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Saturday, January 29, 2011

The Mechanic: Quick Review

The Mechanic is about a contract killer that that trains a younger man to do the same. They kill a couple people then go after a big target, like other movies of the genre, but with a slight story twist.

Pro + and Cons - :
+ Some good gore shots, if you're into that kind of thing
- Not as much action as you'd expect (much less hand-to-hand combat) especially in a movie starring Jason Statham
- The sexuality does nothing for the story, besides maybe show that hitmen get lonely too. I would have preferred if that time was used on story/action.
+ I couldn't predict what was going to happen most times
- Not much clever dialogue, but I guess it's not a "smart" kind of film
+ Low cheesiness (unlike The Transporter)
+ Okay acting (Ben Foster is usually always good)
- Climax wasn't too climactic, but kinda cool
+ Minor twist at the end

Overall Score: 7.5 - It's a simple, action movie about contract killers. It has decent gunfights and explosions. I'm actually glad Hollywood still makes these. I'm a 90's kid. You get what you pay for. I liked it.

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Artist of the Week: Bad Rabbits

Hey, sorry guys, I've been busy and haven't been able to keep up on your blogs. I'm in between living quarters at the moment. Also, I may be getting a job tomorrow!

But, I come baring gifts!

These guys are amazing. And this whole album is free at their MySpace page! Enjoy!

Again, sorry, but I'll be back reading and writing soon enough!

Monday, January 24, 2011

Ink - My Quick Review

In this movie, there are beings that create dreams for humans called Storytellers. And there are beings that create nightmares called Incubi. A small girl's soul/spirit/whatever is taken in her sleep by a Ink, a sort of lost being. This causes the girl to go into a coma in the human realm. The Storytellers try to catch Ink and save the girl while battling Incubi. The movie also follows the girl's father.

Pros:
  • Very unique, poetic story of fantasy with interesting characters
  • Pretty cool action/fight scenes
  • One of the best musical scores I've ever heard
  • Some beautifully shot scenes as well as some dark, scary ones
  • Pretty deep, man
Cons:
  • Some scenes could use better acting
  • Can be confusing, doesn't explain some things well
Overall Score: 8/10 - This is one of my favorite movies. I recommend it to everyone. And guess what? It's on Hulu for free right here! Enjoy!

Saturday, January 22, 2011

Pabst Blue Ribbon: Quick Review

I've heard strange things about this beer. A few times when I've bought it, someone has remarked much like, "You don't look like you drink that kind of beer, only poor, fat guys buy that." (I was blessed with a quick metabolism.) I've also heard that "hipsters drink that." Now, I don't like hipsters either, but that doesn't mean they can't appreciate PBR for what it is, an affordable, decent-tasting beer (of course, I've tasted way better).

Pros:
  • Cheap! ($18 for a 30-pack, Hell yeah!)
  • Decent taste, I would describe it as a lighter Budweiser
  • It'll get you drunk!
  • Another social thing is that a few people actually will think you're some sort of "badass" for drinking it
Cons:
  • A little too light, if I drink it super fast, I run the risk of puking
  • I get a metal taste in my mouth when I go through a lot of them, don't know if that's common
  • It probably is fattening for those of you with slow metabolism
  • Hard to find. I couldn't find it on a visit to California anywhere.
  • Your recovering alcoholic friends can't have any
  • May make you look like a cheap-ass scrub
Overall: I give this product a 7/10. It's affordable and will get you drunk after many bathroom breaks. Yes, if I was rich I would probably buy some of our more tasty local brews. Enjoy!

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Prison, man...

I have this recently released convict cousin. He had some money saved for him when he got out of prison. He decided to buy a car (without a driver's license, of course). He decided to buy a Buick sedan - with 20" rims and a stereo system that was probably put together by a 13-year-old. The wheels couldn't even turn all the way because of the over-sized rims. One of the first things I said was, "You're going to get pulled over because they'll think you're driving drunk." He paid like 3k (USD) for that POS. And he went back to dealing drugs.

I can't begin to understand. I don't think I ever will. I guess if I had to ask, I would ask 3 questions:

1) Are you where you want to be in life?
2) Is what you do daily helping to get you where you want?
3) If not, then why not try something else?

Bottom line: Don't go to prison, folks!

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

The Upside of the Recession

Here are some positives of our declining job market and economy:

1) People work way harder because they don't want to lose their jobs. It's rare to get bad service these days. Walk into any fast food place and everyone there is hustling their asses off and everything is nice and clean. It's nice!

2) We value more. No more horrible spending for us! And once again we see that material possessions aren't everything and pull together.

3) We get creative. We find ways to save and make money, like blogging!

4) Lower property value - if you manage to land a career, now's the time to buy!

I know it's rough out there. I'm looking up jobs on craigslist now, as a matter of fact. But, always try to find the good in the bad.

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Cartoon Public Service Announcements

What ever happened to these? Remember back when they had them all the time? All kinds of cartoons got in on the action. You don't see them anymore. Spongebob never tells us to stay in school. Samurai Champloo never encourages us to stay of drugs. I wonder why? Spongebob has to be worth at least $100 million right? So it can't be a money issue. Were they ineffective? Do cartoon developers no longer care? Maybe they just decided to leave it up to the parents.

Monday, January 17, 2011

My True Grit (2010) Quick Review

This movie is about a young girl that seeks revenge for the murder of her father through the use of a US Marshall. Does she find closure? Well why don't you watch it!

Pros:
  • Superb acting all around
  • Never a dull moment
  • Lot's of good quips and one-liners
  • Great atmosphere and some beautiful shots
Cons:
  • Could have used more gunfights or action (in my opinion)
  • Too short! A half hour of looking deeper into the characters couldn't have hurt.
  • Not much of a villain, but this was probably done purposely. I assume it's more about the main players, the journey, not the destination.
  • Not much on special effects or big stuff (a western done by the Coens, duh!) - This is also personal opinion. I don't regret watching this on the big screen, but with my limited funds I'm beginning to think that the theater experience might be better enjoyed with the big-budget heavy-hitters.
Overall Score: 8.5/10 - It's just a good movie. I will probably purchase it and that's saying a lot. Who buys movies anymore? *This review may be biased because I love the Coens' work.

Two Shows That Didn't Make It

I feel it is my duty to share these two amazing shows. There are not many episodes of either. They are freaking hilarious.

Cakey! The Cake From Outer Space

And:
Garth Marenghi's Dark Place

It's such a shame how awesome shows don't make it. It also sucks how great comedians always die all the time.

My Batman: R.I.P. Quick Review


Batman R.I.P. by Grant Morrison (2009 [yeah, it's older, GTFO]) isn't a bad read, perhaps not the best purchase for the price ($17); but I'd say it's a must-have for the fanboys. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who isn't familiar with the Batman universe. I'm familiar and even I was confused at times, but that could have just been the writing. Anyhow...

Pros:
  • Decent artwork, great penmanship
  • Very original with a story unlike most
  • Opens a lot of good questions like "what-if"s
  • Suspenseful, wasn't sure what to expect next, then a rewarding end
Cons:
  • Confusing, hard to follow (extremely sometimes) because it jumps around
  • Too many villains, none of them really have presence and aren't well-known
  • Joker could have used a closer look
  • Better novels for the price
Overall Score: 7.5 - Confusing, but a simple reread can clear that up, and it's nice to have a book that you can read through again and make a discovery. I don't think anyone would regret having this in their collection.

Sunday, January 16, 2011

Musician of the Week: The Antlers

I just heard of these guys. I really like them. It's really mellow and haunting, no hipster (that's my version of "no homo"). This entire album, Hospice, is pretty sad. Their next album should be grand.


Lyrics (just in case):

With the door closed, shades drawn, the world shrinks.
Let's open up those blinds. But someone has to sweep the floor,
Pick up her dirty clothes. That job's not mine.
Now that everyone's an enemy, my heart sinks.
Let's put away those claws.
I don't blame them for their curtain-calls because I pulled the rope.
I wanna call them back out for applause.

Spring and Thompson on the first of May is horrible.

We hid in catacombs. So now I'm sleeping next to mousetraps,
In a bed of all our clothes, while I hope that she won't come home.
It was easier to lock the doors and kill the phones than to show my skin,
Because the hardest thing is never to repent for someone else,
It's letting people in.

Well, you can come inside, unlock the door, take off your shoes.

But this might take all night,
To explain to you I would have walked out those sliding doors,
But the timing never seemed right.
When your helicopter came and tried to lift me out,
I put it's rope around my neck.
And after that you didn't bother with the airlift or the rescue -
You knew just what to expect.

That with the door closed,

Shades drawn, we're dead enough.
They don't open from outside.
And someone has to speak with their teeth behind their tongue,
To never let that right be denied.
We can't rely on photographs and visitation time,
But I just don't know where to begin.
I wanna bust down the door,
If you're willing to forgive.
I've got the keys, I'm letting people in.

Don't be scared to speak,

Don't speak with someone's tooth,
Don't bargain when you're weak,
Don't take that sharp abuse.
Some patients can't be saved, but that burden's not on you.

Don't ever let anyone tell you you deserve that.


http://www.antlersmusic.com

An Embarrassing Story

On my way through the checkout at Wal-Mart one evening, a very attractive girl from high school was working the register. She had long, red hair, legs up to her chin with a decent level of thickness, and she would dress "punk" a lot - really hot. Anyhow, I get up there, everything gets scanned, and then my goddamn nose starts bleeding! I had to plug it with one hand and fumble cash with the other!
She asked if I was okay. I said "yes," paid for everything, then walked hurriedly to the restroom to take care of it. It sucked big time.

Saturday, January 15, 2011

My Green Hornet (2011) Review

This wasn't a bad flick, but I wish I would've waited for it to hit dollar theaters, to be honest. Keep in mind, I'm not a Hornet fanboy. I hate writing long reviews more than I hate reading them. So...

Pros:
  • A few decent laughs (of course), definitely should be a lot funnier to people with easier senses of humor
  • A few cool fight scenes, choreography better than most
  • Pretty steady, no big lull where you feel like taking a nap
Cons:
  • Simple storyline (masked crime fighter movie, what'd you expect?)
  • Though played by a great actor, the villain isn't a great source of suspense
  • Seth Rogen plays Seth Rogen, just like Robert Downey Jr played Robert Downey Jr in Iron Man
Overall:

I'd give it a 7/10; watchable, amusing, but not great. Unless you're rich or a fanboy, wait for it to come out in the dollar theater.

You Have No Personality

The following ideas were taken from Reinventing Yourself: How to Become the Person You've Always Wanted to Be by Steve Chandler, an amazing and easy read.

Basically, what it says is that there is no such thing as personality, only choice. You can be anything you want. You can be confident. You can be joyful. When someone does something inconsiderate, you can choose to become angry or let it slide.

Please realize this is only a short summary on the subject, but think about it. If you get and angry and say, "Oh, that's just the way I am." then isn't personality just a reaction due to precondition? And if this "personality" is just a reaction, then how much of our lives do we spend reacting?

I'm not trying to scare anyone or hurt feelings, but really, it's all choice. We are all very talented, very capable beings. We should choose to believe that.