going to be 40% off regular price Friday through Sunday. You know what that means:

"B-A-By...do you think we can go to Borders Friday night?"

And then, the look.

But the difference in this look is that the SO knows she can get more yarn this way. So she agreed. I wasn't looking for anything pricey this time around. Just a week ago, I had used a 40% off coupon to buy The Public Enemy for 12 bucks, so I was looking for something I really wished to have, that I couldn't find at Best Buy (i.e. any classic movie), that wasn't going to cost an arm and a leg.

Of course, I had a few in mind. The first being Amadeus, but it wasn't a "selected" title. They didn't have The Awful Truth (oh, Cary Grant...). Super Troopers can easily be bought at Best Buy, so I didn't want to waste this opportunity. That didn't leave much, but oh...

What's this?

Can it be?

What is THIS doing in the bargain counter?

Finally, a purchase worthy of 40% off its regular price. I'm talking about The Chaplin Collection: Volume One. I know! How was this still available? I don't know. About a month ago, I had seen it at the top of the shelves in the comedy DVD section. Last week, I didn't see it, so I thought it had been purchased by some evil person who didn't want me to enjoy some silent movie action. But for some strange reason, it was still here. And it was "tagged" (with red tape), meaning it counted for 40% off!!!

So originally, the price of the collection was $76.99. So 40% of that price is $30.80, meaning the final price was $46.19! Totally worth it. But this led down to a dark, dirty road known as the "Fund Cap"...

Originally, the SO and I had agreed that however much I spent on DVDs, she could spend that amount on yarn and/or shoes. But with this purchase, the SO put her foot down and said that there had to be a limit to my happiness. Meaning that this could easily get out of hand, and what would really be the purpose of this fund if one person could still spend hundreds on their vice, when this was meant to curb that spending? The current cap is set at $75, but it may be brought down slowly until it reaches a $50 limit, total. I know, bummer, but I just need to get the SO to buy more yarn/shoes (which I hate, but if there's a DVD I really want...).

And I know there's a DVD I'm wanting...

Later!

"I'm going out to get some popcorn and pink lemonade. I've just seen a three-ring circus"

2009-03-30T12:19:00.000-07:00

So this weekend I couldn't get a break from the action of March Madness to get the SO to choose a DVD to watch. But I did the next best thing: movies on the DVR. And this weekend I went with something that is tried and true. I went with a comedy...starring Cary Grant...need I say more? That right there tells me it's a winner, and of course I went with the first movie in which Grant shows off his comedic abilities with The Awful Truth.

If you haven't seen this film, it's pretty simple. Husband comes homes after not being in Florida, wife comes home with singing teacher. Husband gets jealous, they get a divorce and hilarity ensues. Wife, Lucy Warriner (Irene Dunne), moves in with her aunt and becomes engaged to an Oklahoman visiting his mother in the big city (I believe New York, but don't quote me on that). Husband, Jerry Warriner (Grant), still waiting for the divorce to be finalized, finds ways to mess up this new engagement. The spin? Lucy and Jerry still love each other but don't know each other loves the other! (Wow, there's some bad grammar for you... thank you, public high school out in the corn fields!)

For some reason, there's just something about Grant. His good lucks, his voice, his charm, his comedic timing. You're not really thinking someone like him is going to have the comedic presence, but he pulls it off, each and every time I watch one of his films. And with this being the first of his films with his slapstick comedic style, I was blown away by how good he was even at the beginning. And you know what this means?

Yep, I have to buy it now. Somehow this Monday Review post has turned into a Future Purchases post. And if I remember correctly, Borders had it as 30% off last week, which means that's not the case now. So I missed the boat on that one. But at worst case it's $15 bucks. I can handle that, but I think I'll wait until I get another sweet coupon in an e-mail.

Don't know what the SO thought of it as she didn't watch it. Not sure she would have appreciated it, especially since it's a classic and she doesn't do well with that kind of movie. It's okay, she can watch it with me when we get the DVD! Oh, how I can feel the flames from her angry eyes right now...

Later!

Borders, why do you put me through this?

2009-03-27T11:49:00.000-07:00

Two purchases in one week? Is that even possible?

As you've read in my earlier post, I was finally able to realize my dream of owning Andy Richter Controls the Universe on DVD. But the DVD purchases didn't end there (Yeah, I bought Bolt, but because the SO wanted it, it is neither one of my purchases nor does it count against me in the DVD/Yarns and Shoe War I have with her).

We begin Thursday morning. Just checking my e-mails when I stumble upon the usual garbage known as a Borders coupon e-mail. Usually these contain coupons for 15 or 20 percent off an item. I almost got duped by the 40% off one DVD box set a couple weeks back. But I held out. This e-mail's coupon, though, was too good not to use...

40% off any item, regardless of price!

Hallelujah, the DVD gods have been good to me for all the pains I've taken this week!

So what could I possibly use this on? And how could I get the SO to allow this? Ah, that is the key, for we both receive Borders e-mails, meaning she had a 40% off coupon as well. Therefore, she would make a purchase as well. Not a DVD purchase, but we'll forgive her for that. Maybe.

Indeed, the obvious choice was the choice I almost made a couple weeks back with the earlier coupon: Amadeus. Yes I have it on VHS, but this is Amadeus: Director's Cut. With 5.1 Digital Surround Sound. The music of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart swarming all around me was so enticing, but was it worthy of such a coupon? Was any movie able to garner my attention for such a priceless coupon (well, not really priceless, but it does mean less money I've spent on DVDs, which is a good thing... well, a good thing in that it means more money to spend on other DVDs!)

But then it dawned on me. What was one of my future purchases that I really wanted? That's right, White Heat. Well, Borders didn't have it, but they did have The Public Enemy, another James Cagney movie and one that was an integral part of my gangster movie collection. So sorry Wolfgang, I promise you one day you will be a part of my collection... in Blu-Ray! Think about it, 7.1 Digital Surround Sound!

So at the end of the day, $12 spent for one DVD. This puts me in the red for the Fund, $5 to be exact. I have to hold off now, unless I want to allow more money to be spent on yarn/shoes. But I can't do that, so I'll just remain content with what I have... until my eye catches the next prize! Later!

How can Target not have Andy Richter Controls the Universe?

2009-03-25T11:17:00.000-07:00

I will never forgive myself if this had actually happened. I almost missed out on the opportunity to buy Andy Ricther Controls the Universe this week! I know! But it gets better, as you can tell from the title of this post that not every place had it available. But let's start from the beginning...

So it's Tuesday afternoon, and I'm all excited about today. One, I have an auditory experiment that banks 20 bucks (score!) and two, ARCtU comes out on DVD (SCORE!). The auditory experiment has to do with piano lessons before the age of 10 meant my brain got all kinds of screwed up (the good kind of screwed up) and so they want to see how my brain responds to different sounds. Pretty simple, really. Sit in a chair, hook up some electrodes to my head, put something in my right ear that has the sounds, and I get to doze for an hour. Simple, right? Wrong!

The experiment was to start around 5pm. I had done a couple experiments in the summer, so I knew what was up with how it was going to go down. But it was to be done in a different room, so I wasn't sure where it was, so I waited in the waiting room until someone would get me. After 15 minutes, I finally was called back. Too bad the grad student didn't have me send her the exact same paperwork I filled out over the summer! That took at least 10 minutes. And by the time I was done, it was 7:30!. Mind you, I told the SO that I would be done by 6:30. Yeah, it doesn't get any better from here.

I get back to my lab to notice the time and I call the SO. From the instant messages on my computer, she was leaving right then and there, so I had seconds to catch her. She "kindly" picked me up, but I didn't think it was the best time to go to Best Buy to get the DVD. Instead, in a cruel game made up by the DVD gods, the SO needed to find her doctor's office (which had just recently moved). The SO needed to get this sinus infection diagnosed and taken care of because she was not getting any better. So we drive to the new office, which is 1000 feet from Best Buy! I was in no mood to deal with the SO's mood if we went so I decided to wait until Wednesday.

Wednesday afternoon, the SO goes to the doctor, and I decide to tag along so I can sneakily get the DVD. I thought the doctor's visit would be quick... over 1 hour! Actual doctor time: roughly 5 minutes. Waiting time: 1 hour! But we needed some things from Target (mainly facial tissues for the SO) so we went there to pick up what we needed. The SO wanted to get Disney's Bolt (I know, a total rip-off of Toy Story, but when has Disney come up with its own original idea?) so I begrudingly picked it up in Target's DVD Land (kinda like DisneyLand, except without the stupid costumes and infinite queues). I get to the television DVD section and it's not there. ARCtU is NOT THERE! Who in their f'ing mind would not stock ARCtU on the shelves? I was in a panic. So we had to go to Best Buy, which is not on the way home from Target, so yes, we had to drive all the way back out there near the doctor's office to get to Best Buy. But the joke doesn't end there.

We park in front of Best Buy, the SO not wanting to deal with my DVD whorish ways goes into Barnes and Noble while I search the shelves of Best Buy for ARCtU. I get to the television DVD section... and there's only one copy! Oh, glory be, thank God that I got there to get the last copy. If they were all gone, I might have had a coronary right there on that spot. Suffice it to say, I bought it for $30, thanks to my $5 gift certificate.

Happy ending, right? Nope. For two reasons. One: the music is not the same as the studios couldn't secure the music rights for the DVD, meaning we get some generic disco beat for "The Hustle." Two, one of my good friends went to Best Buy and bought it for $27 because Best Buy still honors lowest competitor's price (Wally World was that competitor- oh, how I hate them!).

But in the end, I have two new DVDs and I can finally realize the dream of owning ARCtU with 5 episodes that never aired... I can't lose! Later!

"So you want me to be half-monk, half-hitman"

2009-03-23T10:31:00.000-07:00

So I apologize for the tardiness of my posts over the past two weeks. With everything that is going on this semester, it seems I only have time to keep my mind on one thing. And unfortunately, it hasn't been this blog. But that changes today, even though I still have plenty to work on. And even though this really wasn't written on the post date, it would have been the correct date for my Monday reviews, as I actually watched a DVD this weekend, the first (and I think only) for the month of March. Not to worry, there will be another review that will show up, just that it is from a movie on the DVR (I really hope it doesn't die, because I have too many movies and shows on there that I can't miss!).

For this weekend's selection, I had to go with something that needed action. Although the first weekend of March Madness has plenty of excitement, I had to break the monotony of basketball with real action excitement: guns, explosions, and fast cars (along with some fast women!). It also made sense to watch this weekend's selection as the sequel is soon coming out on DVD and I need to decide if I will buy brand spankin' new or wait 'til it hits the proverbial $10 rack (it almost always seems like there are DVDs there that I need). So what movie could this possibly be? Of course, the most obvious of all obvious choices: Casino Royale.

With a new James Bond (Daniel Craig) in the mutli-decade film series, the geniuses running it all decided to start from the beginning, using Ian Fleming's first written incarnation as the inspiration for the film. At the beginning of the film, we see how Bond earns his double zero status as 007. We also learn of a scheme by the villain of the movie, Le Chiffre, to invest funds from a guerrilla group in Uganda into a successful stock portfolio. I know, exciting stuff but it gets better. In order to make a profit, Le Chiffre relies on short selling successful companies and profiting by engineering terrorist attacks to sink their stock values. Creative, huh?

How Bond gets mixed into this is his involvement of capturing an international bomb-maker, whose cell phone has a message from an associate of Le Chiffre. Following the trail, Bond is able to thwart any plans of a terrorist attack on a prototype airliner. Le Chiffre, in order to get the profits needed (i.e. the guerrilla group wants their money... by any means necessary) sets up a high-stakes poker tournament. As the best there supposedly is, Bond infiltrates his way into getting a seat at the poker table. He meets up with Rene Mathis, an ally, and Vesper Lynd, a treasury agent who provides the money necessary to enter the tournament. All kinds of action ensues (although the SO was bored out of her gourd at this point). Bond is able to win the tournament, but Le Chiffre doesn't allow him to get away that easily, torturing Bond and Vesper, but Mr. White (a very mysterious character) eliminates Le Chiffre.

Bond orders the arrest of Mathis (during the torture, he's exposed as a double agent) and professes his love for Vesper, while at the same time leaving his agent life behind. On a romantic holiday, Bond learns the poker winnings were never deposited back into the Treasury, with a tantalizing ending for Bond. Not only for his love, but also for his life as an agent.

Rather than spoil the ending for you, I'll leave it at that. As far as I know, the latest Bond movie, Quantum of Solace, picks up where Casino Royale left off. Which makes it that much more exciting for me to own sooner rather than later. But I bought CR for $10 and I feel I should do the same for QS. I know I would be putting less towards the SO's yarn/shoes fund, and that makes me feel better about waiting. But oh, how I love Bond movies.

The SO? For an action movie, she wasn't too thrilled. This is also the girl who had a sinus infection at the time and was less responsive than I am for a day of shoe shopping.

I thoroughly enjoyed it, although I miss Pierce Brosnan as Bond. But I do realize we all have to move on at some point. Craig probably wouldn't be my first choice, but he doesn't do a bad job to the film series (not like Timothy Dalton - man, those movies were rough!). Am I glad I made the purchase? Hell yeah! I only own CR and Die Another Day, so I'm not the proud owner of the entire series, but I might start keeping the latest and greatest versions of Bond. Especially if they really delve into what makes Bond the suave yet powerful agent worthy of double-zero status.

More posts to write, involving buying DVDs! I know, so exciting! So I'm off to complete those posts. Later!

What's wrong with bro-mance?

2009-03-19T08:45:00.000-07:00

If I had tons of extraneous cash lying around, I'd probably go to the movies this weekend (somewhere between the NCAA March Madness games - a guy has priorities). And one movie that has intrigued me since I saw the trailer months ago is I Love You, Man. A tale of a guy (Paul Rudd) who needs a best man for his wedding but has no guy friends. I'm assuming the hilarity ensues when he tries to find that guy friend, who finds that guy friend in an investor (Jason Segel). The twist is how this relationship takes over the relationship Rudd has with his fiancee, so he must learn to balance between the two.

This hits close to home. No, I have plenty of guy friends (although they're all more than an hour away... tear). And I get to see my best bud every couple of weeks or so, especially since I'm in his wedding this summer. But that's the whole thing, he's getting married. Does that change things between us? My boy and his fiancee have been together since I've been with the SO, so I've always felt that I can be myself around him even with the introduction of the SO in my life. It's almost like J.D. and Turk...

Where was I? Oh yeah, my boy and me. How do you balance between the two best friends in your life, the guy who's been there since day 1 in college and the girl who knows you better than you know yourself? I guess that's the part of growing up I never really thought about. So I can have the SO AND the bro-mance (although Rudd and Segel hate the word, it's kinda catchy). One of my other boys even asked when my BF and I were going to go on our bro-date to see the movie. Hardi-har-har.

Of course I want to see it, but I'll wait until it's out on DVD. Just something about that Freaks and Geeks cast. Now there are exceptions (not too sure about Observe and Report... that might be a "wait until cable"). But I have a good feeling about I Love You, Man. And hopefully, there will be no Segel man-part showing in this film like in Forgetting Sarah Marshall. Loved that film, but don't need to see his... you know. Not necessary, although his cereal bowl was awesome (and I mean a cereal bowl, so don't get any ideas what slang it is - it's not slang, his bowl was huge!).

So if you go see the film this weekend, think of me and my boy, J.D. and Turk, and all the other bro-mances out there that show two guys can be best buds even when their lives are changing around them. Later!

"I'm perfectly capable of fixing my own breakfast. As a matter of fact, I had a peanut butter sandwich and two whiskey sours."

2009-03-16T11:42:00.000-07:00

This weekend just didn't go as planned, in terms of movie viewing. First, I wanted to watch Hoosiers, because the NCAA March Madness has begun, and I thought it'd be a cool way to tie in my two passions: movies and basketball. Didn't even get close to removing it from the shelf. Why? Two reasons: too much good live basketball going on this weekend, and the SO was sick. What is she sick of? Who knows. Hopefully not basketball, because it's a long month of mid-afternoon score checking and late evening upsets. Could it be that, dare I say it, she's sick of Indiana? Already knew that, and I would have thought it would have happened sooner.

Nope, it's just a typical lung-congesting, nose-plugging, stay as far away from the SO as possible cold. At least I hope so, or all this Vitamin C I've been taking will have gone to waste. I did get the chance to get up early Sunday and check out one of the movies I had on the DVR. I thought I should lighten the load (to free up for more recording of my crap... and the SO's as well). So I went with the logical choice. A movie about staying committed to the one you love, no matter how sick they might get: The Seven Year Itch.

To break it down, it's a classic Billy Wilder comedy. Something lighthearted, somewhat dated, and yet universally true in its underlying themes. Richard Sherman (and what appears to be most of NYC) has dumped his wife and child at the train station for the annual summer trip. The men stay behind (I guess that's something you would do back in 1955) and commit all the debauchery they can endure, including drinking, smoking, and fooling around (if you know what I mean... I mean, they would get flirtatious with the opposite sex while the wifey is gone... exactly, up to no good). Well, Richard swears he's not like the other men and plans to work all the time his wife and kid are gone. He's not home two seconds before a blonde bombshell walks into his apartment building. Marilyn Monroe. Yes, that Marilyn Monroe. She's apartment-sitting upstairs, above Richard. And Richard goes into Mr. Hyde mode, thinking of a way to get her into his apartment, but then he regrets and forgets the silly idea. But The Girl (the name of Monroe's character) almost kills Richard, but he's quick to forgive because he's infatuated with her. Throughout the movie, he's going back and forth between doing what's right and what's wrong, always paranoid about if his wife is cheating on him while she's in Maine. To say the least, Richard wises up, with the advice from The Girl, and heads to Maine to be with his wife.

As dumb as she may be portrayed in the movie, Monroe is one smart actor. Not quite sure what it is, but she plays a very smart dumb character. I've only seen her in one other movie (Some Like It Hot, another Billy Wilder film) but it feels like Hollywood wanted to make her the dumb blonde, well before it was cool (I'm talking to you, Paris Hilton). But would she still be the legendary icon she is if she were still alive? Who knows, but I'm guessing because she's forever that young, beautiful blonde, America (and probably a good chunk of the world) will go ga-ga over Monroe.

I truly enjoyed the movie and was surprised at how short it ran. It seemed like the movie could have continued on, like the film reel had accidentally stopped (the SO probably was dying, but for someone who's artsy-fartsy, she has a hard time watching classic movies... okay, classic movies that I want to watch). Maybe because it never seemed like the movie had a climactic ending, in the sense of what movies have today. Not to say it's a bad thing, but I wasn't ready for the end.

So there may be potential for that in the collection, but I think I would need to see it again to confirm this. Too bad I deleted it from the DVR, but I'll try to catch it again. Could be Monroe on the screen, or it could be that Richard gets more paranoid than me about things. I should tell the SO at least I'm not that bad.

Maybe in the middle of the week, I'll get a chance to sit down and watch a DVD. But with the SO under the weather, I'll continue to be the good guy and tend to her needs. Aww, I know. I'm a sweetie, but maybe it's so I can go to Best Buy next week! I know, I'm bad. Later!

Borders is EVIL!!!

2009-03-13T13:01:00.000-07:00

Now I know why Friday the 13th is so bad...

So I got into lab this morning, just checking my e-mails before getting ready for a meeting and some lab work (I know, I actually had work to do instead of working on this blog... I know, how dare anything take me away from doing what I love!). And then IT showed up...

An e-mail from Borders. But not just any normal e-mail. Usually it provides a 15-20% coupon good for any item in the store. Sometimes it's 30-40% towards a book or CD. But oh no, they went and did it... a 40% off any DVD box set!

I know, how dare they! They know I'm trying to cut back on spending on those precious DVDs (although I did drive the SO to the yarn store today - $12 more to my DVD fund!). And what do they do? Two weeks before Andy Richter Controls the Universe comes out, they provide a coupon that would provide a lot of relief from a purchase like that. Doing the math, the DVD costs $40.99 at Borders. 40% from that is $16.40, meaning it would cost $24.59...

Okay, so it's cheaper buying from Best Buy (or Amazon... oh Amazon, how I love thee), especially with the $5 gift certificate. But for some reason, it's the whole "40 percent off one DVD box set" that has me happier than a stormtrooper NOT on either of the Death Stars, happier than J.D. in one of his daydreams, happier than... I'll stop there. Can't show too much of my nerdiness in this post.

So is there anything I need in my collection that I don't already have? Check my other blog, Tenacious Spoo in the List of DVDs to see what I have and what I do need. You'll be a big help to me and you'll get the evil look from the SO. Okay, so I'll get the evil look, too... okay, I'm getting it right now from her, even though she's across campus. I can still feel it. Scary. I know. Later!

Best Buy, you finally paid off!

2009-03-11T11:17:00.000-07:00

Is there anything better than free money? Okay, I guess it's not really free if you have to spend money to get it, but that's beside the point. The point is... what was my point?

Oh yeah, so in the mail yesterday was a letter from Best Buy with a $5 gift certificate because I spend more money than our government on useless things (for me, it's DVDs, for the government, take your pick). Which means... yes, that's five dollars that doesn't go against me in the DVD/Yarn and Shoes tug-of-war.

Better news. Because I took piano lessons when I was young, I qualify for an auditory study that pays $20 to sleep. I know, that's freakin' awesome. What's more awesome is that with the $5 gift certificate and the $20 from this study, that will cover the cost of Andy Richter Controls the Universe. I know, awesome!

So, if I do the math right, I'm currently $8 in the positive, $5 that doesn't count against me, $20 that goes against me, that leads to... $12 in the negative! I'd have to say that counts as a small victory. Even in these hard economic times, this may turn out to be a quality purchase. And it doesn't leave much for the SO to spend on her yarn and/or shoes... another small victory! I'm so happy I could...

Or possibly...

Later!

I can't believe this got cancelled!

2009-03-10T12:40:00.000-07:00

Yes, my friends, it's that's time of the week (although a little early - that's what she said! Oh!). Time to preview a little thing (that's what... yeah, that's lame) I like to call my Future Purchase, DVD style. This edition of FP actually only includes one DVD, but oh boy is it jam-packed with awesome DVD goodness.

Of course, I'm talking about the hit television show Andy Richter Controls the Universe. And when I say hit, I mean my boys in college would have to be in front of the TV when the show came on. Which wasn't for very long, actually. Kinda sad, almost went as quickly as undergrad. Again, another sad thing. So let's talk about happy things, like it's finally come to fruition, the DVD version of the television series. Finally! I know that at least a couple times in the past few years there was talk about it coming out on DVD, only to get shot down, like my chances at getting a Blu-ray player this year. Yeah, I know, that bad.

Not sure really how to describe the show, other than we're treated to Andy Richter at his finest outside of "Late Night with Conan O'Brien." Debuting in the spring of 2002, the show only lasted 19 episodes. But considering how many shows on Fox get cancelled, the show is almost like M*A*S*H when it comes to how long it was on air on the network.

The only thing holding me back from purchasing it is... it's not out yet. Supposedly, allegedly, hopefully... it will be released March 24, 2009. So two weeks away! I don't know if I can hold in my excitement. And it helps that the SO bought yarn this weekend, so I'm in the positive for how much I can spend on DVDs. Yip... wait for it... EEE! And at a cost of $28, I will only go $20 in the negative. Not bad, I know. Let's just hope I don't go overboard in Best Buy when purchasing ARCTU. Must keep eyes on the prize, no looking around at other possible purchases. Otherwise, SO can buy lots more yarn (or shoes), and I just can't let that happen!

This is why I have to buy it. And so should you. Later!

Who didn't watch the Watchmen?!?

2009-03-09T12:43:00.000-07:00

Clearly, this is the start of a new week for me. Last week, I intermittently sent out posts for this blog, but I wasn't consistent like I had been in past weeks. Now that I've done the hard work last week, I can focus on more important things, like this blog. And this week starts not with a DVD review but an actual MOVIE review. That's right, The Spoo went out to the theatres for the first time since The Dark Knight (come on, I'm poor and I only go to see movies that should be seen on a ginormous screen). And in this situation, a movie finally warranted that need to go to the theatre, nay, the IMAX theatre! Only one movie could fit that bill, and it is...WATCHMEN!!!

To really bring it all back together, The Dark Knight is the reason why I was waiting on pins and needles for Watchmen. The big preview before viewing The Dark Knight was a trailer for Watchmen, and because it highlighted the graphic novel as the most celebrated of its genre, that had to mean something! I mean, people do not just put gradiose titles on just anything...

I think just about everyone who's anyone that's read a review knows the general plot of the movie. It's an alternate 1985 world, where masked heroes are outlawed and Richard Nixon is still president. The Comedian, a masked "hero", is murdered at the beginning of the story, and another masked hero, Rorshach, wants to find out who would want to get rid of masked heroes. Because not soon after this murder, Dr. Manhattan (the only true SUPERhero of the story) exiles himself to Mars, leaving the other masked heroes to ponder what is happening. Rorshach calls upon other exiled heroes like Nite Owl II to solve this mystery. Deepening the plot of ridding the world of masked heroes, Ozymandias (one of the few heroes to retire and reveal his identity) has his life threatened by a potential assassin, and Rorshach is framed for the murder of an ex-villain. Nite Owl II and Silk Spectre II decide to break Rorschach out of jail and find out who's trying to rid the world of masked heroes as the world tiptoes closer to nuclear annhilation (oh yeah, the US and USSR still hate each other in the Cold War). Ultimately, Rorschach, Nite Owl II and Silk Spectre II find out who (or what) is responsible for all this, with a truly climactic finish.

So what did I think? Because of the trailer back in July, I immediately went out and bought the novel to read it and was blown away by how the story went back and forth from the present to the past, how animation is mixed with specific readings that not only provide clues but also increase questions about what's going on. I was totally confused in the beginning, trying to understand what it all meant, and only at the end did it all click.

Prior to the movie, I re-read the novel to jog my memory and pick up on the details in the movie. Now the beginning of the movie is f'ing awesome. It follows the plot pretty closely. I was worried that it might be too slow for civilians (people unfamiliar with the novel) but my BF really liked it. The SO had mixed feelings, but I'll get into that later. I thought the idea of World War III was underplayed. The novel makes it feel like everything's going to get blown up at any second, and the movie only seemed to worry about who killed the Comedian. I missed the real "whodunit" aspect of the novel, even though it seemed like one of the most important parts of the movie. I was glued to the novel just to know how it all played out. There were so many characters, places, dates, and events that I had to keep straight in my mind that at the end, I had a huge "A-HA!" moment at the climax of the novel that I didn't feel it in the movie.

Even with that, it seemed like there could have been greater development of the characters. Loved the action, although it did seem excessive in places. Loved the music, but it was too cliched in the love scene with Nite Owl II and Silk Spectre II. The music didn't always potentiate the scene, it only reiterated the sentiment. Although I did get a kick out of My Chemical Romance's take on Bob Dylan's "Desolation Row." I almost think more of the songs (especially those referenced in the novel) should have been redone to tie in the past with the "present" 1985 with 2009 (but I wouldn't have wanted that to get too out of hand).

What it comes down to is this: I am so glad Watchmen made it to the big screen. As a recent fanboy, I wanted to see it in all its IMAX glory. But it sometimes seemed to miss the point of what Alan Moore (writer of the graphic novel) was trying to say in the novel. Yet, in the final scene of the movie, I felt Dan Snyder (director) got it right and all was right with the movie. Even though it seemed like so much more could have been added (I wasn't even phased by the 2 hour 41 minutes length - it could have been twice as long and I would still have thought it wasn't long enough), the movie was great.

I think that if you've read the novel, you might be slightly disappointed but it's such an event that it has to be seen on the big screen (I love IMAX!). If you haven't read it, go see it, then read the novel and really appreciate what was done not only in the novel but how limited it was in the movie (even with those limitations, Snyder tried to get as much into it). I think the SO needs to read the novel because even she felt the characters were underdeveloped, especially Silk Spectre II (I know she felt it just seemed like there was something missing that would have made it make sense to civilians). Female characters in the novel were much stronger than the movie portrayed. For me, I can't wait for the Director's Cut DVD with scenes from "Tales of the Black Freighter" inserted (TBF was a comic within the novel and really encapsulated the atmosphere in a nuclear-laden world - even in today's world, the paranoia surrounding the war on terror parallels the feelings around a potential nuclear world war).

Please go see it, because I hope it will make you go out and read the novel, which changed how I thought about the graphic novel genre. So much can be said in the novel that I didn't think could be possible. So as much as I thought there could have been more, it was wonderful. Later!

It's Batman!

2009-03-04T13:01:00.000-08:00

So sorry for the huge delay in getting this review out this week. Everything seems to be getting in my way, mostly reading reviews about Watchmen (Got my IMAX ticket! Although I haven't heard if it needs to be seen in IMAX - Oh well...), working on a presentation I have to give next week in front of my departmental area (no pressure there!), and grading exams (which the grades were worse than a Jim Belushi biopic). But it's no excuse. And because of how my weekend went, I didn't get to watch any TCM movies, so the DVD is really full! Hopefully I can squeak out a couple this upcoming weekend, on top of another DVD review. But this week was the SO's choice...

...which meant I had to sit through another anime movie. Good thing she doesn't have that many, so I can make it through easy enough (although she'll probably eventually select a couple Jimmy Fallon movies... ugh!). I know she had a tough choice choosing, but it came down to watching a movie for which she had just read the book, and I could tell right away the movie was nothing like the book. That movie would be Howl's Moving Castle.

Pretty simple, guy likes girl. Witch likes guy, so turns girl into old lady, girl/old lady stumbles upon guy's moving castle (so the title at least makes sense!) and helps guy reclaim his heart from a fire demon (who is a friend of the guy's) without having to kill fire demon. In the middle of all that, guy has to face former teacher and defeat her. Did I forget to mention the guy is a wizard?

Very quickly, I picked up on the detail of the film, which was superb compared to other anime films I've had to watch with the SO. Because I had seen this one other time, I think I appreciated this film more, or maybe I liked it because the SO every two seconds said, "That's not in the book!" "Howl's former teacher is a guy in the book!" "That's not why the Witch of the Waste turns Sophie into an old lady!"

I could gather from all of this that the director, Hayao Miyazaki, who the SO adores, basically took the outline of the story and incorporated his usual themes of war being bad and the environment is crucial to the survival of all species. The book, which on all accounts was a decent story (although I haven't read), did not seem to be retold in the film. I'm not sure if the SO likes the movie more, less, or the same, but she clearly has a new opinion about it.

As for me, I think it seemed like the movie went quickly this time around. Of the anime the SO has made me watch, it's probably the strongest film. Oh, and Howl? Voiced by Christian Bale! Picked up on it right away, which made the SO mad because of this useless talent I have for picking up voices in animated films. Picked up Billy Crystal as the fire demon, Calcifer. Amazing what happens when you watch enough movies in your life. It finally pays off...just not in the monetary sense.

Of all the anime we now own, I would keep this one. Best story, best animation, best film. But then I haven't watched the half-dozen or so others the SO definitely will have planned for us to watch in the next year or so. My opinion might change, who knows? Only Dr. Manhattan... okay, so I'm a little more than excited to see it Saturday, but while re-reading it... sorry, the post... good movie, should definitely see if you like fantasy or animated films. Go see Howl's Moving Castle this weekend (after Watchmen!). Later!

Here's the entire movie if you would like to watch now!

Devastating...

2009-03-02T10:50:00.000-08:00

That's the only word I can describe about Sunday. No, it's not about how bad my team is doing in basketball or even the state of the economy...

On Sunday, we were without... CABLE!

AAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!

It was terrible, I came back from working in the lab around 2pm to have the SO tell me the cable wasn't working. I didn't think much of it. Thought I could just unplug and plug it back in and it would be fine. Worked all the other times the cable was acting funny. Not this time. So I called the cable company, and they said the area was out and the service people were out working on it right now.

That was all fine and dandy, except it was out until 8:47pm! I know, terrible...

And the worst thing? Because there was no cable (and obviously no DVR), one of the movies I wanted to watch from TCM's 31 Days didn't get recorded! I know, a travesty, a sham, a sham of a travesty! So I won't be able to watch Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Tear.

Luckily, Fox (and almost every network) posts episodes of their shows online, so we could watch "Simpsons" and "American Dad." But it's hard to forgive the cable over Encounters. Oh well, I'll just DVR it again, if it ever is on TCM again...

Sorry for the delay over this weekend's DVD review. Been busy, and that's no excuse. So it will be up and posted very soon, that's my guarantee. Later!

And as a way of asking for forgiveness, I present you with this, something that describes me to a "T" (or whatever letter works in this situation... probably not "Q", that's got a bad rap... maybe "M"? No, that's weird... how 'bout "S"? I'll have to think about that one):

Well, it started out as a future purchase, but now it just might be on the do-no-buy list!

2009-02-27T14:50:00.000-08:00

Have you ever watched a movie for the first time and thought, "This movie is great!"? You know what I'm talking about, where you really relate to the protagonist, he (or for you female types, she) is someone who seems really cool and you wish your life could be as cool as his, especially for what he does for a living.

I really thought that with "High Fidelity." For some reason, back in 2001, I could really relate to John Cusack's character, Rob. No, not the terrible boyfriend part. I just thought it was so cool that there was someone with that much passion for music... AND listmaking. I can't tell you how much this ending quote fueled my need to make the perfect compilation:

"The making of a great compilation tape, like breaking up is hard to do. It takes ages longer than it might seem. You gotta kick it off with a killer to grab attention. Then you gotta take it up a notch. But you don't want to blow your wad. So then you gotta cool it off a notch. There are a lot of rules. Anyway, I've started to make a tape, in my head, for Laura. Full of stuff she'd like. Full of stuff that'd make her happy. For the first time I can sorta see how that's done."

For some reason, that just resonated with me to this day. And the way Rob would just talk about stuff was something I could relate to.

And, of course, it was MY introduction to a man... an amazing man... a god amongst men... Jack... Black!

I don't what it was, but it started a love affair (not literally!) for JB and all his earthly creations (well, not all of his earthly creations, again, literally). So it had music, lists, Jack Black - it was just something that resonated with how I felt about love and life. Since then, I've been wondering what it would have been like to actually own the DVD. I mean, come on, Jack Black singing - that right there is movie gold! You can't give that stuff away for free! It's gotta be earned... or bought for $9.99.

And I was so ready to have this movie as my Future Purchase for this week... that is, until I saw it on IndiePlex last night. Didn't catch the first half-hour but I had seen it before. I knew what it was all about, so it didn't bother me (too much) to watch 'til the end. But as I watched it, I realized that I only liked the movie when I could phase out John Cusack. Nevermind his character, Rob, John is really annoying! And he's done it with so many movies since High Fidelity was released in 2000.

America's Sweethearts

Serendipity

Must Love Dogs

I haven't seen any of his other movies since 2000, but I can imagine it's the same thing overand over again: an overly emotional whiner who's unable to be with the woman he loves because he can't get over the way his romantic relationships have ended in the past so he can't love the one woman who would make his whole life happy so he spend two hours of my life, along with any money I spent on tickets, rentals, or purchase of the movie so that I feel like less of a person because I had to watch John Cusack go on and on about how he can't find love in his pathetic little existence of a life, and ANOTHER thing... but I digress... A LOT!

So what's a guy to do in this situation? Ultimately, I have been searching for the ultimate compilation my entire life because of this movie. I am in awe of the collection of music Rob has in his apartment and how he can spend countless hours organizing them alphabetically, chronologically, and autobiographically. It's something I do with my DVDs, probably because of Rob. But is it worth 10 bucks to own this movie? As long as my mind continues to block out John Cusack, I possibly could.

But what if my mind loses that capability? What would I do with the DVD? Use it as a coaster? Play frisbee with it? Because I can't let this get out in the world for those without John Cusack Blocking Ability (JCBA). It could turn everyone's brain into mush, just like the acting job he put into this movie. So what is said in the movie truly moved me, but seeing John Cusack can be too much. Maybe if I just buy the script...

So this weekend is the SO's turn to choose a DVD for our viewing pleasure (displeasure most likely for me). And I'll need to get through a couple more movies on the DVR, so plenty more posts to be written...

Later!

You know what REALLY grinds my gears?

2009-02-26T11:16:00.000-08:00

Taking a cue from Peter Griffin of Family Guy, I have to bring up something that really DOES grind my gears. The Oscars... well, not so much the Oscars as the movies that participate in categories including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor and Actress. You know what I'm talking about. For some reason, Hollywood decided that it was more important to pander to the voters of the Academy Awards rather than give the consumer his/her due. What am I talking about?

For some reason, movies that think they have a shot at Best Picture try to get the premiere out right before the cut-off date for nomiations. What does this mean? Tons of pompous, arrogant, and oftentimes intellectually unstimulating films will take a huge proverbial 'dump' of their premieres in December. What does that leave us? Nothing!

We actually haven't seen those movies BEFORE the Oscars; they usually don't get released into a wider audience until a month or two later. In the meantime, we're hearing how great so-and-so was in film X, while some schmuck was just riveting, that our lives are incomplete if we haven't seen the performance of a generation. That's all fine and dandy if you're in New York, L.A., or London. When you're in Nowheresville, Stuck-in-the-middle-of-the-USA, all we get from the reviews is that we're obviously not intelligent enough to understand the movie, and that's what makes it so great. Really? Is that it?

And is that why we're typically left with crappola for the first 3 months of the year, so the riff-raff can be cleaned out of the storage space in Hollywood from January through to March? From mixed reviews about Watchmen, it's too early to say if March will be a terrible movie month this year.

Then it seems like we have to squeeze every action film into the space of two months, from Memorial Day to Fourth of July. Which leaves many of us broke because we have to spend 10 bucks for each one (and that's not including IMAX, which is currently $12.50 around here). Pretty soon, matinee prices will be phased out. And because movie theaters see none of the ticket money, they'll jack up prices of popcorn, drinks, and Junior Mints... mmm, Junior Mints. A explosion of mint and chocolate, and there's only one thing that can compete with mint and chocolate - peanut butter and chocolate! Yeah, I'm not bitter about not having my peanut butter...

So what can we do to make Hollywood change their ways and put out quality movies throughout the year? As an individual, not much will change. As a collective movement, we can do great things. Now who could lead us?

Eh, probably not him. I'm thinking more along the lines of this:

That's more like it! Tomorrow is Future Purchase post. Can't wait to let you in on what may soon have a place in my heart... and my collection. Later!

Oh, Indy, YOU are my focal point...

2009-02-25T15:16:00.000-08:00

I was thinking I'd be desperate for a post today, but it all clicked while the SO and I were doing yoga yesterday. What? You got a problem with people, especially guys, who do yoga? Too worried about your heterosexuality or masculinity? Let me tell you, if you have back problems, like me (just ask the SO - she'll talk your ear off about all the complaining I make about my back), you'll want to do yoga. And if you stop for any length of time, you'll know yoga is the reason your back pain goes away. But enough about my longing to be an infomerical spokesperson...

So, anyways, where was I? Oh yeah, the SO and I were doing yoga. If you've ever done the tree position (sounds sexual, but trust me, it's anything but). Kinda looks like this:

So I'm trying to balance on one leg like this. Now I think I'm able to keep my balance. I can ride a bicycle, I don't trip over my feet. So why is it so freakin' hard to stand on one leg like this?! The "trainer" (not really a trainer, as we do yoga from a Wii game, My Fitness Coach) is telling us to concentrate on a focal point, so we can actually keep our mind from realizing we're on one freakin' leg and about to fall on our asses! And then it came to me...

As you can see, my DVDs are close to my line of sight to the television. As these little bundles of joy bring me peace and relaxation, I decided to focus there while not making myself look like an idiot tree. And you know exactly where my attention went to:

"Doctor Jones! Doctor Jones!"

That's right, Indiana Jones. Oh, it's so glorious, especially as my collection DOESN'T contain Kingdom of the Crystal Skulls. Once my eyes caught onto that, my tree was as strong as a redwood. Well, not really, but I did manage to balance for a bit. More than I did without Indy. So I have to say it's a small triumph, of sorts. Well, not so much triumph as I could complete the task. Well, not so much complete...

So as not to bore you with that, it's pretty simple: If you're doing yoga with your SO and you need to find the strength to make it through, just look for Indy (or Han, or any incarnation from Harrison Ford's work) and you'll be done with the workout in no time. Now what can I end this post with? Hmm...

Later!

"And you almost tell her that I'm gettin' married? What's the matter with you?"

2009-02-24T12:00:00.000-08:00

You know how you watch a movie for the first time, have certain feelings about it, then don't watch it until almost 4 years later, with a new perspective on life, and see the movie in a whole new light? Yeah, that's how I felt with this week's DVD choice. Before this movie, I didn't know the SO nor had I really had any actual "relationship" with the opposite sex (yes, I was the dude who had lots of girl friends but no actual girlfriends... yes, I admit it). At the time, I could really identify with the lead character, but I actually hadn't watched the movie a second time until this past Saturday. Boy, was I in for a treat with the SO...

Back in 2005, I first saw the independent film Sideways. In the film, we first meet Miles (Paul Giamatti), obviously a man with a mid-life crisis. For the next week, he and his buddy Jack (Thomas Haden Church) are going up to wine country in California to live it up one more time before Jack gets married at the end of the week on Saturday. Miles is a middle school English teacher, and Jack is a struggling actor. Both want to get away, but neither has the same plan for the next week's events. Miles wants to enjoy some good wines and play a few rounds of golf. Jack wants to sow some wild oats before getting the ball and chain locked on him for eternity.

While eating at The Hitching Post, they meet Miles' crush Maya (Virginia Madsen) and Jack makes it his goal to get those two hooked up. Too bad his penis is leading him towards a single divroced mother who works at a winery. While Jack and Stephanie (Sandra Oh) spend a LOT of time together, Miles really can't get over his divorce (from TWO years ago!). It doesn't get any better when Jack tells Miles that his ex-wife will be at the wedding... with her NEW husband! Miles is about as depressed as you can get. Throughout the movie, we find out Miles is just one hugely depressed dude about a lot of things: about his failed marriage, about his failed book, about his failed life. And we learn that Jack just wants to have fun, but his fun ways don't make any money and while he may be sowing his oats, he needs Christine, his future bride-to-be.

In the end, Jack's secret gets out, and so does some of his blood. And he barely gets away with his clothes as well. Miles, obviously infatuated with Maya, finds the courage to go after her. And this little independent film ends with the typical mainstream movie ending. It seems there are two endings to independent films (that I've personally seen). One, the guy ends up with the girl at the very end, even though it looked like it would never happen (which would have given the movie a sense of reality, rather than a Hollywood-style ending). Or two, the movie ends in mid-sequence, to leave us wondering what happens next. Sideways ends with option two.

When I first watched this movie, I obviously identified with Miles. I had no one to love, no one to love me. And I desperately wanted to find love. Miles just wants to find something to be happy about. And yet, he is always finding the negative in life, which I'm victim of doing myself.

This time around, though, I still feel like Miles, but this time I feel pity for him. I may still be glass half-empty sometimes, but with the SO, life doesn't seem so bad as Miles may make it out to be. And that makes this second viewing change my opinion of this movie. Life is too short to be down all the time, so I've got to make the most of it. And that's why I'm ready to get done with grad school, no matter what it takes.

So this movie, in my opinion, can stay. If I had to leave a movie behind, it could potentially be this one. But it does remind me how lucky I am to have the SO. And it also reminds me how lucky I have the SO. I mean, I'm a geek. I freakin' write a blog about my DVDs and why I need them. And it doesn't help that I'm crazy over Star Wars. I don't get into wearing the gear or pretending I can use the Force. But for a Star Wars-lovin' movie-watchin' geek, I'm lucky to have her. But maybe she should be glad I'm not as bad as this guy.

Later!

"You ain't heard nothing yet."

2009-02-24T00:00:00.000-08:00

Well, it seems most relevant to watch a movie that I had made reference to in Friday's post. And of course, thanks to TCM's 31 Days I could actually accomplish this goal. No, I didn't watch Soul Man. I'm pretty sure that movie has been buried along with E.T. the Video Game.

No, what I watched is one of those movies that screams "classic" (for a number of reasons, but I'll get into those later). The first motion picture accompanied with sound, The Jazz Singer introduced us to the "talkie." For most of you, you're probably like I was before seeing this movie, that a talkie meant the entire movie had sound. You would be in the wrong. Only those parts of the movie with actors singing did we actually get the "talking" part. It's hard to trust Wikipedia on this subject, so I'm going to guess that the introduction of sound into movies was rather expensive, much like it is today to have IMAX cameras in use throughout the entire production. Therefore, to cut costs and yet be profitable, only those important parts would actually have sound. The most important parts of the film would most likely be with the actors singing, and that's what you have with The Jazz Singer.

Now that you know what the first "talkie" was like, in terms of... talking, the synopsis is rather simple. In New York, a young Jewish boy Jakie Rabinowitz wishes to be an entertainer - a jazz singer. Father catches him in a jazz hall, and tells the boy he will follow in his father's footsteps, to be a Cantor in the Jewish Synagogue. Boy runs away and the movie moves chronologically to some time later, Jakie is a grown up Jack Robin (Al Jolson) trying to make his name in Hollywood. A few breaks go his way, and he lands in a Broadway revue in New York. Jack goes back home to see his parents. Mom is excited to see her, Father is not. Father still wants him to be a Cantor, but Jack has his heart set on being a jazz singer. Father gets ill, so Jack has to choose between doing the show or replacing his father as Cantor. Jack at first chooses show biz, but chooses to be Cantor for one night. Father professes his love for his son, and passes away as son sings in synagogue. Son does blackface while singing in revue?

Confusing, I know. Throughout the film, Jack sings but without having to paint his face so that he pretends to be an African American. So why does he have to put on blackface on Broadway? I'm guessing it could be explained the show he's doing calls for it, and because blackface wasn't an issue in 1927. Still, it doesn't make sense why he has to do this. Jack is just fine singing without it, and it actually diminishes the appeal for the movie. Without it, it's a fine picture. With blackface, I feel disgusted.

So what did I learn from this movie? A "talkie" doesn't mean there's sound throughout, blackface obviously meant earning more money at the box office in the late 1920s, and Jewish humor always makes a movie that much better. Although I'm not personally Jewish, the SO likes to think I am with the way I always have to pick up change from the ground. Seriously, it adds up! And in this day and age, it can mean a huge difference. I'm just saying...

So The Jazz Singer was something to watch, mostly from the historical aspect and for what it did to the film industry, but it will not need to be included in my DVD collection. At the rate I'm going with watching the films from TCM'S 31 Days, I'll be waking up early for quite a few more Saturdays just to clean out the DVR. But it will be worth it, mostly so I know whether or not I would like to own these movies! Just kidding. Gotta save money for all those Future Purchases...

Just one more post for this weekend to go. And it's a doozy of a film, something that really warms the soul, like a large glass of wine (wink wink). Later!

"This is real life! There are steps to becoming a Queen."

2009-02-23T12:04:00.000-08:00

You know how I know you're a mid-1990s movie?

That's what kept going through my head during the first of 3 posts about this weekend's endeavours in movieland, aka movies and more! Because you know when you're watching a movie from this era. There's just something in the cinematography, the font, the jokes...

So the movie of the night for Friday, obviously, was To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar, a two-star movie from 1995 (as if you couldn't tell by my introduction). Not a part of the TCM's 31 Days, but nonetheless, it could be found on my DVR. Just couldn't figure out when exactly it should be watched. And destiny came about on Friday. With the one-year anniversary of a good friend's death, it just seemed appropriate. And seeing as this was one of his favorite movies, it just had to be viewed in his memory. As much as it meant to him, I can see why it was only two stars, but let's get to the quick synopsis first...

So we start out with Vida Boheme (Patrick Swayze - yes, that Patrick Swayze) and Noxeema Jackson (Wesley Snipes - yes, that Wesley Snipes) getting into ultimate queen mode, as they are drag queens getting ready for a big New York drag queen contest. Of course, it ends in a tie between Vida and Noxeema, who are bound for Los Angeles to compete in the national competition. Now where's the drama in this? Bring in the stereotypical hispanic queen, Chi-Chi Rodriguez (John Leguizamo - and yes, the joke about "her" name isn't dated at all...), who is crying her eyes out because she thinks she should have won. Of course Vida wants to transform her, although Noxeema doesn't think too highly of Chi-Chi. While planning their trip, a picture of Julie Newmar is seen in an eating establishment, and that defines the journey they'll be making across the country. What ensues is a cross-country trip that only gets a few hundred miles in. Dealing with how those of the "normal" world might perceive them, the "girls" try to avoid any hotels or locations that might not take too kindly to them.

Somehow, they survive until they're pulled over by a cop, who tries to get lucky with Vida. Because of "her" strength, Vida pushes him aside, only to think "she's" killed him. They scurry off until the car breaks down in a small town in the middle of nowhere (literally, that's what the summary says on IMDb, so I didn't know that it actually existed!). Over one weekend, they're able to change the small town's perception on drag queens, and at the same time, the girls learn to be a valuable team. At the end of the movie, the typical happy endings occurs (with a key cameo - of course!).

What did I think of this movie? Typical mid-90s tripe. Nothing to make me want to really ever see it again. I understand it is a strong symbolic film for drag queens (although I don't think anyone would confuse Swayze, Snipes, and Leguizamo for women, which I can't say for the small town they crash). It just seemed like the movie should have been about an ENTIRE journey across the country. So for the girls to stop early on just seemed pointless, even though I understand it was to show that drag queens are people, too. For what it was, it could have been much more. I did like the different categorizations for men dressing like women. Finally! Someone made it all clear to me what defines a transvestite vs. transsexual vs. drag queen. And of course, only Snipes could be the one to explain it all. Snipes, the man who has been a daywalking Vampire, a street baller, and a badass villain in Demolition Man, he was a weird choice for a drag queen.

Ultimately, it could have been much more, for a movie and for the transgendered community. Of course, the movie has an emotional connection because of my friend, but that's all it is for me. I can say with the utmost confidence it won't be part of my DVD collection, but that's not to say you shouldn't see it once. Once is actually plenty enough. Next up, a post about this weekend's DVD choice, a real uplifting tale... about as uplifting as trying to carry a two-thousand page manuscript. Until then, I leave you with this, probably the best part of this movie. Later!

"But Coach said it's fantastic..."

2009-02-20T01:03:00.000-08:00

Now don't get me wrong. It's not so much backing down as I didn't want to go through with it. I'm talking about last week's Future Purchase(s), Batman (1989) and Batman: The Complete Animated Series. And obviously I have not actually gone through with the purchase of either. The reason for the 1989 incarnation is because I can wait until Blu-Ray (and I didn't want to record every single scream from Kim Basinger in that movie!).

I also decided not to go through with purchasing the television series (although it's still in my Wish List on Amazon) because I couldn't allow the SO more money to buy yarn and/or shoes. And two, even this DVD whore realizes that the economy is tough and the SO and I are essentially terrible with finances. That's right, we started a budget. Well, not so much started a budget as admitting how much we make does not equal the amount we have to spend on rent, electricity, food, cable, and other extraneous activities (DVDs the exception!).

But there are better ways to spend $76. Possibly spending a portion of that chunk of change on this week's Future Purchase.

That's right, the movie that brings blackface to the 21st century, it's Tropic Thunder. From what I've been reading, Robert Downey Jr.'s portrayal of a method actor in this film is phenomenal and because he doesn't break away from character, Downey actually gets it, unlike Al Jolson and C. Thomas Howell. Wow, that was a long run-on sentence...

So from what I know from the trailer and from my good friend, Coach, a group of actors are doing a Vietnam War movie, and because the film studio hates them, they're dropped into Vietnam! While still filming! Obviously, there's comedy in that plot, and with Downey Jr. plus Ben Stiller and Jack Black, it sounds like a sure hit. On the other hand, my other good friend L-squared thought it was okay. So that begs the question, who's opinion do I value more, Coach or L-squared? The correct answer is...

...

The SO. I know, because she's holding my bank account hostage currently. I don't how many times I've picked up the DVD for Tropic Thunder, only to be told that we have to wait until we've seen it or it's a confirmed "definite buy." It's just breaking my heart! So what do I have to do to convince the SO to get Tropic Thunder? Or do you think it's something to rent? Or is it in that category of "Wait 'Til Cable"? Let me know in the comments section.

In the meantime, I've got to find a way to let the SO let me watch two DVDs this weekend (to make up for none last weekend). With the 'rents coming to town tomorrow, I highly doubt it. Oh well, a guy can dream...

Later!

Ha! I was right and you were... well, not right!

2009-02-19T09:06:00.000-08:00

Don't you feel good when you're able to make your point to the SO and he/she can't say anything to prove you wrong? Yeah, I felt like a million bucks last night. Let me set the scene...

Imagine, if you will, a typical night. The SO and you have just had dinner, you've been watching a couple things on the DVR, the SO just finished zooming through American Idol (again, thank God for DVR - if I had to hear that awful singing or Paula give a full opinion, I might have to take the gun to my head... and leave the cannoli). But it's still early to go to bed, but the DVR only has movies (from TCM'S 31 Days!!!). Even with 5 bajillion channels, there's nothing really new on that has me going for the remote.

So, you stumble upon "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" on TNT. You don't think to much of it because you've been watching the series since its beginnings on Cartoon Network. But for some reason you're intrigued. Why? Because you have TNT...in HD! Now, mind you, you don't actually own an HDTV. You actually have an antique, one with the cathode ray tube (I know, I'm embarrassed just writing this - but it is 36"... and weighs 200 pounds!). Somehow, the force is pulling your fingers towards the remote to try a little bit of the dark side, watching a show you've already watched and hasn't even finished its season on the other network.

Suddenly, your world explodes, your eyes have seen the light! The detail in this cartoon is amazing! You can see every little dimple in General Grievous's face-plate. Even though it's not really HD, you can tell the difference between the non-HD and HD versions. So you flip back and forth between the two versions, and you tell the SO your discovery. This is when it gets ugly...

You have the SO watch as you flip between TNT and TNTHD. She's a little bit away from the TV, but no matter, you know there's a difference even if you were a mile away! She doesn't get it and doesn't believe you. She doesn't WANT to believe. Why? Because then there's no denying the full power of the dark side... a 60" LCD 1080p! You know what I'm talking about and it's making you drool, too. Long have I dreamed of watching Star Wars in HD, and even though this is just a cartoon of the Clone Wars, it will be the closest I may get to Star Wars in HD (until the original trilogy comes out on Blu-Ray!).

But back to the part where I'm right and she's... not right (never tell the SO she's wr... wr... see? I can't even write it because I know she'll do awful things to me, too awful to mention here... things like never letting me have a 60" LCD 1080p! HUGE Tear!)

So you sit the SO close to the ol' 36" and you flip back and forth to show her your latest and greatest discovery (come on, my last latest and greatest discovery was combining plain no-fat yogurt with Jell-o pudding powder to make my own Oreo mousse... what? A DVD whore can't watch his figure?).

And there's silence - long, glorious, earth-shattering silence! Because you can see the smirk on her lips, you know you're no longer crazy, you're motherf'ng RIGHT! Yes, folks, I proved the SO I was right. There IS a difference between the cartoon on TNT and TNTHD. And because of that fact (that's right, it's a fact... just like it's a fact that I'm right... for now, anyways), I might have to re-watch the show in HD just to really appreciate it. As much as the film was panned, even by the likes of Harry Knowles, the cartoon has been a pleasant surprise for my television viewing. Maybe because I long for anything that's new in the world of Star Wars, but I really hate to miss one episode. Now the Holiday Special is another thing...

So, to recap, last night I was finally vindicated as being right, and at this very moment, I know the SO is trying to think of ways to get revenge. Tomorrow I shall have a new Future Purchases post, and an update on the decision I made on Batman: The Complete Animated Series. Until then, I leave you with this. Later!

"And I will try to fix you."

2009-02-18T09:08:00.000-08:00

Wait, I have an actual movie to review mid-week? Well, I guess it could occasionally happen, but this time around it's because I needed to watch before the rental was due. As much as Netflix sounds like a good idea, I can't help but not trust them, about as much as their business buddy (rhymes with All Dart, as in, "Let's all dart away from this place because it destroys downtowns and doesn't actually HELP the poor community it's sucking funds from...", but I digress).

For once, this is an actually semi-current movie, so I'll try and do my best with this review. A movie that reminds you that you're never too old to sing at the top of your lungs but also makes you appreciate everyone and everything around you, Young at Heart is a film about a group of elderly citizens (average age of 80 years) who put on performances of rock and pop hits. Now you may be saying to yourself, "Why would I want to hear old people singing The Ramones?" The movie is less about the music and more about the spirit of these fine individuals. You can't help but engulf yourself into their world.

What struck me most was not their singing (not great, but when you're 80 years old and able to get around and do things and still have a smile on your face, I think the singing is the icing on the cake), but their enthusiasm for life. There's always two paths you can go down in your elder years. You can either be bitter about how the world treated you, OR you can appreciate all that you've done and seen, the people you've met, and the lives you've changed. All of these individuals are the latter, in my mind. And one way to keep living each day to the fullest is music. There's a little twinkle in their eyes as they're rehearsing (even if they initially don't care for the song selections). It gives the younger generations hope that one day we'll all be so lucky as they are (even with health issues) and know we're going to a better place after we pass from this world.

I knew a little bit about this movie, so I was ready for some of the sadder moments (don't even need to mention what those could be) but others really tugged at my heart. Somehow, in less than two hours, you feel like you know these men and women, like they're YOUR grandparents. And as much as I was ready for anything, I still had trouble controlling the waterworks.

In brief, this documentary follows the rehearsals and keys moments in the lives of the Young at Heart chorus, up to the annual concert in Northampton, Massachusetts. They're attempting 6 new songs, and it's the journey of their ability to perform these new songs, along with some classics, that encompasses the timeline of the film. And never have I heard a more tearjerking performance of Coldplay's "Fix You." Here's the original version:

And here's the Young at Heart's take: (embedding was disabled by request)

Now, imagine knowing these individuals and understanding what they have gone through to be here. Amidst the sad moments, these individuals rise up and perform despite those losses. I had originally just seen the video of Fix You from the film, but after seeing the entire movie, I really understood what it meant.

So if I had to tell someone to buy this on DVD, I would say yes. If I thought I should do the same, I would say no. Mostly because I don't know if I could deal with the waterworks again. As much as I truly enjoyed this movie, the emotions I had were something that reminds me I'm human, but I don't think I could deal.

To help lift the spirits, here's something to remind us how lucky we are. Later!

Put your pencils down, here are the answers

2009-02-17T12:00:00.000-08:00

So I'm sure you've been waiting to hear what the answers are to my quiz from a week-and-a-half ago. Okay, so I didn't get any responses, but I'm going to give you the results anyhow, whether you like it or not. So the DVDs in the photo are:

Undeclared,

M*A*S*H,

The Dark Knight,

Help!,

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers,

and The Empire Strikes Back!

What's the theme?

(Jeopardy theme)

Sequels!

Undeclared - "sequel" to Freaks and Geeks

M*A*S*H - shown is season two, probably the best of the 11 seasons of this television show

The Dark Knight - sequel to Batman Begins

Help! - sequel to A Hard Day's Night

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers - sequel to The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring

The Empire Strikes Back - sequel to Star Wars

How'd you do on the quiz? If you got all 6, you're a person who has great eyesight, because there wasn't much of a view of the DVDs in the rear. If you got 3-5, I'm impressed. If you got 2 or less, we need to send you back to school!

Until the next quiz, keep your nose to the grindstone and your butt on the couch (watching DVDs, of course!) Later!

"Well, what goes good with Ratzkywatzky?"

2009-02-17T05:00:00.000-08:00

Well, what can you say at this point? VDay morning, watched Ninotchka, VDay afternoon, played Guitar Hero World Tour. VDay evening? How about a movie?

After all the possible decisions I could have done with my time away from the SO, I pulled something totally out of left field (What? Thought I'd say out of my... you know, your posterior, your bum, your butt! Well, not so much your butt as mine) and ended up renting GHWT, and I got hooked. And I say hooked because when you play 3 hours straight and stop just because you're getting tired, that means you like it more than just like - that's right, I like like GHWT!

But what to do when you're tired from playing video games? I could go for a walk, or read a book, or... dare I say it, watch a movie! (Answer: Watching a movie. Question: What will completely turn your brain into mush after 3 hours of GHWT?). Obviously, I chose a movie, and since I wasn't in the mood for a thinking movie, I went with a movie that deals with partying, fooling around, impromptu marriage, unplanned pregnancy, and bigomy! Of course I'm talking about The Miracle of Morgan's Creek. Released in 1944, the movie tells of how a small town can be just as crazy as a big city.

In this small town of Morgan's Creek, the town constable's daughter, Trudy Kockenlocker (Betty Hutton) wants to go to a dance for the boys being shipped off to war, in this case, World War II. Maybe you're heard of it. Kind of a big deal, like Ron Burgundy big deal.

And we're back! So Trudy tries to go, but her Dad won't let her. Knowing Norval Jones (Eddie Bracken) would eat the SO's Mac & Cheese if she told him to (not a good idea!), Trudy gets Norval to take her "out to the movies" so she can party it up with the boys going to war and leaving Norval at the theater all night and morning.

We find out that during that night of partying and dancing that Trudy did a little more. What's a little more? Well, how about marrying a soldier under a false name and not remembering the soldier's name. And the icing on the cake is she's pregnant! Because it's a small town, word would get around real quick about her busy night. Here comes Norval to the rescue, deciding to pretend to be the soldier (and deciding the soldier's name is Ignatz Ratzkywatzky - a very common name) so she and Trudy can get "married" and then get it annulled.

The only problem is that it would actually result in bigomy, which is a crime. On top of that, Trudy is a minor, so Norval appears to be abducting her. For Norval, it means getting busted by the justice of the peace, the county police, the federal investigator, AND the army! The only way out is busting out of jail, but because Norval is too nice of a guy, it takes Trudy and her constable father to force him out, costing the constable his job.

Six months later, Norval comes back to town, ready to see Trudy. Too bad he's caught again. Somehow the pardon of all pardons happens for him, allowing him to see Trudy... in the hospital! The baby is ready to pop out, only it's not one baby - it's SIX! Because of this, Mussolini resigns, Hitler demands a recount, and the U.S. is ready to kick some evil axis butt! In the end, Norval and Trudy end up together, although six kids seems to knock the wind out of Norval. You really can't blame him, he's not even the father, because it's a miracle!

The movie is hilarious, a comedic gem. It really keeps your attention, mostly because of the ridiculousness as the movie reel turns. When a movie is able to keep you on the edge of your seat, especially a comedy with a mystery, you know it's good. I'm not sure I feel like purchasing it, but if it were to miraculously appear at my doorstep, I wouldn't complain.

So this weekend was void of a movie from my DVD collection, but that can only mean two movies next weekend! Although I still have a dozen or so still on the DVR, along with a rental, so I'm pretty sure I'm dead like Luca Brasi (at least in the eyes of the SO). Well, here's ending on a high note!

Later!

"Comrade, I've been fascinated by your five-year plan for the last fifteen years."

2009-02-16T23:47:00.000-08:00

The two movies that consumed a portion of VDay both had to do with romance and World War II. Interesting combination, but alas, the war (that occurred because the 'war to end all wars' didn't end ALL wars) does create an environment for love, from Paris to small town America. Too bad the SO missed out on these movies (well, missed out, in that of the two movies, she saw half of the first, none of the second, and probably wouldn't understand their appeal if she had the Cliff Notes...) because as much as they might not appear as comedies to her, they truly make you laugh. And in a time of war, sometimes a laugh can help.

And what truly gives me the giggles is Communist Russia. You don't agree? Well you haven't seen Ninotchka. I know, the name just rolls right off the tongue. In this movie, Grand Dutchess Swana (Ina Clare) of the Soviet Union finds out that three comrades (Iranoff, Buljanoff, and Kopalski - sounds like a Russian law firm) are in Paris, selling her jewels (sorry, no sexual joke - the Commies considered her property the property of the State... depressing, isn't it?). The three comrades have trouble selling them, mostly because the Grand Dutchess sends Comte Leon d'Algout (Melvyn Douglas) to tell them a lawsuit will be on their hands. Leon loosens them up a bit with a little champagne, a few cigarettes, french maids...

That's when the Commies send in Nina Ivana Yakushova, aka Ninotchka (Greta Garbo), a no nonsense woman who gets the job done at any cost (well, not any cost, because somehow a night in a Parisian hotel could be spent to buy a cow - the movie is making fun of the communist's ideals!). In some chance meeting, Leon bumps into her on the street, and the chemistry between the two actors is perfect. The timing of the punch line can be crucial, and Douglas and Garbo don't disappoint. Leon softens Ninotchka, and Ninotchka makes Leon all hot under the collar. Unfortunately, their love is not meant to be.

I thought that all Russians could hold their liquor, but Ninotchka seems to be the exception. Because of this, she passes out in the hotel, the Grand Dutchess steals her jewels back, and Ninotchka is blackmailed into leaving for Moscow in order to get the jewels back. Seems the Grand Dutchess didn't care that Ninotchka stole Leon from her. Ninotchka and the three comrades return home, friends for life. But Leon can't be held back. Even if he couldn't get into the USSR, he could get Ninotchka out. And with some fancy handiwork, Ninotchka is swept off her feet by Leon in the end.

What I draw from this movie is, again, the chemistry between Leon and Ninotchka. Even though the Cold War would be years away (this film was released in 1939), the communists and the capitalists weren't exactly friendly to one another. Obviously propaganda is a huge part of this movie, showing that a communist's heart can melt for love. The same way I try to get the SO to like classic films (well, any films that I like - can you believe she doesn't care for Star Wars? I know, the nerve of that woman! Bad enough she likes Jar Jar...), this movie plays into the stereotype that communists are barely human, but on the other side, capitalists seem to be smooth talkers.

If you were to ask me if I would buy it, I would say no. Definitely a movie to see, but not on my waiting list. Worth renting to see because of the comedic banter between Douglas and Garbo, but not enough to make me own. I do appreciate the films made during the time of World War II, and it plays a part in the next movie I review as well. Who couldn't find comedy in it?

How can you fail with Hitler in a comedy? Or for that matter, how could an assassination attempt on Hitler's life fail as a movie? (Oops! Sorry, Tom...)

Later!