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......
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
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.
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.
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.
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