Wednesday, August 29, 2007

Movie Reviews

I rented some movies last weekend, and boy, were some of them bad! I know it will come as no shock to you that Beowulf & Grendle was terrible. I thought seeing a movie adaptation would change my mind about how boring Beowulf was to read. I thought wrong. This was really boring, just like the book.

The Fountain was also pretty bad. It was a bizarre sci-fi thing (usually right up my alley) but it was really boring because there was hardly a plot. Don't be fooled by Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weiss. While they are good actors, they can't help a weird movie with no plot.

The other stinker was The Contract. I was lured in by Morgan Freeman and John Cusack, both fabulous actors. However, the movie had a really bad 80s plot to it. At one point one of the bad guys shot at John Cusack with a machine gun from about 10 feet away and missed him. I think he should have taken some lessons from Dick Cheney.

But two of the movies I rented were really good. Fracture with Anthony Hopkins was really good. He shoots his wife (we see him do this at the beginning of the movie) for cheating on him. The movie is both a legal thriller and a mystery as we try to figure out how he hid all the evidence. Very good, but don't waste your time watching the two alternate endings on the DVD.

The other good one was Apocalypto. It took me a long time to watch this because, at the time, I was really sick of hearing about what a kook Mel Gibson was, the not-typical subject matter of the movie made me leery, and the subtitles turned me off. However, it was a really, really good movie that shows you many different aspects to the ancient Mayan culture. And don't worry, there's lots of plot so it doesn't get boring at all.

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

HBO Rocks!

For those of you who haven't subscribed to HBO, you're missing out on some of the greatest TV shows ever made. Obviously, The Sopranos was the hugest show ever. It's seven seasons long and as of right now all but the last season are out on DVD. Warning: Once you start watching you WON'T be able to stop, so make sure you have some DVD watching time allotted for yourself. The first three seasons are the best. They focus on Tony's relationship with his mother, who is the most evil woman ever! (For those of you familiar with the history of ancient Rome, it's no coincidence that David Chase named her Livia.) But the actress who played her died and the focus of the show shifted in the fourth season. Some people complained that "nothing happens" in many of the episodes in the last four seasons, but, aside from being stupid and whiny, they're wrong. I site as my example the first episode of the last season when Tony, Carmela, Janice, and Bobby were hanging out at the beach house chatting and playing Monopoly almost the whole episode. There was so much going on in the dialogue between these characters in what they said and how they said it, and also in what they didn't say. It was a one hour verbal boxing match. Great stuff. You owe it to yourself to rent this series if you haven't already seen it. (And those of you who have seen it I'm sure wouldn't mind watching it all again.)

If seven seasons is too much for you to commit to right now, maybe the three seasons of Deadwood is for you. Again, a phenomenal show. It's about the gold rush in Deadwood, South Dakota. Almost all of the characters in the show were real, including Wild Bill Hickok, Calamity Jane, and everyone's favorite character Al Swerengen, played brilliantly by Ian McShane. Don't think that this is some dumb 60s western crap. It's a very gritty and real portrayal of how Deadwood started as barely a wide spot in the road until word spread that there was gold in them thar hills. It became the fastest growing city (probably ever), growing from a few dozen to over 10,000 in two or three months. The dialogue was so intelligent and high-level that I often had to consult with my friends the next day to figure out if we caught everything that was going on. Definitely a must-see.

You also need to check out the two seasons of Rome. If you ever thought the ancient history of Rome was boring, this will change your mind - guaranteed. It covers the history of Julius Caeser, Mark Antony, Cleopatra, Brutus, Cassius, and Cicero, but primarily through the perspective of two soldiers of the mighty 13th, Lucius Vorenus and Titus Pullo. Vorenus and Pullo are fictional, but through them you get to see how the lower classes lived. I found it particularly interesting to see how the mafia originated - who knew its roots went that far back? You will get sucked into this one really fast. Phenomenal actors and dazzling sets really bring to life the history of these people. They plow through a lot of history in two seasons. I wish they hadn't cancelled this one. It seems like it could have gone on for several more seasons without getting the least bit boring.

I try to resist watching too many TV shows, so I skip a lot of the popular things most people watch. One of the shows I skipped was Big Love. However, in the glimpses of the show I catch here and there I'm getting addicted to it. I'll be renting the first season and scouring HBO for reruns of the second season to get caught up.

The moral of the story is that if it's on HBO, it's probably really good, so watch it.

Friday, August 17, 2007

Poll Results

Voting is now over and an overwhelming number of you have cast your votes. That's a lie. Only three of you voted! Please vote in my polls. That's the funnest part about having a blog!

Anyway, it was a three-way tie between Spring, Summer, and Fall. No one voted for Winter. I personally love Fall the best. The weather cools off to a brisk temperature so you can start wearing cosy sweaters and comfy sweatshirts. The leaves turn so many beautiful shades of red, yellow, and orange. It reminds me of being back on campus at MSU at the beginning of a school year before I got all burnt out. I love being outside in the fall. The only down side is that the bees are out in full force at the cider mill.

I like Spring too, of course. It just seems that in Michigan Spring only lasts about a week before the temperatures heat up too much and I start sweating when I'm outside. Then it's Summer right away - my least favorite season. Bugs are out in full force, it's too hot (I hate sweating), and you have to worry about having sunblock all the time. One of my most hated things about summer is eating outside. I don't know why people love to eat outside. It makes me really irritated to have to have to swat bugs away from your food and try to get a seat where the Sun isn't blaring directly in your eyes.

I think Winter is the most unappreciated season. I love how pretty all the trees are with snow all over the branches. As with the fall, you get to wear cozy sweaters while you curl up with a hot cup of tea in front of the fireplace. Best of all: No Bugs! Some of you may complain about having to shovel snow. But I would rather shovel snow in the winter than mow the lawn in the summer when you sweat profusely and get attacked by bees. And, I'm sure you would admit that you shovel snow less than you have to mow the lawn.

As Summer is drawing to a close, your assignment, dear reader-of-my-blog, is to find the beauty of Winter this year. Start to appreciate that we get four fabulous seasons here in Michigan. And one of those great seasons is Winter. As the holidays approach, start to take notice of all the wonderful things Winter has to offer - things that you never took the time to appreciate before. Maybe one of them is that without Winter, you wouldn't appreciate Spring, Summer, and Fall as much.

Friday, August 10, 2007

Giving Your Stuff Away

My parents and I are going through all our clothes and "stuff" to give it to Purple Heart. It's amazing how much we have to give to them! It's about five times more than I thought we'd have, which is fabulous. All of it is in good condition (if it wasn't we would have thrown it out) and now it can be used by people who need it.

I encourage anyone who reads this think about all the "stuff" you have and whether you really need it (or even use it) and consider whether you can part with it so some other needy person can enjoy it, possibly more than you do right now.

Christmas isn't that far away. You'll get new "stuff" to replace the old "stuff" you gave away. :)

Saturday, August 4, 2007

Latest Movies Seen

I just rented a bunch of movies for the weekend; here are my reviews.

300 - Totally awesome! This is a great action movie based on a true story about 300 Spartans who held off the entire Persian army.

Pan's Labyrinth - Very good movie, but depressing. Don't let the subtitles throw you. It's worth watching. Just remember that it's not the feel good movie of the year.

Perfume - I never heard of this one before. I saw it on the shelf at the video store and saw that it starred Alan Rickman (the coolest actor ever) and Dustin Hoffman, so I grabbed it. It's weird but interesting. Kind of a bizarre ending. You should be in the mood to watch a not-mainstream movie when you rent this one.

Number 23 - I knew this one was supposed to be weird, but it was a boring journey getting to the denouement.

Night At The Museum - This was a fun movie! It was better than I thought it would be. Put it on your list of movies to watch.

Breach - This is based on the real-life spy who did the most damage to our country's intelligence ever. It's an interesting movie, but don't look for plot twists or action; it's a character study film.

The Hitcher - Sean Bean is a good actor, but I think my vote is for the original 80s movie with Rutger Hauer. If you've seen the original, don't waste your time on this one.

Hannibal Rising - This chronicle of Lecter's youth is a must see for all his fans. Or read the book. It's not necessary to do both.

Little Children - A well acted character study that lasts 2 1/2 hours. I was bored after a while.

Friday, August 3, 2007

Poll Results

Ha! This poll was a trick question and you fell for it! They are all immensely talented so you couldn't possibly pick one over the others.

Yet, you did. Obviously, Sting won due to his popular solo career after The Police. Andy and Stewart have had successful solo careers as well, however their popularity has not been as wide-spread as Sting's.

If you are interested, please check out their individual websites for details.
http://www.andysummers.com/
http://www.stewartcopeland.net/
http://www.sting.com/