Check out The Amazing Spiderman

The Amazing Spiderman (2012) starring Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone matched my expectations which were very high.  I never cared much for Tobey Maguire as Spiderman, so naturally the prospect of a new Spiderman caught my attention.  When it comes to superheros you don't think of Spiderman as one of the top dogs, being that he's undersized and his only real powers are his climbing and swinging abilities.  Sure he has super senses, great reflexes, and the ability to heal quickly, but what superhero doesn't? In a battle royale Spidey would likely be the underdog when thrown up against guys like Superman or the Hulk, but that's what I like about him.  It seems like he's always up against the wall whenever he fights a super villain and right when he's about to die he digs deep and prevails.  The one thing you see with Spidey more than with his contemporaries is heart. 

And now to the movie.  In my opinion Garfield's a rising star and Emma Stone has already established herself in the young Hollywood Elite.  She dazzles both on screen and off with her excellent fashion sense and presence during all of her public appearances.  If you haven't noticed by my previous posts I may have a little crush on her.  I promise that didn't give me a bias when evaluating the movie.  Overall the acting, directing, and storyline all worked very well.  Garfiield's scrawniness worked very well for this movie.  Peter Parker is supposed to be a harmless looking geek who nobody would expect could kick ass with the best of them.  It doesn't hurt when you have seasoned veterans to fill the small roles of Uncle Ben and Aunt May (Martin Sheen and Sally Field). Check out this movie and you won't regret it.  Way better than it's predecessor.

Can't Wait for these Movies!

Some great movies coming out in the near and not-so-near future (but I'm equally excited for all of these movies).  A movie due to come out very soon, Skyfall, the newest James Bond installment, looks excellent.  I hope this film can surpass Quantum of Solace which let me down a bit after Casino Royale which in my opinion is one of the best Bond movies ever.  Daniel Craig returns in this action packed film featuring Javier Bardem as the villain.  This movie appears to have all the makings of another excellent Bond film, and it's already got a great title song, Skyfall by Adele, to give everyone a healthy dose of Bond in the coming months.  I can't wait for this one to hit theaters.  Check out the trailer if you haven't already.

This next choice may shock those of you who know me well, especially because I'm not the biggest fan of musicals, but the new Les Miserables looks amazing.  When I learned that this film is the first time in history where all of the actors sang their songs live during the filming (as opposed to pre-recording and lip-synching the music) I was both shocked and amazed.  Everything about this film adaptation of the Victor Hugo masterpiece appears to do justice to the story.  Although I often shy away from artsy timepieces and musicals I won't be passing up this one, and I recommend that you also make time to see this classic adapted onto the big screen by some of Hollywood's most talented actors (Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway, amongst others).

For those of you who like me are enthralled by anything zombie related, you've most likely read something by Max Brooks, and possibly even his most famous novel, World War Z.  I read the book a couple of years ago and enjoyed the realistic feel and scary possibilities described by Brooks.  Z was one of those books that as soon as I finished I couldn't wait for a movie, and it'll soon be in theaters.  I don't know what it is about zombies but the whole idea of a zombie apocalypse, although scary, fascinates me.  If you're a fan of anything zombie-related like The Walking Dead on AMC, or if you like apocalyptic type movies then check out World War Z starring Brad Pitt due to hit theaters in 2013.

 

Why is this song not blowing up the radio?

They're probably waiting to mega-release the song and movie together, but it should be playing on every radio station.

I Also Read

I often write about movies or television shows that I watch, but I also read at least a book a week.  This week I've finished Brazil, by John Updike.  Brazil was my first experience with Updike's writing, and I'm now intrigued to read more of his works.  Ever since I saw the movie, City of God (2002), I've been interested in the history and society of Brazil, and more specifically the social aspects of life in Rio De Janeiro.  It's horrible how the industrialization of the country and the deforestation of the rain forest have equally spawned millions of people living in states of poverty that people in this country could never imagine.   And of course, where there's poverty there's often crime.  Kids growing up on the streets of Rio knowing that hustling and/or robbing the rich is often their only way to survive. 

Brazil provides an excellent inside view to an instance where one of these poor kids encounters a girl from a more prominent background.  Both of their lives are changed forever after Tristao and Isabel fall in love, and while many forces (mostly both of their families) fight to keep them apart, these two young lovers always manage to find each other.  It's not all a love story with happy endings.  This story features numerous instances of betrayal, violence, and loss.  At one point these two lovers find themselves escaping from Isabel's father and from the law by hiking through the Brazilian jungle with only the help of an old woman.  They are eventually attacked by a group of natives and experience horrors and tragedies that many people would not be able to survive.  If you're a fan of Updike, classical literature, or my little shpeel give this book a shot. 

Also check out City of God.  As long as you don't mind subtitles (unless you speak Portuguese) it's a great movie and gives a sad but realistic view into the life of a young hood in Rio.

Excited for Some Old School Bro Movies

What ever happened to the old-school, rough and tough image of a man? I mean seriously, you see more guys out there going tanning, getting full body waxes, and wearing jeans tighter than any pair their girlfriend owns.  When did body hair and sweat go out of fashion? And what's with all the no carb diets, and for that matter diets altogether? I miss the days when being a badass man was what women found sexy.  A grissled, badass, impolite, rough-around-the edges man.  Well friends, I need a reminder so I took it upon myself to get my bro on, and I netflixed The Getaway with Steve McQueen, the ultimate mans man.  Society sometimes makes you doubt the way you carry yourself, and friends, I need a reminder that it's alright for men to still be men and not overly pampered, metro-sexual androids. Expect more reviews on movies featuring badass dudes. 

Why was I Fooled Again?

This weekend I watched Wrath of the Titans, the not-so-stellar sequel to the other let down, Clash of the Titans (2010).  I believe I slammed this movie in a previous post, but I'm currently too lazy and dedicated to this post to look back and see.  In case I didn't already criticize Clash of the Titans, it's a movie that represents this new Hollywood blockbuster philosophy that if you throw enough A-list stars into a movie (Liam Neeson, Sam Worthington, Ralph Fiennes) and add enough action and explosions into a two minute trailer, you'll have a blockbuster that will net you at least $200 million (in this case $493 million, c/o imdb.com).  The result of course is a poorly written and poorly directed movie that leaves you yearning for so much more based on the trailer.  I call these untrue trailers many things, and today I'll dub this movie an example of "Trailer Fraud." Trailer Fraud (N): A movie that falsely represents itself as excellent through a two-and-a-half minute preview trailer, when in reality it falls far short of expectations.

What's worse than me falling for trailer fraud with Clash, is that I fell for it again with Wrath of the Titans.  For some ridiculous reason I had a gut feeling that Wrath of the Titans would be one of those rare sequels that actually overshadows the original.  Once again I'm wrong, and wasted another hour and a half of my movie watching time when I should have known better.  What's that old proverb that my dad loves to throw into conversations whenever he can, "Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me."  That's about right.  Bottom line don't waste your time with Wrath of the Titans.  This movie features nothing exciting, and even the acting is marginal.  Hopefully I'll learn from this mistake in the future.  And below, a great example of trailer fraud:

 

A Pleasant Surpise

For months I've secretly wanted to see Rock of Ages, and last week I finally took a chance on it.  The trailer for this musical-turned-movie had excellent promise, plus a star-studded cast featuring the likes of Alec Baldwin, Russell Brand, and Tom Cruise (amongst others) provided the ingredients for a great movie.  I'm not usually one for musicals, with the exception of Grease, but Rock of Ages really surprised me.  I expected an OK movie, especially since the critics didn't give very favorable reviews, and I was shocked at how much I loved this movie.  The 80s music and hair may have distracted me more than I would like to admit, but I can't deny that I absolutely loved this movie.  Possibly the most surprising element of the movie was the acting and singing ability of the two leads, Julianne Hough and Diego Boneta, who aren't extremely known for their acting abilities in major motion pictures.  They both did an excellent job and held their own amongst their A-list counterparts.  The only reason not to see this movie would be if you hate 80s music.  I happen to love 80s music, and if you share my sentiments then go rent this movie immediately if you haven't already. 

Watch New Girl Now!

A while back my good friend Kyle recommended that I check out a show on Fox called New Girl starring Zooey Deschanel.  I normally trust Kyle's recommendations, and I'm glad that I once again took his advice.  New Girl made me laugh out loud from the first episode and never ceases to amaze me with its simplistic yet hilarious antics.  Zooey Deschanel is the perfect combination of a quirky and awkwardly funny female lead, who while making you laugh out loud on a regular basis also has a strange sex appeal. 

The other character's do a great job at complementing Zooey's character Jess as she attempts to navigate life post a six year relationship.  Jess decides to move into a loft with three guys who each bring their own special element and comedic relief to the table.  I love this show because it's simple and hilarious.  Many of the situations faced by the characters are applicable to real life, and none of the cast members are ridiculously good looking (except for Hannah Simone, love Cici) giving the show more of a real world feel than some of the other network shows out there.  Usually I only watch shows that air on premium channels or FX, but I've been pleasantly surprised by this gem on Fox.  Check it out if you haven't already.

A Couple of Disappointments

I've recently been extremely disappointed on two separate occasions.  The first let down came from J.K Rowling's first attempt at adult novels, The Casual Vacancy.  Let me preface this review by stating that I love J.K Rowling and the Harry Potter franchise, but this story fell far short of my expectations.  The novel is well written, as one would expect from J.K, and the character development is consistent and complex enough for an interesting plot, but to me, this story was just ordinary.  Nothing from Casual Vacancy really separated it from other similar novels that I've read, and nothing about the story intrigued me enough to the point that I felt a strong urge to continue reading.  I honestly just finished the book out of respect and love for J.K, but overall Casual Vacancy fell far short of my expectations.  Do yourself a favor and skip this one. I still love you J.K.

A recent movie choice equally disappointed me.  Lola Versus starring Greta Gerwig had an excellent trailer that led me to anticipate a work of indie-hipster gold.  Based on the trailer, I expected a funny and witty romantic-esque comedy with plenty of relatable themes and scenes.  Instead, the movie, like Casual Vacancy, turned out ordinary, with nothing exciting or worthwhile.  In this case I fell victim to what I like to call "An all-inclusive trailer," which basically means the trailer shows all of the best and funny parts in the movie, so when you actually see the movie none of the scenes are all that funny because you've already seen them.  I didn't really like anything about this movie.  Weak writing, character development, plot, and ending.  Skip this one for sure.  I'll put the trailer below so you can enjoy all this movie has to offer in two minutes and change.  

So Glad I Saw the Perks

A few weeks ago I saw The Perks of Being a Wallflower, and it lived up to my very high expectations.  Some of you may be more familiar with the young adult novel, and the author of that novel finally adapted it into a screenplay.  Let me preface my breakdown of the movie with my theory on why this movie matched all of my expectations as a huge fan of the novel.  Stephen Chbosky, the author of the novel, also wrote the screenplay, produced, and directed the movie.  I believe that the author's significant role in every aspect of the movie led to its booming success.  I find that movies based on books so often fall short of expectations, and can do more disrespect than homage to the stories they are meant to portray.  In this case, the fact that the author took an immense amount of time to create his story in a new medium, led to one of the best film adaptations of a novel that I have ever seen.  It makes me wonder why more director's don't incorporate the original writer's in the film-making process.   Then again, most novelists probably do not know a great deal about film making or the screen-writing genre, but who knows.  It would be nice if great books weren't butchered when made into movies.  I guess the bottom line here is that Stephen Chbosky is a ridiculously talented and artistic individual to have accomplished this feat as original writer, screen writer, producer, and director. 

And now to the movie.  Perks represents a young man's struggle to adapt to the high school social scene.  Charlie, an awkward yet intelligent ninth grader, finds himself very short on friends due to some unfortunate circumstances.  After a couple of tough weeks Charlie finally makes two friends in Patrick and Samantha, who introduce Charlie to a fast and fun social scene filled with parties, get-togethers, and even some rocky horror picture shows.  While Charlie becomes closer to Patrick and Sam, he experiences many difficult situations with drugs, alcohol, and a few different love interests.  Along the way Charlie has the guidance of his English teacher (played by Ball Rudd) who while enriching Charlie's education by providing him additional novels and assignments, also gives Charlie some very important advice on life. 

For me, the movie is a cult classic for someone who grew up in the 90s and 00s.  Anyone can relate to a number of the characters in Perks, while also feeling nostalgic remembering the awkward and fun moments in High School.  All of the main characters put forth masterful performances.  This isn't surprising being that Chbosky waited years until he could find the perfect cast to bring his novel to life on the big screen.  Make sure you see this movie if you enjoy coming of age stories of the difficulties of high school.  Great movie.

I Want to See this Girl Attempt to Walk

Opening Day of Pro Football

Here it is, the day that I've anxiously anticipated for the past 20 years of my life, opening Sunday of the NFL season.  And for some reason I just find myself less than excited this year.  I'm not even playing fantasy football this year.  That could be for the best.  I've found that for the past few years my desire for my fantasy players to succeed has superseded my desire for the Eagles to win.  It's probably best for me to just focus my football energy on one team, once a week.  This way I won't have to worry about all of these other players on other teams, and how they'll perform on Sundays.  Still, I'm feeling a significant void where I usually have an abundance of excitement.  Hopefully that void will fill up soon after kickoff and I can return to form. 

Now would probably be a good time to make a prediction for the season.  I'm pretty terrible with predictions, whether it's picking a winner or a final score.  The closest I ever came to picking a final score was that Penn State vs. LSU bowl game a few years ago in that disgusting, torn up field in Orlando; worst football field conditions I have ever seen, and even then I was still one point off.  I'll just say this: Andy Reid has never gone 4-0 in the preseason, and Andy Reid has never won a Superbowl.  Not the most sound logic, but he's been at this for quite some time, and it would be nice if he could finally bring home a Lombardi trophy.  Sure there are teams out there with more talent and ability, but I hope that the birds can just put it all together at the right time and make a run in December and January.  It would make sense too, being that I'm most likely moving abroad, that they would put it all together and finally win that first, elusive Superbowl when I'm not even in town to see it. 

Bottom line, I just want to get back to that point where I just enjoy watching football.  No money or pride from fantasy is on the line, and anything that the birds do will exceed expectations because I have none.  I just hope that for three hours a week I can get back to forgetting about all of the other bullshit that the week will bring and once again enjoy the bliss of watching football.  Go Eagles.

Strike Back

It's been a while.  Many ups and downs recently, but I'm glad to report that all is currently well and that I'm back on a positive track.  Enough about me, and more about television goodness. 

Due to my recent recently changing work schedule (full and part-time weeks at work, out of my control) I had a decent amount of down time, which usually means plenty of time for TV marathons.  As with many good things, I discovered a new, excellent show called Strike Back by accident.  Turns out that my premium cable package does include Cinemax, something new for the past three weeks (shhhh! it may be an accident on the cable company's part).  So as I flipped through the channels I caught a clip of a pretty decent fire fight with plenty of explosions and AK-47s.  Naturally I kept watching.  With all of the complete crap out there in the movie and television industry I try to relish the moments when I actually stumble upon something that's slightly entertaining and full of uncertainties. 

Luckily I tuned in right at the beginning of the episode and caught the whole thing, after which I was hooked.  I actually watched episode nine in a ten episode season, so I backtracked over the next three days and caught up with the first season right before the second season aired this past Friday.  Off topic, here we go, synopsis.  So there's this British led special forces/covert ops unit called Section 20.  After one of the operatives is killed in action Section 20 seeks out the help of an ex-delta, American soldier named Damien Scott.  Scott joins a seasoned British operative named Michael Stonebridge, and the two operate in the field while others help them from a command center.  Sector 20 is under the command of Colonel Eleanor Scott, a seasoned and tough authority figure who does what she needs to in the war against terror.

The first season chronicles Section 20's attempt to capture a major Pakistani terrorist named Latif.  Every episode has to do with the team attempting to bring down Latif or someone closely linked to him.  There are constant fights, gun battles, and intense scenes which keep the audience on the edge of their seat every episode.  The refreshing part about this show is that there are no "filler" episodes in the series.  Every episode plays a crucial part in Section 20's hunt for Latif, and in result there are plenty gun battles.  Oh, and let me remind you that the series is on Cinemax so naturally there's plenty of nudity and sex.  And I'm not talking like a boob here and there, I'm talking borderline soft-core porn.  So if you're into that and lots of action definitely catch this show.  The full first season should be one demand along with the first, ninety minute episode of the second season.  Trailers for both below.  Oh, P.S-little bonus: Some of the actors from Game of Thrones appear in Strike Back!!!!!!  Specifically Iain Glen aka Sir Jorah Mormont, and Charles Dance aka Tywin Lannister although not according to IMDB, but the episode just aired so maybe they are a little behind. 

Could only find the Season 2 trailer, but still check out Season 1:

To anyone out there who knows me and has been around me lately it's pretty apparent that I haven't been myself lately. I'm definitely in a funk right now and I'm motivated to bust out of it. Big changes are in order. A wise man once told me if you do what you've always done, you won't end up anywhere new. I'm ready for the new nd exciting possibilities that have always been waiting for me. All my life I've waited for something great to come my way, to just fall into my lap. A couple of years ago I realized that's never goin to happen unless I make it happen. Well friends, I'm about to make it happen. Wish me luck.

Ridiculous Remakes

I've recently seen trailers for two remakes or movies that were released in my lifetime, and let me tell you, neither of them movies should have been remade for two different reasons.  Let's begin with the Total Recall remake starring Colin Farrell.  This remake angers me because the first version Total Recall (1990) starred Arnold Schwarzenegger in his glory days as Hollywood's king of action movies.  The original movie is filled with plenty of classic Arnold lines like "I've never been to Mars!" and plenty of classic Arnold grunting.  I'll never forget the first time I saw the scene with the prostitute who had three boobs.  As a little kid you don't see many boobs at all and when you see three at a time, let me tell you that blew my mind.  The original Total Recall is still one of the classic Arnold action movies, and any attempt at a remake is simply an insult to Arnold's legacy.  View the trailer below:

The second remake that has me fuming is titled Dredd, and is a remake on the 1995 movie Judge Dredd starring Sylvester Stallone.  Haven't heard of it? I'm not surprised.  For those of you who do remember that travesty of a movie, you may also remember that it received the Razzie Award for Worst Movie of the Year.  No joke.  This movie was absolutely horrendous.  The plot, acting,  action, and costumes were all terrible and it would do the film industry justice to just destroy all memory and record of this film.  But no, we're talking about Hollywood here, where some big time studio exec has the crazy idea that he/she could take this terrible movie and remake it into movie gold.  Why even try? Have the script writers become some bad and have they run out of any original ideas for action movies that they must now revert to remaking one of the worst action movies of all time? I'm in complete shock an awe that any studio executive would green light this remake.  Oh, and by the way, the remake looks terrible too.  If choosing to remake terrible movies is all the skill needed to be a studio executive in Hollywood then anyone could do that job.  Still fuming over this one; I hope it crashes and burns in the box office. 

Ventilation

I used to think that I just wanted enough money so that I could sit around and do nothing all day.  I have since realized that doing nothing is quite boring.  After a while I get super antsy and self-conscious about being so unproductive.  It's not so bad; I accomplish at least one productive thing a day (Exercise, cooking, running errands, cleaning, etc.), but I still don't have a summer job and it's getting to me.  I'm glad that I've matured to the point that I'm actually motivated and willing to work full-time, and it's pretty discouraging when I can't find a job that would best suit my talents and qualifications.  Hopefully a good job is on the horizon (interview yesterday and I have a "screening" tomorrow for a different job) because I'm getting sick of sitting around the house.  This seems like a good thing, the fact that I don't like stagnation that is.  Hopefully this means that I'll always be looking for the next challenge in life.  I like to think that's how I live my life, but in periods such as this one where I'm just sitting around the idea of striving for great things seems so distant.  On a positive note, since I'm not working I have plenty of time to watch UEFA and the NBA finals which is nice (And there I go, always putting a positive spin on things).  I just felt like letting you in for a second, and I hope that wasn't too much.  Everyone needs to vent every once in a while. 

Start Watching VEEP Now!

The HBO show VEEP had been recommended to me by a friend and commenter on this blog (thank you JS), and I'm happy to say that I finally got around to checking it out.  The show is hilarious and witty, while also trying to uphold a mild sense of an actual insiders view into the politics of DC.  Of course, I have no idea what it's like to work in politics, but I wouldn't be surprised if the show isn't that far off from how things actually go.  I think it's hilarious how whenever you see politicians on TV they always look squeaky clean, and they always have the exact right thing to say.  Come on, nobody is that smooth unless they already have their responses planned out ahead of time to previously approved questions.  In reality, we have to know that politicians are real people too who drink, curse, and do anything that people wouldn't consider "kosher" behind the scenes.  Honestly, politicians are probably some of the biggest a-holes out there, because let's be honest, a-holes get what they want.  I have a weird sense of humor, and I don't always agree with my peers humorous choices, but I cannot stop laughing when I watch this show.  I highly recommend it.  It's available on HBO on demand now.  If you, like me, are currently unemployed then you have no excuse not to watch the full season in the span of two days; something that I plan on doing.

Chronicle

I'm not usually a special effects guy, but the effects in Chronicle were excellent.  Just to give you a quick rundown, Chronicle is a movie that follows the adventures of three high school seniors who mysteriously stumble into telekinetic powers aka being able to move things with their minds.  Every little boys dream right? Lifting up skirts, messing with people, and oh yeah...how about flying? Sounds like a ton of fun until one person takes it a step too far and all hell breaks loose.  Honestly, the acting is mediocre and the plot is simple, but if you're looking for a short (1 hr. 18 mins) and fun thrill ride that makes you say I want to F-ing do that, then watch Chronicle.  Seriously great effects and cool stuff to see on screen.  Here's the trailer:

Mid-Year Resolutions

This past turn of the year I didn't establish ironclad New Year's resolutions mostly because they would have been very similar to my resolutions from the past two years: stay positive, get in great shape, be respectful to everyone. I couldn't think of anything new so I just kept things the same.  I've finally come up with some new, and pretty simple resolutions for the rest of the year.

Resolution 1: Stop cursing so much.  I've been cursing a lot lately, and I mean a lot.  I just get out of bed or open the car door and for no particular reason at all I just drop an f-bomb, almost because I can.  It's weird, because when I'm teaching I'm fine, but for some reason I've been cursing a lot in my home life.  It's just something that I'd like to change because it's not exactly classy and doesn't reflect well on an educator of young people.  Plus, as a writer and teacher of English I should have an advanced enough vocabulary that I don't have to resort to four letter profanities.  This one has been tougher than I imagined, but it's a work in progress.

Resolution 2: Remember people's named when they introduce themselves.  I am absolutely horrible at this, especially when I go into schools to sub.  So many nice people introduce themselves, and I always immediately forget their names.  One thing I want to start is repeating people's names after they tell them to me.  I think that way I may have an easier time remembering people's names because I'm terrible at this, and I feel even worse when they remember my name and I forget theirs.   Plus, this is super important in job interviews and in future professional settings, so I'll have to put some more effort into this one.

Resolution 3: Eye contact.  I find that I often don't use enough eye contact when I'm speaking to people and this can be construed as disrespectful.  I don't know what it is, but if I'm looking into someone's eyes for long enough I just find it gets awkward and I have to look away.  After a while I realize that I haven't re-established eye contact and then I feel like an idiot.  I think that I just need to get over my feeling that prolonged eye contact is awkward, especially in professional settings, because in this country it's actually considered respectful. 

It seems that all of my resolutions somewhat relate to being a professional.  Maybe that's what this is about.  Maybe I'm subconsciously paranoid about future interviews, and I want to make sure that I'm at the top of my game for the time that they come along.  Who knows, but in any case I think they're solid and achievable mid-year resolutions.  Only issue us that I only have half a year to achieve them, but no worries.  Well that was a change of pace from my usual reviews, thoughts?

The Ex-Boyfriend's Handbook

I recently finished a book by Matt Dunn titled  The Ex-Boyfriend's Handbook: Eddie will do whatever it takes to become her Mr. Right.  Kind of a long and obnoxious title, but it's an absolutely hilarious, insightful, and surprisingly real book. I picked this book up on a whim while I cruised through the library a couple of weeks ago.  I've been knocking out about two books a week lately to the point that my brain is pretty fried from reading.  I've taken a break these past couple of days, but I'm planning on returning to form today.  Anyway, as I perused through the fiction section this yellow book with an interesting title stuck out to me.  By reading this title you're probably thinking how sad it is that in my long slump of singleness I've consulted a self-help book for relationships, but I assure you that is not the case.  I picked up the book and flipped through the first couple of pages, and it hooked me right away.

The story takes places in Brighton, which to my knowledge is either a suburb or section of London, yes? Pause for internet research...Nope I was wrong, it's a small and cute-looking coastal town in East Sussex, Great Britain.  So the story begins with Edward arriving at home to realize that nearly all of his furniture and his live in girlfriend are gone.  To clarify any confusion, Edward's girlfriend Jane wrote him a note to assure him that he had not been robbed but that she left him.  Edward immediately confides in his good friend Dan, who helps Edward conclude that Jane likely left him due to  his weight gain, his lack of career advancement, and an overall lack of care for himself.  Basically over the ten year relationship Edward let himself go.  Once he realizes what he did wrong, Edward vows to make significant changes in his life in an attempt to win Jane back.

Phase one of Edward's plan is to get back in shape, so he hires an attractive female trainer named Sam who pushes him to his physical and mental limits.  Not only does Sam help Edward get into shape, but she also provides insight to help him better himself, in order to appear more attractive to Jane.  In addition to exercise Edward begins to make other changes with his wardrobe, appearance, and car, in an effort to completely bounce out of the stagnant life that he had fallen into.  As the story progresses as does Edward towards his final goal of completely changing his appearance and attitude towards life, and he begins to make strides in all phases of his life.  Not only is this book inspirational, relateable, and realistic, but it's extremely funny, and Matt Dunn does a great job of writing in characters that both compliment and challenge Edward.  I'd highly recommend this book to anyone who's looking for a change-of-pace read.  I was really blown away by how much I liked this book, especially since I just picked it up on a whim on day in the library.  This book may be hard to come by in the US, but I plan on purchasing a copy from Amazon.com sometime soon, and if you know me and want to borrow it I'd be happy to lend it out.  Here's a link to Matt Dunn's website which lists all of his works.  Enjoy:  http://www.mattdunn.co.uk/.

The Descendants

I'd wanted to see this movie for a while by the time I got around to watching it.  There were plenty of nights where I could have on-demanded the movie, but instead I settled for waiting patiently until it made its way up my Netflix Queue.  I must say, sad F-ing movie.  So sad to the point that I wondered why they even bothered making it.  Clooney's great, and I'll give my full attention to any movie with him in it, but this one was just so depressing.  Unless you legitimately enjoy super sad movies I wouldn't recommend this one.  Besides the sadness and the Cloonster there wasn't much else to take away.  One cool thing about the movie is that it gives you an alternative view of life in Hawaii.  The tragedy at least lets you see that horrible things can even happen in paradise.

Maybe this movie raises the bigger question of the overall point of sad movies.  Are they meant to make us appreciate what we have? Or are they meant to knock us out of our everyday stupor that is life to bring us back down to earth and realize our impending mortality and the fact that horrible things are happening in the world every day? I'd rather just remain in the stupor and think about happy stuff, but hey that's just me.  I'll deal with my own tragedies when they come my way, and I'll avoid the fictional ones at all costs.  In short, sad movies aren't for me.  Chime in, here's a trailer for the movie that I recommend you shouldn't go see.

Finished A song of Ice and Fire...Disappointed Much?

Please don't read into my title too much, and don't take it as sarcasm.  Last week I finished the Sci-Fi Fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire (Better known as the Game of Thrones books).  Each of these books is at least 900 pages, and I'm not a quick reader so it was quite a laborious task.  After finishing the marathon that was reading those books I sat dumbfounded and annoyed with the amount of cliffhangers and unanswered questions.

My biggest issue with the series is simply that the author, George R.R Martin introduces too many new characters and story lines in each new book to the point that it's nearly impossible to bring the story to the end.  Is that the point? That the Game of Thrones never ends? I guess that's a possibility, and a logical one at that.  As long as there's a throne it seems that different factions would be fighting for control over it, yet that doesn't solve my query of wanting answers.  Is it so much to ask that one character wins out and just destroys everyone else, while at the same time winning over the love of Westeros.  I mean come on, it was all perfectly set up for Danaerys to sail back with her dragons and kick ass.  But no, we just have to throw all of these curve balls, suitors, and would be kings into the mix.  I don't like it, not one bit.  Hopefully you can sense my anger and frustration through my passionless writing. 

Hugo: Big Disappoiontment

I recently ordered Hugo  on Netflix based on that critical acclaim and hype, yet the film fell far short of my expectations.  The setting and cinematography were well done, and the characters did a fine job at their roles, but the plot moved at too slow a pace for my liking.  At the thirty minute mark I wondered when something exciting would happen, at 45 minutes I decided I would turn off the movie if it didn't improve by the one hour mark, and at one hour I did just that.  The dry nature of the plot, and the lack of any action lost my interest from the start.  Some suspense hung in the air, and the movie seemed to edge closer to some complex connection between relative strangers; however, it was nothing so entertaining that kept me on the edge of my chair wanting to know how it would play out.  If you need movies to capture your interest quickly as I do then I would not recommend devoting two hours of your time to Hugo.  It feels like it's been a while since I wrote about a movie that I didn't like very much...it's about time I became more critical.  Here's a trailer; maybe you can see why I thought this movie might be decent.

Darkhorse Movie Alert: Anonymous

For anybody who is a fan of the great playwright William Shakespeare, or a fan of the Renaissance and Elizabethan culture and wouldn't be offended by the notion the Shakespeare didn't actually write his plays; I'm sure you would love the movie Anonymous.  This film tosses out the idea that William Shakespeare, who was supposedly the son of an illiterate peasant and was himself illiterate, did not write his plays, but was simply a cover for a nobleman who could not openly admit to being a playwright.  And no that is not a spoiler because the trailer and synopsis would have revealed such information.  I honestly was not very excited about this movie.  I had this feeling when I received it from Netflix like I didn't really want to watch it, and I almost send the movie back without watching it.  Over some free time today I decided to give the movie a chance and I do not regret it at all.

The scenery, costumes, and cinematography were all magnificent.  Everything looked authentic and artistic, so much more than I've seen in other Oscar-winning movies such as Shakespeare in Love.  I'm still in awe at the care taken to show the authenticity of the setting, and all of the actors played their parts in a most authentic manner.  I could not have been more pleased with this movie, as it set out what the plot intended and so much more.  If you enjoy artsy movies and time pieces this is definitely a movie for you.  The plot is excellent and throws you for a major loop that may make a prudish person gasp.  I'm struggling to come up with more words that will urge you to watch this movie, but trust me, if you like quality movies then you will love this movie.  Go see Anonymous, and you won't regret it.

Avengers Review

I saw The Avengers  on Thursday.  Honestly, I don't think it lived up to the hype.  I know it had the biggest opening weekend ever, but honestly I didn't think it was great.  And I promise, I'm not just saying this to uphold my prediction that this movie was going to blow; I thought it was good, not great. 

Let me begin by telling you everything that I liked.  Nearly all of the characters were awesome(except for Capt. America), and my favorite, the Hulk, was a major badass.  Scarlet Johansson looked hot as always, and Robert Downey was hilarious (I know I've said it before, but has there ever been a stronger comeback in the history of Hollywood?).  The action sequences were well done and somewhat suspenseful.  Loki, who plays the villain, also did a great job portraying the ultimate villain from another world.  I could have done without his horned helmet though; it was too much like Hellboy's horns. 

I'm drifting into my critiques, so here we go.  First of all, Captain America.  The Captain America movie sucked (Upsetting b/c my nickname in student teaching was Capt. America), and Chris Evans didn't do much better in the Avengers.  I don't even think it's his fault.  Compared to all of the other Avengers Captain America just comes up short, but he's an Avenger so they can't leave him out. 

I also wasn't really big on the alien army commanded by Loki.  They flew these giant, metal beasts that looked like a cross between a sea turtle and a moray eel.  Those were kind of weird, and then they never did any close-ups of the foot soldiers.  I for one was curious as to what they looked like beneath their masks.  Sure they put up a good fight and added to a sweet action sequence, but I would have been ok with some more back story on the aliens and some close ups. 

And then there was the attempt at developing Black Widow's character.  I didn't like how they started to reveal some things about her past and then just swooped away from it.  Black Widow and Night Hawk (I think that's Jeremy Renner's character's name) were the only two Avengers who didn't have their own movies, so naturally some more back story would have been nice, but with so many characters it seemed difficult for them to develop some of the minor Avengers.  That's one of the major drawbacks with having so many heroes in one movie, and I hope that Renner and Johansson's characters provide more details about their past in the sequel (Yes people, the sequel has already been green lit). 

Again, I'll admit that I may be somewhat biased because my prediction flopped, but I still affirm that the movie was good, not great.  The two people I know who saw it disagree and absolutely loved it, so I advise you to make your own judgement.  Go see this one in the theater; it's probably worth it if you like comic book movies.  Here's a trailer:

A Delicious Plethora of Summer Releases

Hopefully my title will keep you interested because I'm running on fumes, and as a result the writing is likely to suffer.  I didn't sleep well last night as a result of eating late, outside noise, and weird dreams.  I sleep with my window open now that it's not freezing outside to get rid of stale musty air; I can't stand the smell of stale air.  On top of a lackluster slumber I decided it would be a good idea to suit up and jump into practice with my high school laxers.  That's right friends, coach Yonni for those of you who didn't already know.  The season's just about over and I loved every minute of it; except for getting beamed in the shins with shots today.  That's certainly the one thing I don't miss about playing goalie in lacrosse.  I'm sad to see the season end, but so happy that I got to coach; it's been one of my dreams for a while now. 

Anyway, even in my semiconscious state I'm ecstatic about some of the movies that will come out this summer and fall.  The summer always provides a few great blockbusters i.e The Dark Knight Rises and The Amazing Spiderman.  Of course there's always The Avengers, which I was apparently dead wrong about.  Biggest opening weekend ever...nice miss there Yonni saying it would be a bust.  Still, I want to see it so I can make my own judgement.   That aside, I've provided a few trailers of movies that I think will rock your socks just as much as those loveable super heroes and comic book characters.

Argo, the third movie directed by Ben Affleck, details a government plot to rescue a small number of US Embassy workers during the Iran hostage crisis in the eighties.  The movie looks very well done, and features a cast with seasoned actors such as Ben Affleck, Alan Arkin, and John Goodman.  Let's be honest people, Ben Affleck's directed two movies and they both killed it.  You better believe I'm pumped for this movie, as I've been anxiously awaiting the next Affleck film since I saw The Town.

Critics have said  that Killer Joe may be Matthew McConaughey's best performance ever, and the film intrigues me.  I love how the trailer doesn't give away the full plot line of the movie, preparing any would be viewer for a film that is sure to have intense and unexpected plot twists.  The basic plot involves a young man played by Emile Hirsch who looks to hire a contract killer (McConaughey) to kill his mother so that he can collect insurance money.  As the plot grows it seems that the contract and the killer are far from what any of the involved individuals expected, leading to numerous unpleasant surprises.  The movie looks different and somewhat quirky, but I still think it's going to emerge as a dark horse treat for avid fans of the cinema.  Don't short change this film; I have a good feeling about it.  It reminds me of some of the earlier Tarantino films like Pulp Fiction.  And don't crucify me for making a Tarantino comparison, at least not until you see Killer Joe.

I could be literary and proper about the next movie, but that would be hiding my true feelings and emotions.  Gangster Squad looks fucking awesome.  Every few years a movie about organized crime comes out the captures even the interest of critics and the Academy because it's that good i.e American Gangster and L.A. Confidential.  I think this could be the next film to join the class of organized crime movies that are not simply shoot-em-up action movies but intricate and well made crime stories.  The cast is loaded with seasoned veterans of Hollywood like Sean Penn, Nick Nolte, and Josh Brolin while adding in some of Hollywood's great young talent in Ryan Gosling, Giovanni Ribisi, along with the beautiful Emma Stone.  The movie has all of the ingredients to kill, and I have no doubts that it will do just that.  Out of these three movies I think I'm most excited for Gangster Squad.  Expect to see plenty of advertisements for this movie, it's going to be huge. 

Girls

Some people have raved about the new HBO show, Girls, but I for one am not impressed.  I must confess that I continue to watch the show only because it intrigues me.  The show features a boring plot and underdeveloped characters who lead quite boring lives.  Everything that the characters go through is quite ordinary, and it's one of the few shows (and possibly the only) I have ever seen that features so many unattractive people.  I'm not one to talk, I mean I consider myself mildly good looking, but not having a female counterpart for nearly two years definitely takes away from my credibility as an attractive heterosexual male.  But honestly, watch the trailer I post and tell me that the lead character isn't quite unattractive.  Sure sure, true beauty is on the inside and I'm absolutely positive (well not really) that she's a lovely person, but since when has Hollywood thought that way?

What I'm trying to get at here is that although I'm not a huge fan of the show, I'm intrigued by the fact that this show is so much like real life that it's scary.  Ask yourself this:  Why do we watch fictional television shows, movies, and read fictional books? I think it's to see the possibility of our dreams coming true, or something absolutely amazing happening to just about anyone.  The problem is that 98% of the things that happen in movies don't happen in real life, and the things that do don't happen to ordinary looking people.  Take romantic comedies for instance.  I mean who really just wakes up one morning after having a platonic relationship with somebody for years and all of a sudden realizes they're in love? It just doesn't happen.  It's just a whole bunch of bullshit that keeps the dreamers dreaming, but at least it can be funny bullshit.

So back to Girls.  The main character, Hannah, is a college graduate who struggles to find a steady job, even entry level.  There are thousands is not millions of young people in the same boat these days, hence very realistic.  Besides her lack of good looks, Hannah is stuck in a purely sexual relationship with a guy who treats her like shit.  Hmmmm, girl who likes being treated like shit...sounds like a couple of females that I might know.  Hannah's roommate, Marnie (aka gorgeous) has a job, but is stuck in a relationship with her college boyfriend who she no longer has feelings for.  Who hasn't been in one of those relationships where you just drag it out because it's comfortable? There are plenty of married couples out there who have that same back story.  Oh please, don't make me spoil it...oh fuck it.  SPOILER ALERT:  So Hannah eventually contracts an STD, HPV, to be exact, after she has sex with only two people, and mind you it was protected sex with both.  Life is largely about luck, and often times bad things happen to good people.  Hannah took all the care in the world and she got screwed over with the STD.  WTF right?

Here's a pic of Allison Williams who plays Marnie. Hot right? That was rhetorical.

 

Although I don't find the show all that great, I must say that this show is the closest thing to actual reality TV that I can think of.  There's no scripted bullshit drama, just a storyline with real, ordinary-looking people, with real world problems.  For that reason it's really not all that entertaining, but it's still a television anomaly.   And then there's Shoshanna, the super jappy Long Island girl.  She's one of the most entertaining characters, for me at least.  Here's some media for you.  Chime in friends. 

Here's the whole cast.  From left to right and with their character's names: Marnie, Shoshanna, Hannah, and Jessa.  

 

And in usual Yonni fashion here's the trailer for your viewing pleasure.

A Clash of Kings

I finished reading book A Clash of Kings: Book Two of A Song of Ice and Fire, and like it's predecessor, A Game of Thrones, it didn't disappoint.  I'll attempt to complete this review with as little spoiling as possible for those of you who are still watching the series or haven't yet read the books.  The story did a nice job following the struggles of the main characters while adding in some new viewpoints such as that of Davos Seaworth, aka the Onion Knight and King Stannis' right hand.  The second installment introduces us to many new lords, ladies, knights and kings, all of whom fight for the iron throne (or support one of the sides fighting for it) and control over the seven kingdoms of Westeros.  There's plenty of action, love, betrayal, and cruelty throughout the story, and Martin provides many plot twists that would leave any seasoned reader very surprised.  Martin uses excellent wording and conventions to construct a piece that tells a story from a different time period.  I personally enjoy his frequent use of creative similes.  It's very difficult to write a review without giving too much away, but I'll say that Martin gives you the battle that many of you long for, and you may be surprised by the result (I know I was). 

No no no, it's not all good.  What kind of critic would I be if I just praised the shit out of this book? One that would hopefully have a nice payday coming from the publishers.  I personally do not like weak character development, and Martin falls into this pitfall quite often.  Many lords and ladies are introduced in important forums and then disappear for the rest of the book.  For instance, Walder Frey, Lord of the Twins, plays a crucial role in King Robb's war effort, and is then forgotten for the rest of the book.  Same goes for Lysa Arryn who I believe is only mentioned in Book Two, but never once makes an appearance (Lady Arryn played a significant and entertaining role on Book one).  The Vale, Lady Arryn's kingdom, supposedly has a strong number of knights that simply sit tight at the Eyrie, never joining the melee.  I attribute the loss of these characters to the vast number of characters introduced by Martin, and I just don't see the point of mentioning so many different people if Martin doesn't plan on developing their characters.  Keeping track of everyone can be a grueling feat in itself, and by not giving characters any significance, Martin simply fills pages with words (900-1000 pages per book so we know he's good at that). 

Martin's story mostly follows logic and is believable except for a few main mistakes.  SPOILER ALERT: I don't get Robb sending Theon to his father, Balon Greyjoy for his aid.  Nedd Stark, Robb's father, defeated Greyjoy in battle when he rebelled, killed two of  Balon's sons, and took the third hostage (Theon) to serve as his steward.  I don't see how Robb would think that Balon Greyjoy would ever have been his ally.  Plus, once home, why would Theon come back to Robb under his own free will to fight a north man's war? Doesn't make sense to me.  Another part that I disagreed with was Martin trying to sell the readers that Bran and Rickon were killed by Theon.  Their death was mentioned in a calm and anti-climactic fashion.  For Bran, one of the more intriguing characters, to die such an unceremonious death made no sense and didn't fool me. 

My other critiques are more minor, yet to me they make a difference in the quality of the story.  At times Martin places a great amount of detail into describing armor, scenery, and clothing, and it can be a bit much.  I think that it breaks up his rhythm when Martin goes on and on about how a character is dressing on his or her way to a significant conflict.  Who cares? Just get to the battle or argument to see what happens.  The story also features many instances of rape, some of which are described in a bit too much detail for my taste.  I understand that one of the horrors of war is usually rape and pillaging that hurts the civilians most of all, but must there be so much? Rape is horrible, and it grosses me out, and I could do with a bit less rape. 

Here's a trailer of the second season of HBO's Game of Thrones which closely mirrors the events of A Clash of Kings.  Enjoy.

New Spider Man

Usually I would think it pretty dumb for a movie trilogy to change the lead character, but when it comes to Spiderman I don't mind because I'm not a huge Tobey Maguire fan, and the last movie was so terrible that it's probably best to wipe the slate clean and start fresh.  Now, I'm not the biggest Andrew Garfield (The Social Network) fan, but I'm pretty sure he can do a better job than Tobey Maguire, and I love Emma Stone as MJ, so scratching Kirsten Dunst from that role is fine by me.  I still can't believe Emma Stone's a natural blonde-I prefer her with auburn or brown hair-but anyway, back to my thoughts on the new movie, The Amazing Spiderman.

The effects look great, as they should because it would be quite difficult to half a real person swinging between skyscrapers, and I like that the movie is taking the prequal angle of telling the story of Peter's parents.  In all of the other movies you never hear anything about Peter's parents; it simply jumps to the time when he lives with his aunt and uncle.  The plot angle for the movie is a great way for the producers and director to start from scratch and rebuild the Spiderman movies into something bigger and better.

On a more personal note, I always liked Spiderman.  I never read the comics, but he always seemed like a cool superhero, and the first two movies were solid, minus Tobey Maguire.  I'm not really sure why I like Spiderman-I mean he's certainly not my favorite comic book character-but who doesn't want to swing from tall buildings and have superior climbing and jumping ability.  Anyway, I'm glad to see the Spiderman movies get a facelift, especially after the abysmal third installment.  I should probably have some more technical analysis for you all, but I honestly just have a gut feeling that this movie will be solid.  Go see The Amazing Spiderman to rid yourself of the bad taste left by Spiderman 3.  

 

The Loved Ones

I don't usually like horror movies, but I just watched a trailer for a movie that looks excellent.  Most horror movies come up with some unbelievable plot and inhuman behaviors, coupled with superhuman strength and complete naivety.   The movies that I find scariest are the ones about true stories or stories that could be true.  For instance, Wolf Creek (2005) chronicles the story of a real-life Australian serial killer who lured families into his home by disabling their cars and then offering them help.  The killer would drug his or her victims with tainted water and would then slower torture and eventually kill the victims.  Worst part: the killer was never caught and it really happened. 

Another movie that scared me was the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974).  This country has plenty of backwoods towns and communities that are off the grid.  Who knows what could happen in such deprived and secluded areas when you throw disease, radiation, and possibly inbreeding into the mix.  I'm not sure if it's a true story, and honestly I'm a bit too tired to do my research right now, but even if Texas Chainsaw Massacre isn't a true story, it's certainly believable. 

And now the latest film that looks like it might actually scare me a bit: The Loved Ones (2012).  This film appears to follow a disturbed adolescent girl who wants nothing more than to take her crush to the end of the year dance.  When she is shot down by the boy, who already has another date (who appears to be his girlfriend), the disturbed girl enlists the help of her father for a night the boy will never forget.  The movie looks to involve plenty of torture with power tools. The cover shot shows the disturbed leading lady clutching a power drill, and I think it's safe to assume that she's not making repairs on her home.  

But this could never happen right? I mean what kind of person would actually kidnap and torture a crush just because he or she shot them down? It seems realistic enough to me, especially with all of these new cases of teen suicide.  Teens today have it pretty rough, and what's to say that someone couldn't be pushed to the point of kidnapping, assault, and torture.  If someone is prepared to take their own life, then they would most likely have no problem taking someone else's life.   Forgive my endorsement of this cliche, but "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned."  This movie looks scary and realistic enough for a horror movie.  I also detect British accents which add just a little more spice to this appealing film.  Leave comments with your thoughts after viewing the trailer below:

This is 40

This movie looks like the next best apatow-related comedy. I call all of those movies with Seth Rogen, Jason Segel, and Jonah Hill Apatow-related because even though Judd Apatow may not have directed or executive produced he seems to be the father of this new brand of stoner/slacker humor which I happen to love.  Anyway, this new move is a pseudo sequel to Knocked Up, but instead of following Seth Rogen and Katherine Heigl's relationship it focuses on the family of Paul Rudd, Leslie Mann, and the two Apatow daughters (dude casts his whole family in movies and they're still fucking awesome; nepotism at it's finest).  I prefer this dynamic as I love Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann, and I could do without Katherine Heigl.  I've got nothing against her personally. it's just that I don't think she's very funny, and for a comedy to kick ass you need funny actors. 

So this movie picks up a few years after Knocked Up left off. Debbie (Leslie Mann, and don't criticize. I only remembered the characters names now and I didn't feel like looking them up on imdb. I prefer to rely on my memory which has allowed me to confine plenty of useless information over the years including lots of information from movies) is going through an early mid-life crisis as she refuses to admit that she's 40 years old.  In response to her crisis, Debbie vows to make changes in her family members lives, specifically  her husband and her two daughters.  While Debbie strives to change her family for the better conflict arises and people start to rebel when their lives are suddenly being forcefully altered.  The pinnacle of the trailer, which I will soon post for your viewing pleasure, has to be the scene where Paul Rudd appears to be holding a mirror up to his butthole and asks his wife to come and help him out with something (Yes, I know, this movie sounds epic).

This is 40 will bring back characters from Knocked up such as Jason Segel and Tim Bagley, while also bringing in some new and hilarious talent in Melissa McCarthy (Bridesmaids).   Let's be honest people, it's an Apatow movie, and right now Apatow is the king of cinematic comedy.  Go and see this movie and you will likely not regret it.

Is it Time for me to Finally Surrender to the iphone?

I've reached that point that some fear and others relish: the contract for my cellphone is up, and I am now to decide what new piece of technology will carry me through the next two years of my life.  I'm struggling with this decision because as I'm excited to get rid of my Crapberry, I'm not sure if I want to up or downgrade.  Conventional wisdom tells me to downgrade because of my distaste for cellphones in general, but I must say that I have gotten quite used to having email on my mobile device.  Although I loathe people who spend their entire day/life on their cell phones listening to music, playing games, texting, and talking, for my general purposes in life it seems that a smart phone would make things easier. 

No big deal right? You get get smartphones cheap now, even free if you start a new plan.  Oh no friends, I will not be falling into that pitfall again of buying or taking some piece of crap phone.  If I upgrade I will be iphoning it with the best of them.  Not because I care to have all of the apps, games, and music a 16GB phone (yes I've though this through and 16 GB is plenty of memory for my needs), but because if I'm going to have a phone for it's ability to connect to the internet, I might as well buy the best phone out there.  And here come the nay sayers; you know, those people who try to say that Android phones are just as good as iphones.  Sorry people, but apple reigns superior in all things technology.

So right now you're probably thinking why I'm even debating this because I'm obviously set on buying an iphone.  If only it were that easy.  The Jew in me always thinks of the cost when it comes to these machines, and that extra thirty dollars a month for the 3GB of data is a tough thing to stomach.  Is email and internet on the go worth and extra 30 bucks a month, let alone the 60 bucks I'll already be spending for talk and text.  Throw in those taxes and fees and I'm easily looking at 100 bucks.  I just don't know if the unlimited access to email is really necessary.  I could certainly use some advice here so please let me know what you think.  Iphone vs. regular phone? And yes those are your only two choices.  If you say no cellphone, I praise you but it's not going to happen.  Just in case you needed some biased swaying on how awesome iphones are:

Too Cold For April

This weather is horrendous.  Days like this are when I wish that technology has advanced to the point where we can just stick a giant fan in the sky to part the clouds and bring about sunshine.  We got two inches of rain yesterday, and that was plenty.  I know this has been a light April, but I'm feeling selfish and I want the warmth.  Right now I'm wearing a fleece over under armor cold gear.  Sure I'm exaggerating, and my internal thermostat has made me very weak against cold weather, but I just want those sunny 75 degree days back.  That's my rant for the night.  Maybe I can review some media later tonight. 

Santigold

While listening to the radio tonight (And simultaneously cleaning my kitchen) I heard a song, and I immediately ran to my computer to look up the artist and song on the radio station's website.  The artist is named Santigold and she's pretty solid.  I'll attach a couple videos with her songs.  Give her a listen and leave any feedback you care to share.  L.E.S Artistes by Santigold:

Lights Out by Santigold:

Sometimes I Miss Snail Mail

No media review here, just a simple observation about a pop-culture phenomenon that I'm finding somewhat disturbing.  Let me preface this by saying that I value and applaud any attempt at saving paper or other non-renewable products that otherwise help the environment.  I myself recycle and I attempt to print and copy as few papers as possible, and when I do decide to print I at least make the attempt to print double-sided.  Although I try to "go-green" in every sense of the word I do feel that in some cases, and for some documents, it's ok to actually splurge and print the thing out, especially on nice paper. 

Where did this little blurb come from? For the past four months I've been anxiously awaiting my teacher's certification in the mail.  I earned the certification last December when I finished my student teaching, and I was told that I should get in in a month or two.  Little did I know at the time that the Pennsylvania Department of Education but in this new and incredibly inefficient system that delayed me receiving my certification for another two months.  Ok enough of that, so I've been anxiously awaiting a letter/package that says do not fold from the Pennsylvania Department of Education for about two and a half months now until yesterday when a friend of mine texts me to tell me that I have to print my certification of the Education Department's website.  Seriously, print it off? I spent two and a half years of my life and countless hours, not to mention the $100 certification fee, only to print the certification on plain white paper.  Uh-uh, that effort and payment at least deserves some type of fancy seal and some expensive, off-white paper.  What is this world coming to that significant documents such as teaching certifications (Which for all intensive purposes are licenses to teach) can be printed off department websites? I honestly feel like it's fake.  The paper is still sitting on my printer and it just doesn't feel legitimate.  This boring paper that I printed off the internet allows me to shape young minds in the great state of PA along with whatever other states accept PA certifications.  This process really takes away from all of the effort and money that I put into earning my certification.  What a sour end to a very labor-intensive process.

Side note/let's go back in time.  This same thing happened to me nearly three years ago when I received my graduate school acceptance letter in an email.  Same situation involving the anxious waiting, only to open my gmail one day and see a message from my graduate university titled Congratulations! Shocker...I got in.  I remember in high school when I awaited my acceptance letters for undergrad.  A regular envelope was always a bad sign while a large packet-which would likely contain the acceptance letter and all necessary orientation materials-was a much better sign.  Definitely not a fan of the email acceptance letter people.  Call me old school, but I still value snail mail for things like invitations, birthday/holiday cards, and major news such as acceptance letters.  I get that we're going green in many aspects of our lives, but sometimes when important documents are received electronically it just takes away from their intended effect and meaning.  I don't feel like checking for spelling and/or grammar errors because I'm tired, so forgive me because I'm sure this is still legible.  

A Few Recommendations

As my steady readership (I like to refer to you as the two and the proud) knows, I often give my suggestions for upcoming movies.  I don't often like to break from tradition, so here are a couple of movies that I may or may not endorse. 

Lockout starring Guy Pearce and Maggie Grace involves a futuristic space prison that is taken over by its prisoners precisely when the President's daughter visits for a goodwill mission.  As in all blockbuster action movies, the authorities can only send one man to solve this catastrophe, and in this case it happens to be a bad ass Guy Pearce.  On paper this movie looks pretty rediculous and awful, but as I continue to watch the trailer and clips I become more interested in seeing this movie.  Maggie Grace usually does a nice job (and she's not bad to look at), and I believe Guy Pearce to be one of Hollywood's more underrated actors.  If you're currently hungering for a shoot-em-up, action-packed movie (and if you have the $11 to spend on a movie ticket), this one should be right up your alley.  Here's the trailer for your viewing pleasure:

My next prediction may shock my avid readers.  Here it goes: I think The Avengers is going to be a huge let down.  Before you say I've gone nuts let's think about this.  This movie is packed with A-list actors (At least nine that I can think of), all of which demand considerable salaries.  On top of that, the studio can bank on the fact that each individual superhero has a pretty solid following, and all of those fans combined will likely flock to The Avengers.  My bold prediction is the now common Hollywood phenomenon of jam-packing a movie full of stars and skimping on the writing, directing, and effects.  I predict that this movie will have one major action sequence, and that the rest will be poorly written and drawn-out drudgery.  I pray that I'm wrong because I really like a lot of the actors and characters in this movie, but it's got bust written all over it.  Plus, it's the third different guy playing the Hulk, possibly my favorite comic book character.  Gotta have some stability there people.  Anyway, consider my advice to skip this one when it's in theaters.