When it first came out, The Girl really wanted to see it. I was a little less gung-ho about it, but was willing to watch. However the little woman became a little disenchanted over the flick when she went to pick it up at the local video store around the time we got Netflix workin’ for us (so obviously, this was a while back). The video store clerks pretty much told her it was “eh.” She, for whatever reason, took this as fact, and rented something else that probably sucked – I can’t remember honestly.

Anyway, I subsequently threw it to the rear-end of our queue. Well last week it finally made its way to the front of the line and showed up at our door. Perhaps it was the lowered expectations, perhaps it was that half-a-beer I had thrown down earlier, but either way, Disturbia proved to be a LOT more watchable than I had figured it would be. I actually enjoyed it. Believe that!

This is despite the presence of Shia leBarf, whom I typically dislike with lots of, dislikiness. Maybe it’s because the character he played was for the most part just a little wannabe dipshit in the first place (reminded me of my own brother), but he didn’t seem to be doing too bad a job in the movie. And if you’re a male and on the fence about seeing it still, how’s this: there’s a hot babe in it that likes to show off her bikini bod often enough.

The basic premise is that some kid (Shia LeBarf) winds up in house arrest. He becomes restless, and starts to suspect his neighbor is actually a serial killer. He also has a hot babe move in next door and spies the hell out of her. We assume he’s, you know, while doing this. Because I would have, and let’s be honest, if you’re male & straight you would have too if you were him. Anyway, totally against the grain of reality, it turns out she likes him. Shenanigans ensue, whereby they do stakeouts and try to break into is neighbor’s place to prove his dastardliness. They are patently bad at this.

It has a happy-enough ending, if a little too lighthearted considering all that transpires before it. But it’s still enjoyable entertainment with enough suspense to be engaging.

The only thing I didn’t like what the huge, huge setup for how the main character came to be under house arrest. I don’t want to ruin the movie for ya, but let’s just say that possibly the most important event in his life happens, and then pretty much goes unmentioned for the whole rest of the film. I mean sh!t, they could have just had it be that he got caught joyriding or something. Something. Maybe he brought a knife to school accidentally but got sent up the river by the school bully. Something other than what they went with and then never followed up on.

Overall: it’s decent. I say it warrants a B-.

It’s Finally here: The Abridged Script for The Dark Knight.
Read all about it. READ IT GODAMMIT! Yeah I liked the movie, yeah it’s pretty good, but c’mon, it’s got tons of folly to it. It’s riddled with plot holes & plot devices (that sounds sort of sexual, doesn’t it?) that are there because without them, the movie would just have to end at about the 45-minute mark, because it’s otherwise impossible to make the jump to the rest of the implausible story.

A friend and I yesterday were discussing our least-favorite things about it. He called shenanigans on the whole “Maggie falls from a building onto the top of a car and LIVES.” I still think that the Joker being OMNIPOTENT and knowing things no one could know in order to make a ridiculous set of plans work is the most shenanigan of all, however.

Favorite line from the Abridged Script?

HEATH LEDGER [to Maggie Gyllenhal @ party]
I can wait. Want to hear a story? Once upon a time, I had a wife. She was beautiful, like you. Er, no, I mean in complete contrast to you. You’re actually kind of a butterface. But at least you’re not Katie Holmes, I like that.
BAT-BALE
Then you’re gonna love me!

It’s so great because it digs so hard @ Katie Homely, then ties right back into the actual movie lines. It’s just brilliant.



Artists Avoiding iTunes because: Singles are cannibalizing Album Sales
Well duh. Look, I think it’s a sad statement to make that you’re keeping your music off iTunes (Kid Rock) because people don’t want to buy your entire album. You know what that essentially means? Your music is largely crap. You want me to buy an album instead of the two good songs on that album? How about this: don’t put two GOOD songs on an album and then fill it with absolute crap-as-filler. Try that. See if that works. Maybe album sales will go up if albums, you know, don’t suck.

If you’re of the mindset that I should own your entire CD to “understand” your music, then there’s something about your audience I think you should “understand”: We don’t care about your semi-rich people problems. We like one or two songs, we really only want those one or two songs. I don’t feel like paying you for sh!t I don’t like.

I know it’s weird, but how’s this for a trade: I’ll buy your crappy songs I don’t want, if you buy my crappy macaroni art that I glued onto some pieces of white paper that nobody wants. Deal?

F*cking Putzes.

Tags: hate

Mmmmmm…. Bison!
Holy crap I ate a buffalo. Sort of on accident. Kind of.

When I went shopping a couple of weeks ago – our monthly expedition on which we stock up for the entire month, including meats – I wanted a couple of sirloins. Of which, it turned out they had none. I’m friendly with the guy behind the counter, and he said that he did have some Buffalo behind the scenes, if I’d like to try that. Would I like to try that?

Yeah, sure, why not?

Well a couple of days ago, The Girl gets out some meat for us to BBQ, and gets the marinate underway. Then of course, I throw it on the barbie, and we get to grubbing a short while later. Gobbled it all up, didn’t really think much about it other than should have put more salt on these bad boys.

Anyway, as we were cleaning up and thinking about dinner for the next day, I said “let’s try the buffalo!” And The Girl went looking through our Dead Cow stuff to pull it out. ...And couldn’t find it. Looked around, thought maybe he didn’t actually get it for me. Then thought to pull the sirloin wrappers out of the trash (I’m an expert trash digger btw), and sure enough, it’s clearly marked “Buffalo Sirloins.”

I’d say ‘tastes like chicken,’ but that’s far too cliché, and wildly inaccurate – though still highly entertaining. I will say this, though: It didn’t taste drastically different from the free-range cattle we sustain ourselves on. But it costs more. Which means, of course, that we probably won’t be doing buffalo again soon. Unless it’s on you, in which case, I’ll fire up the barbie.



Cheap Date
OK another dinner-related story. Yesterday I get home from work and there’s a half a beer on the counter. I ask what’s up, The Little Woman tells me that it’s for me. Apparently her roast recipe called for half a beer or something, and for a man to drink the rest of it. Betty Crocker promoting drunken men, who knew? But, cool, whatever.

So those of you who know me know I don’t drink. Like, much ever. This escapade I think takes me up to 1-1/2 beers this year. And as I tried to finish off this half-a-beer, it really became apparent. Because 1) even only half a beer is damn challenging for me to throw down, and 2) not 30 minutes later I could feel that I was drunk.

Yes, that’s right, you give me half a beer, and you can do whatever you want with me. ‘bob’s a cheap date.

Hell, skip the beer – you can still probably do what you want with me ;-)



The Mclaughlin Group
I watch a lot of PBS. I don’t have cable, and I find that other than the corny stuff, PBS usually fits the bill (especially the nature programming). Anyway, last night after our scheduled Nature Show, They had The Mclaughlin Group on. Tuned in to watch, and something stood out to me: Namely, that the hardline republicans, the American Apologists, really don’t sound all that smart. They were discussing the recent quagmire WRT Georgia & Russia. Most of the people on the set were talking about how it’s in America’s best interests to back off of this issue, because in all reality, it’s better to keep friendly ties w/ Russia than it is to protect Georgia, which we’re not that into protecting anyway.

One of the sticking points was whether Russia was provoked or “invaded” Georgia. Turns out that despite how the Bush Regime and the US media spins it, Georgia actually drew first blood by invading Ossetia, a province sort of loyal to Russia that’s trying to be annexed a lil’; shown a lil’ love, you know?

Anyway, Russia strikes back, and it’s being shown as the ‘aggressor’ in the situation. Everyone pretty much agreed that given the facts, it’s sort of not the case. Everyone, except a blond hardliner. Despite the fact that the facts, she maintained that Russia was the aggressor and should be stopped. No matter how many times they pointed out that GEORGIA INVADED OSSETIA, she would not relent. She then went on to say that Russia should not be allowed to invade other countries to spread their influence, as it’s just wrong, blah blah blah.

Oh really?

Wonder where she’s been the last 5 years or so. You know, during which time her lovely bushie hero has been trying to spread his influence with bullets. Look b!tch, I actually agree with you on that one principle: no one should be allowed to spread their influence by forcibly conquering someone else. It’s just that I think what’s good for the goose should suffice for the gander as well. And I think that perhaps you and others like you should perhaps try applying your foreign policy skillz at home. If you want to talk that talk, you need to walk that walk.

Republicans: talking to hear their own voices since 1890.



$100
I’ll send a pic of a $100-bill to the first person who can get the joke of the picture that accompanies this blog. It’s not hard! But you gotta be hip to the reference -- it’s a generational thing :-)

Tags: hate

The Girl was poking around at some links I sent her and wound up on this funny political picture blog. Some are good, some are dumb, but one was laugh-out-loud hilarious, so I thought I’d share. It might be my favorite picture ever. The basic idea is sort of the same as the “lolcats” over at icanhascheezburger.com – take a picture, add a caption, laugh. Simple.

I’m not sure exactly why this image is so funny to me, but damned if it isn’t. It is. Ignore that. I find it hilarious. You can take a gander at it in full-scale by going here or clicking on the picture. Enjoy.

Unbelievable. Un-F*cking-Believable.
Clay Aiken becomes a dad. So, what... then he’s not gay?

I don’t know. My conviction is strong. I think I still want to call bullsh!t here. C’mon, just look at that picture.



Believable. Totally believable.
John Edwards admits to affair.

This I believe. Good looking guy (relatively – seen your average politician?), the lady doesn’t look too shabby, and he was her boss. In fact, she’s probably one of a few.

I still want to meet Mrs. Clinton’s Mistress, though.

OOOOOHHH!1!111!!!! BURN!

Tags: women

The Mummy: Tomb of The Excuse for yet Another
Rotten Tomatoes currently has this sitting at about 10%.

Yeah, seems about right.

And, what gives? I thought Jet Li retired like 3 years ago. Per his own words, no? I thought the overdone wire-fu thing was going to be put to rest. Guess not.



Pineapple Express (Translation: Fun with Drugs!)
Rotten Tomatoes currently has this sitting at about 78%. I like the cast, And I want to see it. But I freely admit, I’m fickle about comedies, so a high rating has really no bearing on my enjoyment. Hated 40 Year-Old Virgin myself. Not a big fan of the Fockers Series, either.



Still Pondering TDK
Rotten Tomatoes currently has The Dark Knight sitting at 94%. The more time goes on, the less I understand all the hype. The further removed from this film I get, the less I like it. To the point that anymore, I’m not sure sure I want to add it to my library.

Grey @ 28
I awake from a nap yesterday, and The Girl is playing with my hair with the utmost intent. What was she up to? Trying to pluck a grey hair from my head. HOW DARE SHE!!

Yeah for some strange reason, I want to keep it. It’s not the first one I’ve gotten, I’ve had one or two pop up before, and I just wonder: is it normal to have grey hair before you’re 30? I don’t know. Seriously. I mean, they come, they go (without being plucked), and I’m not sure if it’s normal or not. But whatever, I sort of look forward to my Salt & Pepper.

I think I’ll wear it well!



Back to Heavy
So the last week (that I’ve been on vacation) I have been back to going heavy in the gym. Which, incidentally, is in the garage. I’m splitting my workouts up again for the next 4-5 weeks, doing each body part separately (where before I was combining opposites – back & chest, biceps & triceps, etc).

Feelin’ good. One rotation down thus far, and I’m matching my recorded maxes (at least since I moved up here). So I figure 5 rotations later or so, I should have added about 20lbs to my large muscle group exercises, and hopefully 10lbs to my supporting muscle group exercises. Then I’ll go back to lighter, more correct reps for a while before cycling back.

Eventually, I’ll be lumberjacking it again. Probably around Christmas.



Gaaahhh! Acronyms!
I don’t know why they can’t just make a law a law without some “catchy name” or some jazz. I mean, “No Child Left Behind?” Gay. But you know what’s worse? When they come up with an acronym and make up words around it. I give you HANG-UP.

I mean, holy sh!t. Get over it. Are you really wasting time trying to push legislation to have people not talk on cell phones? That’s what you deem important?

I almost feel like booking a flight with some of them and just talking up a storm. To make a point. That point being:

There are other things that maybe you should be putting effort into, instead.



Pop Music
OK, it’s not just me, right? I mean, doesn’t every new Tool song song just like every other new Tool song? Seriously. I think someone should maybe turn the page on their song sheet. Because I think they’ve been playing the same song all this time.

Also on this front: System of a Down. Their new stuff is not nearly as good as their old stuff. I have heard a few songs off their new album recently. I’m not impressed. They have become whiny losers, it seems. Like, they sound as though they hooked up with Clay Aiken producing. This is not a match made in in heaven, dammit.

I hope they get back to being hard alt-rock. Sooner rather than later. Leave the corny heart-wanking stuff to Clay. He’s perfect for it. Being gay and all.

Tags: hate

The Bank Job
Yesterday Netflix saw fit to grace us with a couple of movies. One we decided to pop in for the night was solely The Girl’s decision to watch. It’s supposedly “based on a true story,” revolving around a 1971 bank heist in London that was never solved. How true the movie itself is however, is not quite clear. But I’ve heard it said that it’s true like the Titanic is true: yeppers, there was a big ship that sunk in the ocean. Well with that out of the way, how was the movie on its other merits?

Surprisingly, I think I liked it more than The Little Woman did (she normally picks out some big-time losers. “Let’s watch The Animal!” Dear god). It was a pretty watchable movie I must say, though not without its own folley. Some of the stuff you watch just seems so ridiculous, as in “there’s no way that happens” or “wow how convenient for them…”

The basic idea is that the crooks were sort of guided to the mission by MI5 agents, because there’s something in a certain safe deposit box that they want buried instead of held against the Royal Family. Namely, revealing photographs of Princess Margaret (Who, by the way, has an awesome rack).

But again, I stress that this movie is probably true like Titanic is true, so don’t get too carried away looking for truth in the details. Yes there’s rookie mistakes that make you cringe, but those rookie mistakes were actually real: their radio conversations were recorded (why didn’t they bother to cover themselves better? Duh!), and in the context of the movie – that these guys weren’t professional bank robbers – it makes sense. So you can give it a little leeway and not feel stupid in doing so.

It’s not surprisingly awesome though, just surprisingly watchable. You could definitely do better (Ocean’s 11, anyone?), but it’s also definitely possible to do worse. It’s worthwhile entertainment that doesn’t get added to the library, is what I’m saying. It’s a B-. Rotten tomatoes this time almost agrees with me to the letter.



Considering more Netflix goodness
We’re currently on the Two Movies At Once plan, which means that we have two in our possession at most at any given time. This seems to work out OK most of the time, except if we have 3 days of movie time and especially if there’s a Weekend in between.

Because, if we watch one on Monday, send it in on Tuesday, we don’t get that refilled until at least Thursday. Which means that we only have one movie to watch from Tuesday to Thursday. Now, this works so long as we watch a movie between Sunday and Tuesday; as soon as we pop one in on a Wednesday, things get a little tight. We watch one on Thursday night, it gets sent in on Friday, they receive it on Saturday… We’re not receiving it until Monday or Tuesday. Almost a week later.

Which, truth be told, is probably fine for the most part. I mean, on a typical workweek, that’s probably fine. It’s just that on a nonstandard workweek, it could really suck. Like, for instance, if I was on vacation. We get by during the slow times with a rental from the local video store, but at almost $5 a pop, how often do you do that before the additional cost of Three Movies At Once starts making fiscal sense?

The answer is once. The difference between 2 and 3 movies is a whopping $3.

Tags: women

So I totally forgot to write anything about it, but yeah, we saw Invincible about two weeks ago. My bad.

Well actually, not quite. You see, it was the movie featured in this recent blog about Netflix Rocking (if you read that one).

Anyway, the movie. It’s a Disney adventure, if you didn’t know, that’s only loosely based on a true story. What, did you think Pocahontas Really sang in perfect english? Yeah, anyway... The characters are real, the era is real, the basic outline is real. But did I mention it’s a Disney movie? Which means that of course, everything in between is complete fluff. The good guy is 100% good, the bad guys are all 100% a**holes, and “The Girl” is of course both beautiful, smart, and perfectly in-tune with the hobbies & interests of the good guy. You meet her near the beginning, and it’s not like there’s any doubt that she’s going to get f*cked by the end. You know, except it’s a Disney movie, so no one ever has sex. Sort of puts a damper on the whole f*cked idea I know, but hey: it’s not like we didn’t fill in the blanks.

The movie is OK. Just OK. Not even really all that good, really. I thought I’d take a chance on it because of the Star Power. I like Marky Mark dammit, he typically does a good job picking out roles and them playing them (seen The Departed? Yeah). Of course, there are exceptions, right (seen Shooter? Yeah). This movie, I must say is one of those exceptions.

I’d have preferred they called it “Invisible,” and made it as such, as well. That way I could have skipped it.

It’s just not – as I said – that good. It’s not worth watching. If you’ve ever seen a Disney movie before, then you already know what happens, and there’s not really much of a surprise in store for you. And since you know how it’s all going to play out – how the fluff is fluffed, you could say – it’s just not ever interesting. You get bored. Immediately.

Such a forgettable movie. So much so, in fact, that I forgot to blog about it for two weeks. Fittingly.

Before we begin: No, this is not the first time I’ve seen the movie, dammit. Not even close. This is at least the second time :-P

But what a great movie. It’s really one of those movies that I would say deserves the highest of grades. How good is it? I’m a man. Or at least I play one on the internet. But, damn! I can’t stop crying, from beginning to end. Yeah it’s sappy, but the point is that you’re experiencing life through this guy’s limited perspective. And you know what? It’s a big world. It’s a big, scary world. It’s a big, scary world, and that’s the basic consensus from normal, average-intelligence adults. So imagine this same world through a character’s eyes such as Sam.

I’m not totally alone on this, but I do admit that I’m clearly in the minority in liking this movie. I’m not sure why that is, normally I’m pretty spot-on with the critical consensus, but what the f*ck ever – it’s a good movie with lots (lots) of emotion, and very well-played parts from all of the cast members. Dakota Fanning is too damn cute for her own good; I hope her family is having her watched 24/7. And Sean Penn? WOW. Let me just say this: the first time The Girl saw this movie, she thought that Sean Penn was actually retarded. You know, like in the same fashion that my little brother thought dinosaurs were still alive the first time he saw Jurassic Park. Same thing. Without the scales.

And hey, before I go, let me say this: If you’re a fan of the Beatles music, and you’d just love to see a movie that is composed totally of Beatles Songs that have been covered by someone else… totally avoid Across the Universe, and just watch I Am Sam. Better covers, better acting, a real story, no corny musical acts, and the songs, they are sung by actual singers, which is a far cry better than anything that could be said about Across the Universe. Seriously. In between all my damn crying while I watched I Am Sam, I kept thinking to myself “you know, I love the Beatles, I love movies, and I cannot fathom why anyone would ever choose Across the Universe over I Am Sam. Unless they hated themselves or had some sort of death-wish.”

So: I Am Sam? Give it the Good Ol’ A. And manage to knock Across The Universe again too. Two birds, one stone.

More people I talk to…
Seem to agree that something important was missing from The Dark Knight. The stories were a little too muddled, too much was going on, and it left you feeling as though you had no real connection to the characters.

Though I do seem to be the only one that I know that really grasped the idiocy of the whole Joker Plan Thing®, as I like to call it. You know, that whole thing where The Joker planned each & every thing that happened, even the things he couldn’t have planned or known. That ‘Thing.’

I am starting to wonder how the reviews got to be so good. I think more & more that the first one was definitely the better of the two.

Also: A friend of mine pointed out that the Bank manager in the opening? His name is “Edward Nigma.” E. Nigma. Enigma.

Batman fans will understand.

Peace.

If you’re a male and under the age of 40, you’re probably aware of this movie. It’s been building hype since at least last Summer. And even more so, if you’re in the target demographic, you’ve probably by now read all the early reviews on the damn thing. So? Is the Hype deserved?

I’d say that for the most part, yeah, it’s deserved, but maybe not all of it. I had read a lot about it being compared to “The Godfather” or “The Departed,” it’s that good apparently. But I do disagree with that. Look, it’s a good movie, and I’m going to add it to my collection, but let’s be serious: It’s a caped-crusader movie still. It’s a superhero flick. And while it is indeed more heady and contains a number of moral quandaries, it’s not quite without its faults. Which, I will share with you in a vague, don’t-give-up-the-movie sort of way. I hope.

For one, they don’t spend much time on the characters. Mainly because there’s a lot of them. Of course there’s Batman, and then The Joker, but what about… Two-Face? Yep, he’s there too. Commissioner Gordon? There. Mayor? The New DA? All there. All have parts that need time, and quite frankly, even at over 2½ hours long, there’s not enough time for all of them. So it all sort of gets compressed a little.

Hey, we all know who these peeps are, so I can forgive them that a little. I mean, it is a sequel, right? So it’s not like this is the first time we’ve met the characters. BUT, there’s another issue that I had more beef with: The intricate plans that The Joker makes is too perfect to have actually been.

What I mean is, when they made the movie, it’s like they started backwards, having an idea for what the last scene was, worked backwards from there. The problem was, that means that the course of events that leads up to that scene have to be a certain way. And I know what you’re thinking, “duh that’s how all movies are, it has to be that way to have that scene” and you’re right, but here’s the thing: The Joker has this master plan that once you step back from the movie, it took up nearly ⅔ of the entire film. And it’s like a 26-part plan, OK?

So what I’m saying is, Scene Z is not possible unless Scene Y happened exactly according to plan. And Scene Y wasn’t possible unless, Scene X happened exactly according to plan. And that in itself is all fine and good, but the problem is, too much foreknowledge is required to actually have made this plan a reality; there were too many variables that couldn’t be known to have masterminded this plan in the first place.

When you aren’t in control of every aspect leading up to a certain thing, it’s kind of hard to say that this is how it’s going to be. I’ll give up one scene from the movie to give you an example of what I mean --

At one point, the Joker & gang are trying to route a convoy. They set up a diversion to take them off-course. Fine and dandy, except that all the booby traps are along a particular direction, which is only 1 of 5 choices the convoy could have made to go. Which means that there was only a 20% chance that they’d have gone that direction. And then, all sh!t breaks loose, and things happen that are beyond The Joker’s control, but still, when they make a random turn here, it so happens that he’s got guys at that very exit that happen to shoot cables across buildings to take down a Helicopter that he knew would be there waiting, at the exact altitude that it happened to come by at.

And believe me, it gets worse than that. Those cobbled-together scenes I just described for you are scenes L-N of this 26-Scene master plan. And once you step out of the movie and really think about everything that had to happen in order to make this scene or that possible, you start to realize that it’s just not really feasible that any of it happened or could have even been remotely planned out;

The short way to word this complaint is to say that everything that happens is just too convenient.

It’s still a likable movie though, and like I said, I plan to add it to my library. I feel, however, that the 1st one is the better of the two. It has more emotion, and the way the scenes play out in the 1st have a more gritty, realistic feel to them; you feel like it’s not at all convenient for anyone, they’re all doing the best that they can do under the circumstances. There is a plan, but there’s deviations from it due to things that happen, and that’s what the movie’s about. But TDK, it’s not like that: Everything that happened was part of the plan. And that plan required more knowledge than God could have had. Which is why I have to take it down a notch. Say, B-? I feel that’s fair, because honestly as good as the first one was, I wanted more Batman Ass-Kicking Action so I would have graded it a B+.



Annoyed on the Way in, too
So we get there about 15 minutes early for the 5:00pm showing. There’s a little bit of a line, which we kind of didn’t expect for a 5pm showing, but hey, we left early just in case. Well the line gets substantially longer because of some dumb old hag a few people in front of us.

Oh wait! Before I go there, I have to get this off my chest: If I worked the front counter at a movie theatre and people gave the movie name wrong, I wouldn’t just assume what movie they wanted tickets too and ring it right up. Nope, I’d politely tell them we don’t have “Batman” playing at this theatre. Yeah that’s right, people came up saying “two tickets to Batman please,” which is all fine & dandy except that there’s NO MOVIE CALLED “BATMAN” THAT’S PLAYING IN THEATRES AT THE MOMENT. Period. You can try and defend them and say well Batman’s in the movie, but hey, when I went to see Superman, I didn’t ask for Tickets to “Lex Luthor” or “Louis Lane” please. No, I referred to the movie by it’s title dammit. F*ck’s sake people, it’s “The Dark Knight,” and I would think that if you’re coming to view it on opening night you probably know enough about it to know that. Sh!t.

Anyway, the longness of the line. So there’s this old hag a few people up that is trying to buy gift tickets or something for someone. They have packages, and they start explaining them to her, but she doesn’t get it. They tell her about one that’s $30 that’s two tickets, two drinks, two popcorns, two candies, etc etc. Well that’s too much for her! So she just wants the basic one, which is $20. But that’s still too much for her to give! So she asks if they have any gift certs for just the matinee prices. Oh my god. Seriously, b!tch. Just give your nephew the $12 and get the F*CK out of the line, dammit.

But it gets worse. Yep it does, because the people in line behind me actually got in ahead of us. Here’s how.

They open up another lane (finally, like 5 minutes later thanks to Ms. “Oops I crapped my Pants”), and we end up in this line. We pay, and wouldn’t you know it, their ticket machine jammed. Well she tells us to hold on and goes out of the box, leaving us to wait at the front for her to do something. Leaving us. Out front. Instead of, say, letting us into the Theatres? Yeah.

So this goes on for a few minutes, and of course I’m starting to get livid, until finally she gets wise and just comes around and walks us through. Finally. Duh.

Look, there’s the right way this could have gone down, and then there’s the way it went down. Firstly, take the old b!tch off to the side and explain the gift certs to her. Don’t hold up everyone else that’s there to watch an event that starts by the clock because some old hag is too cheap to just buy the damn thing or too dumb to understand what the value of money is. This isn’t our problem, don’t make us suffer. Take her to the side or around to talk to a manager, that’s what we’re for dammit.

Second, as soon as my ticket machine jammed, I’d have helped the people out at that point. I wouldn’t have made us sit and suffer a time penalty because my machine is busted. Period. Go around and take us to the movie, and then get tech to fix the damn thing. Go to a different counter after the fact. Don’t penalize us for your mechanical malfunction, huh?

I seriously have half a mind to call & complain about the service. Half a mind!

The other half, though, is on my money, and my money’s on that same half of my mind.

Peace.

Tags: hate

We just sort of wanted to make sure that it still looked good. It’s definitely the biggest set that Sears has on their floor, and we just wanted to make absolutely sure before we spent that kind of dime, you know?

And it’s a terribly good thing we went back. We got there and looked, and looked, and accidentally saw…. The Samsung LN-52A650 about two TV’s down. This TV is a bit smaller than we want – it’s actually the same 52” that we currently have – but… I almost can’t describe it. I did say almost, so hey, here’s the thing(s):

This TV had a depth to it that I have not seen anywhere else. The blacks… One of the sorer spots of LCDs has always been that they have typically poor black reproduction; it’s more like “dark grey.” but this set was not like that. Blacks were black, and the screen was so ‘deep’ that thus, all the colors seemed so much punchier than any other set (even after I fiddled with the settings), and made the Rear-Projection model look like complete ass. Seriously, ass. Hairy ass.

Anyway, it was so good that we just ended up looking at it the whole time. It seemed 3-dimensional, it looked like you could reach inside the screen and pick things up. I did not try this, but yes, I was tempted.

And now, we can’t pull the trigger on the RPTV. We just can’t. We want a Large Samsung LCD. We want that Series 6 set we saw (but in a larger size), or maybe a Series 7, 58” set (though we’d still like bigger, and cheaper). So we’ll just have to wait, I guess. Wait until the Samsung LCDs get to 60+ inches, and within an affordable range.

And wait we shall.



The Things you Learn about HD when you go to buy a TV
There’s three basic competing technologies right now: Plasma, LCD, and Rear-Projection. RP is what we have now, Plasma’s the Old Dog, and LCD’s the never-quitter. Each has strengths and weaknesses, so it’s not as simple as “This is better than That” and to get the best you just pay more, it’s just not that simple (apparently).

For instance: Plasmas I guess generally have deeper, more detailed blacks, and not suffer from motion blur as older LCDs were prone to. However, their whites are not as bright as LCD sets (though better than RPTVs).

LCDs tend to have washed-out blacks as compared to Plasmas, but their whites are second-to-none. However, they also tend to suffer from motion blur. All this, however, was before the recent Samsung Series 6, 7, and above panels with their “Ultra Clear Panel” that brings out the vivid blacks about on par w/ the top-of-the-line Plasmas, and their skimpy 4ms response times & 120hz refresh rates which all but obliterate motion blur, as well. To me, this makes them “The Buy,” as their typical weaknesses have almost been erased, and yet they retain their typical strengths.

Where do the RPTVs fit into this? Well, they’re the “bang for the buck” sets. You can’t get a bigger picture for anywhere as low a price as the RPTVs offer. I mean, the 67” set we looked at, the current top of the line, is still 3x cheaper than the 58” Samsung LCD. Yikes. But there’s just no real strengths other than price. The picture’s not as bright, the colors aren’t as good, and the viewing angles tend to suck, as well.

So yeah, we’re going to wait. We figure (mostly me, I guess) that in another year, Samsung will have these series sets in the sizes we want (65”+), and hopefully the prices will come down. All this, and while we the let the techs sort themselves out, it should only get better. What am I looking forward to, then? Well, another year & a half with our current set, and then hopefully a Series 6 or Series 7 65” LCD.

Peace.

I am not a Nicolas Coppola fan by any stretch. In fact, I would go so far as to say that I will automatically rate any movie starring him lower just because he’s in it, even if I haven’t seen it. Because, I’ve seen enough of him to know that watching him is like listening to paint peel, alright? So yeah, onto this movie.

I can safely say that Nicolas Coppola has managed to further cement his stance in my eyes. He sucks. His acting is like listening to paint peel. It’s worse than that. It’s like listening to paint peel with your eyes. I could dress up my mini-me (if you’re mind’s in the gutter you’re on the right path) and do the ol’ ventriloquist thing and pull off a better performance than this prick. HOWEVER, the movie isn’t that terrible. It’s a little slow at parts, but the issues are important and worth watching. It’s not like Syriana in that it’s important enough to watch but mind-numbing enough to never enjoy; no, you can be entertained by this flick, but it’s in spurts is the thing.

Here’s a good way of putting how I feel about this movie: If they had shortened it by cutting out some of the slower portions and it starred a cardboard box instead of Nic Cage, then I’d probably see fit it grace it with an A-. But since those slow parts are there & too prevalent, & indeed Nic Cage does do a craptacular job yet again, I can’t give it above a B-. In fact I think that since he acts and narrates, I have to lean towards a C+.

Nicolas Cage/Coppola sucks that much. Really truly.



More Entertainment
Before the movie began we took the dogs out to the beach. It was slightly overcast but not cold, and I wanted to go for a nice walk and get the dogs out having some fun & exercising. Anyway. We got a lesson in currents while we were there!

I took a big ol’ buoy toy I have made for them that I toss out into the waves for Miles to fetch for me. At one point along the beach, he managed to lose sight of the buoy as it was flying out into the surf. This is a problem, because (and this is why I don’t use tennis balls anymore: hard to see) if he doesn’t see the thing he’s fetching actually go out there, he won’t follow.

I know what you’re saying, “doesn’t tide usually bring things in to shore?” Yes. But not always. This particular area apparently had a pretty strong undertow, and it was also high-tide abating – meaning low tide was taking over. Meaning the beach waters were receding.

So yeah. I got to watch the buoy float out from the shore some 400 yards. At one point I considered going out there myself to get it. Then I thought, is swimming 400 yards in cold water, then having to walk back all soaking wet worth the $12 the toy costs? And didn’t do that.

We got the ball back though. The current was pulling it out and southward, and I figured that if we walked back (southward), we’d probably meet up with it at the shore eventually. Figured it’d hit some waves and wind up close enough for Miles to retrieve. And it was true, minus about 5 minutes that we had to park ourselves and wait for it. But it happened.

Funniest thing about the whole episode was watching Miles get so anxious as to start shivering nonstop. He has to have something to do. And when water is present, that something is swimming to retrieve. And he couldn’t stand not knowing where the ball was and being able to retrieve it. Silly Boy!



Trying to ignore the Hype
I have had Wall•E on my list of movies to see since I first saw the Trailer. Now this. Apparently, it’s the hottest thing since – well, since fire.

I fear I know where this is headed: Unnaturally heightened expectations. The kind that cannot be reached.

I really want to like this movie. But I fear that all the positive reviews I keep hearing are going to really make it no more than a mediocre film by the time I get around to watching it on Blu-Ray.

Ho-hum.



Speaking of Hi-Def
Here’s another reason The Girl is awesome. We got on the subject of getting a new TV. I wasn’t serious, I just like to josh her about things like that from time-to-time. Don’t get me wrong, I want a bigger TV with full 1080p support. But it’s not like our 52” TV is falling apart, either.

Anyway, We damn-near pulled the trigger on a 67” 1080p behemoth from Samsung. That close. Seriously. And the funny thing? I had to talk her out of it. The man had to talk the woman out of spending $$$ on new tech toys. Believe that.

Peace.

Tags: women

For the last few weeks I have been stressing form, going for lighter weights and higher reps (as I detailed a bit here), and now that I’ve done that for 3 or so rotations, it’s time to move on. For the next two weeks, I plan to do some oddball exercises, stuff that’s not really in a book anywhere. I can’t even describe to you what it is I do. I just load up some weight, and move it around from place to place using different motions. Sort of a lumberjack workout I guess you could say.

The idea being that it will work out muscles in ways that they don’t normally work when doing very set, organized workout routines. And it works, I guess. Yesterday was day one. Today, my hamstrings are sore (mostly my left), and a little bit in my biceps & chest & shoulders, too. I mean, really: what’s the last thing you did that got you sore in that many different spots?

Lumberjack workout, HOOOO!!



Two more movies; hopefully better than the previous two
Well we finally got some more movies from Netflix, although about a week late due to the failure of our mail guy to show up on one of their scheduled pickup days (last Saturday). What’d we get? Polar opposite films.

The first is Lord Of War. I’m kinda confused as to what I feel I should expect from this movie. I like the premise, I like the point, and it gets OK reviews… but it stars Nicolas Coppola, that schmuck from National Treasures 1 & Dumber. Seriously, I have liked a total of ONE of his films. And that might have been mostly because I think that Téa Leoni is kinda hot. I might have actually ignored him throughout the entire film, I can’t recall much, really.

The other is a recent comedy starring Steve Carell from The Office, titled Dan in Real Life. He’s got a certain funny about him and although I could easily stand to forget The 40 Year-Old Virgin, I have liked most of what I’ve seen of him, even though this particular film hasn’t gotten the most rave of reviews. So it’s sort of a toss-up. Anyway, we have it. And as far as I’m concerned, there’s no way it could ever hope to compete with There Will Be Blood. Have you seen it? No? Good for you.

Reviews to follow, but it will be some time before that happens. Me & The Girl don’t have a night off together until a week from Sunday. So unless she gets off a little early tonight and feels like popping in a movie, we’re out of movie commission for a week or more.



Jujutsu-Leg strikes again
I haven’t been often this month because of conflicting schedules with work & the occasional “I’m too tired to go tonight,” but this morning I did make it to. But I got up so harshly tis morning that I really think I probably should have pulled a “I’m too tired to go” and skipped it.

I was warming up and went into a few tucked rolls, and when I came up from the last one I did, I could barely actually get up into stance. I’m not too sure what I did, I was kinda hopping it was just a Charlie-Horse or something like that, but I could not continue the day without pain. Something was clearly amiss on the outside of my right buttock. I think I might have pulled something.

And it’s not like I even really accomplished that much today. I mean, I guess any practice is good practice, but I didn’t learn much new. I really should have called it a day and stayed in bed until class was over.

Hindsight, ay?

Peace.

Well it seemed like one of those important-type period films, so we took a chance on The Other Boleyn Girl last night. And By “took a chance” what I mean to say is “suffered endlessly until it was over.” It’s not that it was a bad movie, it’s just that it really didn’t have much about it that was good, either.

The acting was OK, I mean it definitely played like all the pieces knew what they were doing, but it still felt a little wooden. But that wasn’t the worst part for me. No, that revolved around the fact that the girls who were the centerpiece of the show seemed to not have much motivation for their actions or were just wishy-washy about who or what they were. Huh? Well Scarlett’s character is portrayed as this down-to-earth, country girl that cherishes the simple life, and her forced romance with the King is just so not her.

Until, that is, he “knights” her with “Excalibur” (I made those lines up for effect, btw). Then suddenly she loves him, and she wants to stay around all that she despises. Until, that is, she gets sent away back to the country. Until, that is, she comes back. And lastly, until, that is, she runs off again to live in the country happily ever after with some character who was so unimportant as to possibly not have a name at all.

Yeah sure, that’s character development, right? Sure, sure it is… We all just love it when characters just sort of further the story to a prefabbed ending, despite what they’re supposed to be and stand for. Yeah, sure it’s character development…

Hey, I’ve sat through worse films than this, so it’s not like it’s insufferable, it’s just that I could easily have seen me enjoying many other things (anagram time: owbbojl) for those two hours of my life.

But as a side note: MAN! How cool would it have been to be the King in those days, you know? You want some new ass but you’re married? OK then! Just bring the new bimbo into your castle and in fact make her your Queen’s new assistant. Hey everyone knows, but it’s OK because you’re the King! And hell, maybe change some laws, write in a bimbo clause or something… and you’re set!

Crap that guy had it made. Until, uh, he totally destroyed his country & all. And the whole “being an general asshole” thing. But hey, the women, yeah, he had that made at least, right?

Anyway, the movie’s not all that great. You can make it through, but you’ll want an anagram more i promise. I give it a C-/D+.

Peace.

Tags: women

They’re categorized as Alternative Rock. But more accurately, they’re like soft-rock, or soft-rock-pop, which there’s nothing necessarily wrong with that. Hey, I like them still, so who cares? Where I think it all gets derailed though, is when you are watching them perform. They (the lead man especially so, Chris Martin) tend to “rock out” with their “roosters out” as if they’re the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Which they are not. Coldplay’s hardest songs are still softer than RHCP’s softest songs, am I right? And honestly, if you’re singing some sort of ballad, it only seems fitting that you sit there on your piano, and calmly (yet intently) sing your ballad.

Jumping up and down to a rhythm that doesn’t exist in the song you’re singing looks remarkably out of place, Chris. Trying sooooo hard to “dress down” as your style really means you’re on the verge of selling yourself out, though maybe not to the highest bidder. I mean, if you’re trying to say “I don’t care how I look” and it’s painfully obvious that you put in way too much effort into your tattered clothes… well it’s kinda the opposite effect, wouldn’t you say?

I saw them this morning on our newly-viewable Today Show on NBC, rocking out with their roosters out, going to town like they were the Smashing Pumpkins in their prime or something, and really I just couldn’t help but laugh. How f*cking lame, you know? How f*cking lame. And this wasn’t an isolated incident. Each time I watch them perform, I get the same lame-O laugh going on. Seriously, whenever they perform, if they have ants in their pants and Chris just has to get up and groove like it’s 1999 or something, I think they should just pull the curtains and perform behind the veil, you know?

Look, Coldplay: You sing soft rock ballads. Stick with that. Show us that. You’re not Elvis, you’re not RCHP, you’re not Smashing Pumkins. You’re Coldplay. So f*cking act like it.

Mostly I think it’s Chris Martin’s fault. I am pretty sure the guy is just a royal loon. But what do I know? Besides everything. Seriously man, lay off the drugs.

Peace.

For me it falls into the same category as No Country For Old Men, in that it’s got great parts to it, but they just don’t fit together well. Mostly, in the same vein as NCFOM, it has a story that seems to just go nowhere really. I mean, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again I guess, but when I watch a story, I expect there to be a beginning, a middle, and an end, which is usually the resolution. If there’s no resolution, it should still be an actual end, one that you could say “OK that makes sense,” or even “OK well that makes you think.” But instead, it left us thinking, “OK that makes you think they had no idea how to write a story.”

The acting was great. The cinematography was great. The score was pretty good. The editing was nice. The story… sucked. The whole of the film… sucked.

It’s another one of those movies that gains hype momentum™(link) I think, same as NCFOM or Pan’s Labyrinth, wherein some hoity-toity know-it-alls proclaim it’s the best thing since sliced bread, and since other people want to pretend like they know what they’re talking about too, they agree with this assessment of said film! It starts this giant movement of positive press that few are willing to go against for fear of being the outcast, and as such everyone pretends to really “get” the film and think it’s wildly entertaining when actually it’s a pointless bore with gaffes too big to ignore.

I blame this phenomenon for some popular music too, such as (but not limited to) the