This just isn't my week

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...

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!

I'm so sneaky...

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

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

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

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

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

Later!

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

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

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

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

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

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

Here are three reasons why these abominations are wrong:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

On a happier note...

My next post is about more DVD purchases!

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

Later!

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

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!

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

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?

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?

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"

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?

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!

Borders is EVIL!!!

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!

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

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!

"Well, what goes good with Ratzkywatzky?"

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!

"Well, you could say Dennis..."

It's that time of year again, to assess what I've done with my life...because it's my birthday.  And at this ripe old age, I feel like, like...

Okay, so I'm not 37, but I'm not old.  Many people have gone on to do great things by age 27:

-Brian Jones (of the Rolling Stones, for those of you who have only paid attention to music in the past 40 years)

-Jimi Hendrix

-Janis Joplin

-Jim Morrison

-Kurt Cobain

Oh, wait, they died at the age of 27?  Well, then, I'm screwed.  What have I accomplished in 27 years on this planet (besides this blog)?

Well there's...

And...

So I haven't done some of the things those people have, but I will achieve one goal they couldn't: make it to 28.  That's a manageable goal...I think.  I've got almost half a day down, so only 364.5 days to go.  And I have something to look foward to:

That's what I'm talking about, the wonderful meal of Brinner!  Holla!  Is there anything better than breakfast at dinnertime?  I don't think so.  And guess who has two thumbs and is getting Brinner tonight?  Bob Kelso...no, I mean, me, that's who.  Get a little omelet with some smoked cheese and some bacon, top it off with an orange smoothie, now that's what I'm talking about!

I figure I need Brinner because the SO is going to make me watch American Idol (AI) with her.  What idiot puts AI on my birthday?  It's sacreligious.  At the very least, it keeps me from watching what I want to watch on MY birthday.  Heaven forbid if we don't watch AI the night it's on, even though we DVR it!  Explain that to me.  We DVR AI, but we have to watch it that night.  Just because we can flip through the commercials and Paula's crying, that's no excuse!  I think it's so the SO doesn't feel out of the loop with her pop culture (oh wait, that's me, nevermind).

So anywho, if you're trying to get a hold of me tonight, don't be surprised if you get the Brinner Me or the AI Me.  I think you know which one you want.  Later!