Monday, November 1, 2010

Randy Moss....That's the Punchline.....

Seriously it's become that bad. Randy Moss has joined the likes of Michael Jackson, Lindsay Lohan and Charlie Sheen. You say their name and people laugh. No joke is told. No limerick is uttered. The simple presence of their name emotes laughter. Now granted Moss hasn't done as much as the others to get to their point, or at least his actions aren't as extreme. But he has made a mockery of himself and his talents.

Moss actually falls where a lot of people fall. They can be explained and described under the hot/crazy scale that was unveiled by Barney Stinson on How I Met Your Mother. As Barney would say, you put up with a girls craziness if her hotness is always in positive territory. With Moss you would put up with the craziness if his talents on the field were beneficial to your team. He reached the point where he fell under the Mendoza line and no longer was beneficial to the Minnesota Vikings. Reports say he was not practicing and having detrimental effects to younger players on the team. That's the deal breaker for me. The minute his persona starts having adverse effects you cut the line.

And the really weird thing is that nothing is official yet. No papers have been filed. Nothing signed. Something smells like a rat. But I wouldn't be surprised to see Moss show up back in New England, all in Patriots garb, because Belichick is some sort of reincarnation of Lucifer. He plots how to take over the NFL, and some of his plots are starting to come through.

And lastly, I couldn't be happier that the Vikings suck. At 2-5 they will not make the playoffs. At best they finish 8-8, but I think under .500 is a greater possibility. And I don't feel bad for the fans. They honestly thought they were going to catch lightning in a bottle twice. you do not stand pat with your roster in the NFL and get better or stay the same the next year. It is a fluid animal. The Packers were up and coming and grew because they were young. The Lions revamped their front 7 and had a QB entering his second year as starter. Hell, even the Bears at least through money at a big name player in Julius Peppers. The Vikings thought they could get one year older, and still have the division by the balls. And you heard it here first kids. We will not have an NFL season in 2011 because of labor issues. And when it comes back in 2012, the Detroit Lions will run rough shot over this division. 2012 standings go Lions, Packers, Bears, and Vikings.

Monday, October 18, 2010

Oh Boy....

I have not been updating this blog recently and for that I apologize. Things have gotten a little wild recently, with trips to Illinois and lots of wedding stuff going on. I honestly have no qualms about getting married and am super excited. At the moment, I'm not even nervous. I know that will change when things get closer and especially on the day of. Not because I'm scared about what I'm doing, but because I tend to be the type of person who dislikes having all the attention on them. I realize weddings are supposed to be about the bride, but I will be standing up there also with a bunch of eyes on me.

That's what makes me nervous. So I will try and deflect all that as well as I can and enjoy myself, which I ultimately will. It will be a fantastic day and is just around the corner. I look forward to spending time with my friends and family, and will look to them in support. I have no idea who will be coming, but it will just be nice to catch up with friends and the like. Even just chilling with the Groomsmen beforehand. Those are the little things that I look forward to.

And with that I finish up wedding talk. Not much going on in the world of pop-culture for me to comment on. Though I will say the whole Brett Favre dong danglin' scenario makes me happy (note: not with an erection). I try not to be a spiteful or vengeful person, but sometimes people have it coming and deserve this. Yes, personally he has been through a lot with his family, but if it is true that he was sending pics out shortly after his wife was diagnosed with cancer, he deserves everything he gets. It takes a special kind of man to cheat on his wife under those circumstances. In related news, I really enjoy the now coined phrases "dick pics" and "cock shots." I don't know if there are two more self-explanatory phrases in the English language.

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Season change....

The seasons have changed rather abruptly, with the temperature hovering above 65 on a daily basis. I do love it however. Any type of climate that allows me to comfortably wear shorts and a sweatshirt is moneybags for me. So it's time to run down things I enjoy about the quick switch of the seasons.

I love the switch to Oktoberfest beer. However, something I have found this year is the sales that stores put on summer beer in September. Just this past week I was able to score a 12 pack of "Honey Moon" (Blue Moon's summer dumpster baby) as well as the seasonal "Rope Swing" from Redhook. They are both fantastic and it really doesn't have to be a summer month on the calendar for me to enjoy a light and tasty beverage. So my advice to all those, go peruse local liquor stores to see if they have any deals on summer delicacies.

I love the chill in the air as I fall asleep. We keep the window open for about half the night and just let that cool air roll in. It is the best way to sleep. For show.

I love that the baseball post-season is just around the corner. I can be a homer and follow the Twins and maybe try and luck my way into some playoff tickets. The Cubs have been DOA since about April, but that doesn't mean I can't cheer for the Twins. The MLB playoffs and World Series are my second favorite sporting event (next to March Madness) and it has nothing to do with my team being there. God knows the Cubs don't do anything there. I just love the pagentray and the fact that only 8 teams get in. Exclusivity at its best.

I love that football is back, and at the moment I have something to cheer for. At the moment those cheering points are Pro-Bears/Anti-Vikings. I realize that from 1995-2007 my hatred for the Packers was 100% Brett Favre. Without him, I find them a very likable bunch. Who knew? But at the moment I am salivating over this Monday night with Bears/Pckers from Soldier Field. Should be a good one.

And lastly I love that my wedding is just a few fleeting months away. It came around fast, and I am excited to be together with family and friends as I get to marry my best friend. (Cue sappy music)

Seasons change and I get a little bit older, and I learn to appreciate things more and more. These have been some of those things.

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Baby Searchin'

Is exactly what Jax will be doing on Sons of Anarchy tonight. Before I digress into the show, I want to proclaim my excitement for the start of the Fall TV season. I am rather pumped for returning shows and one that is just kicking off. So here is the rundown.

Monday - How I Met Your Mother remains must see viewing for this guy, despite a lack-luster previous season. But Jason Segel keeps me comin' back

Tuesday - Sons of Anarchy is my new favorite program. I watched the pilot when it premiered and set it aside. Well, I am here to atone and tell everyone I was wrong. The show is full of badassery and some of the best writing on TV. I finished up season 2 on DVD in a flurry, and await 9 PM tonight to see them IRA bastards get their comeuppance.

Wednesday - Terriers is a new show on FX about some sort of tandem of lawmen. I don't know much, but I do know it comes from Shawn Ryan who was behind The Shield. And I never discount F/X. Along with AMC, they are the only basic cable station who brings it consistently.

Thursday - The inevitable night of doom with lots of awesome TV. Community is on NBC at 7 and looks to continue from an awesome 1st season. However, they have stiff competition from CBS, attempting their first Thursday night comedy block in nearly 20 years. They lead off at 7 with The Big Bang Theory, which is good, but panders a bit like Two and a Half Men. I will watch though, because it is very solid and perpetuates the notion that nerds are lame and hence very funny. Then at 9 PM F/X hits you with It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. The show continues to get wackier, which can be a detriment, but the original guys are back to writing the bulk of the episodes. And count me excited to see Danny Devito in a Spider-man costume for a Halloween Episode.

Friday, Saturday, and Sunday don't matter to this guy, but I will throw out the one new show that I will try and catch. The Walking Dead on AMC. A 6 part, graphic novel inspired, zombie opus that debuts on Halloween night. I like zombie movies, but they tend to be 90 minutes of gore. I'm excited for 6 hours to delve into character development and of course, some gore. If you haven't seen the trailer, google that nonsense. It's awesome.

I realize I am leaving things out like South Park and the like, but these are the main shows I will focus on. Because I like zombies, biker gangs, and physicists. Look out for my review of Sons of Anarchy tomorrow, hoping to become a weekly staple.

Monday, August 30, 2010

Slowing down....

It is what these blog posts have been doing, and also what I am trying to do with my time. One of my ultimate pet peeves is people who assume they are busier than you are. I mainly feel this way because busy is a state of mind and it's different for everyone. One man's busy is another gal's slow. But I have been trying to enjoy some things while trying to work and workout and attempt to help plan a wedding. Below are a few of the things I am enjoying at the moment.

Just took in Season 4 of Dexter in a two day span. And the show was seriously a gut punch followed by a body blow every single episode. I vouch for the show since it's start and feel like it does get overshadowed at times. Sure it's plotting and pacing is uneven. But every show has it's own ebb and flow. Needless to say this season leaves you rather sick at the end. All of the prior season had some sort of flicker of hope at the end, whereas this one was a kick in the cords. I will be viewing the season again sometime soon, but was rather spent after the dire subject matter and John Lithgow's bare ass. Not sure which one will give me more nightmares.

Going to attempt to expand my horizons a bit in the next few weeks and take in some lesser known movies. The Kids are Alright is on my list, mainly because all reports are the acting is fantastic. Can't go wrong with Julianne Moore and Mark Ruffalo. Also want to see The Tillman Story, which is about a documentary on the fallen former NFL player. Sounds like it is extremely somber and focuses on his family and their loss. I have read a bit about it and look forward to the talks about the government cover up. The guy was killed by friendly fire, and it took the better part of 5 years for the news to come out. Will almost certainly be a tearjerker.

And to conclude with my slowing down theme, I have actually been reading a work of fiction lately. It's a zombie novel, but so far I have enjoyed it immensely. I forgot how soothing it is to just turn everything off and read for 30 minutes. It helps when you enjoy the subject matter, but ultimately it just takes you to your own world. that is certainly something I have been missing lately.

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

I've had it....

I feel like Peter Finch in Network over the whole Brett Favre business. I'm not going to take it anymore. Unfortunately, I now live in Minneapolis, which means I'm in the belly of the beast. As I speak (or I suppose write in this case) there are 15 of my coworkers huddled around a TV set. Why you ask? Because the local news had their cameras at the airport to see Brit's plane land. And off the plane walked the old gunslinger. Oh he was limping too, because of course there were cameras. Gotta milk the angle. That's Favreology 101, when the cameras are on, put on your best John Wayne face.

It surprises me that no one has picked up on this parallel yet, but Brett Favre is Tom Cruise. Both had insanely successful and profitable careers, but later in those careers their true colors began to show. Tom got divorced and thought he would show people a different side of him. That side turned out to be the crazy side. And sure, people still like Tom, but not as many as in 1996. Brett was on top of the world, but couldn't let go. He kept wanting more and more, much like Cruise. But his colors shown after that NFC Championship loss to the Giants. It was his jumping on the couch moment. Crying, retiring, saying he wasn't loved anymore. And then Brett rebounded in his Mission Impossible: III performance last year. And now he's trying to convince you he's still a star. Well all I have to say after that long comparison is, I hope this season is like Valkyrie. And by Valkyrie I mean Julius Peppers breaks his legs.

Brett has always been a me guy, and I have no idea how that gets past fans. He doesn't care about you, he cares about your perception of him. He wants to be known as the everyman. And to this point he has done that. But I was hip to this trick back in 2006, and now 5 years later I have become indifferent. Actually, I will never be indifferent because of my hatred for the man. Nothing will please me more than Minnesota missing the playoffs. Their division has gotten exponentially better, and the Vikings schedule has gotten much more difficult. I honestly think they go 9-7 or 10-6 and miss the playoffs. And god help them if 2 of those losses are to the Bears. I will rub that in every ones faces

The last part of this saga is that he truly doesn't care for any of the other quarterbacks on the team. If I was Tavaris Jackson I would literally go to the coaching staff and tell them I was done. I don't care if I could get a job with another team or not. He is being jerked around by the staff saying "He's our guy," when they secretly have meetings with Favre. And to really twist the shank, his own team mates went to visit Favre and get him to come back. TEAM MATES!!!! The guys you are supposed to go to battle with would rather have another guy than you. They will practice with you, but when it comes to the game they want the other guy. I would leave if I was Jackson.

I realize that my views are jaded and a bit long winded. But to me it boils down to this: there are guys busting it all over the league to make roster spots, or starting lineups, or to just get better. And this guy waltzes in and expects the job handed to him. I honestly don't know what's worse, Favre or the team that enables him to do these things. It will play out I suppose, and I will probably watch. But I won't like it and will yell about it every chance I get.

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

The Warmth....

My title not only reflects an awesome Incubus song, but also what I have been feeling lately here in the Twin Cities. We do not have air conditioning, only a window unit in our bedroom, and let me tell you the last couple days have been dooseys. Yesterday, it got up to 94 with a heat index of 105. To paraphrase Lewis Black, "You know the heat index is over 100 when you step outside and wonder why you didn't put deodorant on your balls." So yeah, wicked hot. People wonder why I yearn for the awesomeness that is winter. Because I don't sweat while watching TV in Winter.

Took in the first two season of Nip/Tuck over the past month or so. It's a show that I watched early on in it's run and then fell off, and then jumped back on again. The first 2 seasons are bad ass, but it runs off the rails pretty quickly in the 3rd season. By the second case of incest in 4 episodes, I was off that ship. But if you enjoy something that was cutting edge and rather risque for its time, take a look on Netflix where all of the seasons are on instant view.

Speaking of F/X shows, I started watching the first season of Sons of Anarchy, and I can't recommend it enough. It's essentially Hamlet, but if Hamlet had a methhead ex-wife and beat people to death with broken pool cues. I only caught the latter half of season two on the old idiot box, so seeing it from its genesis is a real must for anyone who enjoys television.

Went and saw Inception for a second time, this viewing being in an IMAX theater. Loved the movie even more than the first time I saw it. The pacing in the middle kind of turns me off, but everything else is spot on. And if you thought the underlying bass in the score was loud, see it in IMAX. I'm surprised people's eyeglasses didn't break.

And lastly, baseball is now dead to me with the Cubs being 10 games out of first place after the All-Star break. This team just didn't have it and was poorly constructed. Too much money handed out to veterans who were starting to decline, and the confidence in four rookies to be in the bullpen is just mystifying. I know Brewers fans share my lament, and we can only wait for the sweet embrace of football season. A season which should be rather competitive for the NFC North. Full preview to come sometime in August......

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Tuesday Afternoon Ramblings....

I am back in the Midwest after a week out on the east coast. I really enjoyed my time in Massachusetts and look forward to going back. The scenery is beautiful, most people are nice, and the word I kept thinking of to describe it was "peaceful." I think everyone can agree when you go somewhere, peaceful is a good place to start. The flights were all good and I had a week to kick back and relax. Took in some east coast brews (Offshore Ale you are dericious) and traveled to Boston. Boston, like most big cities, has too much to see in six hours, which incidentally was the amount of time I had there. It was enough to follow some of the Freedom Trail, hit Boston harbor, and have a drink at the Cheers replica bar. I had fun in the sun and sand, but am happy to be home. Now on to the important stuff. My review of Inception.

I have spoken in this blog before about how I consider the movie theater to be a sort of semi-sacred space. As Kristi and I walked into the theater and entered the concession line I saw a couple with a young child most likely aged 3-5. I thought nothing of it and said to myself, "That kid is going to enjoy Toy story 3, because I know I did." So we go and sit down in the jam packed theater and not 2 minutes later in strolls the couple with said child. I was angry before the movie even started. The main reason being those parents had no idea about the movie or the audience it was going to attract. The movie is 2 hours and 28 minutes long which a kid could not sit through if they were given a bottle of Jim Beam. It's a movie made by a director who has built his reputation on making "thinking man" movies. You have to pay attention, and its hard when a young child is in the theater. So I was not pleased and because I am the luckiest guy in the world, they sat directly behind us. The movie begins and the child gets rather fussy (Shocker!) And the parents sit there with the child for nearly 45 minutes of him making noise, through no fault of his own. It's what kids do. Thankfully the child was taken out of the theater and I could take in the rest of the film. I said it after I saw a child no older than 8 at Kick-Ass. The ticket taker at the theater should have the ability to deny entry to anyone they deem unfit to go see a movie. Because god knows parents can't make an informed decision by themselves.

But I digress, luckily I didn't miss much because I was intensely focused on the screen the entire time. I have been waiting for Inception for a long while, and it did not disappoint. I am not going to declare where it rests in the pantheon of movies until I see it again. But as of right now it is up there based on sole originality. Say what you want about Christopher Nolan, but color me impressed that he wrote the film and directed it. People who are that talented always impress me. Even if the movie had sucked, I would have said he was ballsy enough to be original and put his heart into it. Visually the movie was fantastic. Wally Pfister once again with fantastic cinematography. And I'm not sure who the film editor was, but they should be engraving their name on the Oscar statuette.

Acting wise, Inception was a collection of awesomeness. DiCaprio was solid as usual and I have been a big proponent of Joseph Gordon-Levitt for a while now. He has made an almost seamless transition from child sit-com star to legitimate dramatic actor. Cillian Murphy and Ken Watanabe were given more to do, and both were very impressive. Marion Cotillard continues to wow in bit parts of blockbuster movies. She was the only like able part of Michael Mann's Public Enemies, and in my mind, is the most memorable character of Inception. The only quibble I had was with Ellen Page who, in my mind at least, will always be Juno.

Say what you will about the ending or the plot in general, but it is open to interpretation. I formulated my final opinion on what I think happened 16 hours after I saw the film. But the part I enjoyed the most was the 10 minutes Kristi and I spent through the credits discussing the movie. It made us think, gave us our own opinions, and then forced us to have a conversation. The movie may not be the greatest, but when it forces you to have conversations it at least did something right.

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

What Up.....

Just chilling out at work and perusing some blogs, all the while noticing that I, myself had not updated the blog lately. So here are some random musings rolling around in my head.

NBA Free Agency-
I am officially sick of it. You know why? Because NBA players are babies and quite frankly the sport bores me to no end. Every NBA game is the same. No one plays hard for 40 minutes, and then somewhere in the fabric of the game, 8 crucial minutes come by that decide the game. I can't handle that. Play hard the whole time you spoiled babies. And LeBron can take his no-ring having ass and go play anywhere he wants. He still won't get respect from fans. Sure fans like him and respect his talent, but they really don't laud his winning ways. I have a feeling he ends up in New York with Stoudamire, and three guys who sell Kabobs outside Madison Square Garden. And congrats Knickerbockers! You may sell a lot of new #6 jerseys, but you won't be raising any banners into the rafters. It's like the Patrick Ewing era all over again.

MLB Regular Season-
I'm sick of this too. The Cubs bring new meaning to the term "epic suck." And it's not because they are 10 games under .500, because fans in Kansas City and Phoenix would kill for that. It's because they are a team that clearly lacks drive and sticktuitiveness. Take that Peter King, I can make up words too. I haven't seen a whole lot of effort out of the team. They need changes and need them quick. But there is no reason to do them this year. They are on pace to win about 70 games this year. So why not go young and get rid of some vets next off season. Hell, if you can get value at this trade deadline you need to do it. But they will continue to be bad into next year. And I'll still watch. Because I'm a special type of masochist.

Movies-
Went above and beyond the fiance duty and saw Eclipse over the weekend. Good news is it is better than it's predecessors. Bad news is I would still choose death by disembowelment over watching it again. Also caught Toy Story 3 again on the cheap Monday morning. Still fantastic, and since I had already seen it I tried to take a keen eye to the little things. Like when the toys move a xylophone and the keys continue to reverberate long after they made their noise. Little things like that show why Pixar is the one and only foolproof movie studio in Hollywood.

Vacation-
Heading off on vacation this Friday. Going east for a wedding and staying in a cottage in Cape Cod, MA for a week. Looking forward to our Day in Boston to see Fenway Park, Harvard Square, Old North Church, etc. I absolutely love Washington D.C., so I'm sure I will love history-rich Boston as well. Want to check out the Cheers restaurant as well. If only to buy an over-priced pint glass. I'll have updates and pictures from the eastern seaboard in the coming weeks.

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

I gotta feva.....

and the only prescription has been more World Cup. Yeah, I realize I am one of those guys. I like a niche sport. Oh wait, it's only a niche sport in our country. And now that the stars and stripes have advanced to the knockout stage, people will start caring. Not unlike the winter Olympics and the USA's run to the gold-medal game. I have always been a soccer fan, played it for nearly 10 years, and while not an avid follower, I've probably watched more soccer than 98% of the people in this country. I find the game fun and truly showing off great athletes.

The US has been unspectacularly spectacular in their group play. They should have lost to England and drew 1-1. They should have lost to Slovenia and drew 2-2. They outplayed Algeria and based off their chances, could have won 6-0. Instead Landon Donovan had a flail for the dramatic with a goal in the 91st minute, and the US won 1-0. They finished group play undefeated, with 5 points, and their first group stage win since 1930 when only 13 teams were in the World Cup. Pretty staggering stuff. I give kudos to a team that should have been packing their bags long ago.

The US now draws Ghana, who finished second in their group 1-1-1 with 4 points. Ghana is ranked 32nd in the world and the US is 14th. If they get past them they play the winner of Uruguay/South Korea, who are 16/47 in the rankings. I know lots of numbers. But the US has an opportunity to get through the first two rounds. Do I think it will happen? Not really, but then again I didn't think they could come back in their first 2 games or win their 3rd. The team has a chip and a chair, and that is all they need.

Keys to the game against Ghana go like this.
1.) No early goals
2.) Force the issue
3.) Shore up the defense

If they do those things they have an opportunity. Ghana only scored 2 goals in their 2 games against inferior competition. Not much firepower. Time to take it to them. I unfortunately can't watch the game on Saturday, as I will be in the car driving to a wedding. But I will get highlights.....

Monday, June 21, 2010

Imagina-na-na-nation......

I am a 24 year-old male and have no problem telling the world that my favorite movie trilogy is Toy Story. You can take your Lord of the Rings, Matrix, hell even Godfather and just go somewhere else with them. Part of my fondness for the franchise is the fact that during their first two releases I was 10 and 14, respectively. But the other part is they tell a good story and are extremely well-made. It's kind of like when I explain why I like Grand Theft Auto to non-game players. Yes, it has a negative stigma, but is so well made and the story is rich. If those were not there, people wouldn't play it. Same goes with these movies. Yes, it is animation, but it's production values are fantastic and the script is better than most live-action movies.

Needless, to say I enjoyed Toy Story 3 to no end. It has a great opening sequence that really breakdowns the essence and the concept of toys. They are what you imagine them to be. Sidebar, won't you join me for a moment. Last Christmas I was at a cousin's house and they have a 2 year-old. He has more toys than one kid needs, and every single one of them blinks, makes noise, moves, or has some sort of action to it. What happened to the days of leaving something to the imagination? It was only a mere 18 years ago when a young Zach would set up Turtle battles against the Foot Clan on the molten lava that was the spare bedroom's red carpet. Kids these days don't have to do that, the toys do it for them. I feel bad for those kids. The scenarios you came up with, were cooler than the toys themselves.

TS3 ultimately turns into a jail-break action set piece, and it's a pretty good one. As you can guess the toys get themselves into trouble, but ultimately end up where they belong. The ending puts a nice boy on the story, and I must say, evoked teary eyes from yours truly. Damn you Pixar!!!! (the last two movies to tear my eyes are TS3 and Up) Though not as bad as the 50-something woman behind me who was flat-out hysterical. And there in lies the rub of the movie franchise. People cared about the toys. Why? Because when everyone is little they cared about their toys like they were their best friends. And the movies showed us a new side that the toys cared just as much as we did.

I give Toy Story 3 a glowing review and look forward to one day sitting down with my kids and watching these movies with them. Because that's the way the toys would want it. Always played with and always loved. (Cue sappy Randy Newman music)

Monday, June 14, 2010

Pulling Up the Bootstraps.....

This guy just purchased a big-boy TV for his living room. Sad to say that this is the highlight of my past couple weeks, but it is truly awesome. We only have basic cable, so we don't get any HD channels except for the networks. But I feel an upgrade is coming soon. According to our landlord we can pay like $20 for an extra box and then like $20 a month to get all HD channels. To which I say, you've got yourself a god damn deal landlord.

Needless to say I am excited. The jump from a 27 inch box TV to a 40 inch flat screen is rather remarkable. It is big and powerful (that's what she said). And I truly never knew what I was missing gaming wise until booting up my games on this guy. The XBOX 360 comes in crystal clear on 1080p resolution.

I highly suggest it. I realize they are a little pricey, but I seriously just got a 40 inch Sony flat screen with an extended 2-year warranty for less than $800. Reasonable enough. I'm not using it for anything fancy right now, but so far the games and DVDs for that matter look spectacular.

And I get to go to Target Field tomorrow for my first official game. It is supposed to rain a crap load tonight and tomorrow, so I'm hoping for some divine intervention to lay off on the wet stuff. Looking forward to some inter league action. If you would have told me 2 years ago that the only games I would see this year were Cubs/Rangers in Texas and Twins/Rockies in Minneapolis, I would have slapped you. Still looking for cheap Twins garb, because I don't have any yet. That's right, I will be the guy at the game, playing it neutral.

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Exploring the West....

I have been quiet recently and much of that has to do with my new obsession: Red Dead Redemption. The game is in a word: Brilliant. I have been drawn to sandbox games a lot in recent years. Mainly because it is more than button mashing or repetitive sports simulation. It is an actual movie that you get to play, and let me tell you RDR would make a good movie.

The vastness of the landscape is remarkable. The game is huge. I have heard from some publications that I read, that the game map is 3 times as large as Grand Theft Auto IV. And while driving around in GTA became laborious, riding your horse around in RDR is breathtaking. It's the wild west, so the pace is slow and more realistic. No bustling city, no 18 models of cars on the screen. Just a lot of barren land, a few wild animals, and every once in a while a tandem of other riders.

The controls and game play are a little buggy, but forgiven when I think about the sheer scope of the game. There is no load time when it comes to in-game play. I rode my horse from one edge of the map to the other, and it took about 12 minutes of real time. Not a single load, just beautiful desert and back town landscape.

Characters and story are very well done. Each character actually means something to the story and are interesting enough to make you want to follow them. I find myself always distracted from the main storyline missions. I have been picking flowers, hunting rare animals, and trying to up my sharpshooter level. So for giggles I went to the stats section to see my progression. I had played for nearly 15 hours and was 22% through the game. I was astounded that I had done so much, and yet had only registered at 1/5th of what this game had to offer.

So take my review as is. A guy who still has 80 percent of the game to go. But if you own a PS3 or an XBOX 360 go buy this game. I have been playing video games for the better part of 20 years and I have only had a handful of games blow me away. Those happen to be: Super Mario Bros. 3 (I was 6 so sue me), NHL 95 (Loved the Blackhawks!), GTA: Vice City (my first foray into sandbox games), Bioshock, and now Red Dead Redemption. So in other words, it is pretty awesome, and I am definitely getting my money's worth.

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Long Weekend....

I had an absolute blast on my extended weekend to Wisconsin. Things were rather busy with lots of wedding things going on. Met with the minister on Saturday morning, but it was after this that the adventure began.

Kristi and I traversed to New Glarus to take in the Brewery tour. Great time. I highly suggest anyone who enjoys a smooth and delicious beer to take in the sights. $3 will get you a 3 oz. little guy glass and a couple of refills. It is worth it to try their special brews of the season. And of course we had to stock up on beverage. It is a tad overpriced at $8 for a six pack, but when you live in a state where you can't get it, money flies out the door. There is also something to be said for convenience, and literally everyone of their beers is at your fingertips in their cellar.

Sunday we had our engagement pictures taken in multiple locales around the SP. It was a lot of fun, if not a little warm. Then headed off for a little sushi buffet with Jeffrey Boll. Had a glorious time, mainly because you can't beat sushi. I absolutely love it. It could be the perfect food. Spicy, filling, but yet I don't feel like a vomitasaurus after I eat it. Also love Asian buffets and their dessert spread. Can't beat pumpkin pie, lime jello, and cream puffs on the same table.

All in all, enjoyed my time back in Wisconsin. Should have some more posts this week. I feel a rant on the Cubs coming soon. So stay tuned for profanity and fits of rage....

Monday, May 24, 2010

Welcome Home.....


Regardless of where you go, I have found that I always enjoy coming home. However, after spending 2 days in Texas I expected it to be cooler in Minneapolis. No dice. It was just as hot and humid, and I call shenanigans.


Trip was awesome and I enjoyed myself immensely. My flight down on Friday night was good and probably the best flight I have ever been on. I was a touch late leaving partly because 30 minutes before departure time, Suzy ticket taker came over the loudspeaker and said there were no pilots or attendants at the plane. In my head I went, "Hmmmm, I hear those are important parts of the flight." So I had a few extra minutes to realize that now NFL Hall of Famer John Randle was sitting next to me. Don't worry, I wasn't that guy who bugged him. So flying in was good and then I was whisked away to Arlington.


Went out on Friday night to a local establishment and enjoyed some $2 PBR drafts (Yeah buddy!). Was just able to relax and shoot the shit with buddies. Enjoyed the mini golf game at the sports bar too. It was essentially Golden Tee, but just mini golf. Hells Yes.


On Saturday we made it over to new Cowboys Stadium which is pictured above. That place is absolutely mind-boggling. I have been to some really cool stadiums and parks, and this was the only one where I walked in and my mouth dropped. It was unbelievable and in a good way. I was very interested in what $1 billion could buy you. That answer is an absolute palace. Marble concourses. Lockers made from some rare wood from Africa. And I also hear Jerry Jones Vita-Chamber was somewhere in his dungeon office.


After that we traversed to Dallas to take in a little history at the Grassy Knoll. It is a cool place to visit, but I wish it was a little more somber. Conspiracy theorists are out peddling $5 magazines with pictures, and tourists are taking pictures on the "X" in the street where JFK was shot. Call me old fashioned, but a man was shot there. Would you go stand on top of a grave at a cemetery? I think not. Lets show a little respect kids.


After enjoying some delicious beef brisket, we headed to Arlington for some Cubs/Rangers action. Great game, won in extras by the Cubs. The stadium for being nearly 20 years old is really nice and it was absolutely packed. The atmosphere was great. And my trip was a complete success after the win


We went back out to the same place Saturday night and good times were had by all. I thouroughly enjoyed my trip and couldn't have asked for a better 40 hours. I did enjoy coming home though.


And for the record, I have now been to a baseball game where before the first pitch, the PA system blares "God Bless Texas." Now I have seen it all.

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Come on now....

Come on now Best Buy. You told me I would have my gift card by now and I am disappointed. I sent in my copy of Madden 2010 the better part of a month ago to trade for gift card cash and I am yet to get it back. I am saddened because I am due to get $30, and I would like to use said money on Red Dead Redemption. Every review I have read of RDR gives it glowing marks and talks about how it does nearly everything correctly. You get to run around the old west on horseback and fight ne'er-do-wells. How awesome is that? You can play poker, collect bounties on other players heads, and go hunt bears. Freaking bears, man. I am jacked up for this game, and better get my GD gift card sometime soon. Otherwise I'm going to go to the post office and give them a piece of my mind. And by piece of my mind, I mean a stern talking to, because you do not mess with post office employees. They will suffocate you in packing peanuts.

Went out to the driving range this past weekend and swung the sticks for about an hour. It felt good, and I look forward to more golf this season. I am seriously contemplating buying a new set, because mine are very old and dirty. They were my dad's clubs at one point and I kid you not when I tell you the woods are made of actual wood. Found a nice set of Wilson irons and woods for $300. Comes with a putter and a really nice bag. It seems to be a good deal, but also a decent name brand set of clubs. I wish I could throw down some cash on Titlelist or Calloway swag, but that stuff runs you the better part of $1,000. So we will see where it goes, but I am excited for the good weather and the possibility of enjoying some golf in the twilight hours.

And lastly, looking forward to my weekend in Dallas to catch some inter league baseball action. The Cubs are atrocious, but who knows. From what I gather the Rangers' and Cubs' bullpens lead their respective leagues in suck, so it should at least be entertaining. Get to see some friends from school, and enjoy some warm weather. Until next time kids, where I will let everyone know about my trip to Texas.

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Making my mark...

There is nothing I love more than making a good point to others, and then having them tell me they now agree with my stance. It sounds very snotty of me, but it's a good feeling when you suggest a book or TV show or whatever to someone and they tell you how much they liked it. I am having that moment right now as I convinced Kristi to do her persuasive speech on the ridiculousness that is the MPAA.

The MPAA is the board of people who rate movies for the general public, or as they say, for the kids benefit. Well, this group is nothing more than a self-serving, money grubbing, shit show, who only look out for themselves. They blatantly have double standards and won't fess up to their shenanigans. They say they are not censoring, but in effect it is what they do.

They side with big movie studios because they are the ones that finance their operation. If you have a movie for Paramount, and you are on the border of being rated NC-17, they will send you a laundry list of things that could be cut to get your movie rated R. But if you are Johnny Filmmaker, and you find yourself on that boundary, you get nothing more than a "as it stands right now, this is your rating." That ain't right and it all boils down to cash.

And don't even get me started on the difference between sex and violence. You could show an orphanage being burnt to the ground by a clown with a hatchet stuck in his head and get an R. But if you have a man walking naked from his shower to his bed, you get an NC-17 for dong swingin'. And I won't even delve into what they rate when it comes to a heterosexual scene/homosexual scene. Just be aware if it's a couple a dudes or a couple of ladies, it will get an NC-17 and not be at your local AMC or Marcus Theater.

My point is that ratings are outdated, vague, and useless. I looked at my copy of Dumb and Dumber yesterday, and it was rated PG-13 for off color humor. What does that even mean? Off-color humor? What is this 1886?

They need to define what is what and get rid of the labels. I just want more information to be available, because I think it is hillbilly nonsense that you can take your 6 year old with you to an R-rated movie. Dumb. Yes, ultimately the ratings are there to slightly inform and let a parent make their own decision. But a little more information never hurt anyone. And I don't think telling me something is rated PG-13 for off color humor is enough for me to really know the content of the film.

Monday, May 3, 2010

Childhood Memories....

It is always enjoyable to take a trip down memory lane. And I did such a thing this past weekend when I took in a couple of straight to VHS movies. I watched a couple of animated Batman features, one of them being Mask of the Phantasm from 1993. I remember this movie being awesome, yet at the time I was 8, so surely with time it would lose it's luster and just be childish. Not true sir, it is still awesome. I then took in Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker from 2000. It was fantastic as well, and truly should be watched by any fan of The Dark Knight. I just love hearing Kevin Conroy as Batman and Mark Hamill as The Joker

For anyone who grew up watching the animated series in the early and mid-90's, those are the depictions you remember. For anyone I know, the first guy they think about when they hear The Joker is not Jack Nicholson, or Heath Ledger (though he was fantastic), it is Mark Hamill. The way he brought life to an animated character is nothing short of magical and I would have to think in the world of voice work, his for this character is the gold standard.

And to sound like a nerd, I am and always have been more interested in the world of Batman/Bruce Wayne. I always loved that he is just an ordinary guy, who goes through a trauma, and his way to cope is whooping ass. And as great as that is, it is truly the villains that make any superhero. And Batman has some great ones. My personal favorite was always Two-Face, basically because he didn't give a damn and really had no moral compass. Except for flipping a coin and giving you a 50-50 chance. I am really saddened that he didn't make it through The Dark Knight, because I think he could hold a movie on his own, especially played by Aaron Eckhart. Not surprisingly, the decision to kill him off was the only issue I had with Nolan's epic work.

So I rambled a touch, but the world of Gotham City is truly my favorite fictional place. I owe most of that to Batman: The Animated Series, from my childhood. I urge you to check it out, though I'm sure anyone of my friends that reads this has already seen some or all of the episodes. There are over 100 episodes in total, and all of them fall in the range of great to fantastic.

Friday, April 30, 2010

May Flowers....

As we roll into May, I just wanted to wrap up a few things from my last few weeks.

I did see Kick-Ass last weekend and completely enjoyed my experience. It is crass, calculated, and contemporary (how about that alliteration!).Visually I thought the movie was spectacular, especially a scene that was essentially an animated graphic novel. The action scenes involving gun play were unbelievable and the last time I was taken aback by a person to person action scene was Kill Bill Vol. 1 in 2004. Acting is pretty solid and I must say Nicholas Cage channeling Adam West is pretty entertaining, in a car crash way. It gets a solid grade from me but not for the little ones. And as I would have guessed as I walked into the theater sitting smack dab in the middle was a father and what appeared to be his 7ish year-old son. Terrible parenting. I could never be a movie ticket taker. Because when a parent and their young child came up to me I would berate the "Adult" for making such an awful choice. Take your kid to How to Train Your Dragon, and when they hit puberty they can watch a movie called Kick-Ass.

I have fallen in love with Party Down. It is on Starz, but is on Netflix streaming and it is awesome. It is full of a cast of "Oh, that guy/girl" stars. Adam Scott is rocketing up my favorite actor list with fantastic turns in Party Down, Eastbound & Down, and who could forget his epic portrayal of Griff, on Boy Meets World. The show simply follows people who work parties in California. Absolutely love it, and I am a sucker for half-hour comedies streaming live on Netflix. you can rip through a season in a few days.

And I am rather excited to see Iron Man 2. If only for Mickey Rourke's Russian accent. If the trailers are any indication, it could be the worst Russian accent since John Malkovich's Teddy KGB from Rounders. "It ez my cluuub and I zwill splish ze pot venever ze fuck I pleeeeze."

Thursday, April 22, 2010

Movie Thoughts....

Just watched Up in the Air last night. And I must say that I really enjoyed the movie. It was really funny at times, and completely heartbreaking at the same time. The entire theme of job loss and where do you go when you are let go, is really well done and obviously resonates with many people. I'm lucky enough to not have been in that position, (knock on that wood) but a lot of people have been. I could discuss a lot more but it would give away a huge plot twist at the end, and I'm not that guy that tells people unless they really want to know. Suffice to say the acting is awesome. Clooney does his usual, which is outstanding. It really says something about your charm when you play a character that fires people all day long, and the audience still roots for you and likes you. The women are real good, as their Oscar nominations would suggest. Standouts to me are Zach Galifianakis and J.K. Simmons in bit roles as employees who are fired. They showed rage and helplessness at the same time and made it look effortless. And I really liked Danny McBride in this flick, because it was a complete 180 from anything else he has done. His character was quiet, understated, and the complete opposite from Eastbound and Down. I completely understand why it was nominated for Best Picture, and can say of the movies I have seen in the past year it is near the top.

Avatar comes out today on DVD and I have an issue with this release. They are releasing the DVD sans any special features today. And they have the audacity to already be talking about a release sometime in November, that will have deleted scenes, special features, and commentaries. The movie made over $2 billion in freaking box office sales, and the first thoughts out of the people at FOX was "How can we milk this for more?" Absolutely sickening. Companies have been doing this for years with special and unrated editions of certain movies and it is ridiculous. Just put everything you have on a disc and sell it for 20 bucks. You will do plenty of business and not have to worry about anything. So if you are contemplating buying Avatar today, I suggest you don't. Not only because the product will rip you off, but because those in charge are actively trying to rip you off.

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Big Ben Falls Hard....

Well it is now official. The "No Fun League" doesn't believe in the phrase, "innocent before proved guilty." And in this case, the accused was innocent (in the law's eyes) the entire time. I have a big problem with Roger Goodell suspending the Steelers QB for 6 games in this upcoming season. I realize that it is a business to run and you do not want your employees detracting from your business, or in this case, product. But the man was accused of sexual assault, the charges were dropped, and yet he still can't go back to his job. I get sick of the NFL holding itself up to a holier than thou level. Is Roethlisberger a meat head for getting himself in this situation again? Of course he is. But suspending him only brings more light to the situation and more attention. So let the man be and let him do his job.

And I am also sick of the Commish wanting to make an example of the big name stars. If your mantra is that our players will be accountable, then at least be fair with the way they give out fines and/or suspensions. I just read a story about a guy who plays for the Colts who is accused of sexually assaulting an employee of a hotel he stayed at during the week of the AFC Championship Game. So let me get this straight, a guy attacks a woman during the NFL season, and nothing is levied on him. A guy is accused of assaulting a woman during the off season, chargers are dropped and he is suspended for 6 games. What's the difference? The guy getting six games is a quarterback and has two Super Bowl rings. So I think Big Ben is getting a raw deal, much like Michael Vick did.

Vick's deal was so raw, it was worn down to the bone. Vick committed heinous acts against animals and was rightly sentenced to prison. Served nearly 2 years in the big house. But I have watched witness testimony say that Vick and now I'm quoting "10 to 15 other NFL players" were involved in the operation. The NFL did no investigating on who those other guys were, and the names have never been released. So Vick's close friends rolled over on him, ratted out the big dog (bad pun I know) and put him away. And the police and the NFL bought it.

I digress a bit and am not sure if I make many good points, but I am sick of the big name players being the ones who take the fall in these issues. If the NFL ever wants to be taken seriously in how it conducts it's players relations, fairness is key. Everyone is on the same level, from rookie to 10 year Super Bowl winning vet.

I really expected a 2 game suspension. It sets a message, and gives the Steelers a chance to come back if they fall in an 0-2 hole. They could reasonably start 2-4 or 1-5, and if that's the case, in a division with Baltimore and Cincinnati, Pittsburgh is dead. I realize you take accountability if you are Big Ben and say that you were wrong to be in that decision. But when the government decides the only thing you are guilty of is being a dumb ass, it should end there.

Monday, April 19, 2010

The eyes never lie....

The NFL Draft starts this Thursday, and I really do not care. First off, my nonchalance towards the issue is due to the Bears not having a first or second round pick this year, and quite frankly if your team's draft cupboard is that bare and you still are all jacked up, you sir have issues. Best case scenario for Chicago is that they somehow find offensive line and secondary help in rounds 3-7. Worst case scenario is that this draft is like every draft for the past 5 years. Pure suck. Actually I take that back, the Bears usually identify one talented guy, who is serviceable on the roster. Outside of that, epic suck. Now onto my draft thoughts.

If I was an executive, I would not touch Sam Bradford with a ten foot pole. Yes the guy is physically gifted, but he is injury prone and underachieved his entire career. In fact, Oklahoma is projected to have 3 players taken in the top 7 picks. And yet, they still can't win a bowl game. But seriously, if Bradford gets knocked out of a game against TCU, what makes you think he can stand in the pocket and take a hit from NFC West opponents Patrick Willis or Bertrand Berry. I also would have a hard time taking a quarterback with the top choice because of the money they get. Insiders say Bradford will get nearly 50 million bucks guaranteed, whether he sees the field or not. I'm just giving you one man's opinion, and that man says draft Suh or McCoy, and build a defense first, because it's not like the offenses in that division are that great.

If I was going to draft a quarterback I think it would be Tim Tebow. I almost threw up as I said that, but the reason you pick him is because he works. I'm not saying he's the second coming of Steve Young, but the guy has an NFL body and can play something. And after watching the Jon Gruden special on ESPN, the guy is at least passionate and is willing to do anything to play in the league. I will also say that though I don't agree with his whole Jesus praisin' image, everyone vouches for his work ethic. Back in 97, there was debate on whether Indianapolis should take Peyton Manning or Ryan Leaf. They graded out equally on the physical tools, but when it came to work-ethic no one would back Leaf. And as we know now, Manning (love him or hate him) has made his studying of the league, legendary. So if I was an exec, in round 2 or 3, I would take a flyer on him.

And my last thought is about the ESPN special with Jon Gruden. I was watching part of it on TV and my lovely fiancee said, "Is this actually interesting to you?" And I was hooked. Jon Gruden may no longer hold a coaching job, but he knows what you need to make the league and how to handle yourself. It is from this special that I finally started to look at Tebow a little differently. He seemed to be the only one taking the advice to heart. Bradford and Clausen looked bored and completely disinterested in a Super Bowl winning coach helping them. McCoy was engaging, but I seriously don't think he has the tools to succeed at the next level. I really enjoyed the special and wish they could do a defensive installment as well. I will always be intrigued by x and o talk about any sport.

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Guh....

Over the last 48 hours I have experienced my first ever spat with food poisoning. I truly would not wish it on my worst enemies. So moral of the story is, unless I'm eating sushi at a reputable restaurant, fish gets cooked til it has no flavor and resembles a brick.

In other news, I am rather excited about Kick-Ass which comes out this Friday. The movie is based on a graphic novel (aren't they all) about everyday people becoming super heroes. The flick has Nicholas Cage, which means it is going to be campy and over the top. But it was adapted and directed by the guy who made Layer Cake, which I highly recommend you go watch. That stars Daniel Craig, in pre-Bond mode, and Sienna Miller. It was very cool, and the director clearly has his own style and vision. So that is why I am excited.

It is getting decent reviews so far, but some people object with the content. Apparently the movie uses an 12 year-old girl as one of the heroes, and she basically shoots and kills adults. People have an issue with this, saying that youngsters will watch this and want to kill people. Once again, give me a damn break.

First off, the movie is rated R, as in no one under 17 allowed in without an adult. So if a kid gets into this movie, the parents are to blame. Secondly, I am sick and tired of people saying that just because people view things, they will instantly do what they saw. Yes, if you show young children certain things, they will do those things. But by some point, and I would guess it is around 16 or 17, people realize what they can do and can't do. And if they do get injured, or injure someone and try to justify it by saying they saw a movie or a video game, we should just kill them then. Because if a 16 or 17-year old can't tell the difference between fiction and reality, we have an entirely different problem.

So with that I am going to go see the movie this weekend, and probably laugh at a 12 year-old killing men in a comic-book movie. Does that mean I am going to run out and start taking people out? Probably not. Because I am not a 12 year-old girl.....

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

The Following Takes Place on a Blog Nobody Reads....

I have always been a fan of the show 24. However, extenuating circumstances have made it virtually impossible for me to view this season and it just so happens this season is it's last. This is year 8 and in my mind, the show had a hell of a run. I have viewed every episode in years 1-7 and can honestly say this show has brought me a lot of joy.

Why am I reminiscing? Because I was poking around netflix this weekend and found out that season 1-7 are all on instant view. If you have a subscription, I highly recommend you at least watch the first season. I started the viewing this Sunday, and am already on episode 8. I remember watching it in it's first run, which surprisingly was back all the way in November of 2001. After watching the first episode, I was instantly hooked again. Good dialogue, quick scenes, decent acting, and amounts of sex and violence that hadn't been seen on network TV in a long time. I mean seriously, they had a terrorist blow up a plane less than 6 weeks after September 11th. Very ballsy FOX. The first season works at a lightning fast pace and bucked many TV cliches. They killed off main characters, had plot twists every hour, and effectively used a format that really hadn't been utilized ever.

I was surprised how young Kiefer Sutherland looked, but it was nearly a decade ago, and Jack Bauer has had 8 long ass days since this time. Just something about that first season is awesome. The concept was new, so I think everything caught everyone off-guard. Part of the problem of the latter seasons were that the show became a cliche of itself. Who's getting killed? The twist is coming right now! So through no fault of it's own the show created an expectation and there is honestly only so many story lines you can have about one guy saving the world year after year.

If I had to rank the seasons that I enjoyed the most, I would say 1, 3, and 5 were the best of the best. Season 1 had the best all around story, and you had no idea what was coming. Season 3 had my favorite scene, which included Jack cutting off his partner's hand, because a bomb with an air pathogen was attached to it. Jack then threw the hand bomb into a fridge and let it go off with no repercussions. And season 5 was a culmination of the show finally getting it's due with Sutherland winning a Best Actor Emmy, and the show winning Best Drama. Having a great story where it turns out the President of the United States is harboring terrorists will do that for you. And if you truly do not want to see a dying breed please steer away from season 6. It is bad news bears.

So I salute you 24. You were on my list of top shows of the decade and I would be hard pressed to keep you out of my top 5 favorite shows of all-time. Granted in your later years you got a little stale, but all in all a good run. And I look forward to my 16 hours I have left in season 1.

Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Oh Ezio....

I am starting to do a better job at making my Xbox 360 more than just a glorified, fancy DVD player. I went out last Friday to the local Game stop and purchased Assassin's Creed II. As usual I did my research prior to buying (the game had been out for about 3 months) and I can say that I am not disappointed. The game is really cool and I got it at a bargain price ($29.99). Before I begin a pseudo-review, I will state that I have only played for about 6 hours, barely scratching the surface of the game.

The basic story is you play a present aged man who has ancestry in Italy during the time of the Templars. Well a new company has created a way to go into a machine and have you sync up to memories of your ancestors. You play as them, and then go through their life to uncover the rivalry between the Templars and the assassins. It is a pretty cool concept, though can be rather confusing. The main theme is easy to follow (your father was wrongly hanged and you are out to avenge his death), but a lot of the dialogue is in Italian and they all have medieval Italian names. If I come across another Francesco, I'm going to throw the controller through a window.

First thing that will grab you is the visuals. And not just how vivid they are, but how well the landscapes and colors flow together. The cities you inhabit are open-air and fantastic, you run and pounce and fly through the cities with ease. I really haven't enjoyed an open world environment this much since my first foray into the genre with Grand Theft Auto: Vice City.

Controls can be wonky at times, but are real easy to pick up and not too difficult to get used to. Voice acting is solid, and soundtrack is really good. One of my favorite parts in any game is the ambient noise of your environment. This game has it covered in droves. Other civilians hold conversations, birds caw, wind blows, and guards discuss troublemakers.

And lastly, there is the violence, which is over the top, but still enjoyable. Maybe I'm strange, but it never gets old to leap from a rooftop, land between two guards, and then knife them both in the neck through and through.

It is a game I am just getting into, but so far I am blown away. Much more fun and user friendly than it's predecessor. It gets the Zach vote of confidence.

Monday, March 22, 2010

Big Monday....

I voted for our current President, and am pretty excited about the health care legislation. The way I see it, the new stuff will not affect 99% of those who are already insured. What it does do is give those who are unemployed or just not covered, a different opportunity than approaching an insurance company. They can go with the government option. There are critics to everything and right now all Democrats are getting killed over the decision. People call them socialists. I call it understanding. Everyone deserves the chance to see a doctor, and they will still be paying. This is another step in making the playing field equal for everyone. And on a side note, if we did not have public education in our country and a President proposed the idea of creating learning institutions, I seriously think a lot of people would call that person a Socialist because they want everyone to have an opportunity to learn. See how ridiculous that sounds.

In the throes of March Madness, and my bracket is in tatters. I had 7 of the sweet sixteen picked correctly. SEVEN! That's 44% correct. Truly atrocious, and yet I am still optimistic, because I have 5 elite eight, 3 final four, and my national champion still left. In all my years of filling out a bracket (about 14 years or so) I have never had under 10 teams right in the sweet sixteen. And with all my wisdom this year, I got 7. Wow. And the really scary part? I still have a chance to win the pool I am in. That's why I love this tournament.

Booked my flight today to Dallas in May. Gonna stay with an old college buddy who has relocated there and catch some inter league baseball action. Cubs are in town taking on the Rangers, and I couldn't be more excited. A weekend of catching up and catching baseball in Texas weather. Average temperature in Dallas in May = 72.8. Yar betcha.

And lastly, I bring to you the ridiculousness that is ticket prices for comedians of note. Sure you can see up and comers for relatively cheap, but Minneapolis is having their fair share of headliners come this way, and it is crazy cash. I wanted to check out Joel McHale from The Soup and Community, but tickets are near $50 a head. Saw that Chelsea Handler is going to be here in April. Was intrigued and thought I could take the girl on a date night, so I pulled it up and tickets start at $69. And the coup de gra is Conan O'Brien. Coming to the Orpheum Theater in July, tickets started at $109. Who can afford this nonsense? Granted those are big stars, but pretty expensive in my book. I want to know how much of that they see. For what amounts to a 60 or 75 minutes performance, that is a lot of green.

Thursday, March 18, 2010

A Little Vandross on a Thursday Morning.....

As usual, very excited for the NCAA tournament to begin. Absolutely wide open field and anyone (okay more like 10 teams) can win the tourney. As much as I like the tournament, it is a bit of a buzz kill to have to work on the opening Thursday and Friday. College was by far the best time for NCAA tournaments. It was literally a couple of Thursdays that I would not do anything but basketball. Which reminds me of my favorite NCAA year: 2005. Let's take a trip in the way back time machine and reminisce.

The year was 2005 and Zach was a wide-eyed freshman at UW-Whitewater. Not truly wide-eyed because it was second semester and by that point I realized how much work was required to excel at school. The answer was not a great amount, which worked out well for the impending tournament. Illinois was the #1 team in the land at 32-1 and the number one seed in the tourney. As a fan I selected them to go to the title game against North Carolina, and my bracket was crisp.

The first Thursday I had a class at 8:50 with the one and only Brian Lucas. I had thoughts of not going and prepping for the games that started at 11:15. Yet, I went to class, because I knew I would be awake, and if I stayed in I would drive myself crazy for two hours. Went to class, which was not very eventful, but after everything I had discussions with the Blues Man about the radio station and basketball. We chatted and at 10:30 I was out the door, and headed back to my dorm. After returning I searched for other people who were around and one of my buddies was sitting in his room watching a little ESPN pregame. We noticed that the first game of the day was UW-Milwaukee against Alabama, a classic 12/5 match up. We went downstairs, got a little pizza from Drumlin (YUP!), came back upstairs and it was on.

When the ball is tipped on that first game, a little magic happens. Being a great basketball mind, and a Wisconsin resident, I knew that UW-M had something special that year and a chance to do real damage. It was true, and they blitzed Alabama to head to the second round. I don't remember much else about the day, except it was about 11 hours of constant basketball, and during the afternoon break (4p-7p) everyone gathered to play poker. It was a fantastic day.

The weeks and games passed, and then came spring break. I had no where to go, but did head home and was accompanied with basketball. By this time Illinois was in a regional final with Arizona. It is quite possibly the best game of any kind I have watched that I had an actual rooting interest in. Illinois erased a 15 point deficit in the final 4 minutes, and eventually won in overtime. I picked 3/4 of the Final Four correctly in my bracket. I was in first place in both of my basketball pools. All being told, I was in line to pull down about $1,200 from a $30 investment. Not too shabby.

Fast forward one week, and I am back at school, staying in on a Saturday to watch Illinois/Louisville ball. Illinois crushed them to advance, and North Carolina followed suit. I had them in the title game, and lead both of my pools. I did some recon with those who ran the pools and it was simple. About 10 guys in each one had picked North Carolina to win. I was the only one who had Illinois, and also had a shot to win. So it was that easy. An Illinois W, and I don't have to worry about cash for a little while.

Well Illinois lost and Zach was very sad, more so about the team than the bracket immortality. North Carolina wins a lot and it would have been Illinois's first title. They finished the year 37-2, and have earned the moniker of the best team this decade to not win a title.

Nonetheless it was a whirlwind of a tournament. Great highs and lows. Exactly what the tournament should be. What does this year have in store for us? I won't be able to watch those first games, but you can bet I will be home at 5:30, TV on, and bracket in front of me.

Monday, March 15, 2010

Weekend Movie....

Went to the local cinema and caught Alice in Wonderland in 3D on Saturday. It was basically what I expected, which is a hard thing to do from the mind of Tim Burton. It was weird, eccentric, and somewhat Gothic. At times it was strikingly brilliant. And at other times it felt ordinary and disinterested. Just one man's opinion. I did enjoy the movie, and it had my full attention for two hours. And then Avril Lavigne started screeching a song during the end credits, and I couldn't have gotten out of the place faster. I'm a guy who stays well into the credits of every movie. Check out the names, let everyone else filter out, just slowly cap off my movie viewing experience. But the sound of Lavigne's bellowing was so heinous I ran out of the theater as though a chicken breast was taped to my ass and I was being looked at by a disheveled alligator.

Johnny Depp needs to go back to regular roles. The guy is a fantastic actor, and yes he has made a career playing the strange roles. But seriously it has to end. He clearly was having a lot of fun in Alice, and why wouldn't he. His best friend is directing and they pretty much just let each other do as they please. But he couldn't make up his mind on whether the Mad Hatter was a gay Scotsman, or an angry, English tailor. I just want Depp to go back to normal roles. Anyone every seen Donnie Brasco with Pacino? Or even Public Enemies was at least watchable because Depp played a normal guy. I'm sick of weird accents and spoonfuls of makeup. His performance in Alice just solidified my thought that if Depp gets cast in the third Batman flick as The Riddler, I will strongly consider not seeing it in theaters.

Not to sound uppity, but we went to a theater in St. Louis Park, and they have VIP seating. Now that's not a big big deal, but the theater was set-up as if we were in medieval times. The VIP's were above us surfs, and there was, and I shit you not, at least a 10 foot high wall between the two of us. I know it is hard to visually see, but the sight was astonishing. Why yes lets visit the cinema this eve, have a few spirits, and possible throw our popcorn at the peasants. I love watching them scrounge for their food on a Saturday.

And lastly, because I went to the theater to view a PG-rated movie (no idea when the last time I did that) we saw mainly awful previews. And the icing on the cake, or in this case, diarrhea in the toilet, was Furry Vengeance. Here is the synopsis from IMDB:

In the Oregon wilderness, a real-estate developer's (Brendan Fraser) new housing subdivision faces a unique group of protesters, local woodland creatures who don't want their home disturbed.

Wow. I sat with my mouth open, and had to hold my chin so it would not hit the floor. In the trailer Brendan Fraser was subjected to getting pooped on by birds, getting skunked by a pack of skunks, and getting stuck in a port-o-potty, then having said port-o-potty tipped over by a herd of deer. The worst part of this all, people were actually laughing at the trailer. Not that I try to be high and mighty, but you have to be god damn kidding me about this movie. I would rather suck on an AIDS soaked corn cob while getting defiled by a rabid wolverine then ever have to view this movie.

Monday, March 8, 2010

Sunday, Sunday, Sunday....

Watched the bulk of the Oscars last night and all really went as I assumed it would. All the acting winners had won just about everything leading up to that point. Kinda makes me wish there was only a couple of awards shows, because the drama is completely lost. I really had no horse in the race because I hadn't seen any of the movies the actors were nominated for. Though congrats to Jeff Bridges, who can't go 12 seconds with calling a dude "man."

The Hurt Locker destroyed Avatar, because Hollywood is full of yuppies. I threw The Hurt Locker into my queue for netflix to see what all the fuss is about. If it is a good movie then I have no problem with it winning. But I see a direct correlation between the two movies as if it were an MVP race in sports. The Hurt Locker is most likely the better movie, and should win the Most Outstanding Movie. Avatar was the most integral part of movies this year and will probably be remembered longer, making it the Most Valuable Movie. Either way I kind of have an issue because in 10 years no one will remember The Hurt Locker. But when 1 out of every 2 movies made is motion-captured, we will remember Avatar being that trailblazer. Reminds me of 1998, when Shakespeare in Love won the award over Saving Private Ryan. 12 years later which movie do you remember more vividly?

Congrats to Kathryn Bigelow for winning best director. It is overdue for a woman to win. Yet, I have a soft spot in my heart for Tarantino, and sadly think he has a Scorsese-like fate in his future. In about 15 years after being nominated 3 more times, he will finally win for a movie that is inferior to his previous works. But that is hardly his fault that he peaked so early. Also find it hard to believe there was a movie that went back and forth between English, Italian, German, and French as much as Inglorious Basterds did this year. So how that doesn't win best screenplay I will never know.

And lastly, people who produce the actual awards show, make it entertaining. This is not 1947, I the casual viewer, do not need a musical number to open the show. Even if said number involves NPH. We are not trying to inspire national pride, we are giving out awards for movies. If I needed to find pride in my country, I would go to my local grocery store and start racially profiling people. You think you are sneaking those strawberries under your turban? Not on my watch! Also, the actors from Twilight and Miley Cyrus do not belong at the awards. I realize you want to bring in the younger viewers, but seriously those people could not attract flies if they were wearing horse-shit covered overalls.

Friday, March 5, 2010

Well, what do we have here....

What we have here is the Chicago Bears making waves in free agency. At a time where I usually focus on baseball and the jamokes playing in Arizona, I am focusing on Halas Halls and the doings for the Winter. The NFL free agency period is about 16 hours old and the bears have already signed three guys. I break them down here, because those other sites are for nancies.

Brandon Manumaleuna-
Zach's Take
Holy freaking god that is a long name. One can only hope they re-sign Pisa Tinoisamoa so they can corner the "Hawaiian-born players with too many vowels in their last name market." As a player he gets a dismissive wanking motion. He will not catch more than 5 passes this year as a tight end, but he is 300 pounds and essentially a second tackle on which ever side he lines up on. He will be there to help pass protect, and hopefully this means Greg Olsen can be a monster mismatch in the slot on both line backers and defensive backs.
Zach's Grade
C+, based on the fact it gives Mike Martz the man he wanted, and anything to appease that crazy mofo is a plus

Chester Taylor-
Zach's Take
Signs a 4 year-$12.5 million deal to platoon at running back. Possibly the best RB find in the entire free agency pool. He is an aging 31, but still plenty of tread on the tires because he was WAY underutilized in the Viking's scheme the past few seasons. Good at picking up the blitz and even better at catching passes out of the backfield. Next step is for Cutler to actually figure out how to throw a pass into the flat.
Zach's Grade
A, based on the fact I am a big fan of the two back system, and Taylor is a clear upgrade over the other RB's, especially when it comes to third-down play. Also, in my opinion, $7 million guaranteed for a running back is a real-good deal.

Julius Peppers-
Zach's Take
It is a big move, that is for sure. The guy can flat-out rush the passer. The only downfalls are age (by the end of his deal he will be 36) and the well-known fact he takes plays off. He can be a force up front, and putting him on a line with Tommie Harris and Alex Brown is a big time upgrade for the Bears. Should make the defense better as a whole, and give them a better pass-rush than years past.
Zach's Grade
B+, a whole lot of money and commitment are a bit unnerving, but as a whole, real good signing here.

The team still needs to address issues at safety (everyone they have blows) and offensive line (everyone they have is old and blows). But, I am excited for the Bears season, and it makes the NFC North, much more interesting.

Monday, March 1, 2010

Whatever you Like....

A little grab bag of thoughts for you to wrap up the weekend.

Went to the movies and saw Shutter Island Saturday afternoon. I enjoyed the show, despite the movie getting marginal reviews. Most of those reviews talked about how the movie was not in-line with Scorcese's other work and not his strongest outing. Well, it is hard to put up unbelievable award-winning movies every single time. Even his movies of late that received less fan-fare (The Aviator, Gangs of New York) were pretty damn good. So I find that standard ridiculous. Leo is impressive as usual, Kingsley rocks as a creepy dude, and Mark Ruffalo is solid. Seriously, when is Ruffalo going to get his own starring vehicle. Guy brings it in every movie I have ever seen him in. Twist at the end is somewhat predictable, especially with the way the movie progressed. Visuals were unbelievable and I would have to think the cinematography will be up for some awards. Only thing I have a problem with is that the story works better as a novel, and not a film. But I don't really enjoy reading too much, so I give that a pass as well. Overall it gets an 8. Not a classic, but definitely entertaining and worth going to the theater to see.

Olympics wrapped up yesterday and Canada gets the last laugh beating the U.S. in hawkey. Anyone who knows anything about sports saw this coming. And if you seriously thought the Americans were going to win, you are delusional. Same thing happens to Soccer fans when the U.S. has a good run and grabs some upsets. We think we actually know what we are doing and have the best players in that sport. False. Seriously Americans, let's be happy with basketball and football. We are the best in those and that will not change anytime soon.

I can't talk enough about how much I am loving sushi these days. After partaking at different restaurants and trying different rolls, Spicy yellow tail is my favorite. Just enough kick to get you going, but not so much that you don't enjoy eating it. And congrats to Sushi Tango in Uptown for making the strongest rum and coke I have ever had at a restaurant. Not the strongest I've ever had though, Denny K's in Whitewater will forever hold that title. I'm not even sure it was rum at Denny's. It might have been paint thinner.

Lastly, baseball season is just around the corner and it is that time of year for my head to fill with dreams and false hope. Of course I think the Cubs will do well, but this is probably their last shot with this current roster. They are an aging team, and the window is open just a crack. I will have much more on the state of the Cubs and baseball for that matter in some upcoming posts. I'm sure I will touch on my new found team, the Twins, and how you are allowed to root for a single team in each league. But don't you worry Cubs, you are always my first choice when I need a broken heart or donkey punch....

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Credentials for Comments.....

Do you really need to have any to give any? That question refers to the statement in my title. I ask this because I have been perusing my good friend's blog which is mainly music based. He is a great-music mind and knows more than I ever could hope to know. I only bring this up, because he was talking about Leonard Cohen who wrote "Hallelujah." And I swear to god it's the only song I have ever listened to where I thought the vocals were reminiscent of livestock raping each other. Everyone is entitled to their opinion about certain subjects. And certain people are much more qualified to speak about said subjects. So if Nate has good words to say about him, then I will believe him. But god damn, I hate that song.

I'm really excited for the new Tonight Show. Only because it is the first time in TV history where we may see an actual coup on stage. I know the crowd always acts excited, but you know some groups of folks who love Conan will infiltrate and destroy. It's that conniving and vengeful spirit that TV, and for that fact our country was founded on. And how bad is this? Usually when a "new" show starts they pull out all the stops to get big time celebs and stars to come on the show. They released the goat-chins lineup for the first week. On day 3 his guests are the cast of Jersey Shore and Avril Lavigne. That's day THREE. I'm sorry NBC, was Milli Vanilli busy on Wednesday afternoon.

Lastly, I've been a big fan of Olympic hockey this week. Not just because of the US involvement. But the WIDE OPEN play. These guys showcase what the game should be: grace, speed, stopping on a dime and changing direction. I really hope that the NHL considers getting rid of fighting. The game is much more beautiful when guys take hits and checks, but the enforcer can't come in and bash some one's brain in.

And oh yeah, take that Russia. Favorite for the gold just get absolutely bum-rushed by an angry Canadian team. 3 goals in the first 9 minutes. Ridiculous. My guess is Canada beats the US for the gold, but you can always hope for and underdog...

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Goodness....

Leave it to Sean Hannity to whisk up into a hot lather. Actually, it isn't anything he said. It is essentially what he doesn't say. I have said numerous times on this blog that I tend to stray toward the liberal side. It's a combo of my family upbringing, where I lived, and then what I personally came to believe. But though I see Hannity as insane, I can see the staunch liberals as insane too. Nothing would really satisfy me more than having Sean Hannity and Michael Moore enter a cage with a hungry lion. They are both certifiable. And I have an explanation to show why, and how far down we are as a country.

I caught a little of Hannity's radio show today and a listener posed an interesting point to him. A little background first. Conservatives have been crushing President Obama for a gaffe in a speech a few weeks ago. He mispronounced the word "corpsman" and focused on the dead corpse part. He said it three times, off the teleprompter, and conservatives have been saying how this happens when you are a robot and read a script, and also do not have a military background. I personally say honest mistake, by a probably really tired guy.

Fast forward to when Sarah Palin wrote something on her hand before giving a speech. Liberals ripped her for being unprepared and not having her facts straight. I say it was a last minute thing, and she truly just did it to remember a couple of main points.

Both of these things, in my eyes at least, were harmless. So today a woman called into the Hannity program and asked him what the difference is between conservatives ripping Obama and liberals ripping Palin. She said what he does to the President is just as bad as what the liberals do to Palin. He skirted the issue and talked about how he is just showing the "naivety" of the President. But the caller has a point.

Political talk shows are helping kill our government and political spirit. They would rather be catty and focus on unimportant things than bring up issues that really matter. That is what irks me. These two instances got press time, and for that mater, a lot of press time. Let's focus on the real issue kids.

We wonder why two-term Senator Evan Bayh of Indiana up and said he wasn't running for re-election this week. He said he was fed up with government and partisan politics. Maybe we need more people like this. He said he wasn't getting anything done, so maybe a new elected official would.

I wish we could all just get along. And at the very least, quit the bitching about minor things. Seriously, is what Sarah Palin has written on her hand crucial to national security? Is a mispronunciation on the part of President Obama going to push back a possible health care bill getting passed? No, but complaining about these things constantly bogs down the process. So knock it off.

Monday, February 15, 2010

Madness....

I just had to share with you the results of this weekend's box office. I have called the choices of this week's movie-going public "deplorable." The Top 5, with their money and aggregate Rotten Tomatoes scores were

Valentine's Day 52 Million 16%
Percy Jackson 31 Million 49%
The Wolfman 30 Million 30%
Avatar 22 Million 82%
Dear John 15 Million 28%

Those numbers are absolutely dumbfounding. The reason I like Rotten Tomatoes is it takes all the reviews it can find, puts them together, ranks them fresh or rotten, and then divides by the total. Simple, effective, and a large enough sample size to have a good representation. For example the movie with the least overall reviews is Percy Jackson and it still has 84 reviews. When you exclude Avatar, and put the aforementioned 4 movies together they had a combined 126 fresh reviews to go along with 303 rotten reviews. Which leaves them with a staggering 29% rating. That means that if you polled people walking out, you would be damn lucky to get 3 positive reviews out of ten. And what's worse? Those movies made a combined $128 million.

I guess I just don't get it. People like what they like. I am not immune to this because I just watched Transformers 2 for the third time this weekend. It scored 20% on RT, but I like it, so there are always exceptions. But most likely if a movie is not at 60%, I won't even consider seeing it. One review is an aberration, 5 reviews is a coincidence, but 10 reviews is a trend.

Why does America watch these things and reward filmmakers that do this? I have no idea. I have always thought that my $10 and two hours of my time is too valuable to be misused. Does that make me snotty? I don't think so. I think it makes me smart, and shows I have an expectation for value. I have always been one to look forward to movies because of the director and writer, not always the actors.

So I realize I'm a little different. But I don't want to sit there and waste my time, watching something awful. That is why I have Netflix. So I can pay 9 bucks a month and watch whatever I want. But when it comes to going to the theater, that is somewhat sacred. It is an experience that I do not take lightly. I can name on one hand the films I have seen in theaters this year. One. Avatar, and it was awesome. Granted the year is only a month and a half old, but this is the only movie released in those parameters worth seeing. Until Friday when Shutter Island is released. And if it makes less money this weekend than Valentine's Day, then I will officially have proof that there is no higher power.

Oh yeah, as of Monday, Shutter Island is tracking 88% on RT. I don't think that is a coincidence either.

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Float Like a Butterfly...

I just read a magnificent article on ESPN.com about the 20 year anniversary of the historic Tyson/Douglas fight. The fight was 2/11/1990 and the place was Tokyo. Tyson at the time was the heavyweight champ, undefeated, and the baddest man in the world. The odds on Douglas were 42-1. Douglas won via a ten round knockout and Tyson was down. Needless to say Douglas didn't do much with the title. He held it til October of that year, when he got a $25 million payday to fight Holyfield. Holyfield knocked him out in three rounds and Douglas retired. You can really say it was a man who was focused on one thing, and when he accomplished that feat, it just went to hell.

The point of my little history lesson is that upsets in sports are awesome. And this week we probably get to hear a lot about the two greatest. The one I just described is probably number 2. Number 1 is the US Hockey team beating the Ruskies in 1980. And it is not just the greatest because it involves the US. Just look up the wikipedia page for the Soviets from 1980. They were considered amateurs, but were highly regarded as just insane players who had beaten NHL teams 5 times that year in exhibition games. Well, the US with their collection of college players won against Sweden and then beat the USSR 4-3 in just the semi-finals. The US then defeated Finland to win the gold. It is hard to comprehend how much better the world was at hockey at that time. But I truly think it would be like the US soccer team winning the World Cup now by going through Italy, Spain, and Brazil.

So it's been 30 years since Miracle on Ice and 20 years since the Knockout seen round the world. What else is in my Top 5? Well I'm glad you asked.

#3 is NC State winning the Basketball title in 1983. They needed to win their conference tourney to get in. They beat a Jordan-led Carolina and a Sampson-led Virginia to get in. And then they beat Drexler and Olajuwon to grab the title. That's 3 teams led by 4 hall of famers.

#4 is Jets over the Colts in Super Bowl III

#5 is George Mason's run to the Final Four as an 11 seed.


So there you have it. My top upsets. you kids have at it.

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Irrelevancy....

Not sure if that is a word, but it will apply to something that I have to talk about. That my friends is the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition. It has been delivered to homes the week before Valentine's Day for nearly 50 years. I wonder if they also delivered some KY and tissues to those homes as well. I digress with masturbation jokes, but my point is the Internet has made this issue, and for that matter visual magazines, irrelevant. I saw a commercial for it yesterday on TV and they were talking about the big "unveiling" of the cover model.

First off, anyone who knows anything about sports and or modeling knew that Brooklyn Decker, aka Andy Roddick's naughty time partner, was about a 5:2 favorite to make the cover. Secondly, you know what I did today? I just went online to SI.com and right on the front page were the articles, the magazine cover, and then links to EVERY picture in the magazine. I did not look at a single picture, however that doesn't mean i didn't have thoughts about the magazine. And my thought is why have a hard copy and then put all the content online. Sure some people will buy it, because it is frowned upon in many workplaces to pull your pants down, but why even shell out $3.50 for something you can get for free.

So I guess my point is that computers have killed magazines. Or at least picture magazines. Newspapers are dying, but at least with them you have to read. Some people will always buy newspapers because they like to feel the paper between their fingers, and enjoy the feeling of accomplishment once you have paged through the respective sections. A picture based magazine however should just never be printed. I know it is big ad money, but when was the last time you went out of your way to buy a magazine, or get a subscription. I go to at least 5 websites a day that have actual publications, and I don't pay a dime. And you know what, I get 98 percent of the same content. And that is something I can live with.

So what's my point. I really don't have one, except why buy something you can see online. And if I were SI I would make the Swimsuit "Issue" completely digital and get my sponsors that way. Clicking through a gallery and a Coke ad pops up. Easy as pie.

I watched Zombieland over the weekend and it was highly enjoyable. I'm a big Jesse Eisenberg fan and get very angry when people talk about Michael Cera. Mainly because Eisenberg has been in 5 movies I have really liked and Cera has been in none, yet he gets the pub. Hollywood whore machine. None the less, movie was very entertaining. It walked the line between funny and gory really well and those elements played well off of each other. The only thing I didn't like was the fact the stupid video store printed the name of the actor who had a cameo in the movie. That pisses me off like nothing more. I hate it. If I know what actors are in a movie I will wait and watch until I see them, and it loses any luster it possibly could have had with the element of surprise. So knock it off Hollywood and stupid-ass video stores.

I haven't seen anything in theaters since Avatar, but Shutter Island comes out in a week and a half. And I'll be there on Friday night, waiting for Leo. Wearing a diaper....