So Happy that Hank is Back

Californication is back for season 7, and I couldn't be happier about it.  Besides the chain smoking and binge drinking Hank Moody is my hero, and in my opinion one of the best characters in the history of television.  If you know me at all you know that Californication is one of if not my favorite TV show.  As a writer I can't help but connect with Hank, especially his struggles with staying true to his work in a society that makes it nearly impossible for a writer to succeed.  His character repeatedly tries to do the right thing and tell the truth and somehow it always seems to blow up in his face.  I don't know if this is the last season, I sure hope not because I love the show, but if it is I truly hope that Hank will finally get what he's been looking for throughout the first six seasons and will leave the TV screen as a happy an successful writers.  I know it probably won't happen because even Hank Moody wouldn't script a happy ending for himself.  I imagine that the end will seem sad but will have some kind of silver lining.  But I'm skipping ahead, because there's at least one more season of Hank in his glory before the end of this show, and I advise all of you to take in and enjoy Hank in all of his greatness.  The first season started with a bang (not literally, but it's Hank so you know it's coming), and a shocking revelation, but don't worry I'm not a spoiler (and I despise them). Here's the trailer, enjoy and watch the show!

So Excited that Game of Thrones is Back!

I watched the first episode of season 4 of Game of Thrones, and thuroughly enjoyed it. Sure it wasn't the most action packed episode in the history of the series, but it effectively introduced us to some new characters while also settling some scores.  I couldn't be happier that this show is back. Things are only going to get crazier, and I'm very excited to see how it unfolds on TV compared to the written version. If I have to be critical I'm a little bothered that they changed the actor for Darion Naharis. I know he's a minor character, but I enjoy consistency with actors in long series. For example, in Harry Potter the only character who thy changed was Dumbledore because the original actor died. I just thought with Naharis that it couldn't have been so hard to have the guy come by a few times to shoot his scenes. In any case, I really enjoyed the first episode, and I'm very excited for this season of Game of Thrones. 

300: Rise of an Empire

Last week I saw the much anticipated sequel to 300, 300 Rise on an Empire, and it didn't disappoint. This movie focused more on the intelligence of the Greeks, and how superior tactics and formations allowed them to overcome a far greater enemy. The Athenians provided the brain to the Spartans' brawn and together the two formed a nearly unstoppable fighting force.

The film featured some excellent battle scenes and a number of entertaining new characters.  Eva Green played an excellent villain, and Sullivan Stapelton came up big as the male lead. I'm a big fan of his from his role as Sgt. Damien Scott on the series Strike Back, and in 300 he showed versatility in playing an intelligent and calculating general. In strike back he's more if a go with the flow guy, not really a great tactician, mostly relying on luck and firepower to get him out of a sticky situation, and it was nice to see him succeed at a completely different role. 

This film had some great action sequences, and I recommend it to anyone who enjoyed its predecessor, but I wouldn't say that it surpassed the original. Still very good and enjoyable, but not better than the original; about the same is say. In any case, go see it.

"Girls" has Really Gone Downhill

I remember watching the first series of the HBO Original Series Girls and being absolutely amazed.  The first season did a great job chronicling the life and difficulties of an American college graduate in today's working world, and nearly everyone I knew really enjoyed the first season.  I recently started watching the second season, and it's like I'm watching a different show.  All of the witty greatness and real life application had been replaced by countless uncomfortable moments and episodes that left me wondering why I wasted 25 minutes of my life watching such a terrible show.  Lena Dunham received a ton of credit and notoriety after the success of the first season of Girls, and I wonder if it went to head and distracted her from putting out another good product.  That or she was a one hit wonder, but in any case the second season of Girls is horrendous.  I think it's in it's third season now, but honestly I don't care enough to investigate.  It's just disappointing to see a show with such potential nose dive.

The Skinny Jeans Takeover

Buying jeans in Israel is a challenge because unlike a lot of other guys out there, my legs aren't the size of twigs.  Thanks to my genetics, history of intense leg workouts, and love of biking I have quite large and muscular thighs which can't possible fit into skinny jeans.  No worries right? Wrong, because now every pair of jeans out there is either skinny or slim which put me shit out of luck when I need to buy a pair of pants. I'm just curious, how to bigger, muscular guys in this country (if there are any) function? Since when did it become cool to be a skinny mini when you're a guy? I just don't get it, what happened to being a man? Look, if you're a skinny dude due to your genes and you want to wear something form fitting, no worries bro rock on.  My problem is that a guy like me with larger thighs has little to no options these days, and I feel like it's fashionable to be super skinny.  How is this the image of what a man should look like (see below):

This is how a man should look (That's right, it's fucking Steve McQueen). Guys take notice, and stand up for your right to be a muscular man and not a skinny little bitch.

The Counselor=Horrendous

I watched a recent release called The Counselor yesterday, and it was terrible.  Just another example of Hollywood honchos loading a movie full of A-list celebrities and completely forgetting about things like a plot that makes sense, powerful scenes and at least some decent acting.  This movie's plot had so many holes and unfinished story lines that by the end of the movie I literally took nothing from it.  Nothing about this movie made sense, you never even saw the "bad guys" who everyone was so scared of, and Cameron Diaz has become a terrible actress.  I remember when she was one of the most highly paid Hollywood actresses and for a good reason.  It's sad to see someone whose career and acting ability have spiraled, but wow was she terrible in this movie.  I can't believe moviefone gave this movie three stars, I'll give it half a star for making it to theaters.  Don't waste your time seeing this horrible drudgery of a movie.  I'm only posting the trailer to further ingrain memories of this movie into your mind, so you won't watch it by mistake.

Must Read Rework

A couple of friends recently recommended the book Rework, and it's been an excellent read thus far.  Rework was written by a couple of guys who have been really successful in a small software company, and have achieved success by going against many of the common beliefs about achieving success in the business world.  Lots of extremely successful business people such as Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks endorse this book as a must read.  I'm personally not a huge fan of the guy when he's court-side, but he's a great businessman.  This book is excellent for anyone involved in business or who's looking to start a business, but it's also applicable to everyday life.  Even if you have no intentions of starting a business, much of the advice in this book can be applied to your personal or professional life to achieve the optimal level of efficiency and success.  I'll just give one example: In Rework, the authors oppose 100 task to-do-lists (TDLs as I like to call them)  but instead to only make lists with 5-10 things, and to tackle each list one at a time.  I employed this strategy over the past couple of days, putting the most high priority things first, and so far I've seen excellent results in my motivation and productivity.  Keep in mind, this is just one example of one piece of advice that was covered on a page and a half, and this is a book full of great pieces of advice.  This is a quick read with about as much useful knowledge as I've seen in a book.  You won't regret reading Rework, trust me.

Image courtesy of Google images

Another Pleasant Surprise at the Cinema

Why don't Americans call movie theaters cinemas? It's one word, concise, and universally recognizable, yet Americans have to do things differently, just like their refusal to adopt the metric system.  Anyway, I was at the cinema last night to see Robocop, and I must say that it exceeded my expectations.  I originally agreed to see this movie as a compromise with my girlfriend (She agreed to go see the second Hobbit movie if I would see Robocop).  Needless to say, my expectations were low, but this movie had a decent story line and some nice action sequences.  The actors played their roles very well, and what I liked most was the thought provoking nature of the movie on the issue of the use of robots and machines in our current military operations and in society as a whole.  Will this movie win an Academy Award? Of course not, but if you want some entertainment at the cinema, and you enjoy action movies that are more than just pretty girls and special effects, go see Robocop, and I think you'll enjoy it.

Wolf of Wall Street was a Big Disappointment

After all the hype that I heard from everyone about The Wolf of Wall Street,  I was quite disappointed.  This movie had no business being three hours long and there were a number of scenes that could have obviously been cut, and really played no part to the overall message of the film.  I'm very surprised because Martin Scorsese usually makes excellent movies, especially when teamed with Leonardo DiCaprio (Who did an excellent job in his role of Jordan Belfort).  Maybe all of the people who saw the movie before me were mesmerized by the beautiful blonde women and all of the naked bodies, which of course are nice, but overall the character development was lacking. I couldn't stand the second male lead's character played by Jonah Hill, and a number of other characters were introduced, some with promise, and some without, and their stories were never expanded.  I couldn't wait for this movie to end, and as a result I wouldn't recommend spending three hours of your time watching it.  I liked the grand message of the film (which I won't divulge publicly, but I'd be glad to discuss it privately; I hate spoilers), but the execution was poor.  I'm only putting up the trailer to see if I had taken a closer look, I would have understood that this movie would be bad before I went to see it.  

Saving Mr. Banks

I recently went to see Saving Mr. Banks at the cinema, and I absolutely loved it.  You'd be hard fought to find a better male and female lead (Tom Hanks and Emma Thompson respectively), and the story, cinematography, and writing were sensational.  Growing up, I must have watched the movie Mary Poppins over ten times, and seeing a film about the creation of Mary Poppins brought me back to my childhood, to relive all of the fantastic memories and great songs.  This film did one of my personally favorite things, in that it mixed a deeply emotional and at time serious story and female lead, with small bits of humor and excellent character's like Hanks' Disney who countered the seriousness of Thompson's Travers.  The director did an excellent job in setting the time period appropriate for the film, and the casting department truly put excellent actors into the appropriate roles.  This isn't a movie for someone looking for a quick laugh, or an action-packed blockbuster, but if you loved Mary Poppins, and if you have any appreciation for a well-made and entertaining move, then I'd find it hard to believe that you wouldn't enjoy Saving Mr. Banks.  

Really?

I'm shocked that this documentary is actually real.  Especially in this type of economy, some people may actual turn to dealing drugs to make a living, and these creators gave them a how-to guide in the form of a movie? I mean it's one thing to write a book about it, most people don't read for pleasure, but anyone will watch a movie.  Oh what wonderful things come out of the brains of some film makers.  Some of these guys must be really bored and/or really dumb.  Watch the trailer and make your own judgment about how positive a movie like this will be for society.  Entertaining for sure, but scary to think about the possibility of desperate people actually following through on these types of instructions.

Iron Man 3

Last week I finally saw Iron Man 3, and it didn't disappoint.  I expected another prime performance from Robert Downey Jr. and co., and they delivered.  The plot involved events from Tony Stark's past that come back to haunt him some 14 years later, and create havoc for the entire planet.  In the film Tony has to fight his past to preserve his future, while also fighting his own personal demons stemming from his time with the Avengers in New York.  This movie, above its two predecessors, truly allows the viewer to get inside the mind of Tony Stark and to understand that downside and the stress that come along with being a super hero.  Not only does the film feature a significant amount of conflict for the protagonist, but it also provides some excellent fight scenes and action sequences (Two things which so many of the newer action movies lack, probably in an attempt to save money).  It must be nice to have a huge budget for a movie like Iron Man 3, where the directors and producers can pull out all of the stops to provide the viewer with a true blockbuster.  If you're still not sold watch the trailer and decide for yourself if it's worth the price of admission (But trust me, it is).

Why do Great Actors Sometimes Make Terrible Movies?

The only reason that I've come up with is money.  I continue to see top tier actors who take roles that don't suit their talents, and star in movies that I know will be absolutely horrible.  Sometimes I compare this phenomenon to an elite athlete having a bad day, but the difference is that an actor has time to read and choose a script which is pre-screened by their agent and/or manager before choosing a project.  These actors also shouldn't have money issues unless they have a terrible spending, gambling, or money management problem, so again I'm baffled, but I'm also glad that I've gotten to the point where I can spot these cinematic disasters from a mile away.  I've just realized that I need to coin a term for these A-list blunders...Maybe that the actors A-lost their minds by signing on for these movies.  I don't know, I'll think on it.  Meanwhile here are a couple of movies to avoid because they will most likely be significant letdowns:

The Lone Ranger starring Johnny Depp

RIPD starring Ryan Reynolds and Jeff Bridges aka The Dude

A Few Promising Comedies

Let's start with the most mainstream of these comedies, The Internship, starring Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn.  These two will forever be enshrined into my personal comedic hall of fame for their epic performances in Wedding Crashers (2005).  These two displayed an onscreen chemistry that rivals most, and that chemistry resulted in one of the funniest movies to date.  In this new comedic combination the two actors find themselves out-of-work, middle-aged salesmen, whose long term experience in a recently liquidated company equates to little in the current technology-filled workplace.  The two take a risk and go out for an internship at one of the most well-known dot coms in history, Google.  From the beginning the two men are outcasts in a company full of teens and twenty year old prodigies, and it looks like plenty of laughs will result from such a scenario.  Check out the trailer and see if you're as excited as I am:

My next suggestion also looks hilarious, in an off-beat, dark humor type of way.  What originally caught my eye with this film is one of the main characters, David Cross, who in my mind stands as one of the funniest men in the television and movie industry.  The film begins with a would-be normal occurrence: a couples brunch.  This social gathering quickly turns into the perfect storm when one of the couples announces their impending divorce.  Following that cataclysmic news the group finds out that some chemical explosions in their town would kill them all within a few days, leading to complete pandemonium.  I'm usually not attracted to these kind of movies or this kind of humor, but I think this movie has a lot of promise, and I will likely watch it illegally on the internet being that my accessibility to movie theaters that show smaller independent movies is nearly non-existant in Israel.  Anyway, here's the trailer:

The Way Way Back like the previous two suggestions appears to be a winner.  Something about Steve Carrell as an asshole just makes me curious, as Carrell usually plays a funny and awkward character who is easily lovely because of his geeky awkwardness.  This film follows a teenaged boy whose divorced or widowed (not sure) mother starts to date Carrell, who immediately kills the little element of self-esteem that this teen has left.  The family goes to spend the summer with at some destination town where the teenaged boy, Duncan, yeah I should probably use his name, does all that he can to make his summer livable.  He finds work at a local waterpark where some of his male superiors give him advice and build up his confidence to eventually give him the courage to take on life and face his antagonist, his mother's boyfriend aka Steve Carrell.  I think it looks fun and cute, and I'll be willing to take a chance on it.  Comes from the same people who made Juno and Little Miss Sunshine, both winners in my book.

New Game of Thrones: Big Disappointment

Yes I know, my title says it all, but the new Game of Thrones  season has been disappointing to say the least.  Sure there are crazy shake ups and big things to come, but I still want some more action and adventure if I'm going to watch an hour long show.  Just some more sword battles or witty conversations, something to keep me interested.  Since I started watching this show I never once thought to tune out, until now.  If it doesn't start to pick up I'm not going to waste an hour of my time each week.  You hear that cast, crew, writers, and directors, get your shit together.  Here's a trailer anyway:

Another big disappointment for me was the movie Ted (2012) starring Mark Wahlberg and Mila Kunis.  I watched this movie far after it came out, but the large majority of people who saw it told me that it was one of the funniest movies they had ever seen.  It honestly did nothing for me.  The trailer definitely shows promise, but I really didn't find it funny at all.  If you haven't seen it yet don't waste your time, but watch the trailer to see if you agree with me that it at least looked promising.

Argo

Last night I went to see Argo with my cousin and one of her friends, and I was pleasantly surprised.  Well, not totally surprised because I've loved all of Ben Affelck's movies, but I must admit that I forgot about this one with all of the other blockbusters currently out there.  Affleck was able to capture so many horrifying scenarios in such a realistic manner that at times the film truly scared me; not an easy feat.  The film captured the horror of being trapped in a foreign land, and hiding out knowing that if caught you would likely be killed.  I always gibe credit to movies that can evoke strong emotions from the audience, and Argo easily scared me with the thought of being caught in a hostage situation in a foreign land.  Everything about this film was realistic from the language and appearance of the characters down to the setting such as the bazaar in downtown Tehran.  I highly recommend this movie, but be prepared because  a couple of the seasons are quite scary ( I don't want to give away more than that). Definitely go and see Argo.

 

Lindsey Stirling

I've neglected my media review blog for too long, so here it goes.  About a month ago I accidentally discovered an already well-known YouTube sensation named Lindsey Stirling through one of my Pandora stations.  Stirling truly introduced herself to the United States with her appearance on America's got Talent.  I hear she's also a YouTube sensation, only I'm not sure if that was before or after America's got Talent.  Anyway, Stirling has a very unique sound, combining the violin with hip-hop and dubstep beats while also incorporating an assortment of different dances.  I find it fascinating how one of her songs will start out sounding like a classical violin piece, and then all of a sudden a huge bass chimes in, and  the tune speeds up to something that you could dance to in a club.  I've always considered my music taste eclectic, and I'm often attracted to sounds that I've never heard before.  If you're looking for something new and fun definitely check out Lindsey Stirling on Youtube.  I really like the three songs Crystallize, Elements, and Shadows.  I've posted a video of Shadows below, enjoy.

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.