Monday, May 25, 2009

Because Explosions Are Awesome: Summer Movie Round-Up...So Far

So it's been a while and for that I apologize. I have been wasting a lot of time since graduation, sitting on my couch, playing video games, and watching ESPN. I have tried to find some kind of summer employment but that has proved fruitless and it's kind of pissing me off. But that's not what I'm here to talk about. No, in between all the sitting around I have found time to visit the movie theater and, I must say, I've yet to be disappointed.

Let me backtrack a minute here and say that I LOVE movies. I'll give just about anything a chance. As much as I love Casablanca, every time I hear John McClane say "Yippee ki yay, motherfucker." I get a chill down my spine. When the summer comes around, I'm not looking for classic cinema, I just want to see explosions. So let's take it from the top...

X Men Origins: Wolverine was pretty good. The storyline was ok, the acting was good (Liev Schreiber as Sabertooth was a great casting choice, but I'm baffled as to why they even paid Ryan Reynolds to be in the movie because he has such a small part), and the effects were standard. Definitely a good lead in to the summer blockbuster season, as I knew what to expect going in. After all, I did see the trailer where he jumps onto the helicopter.

My next stop brought me to Terminator Salvation. Now this was more like it. Everyone has got to catch this on the big screen, if just to hear it. I know that sounds odd, but this is definitely the kind of movie that needs to bee heard as much as seen in a theater (there is probably an Oscar on the horizon). I have always liked the Terminator series (save for Rise of the Machines, which was just a joke, although likable for its unintentional hilarity) and this was no different. The script was a good continuation of the storyline and was well-written enough to keep the audience interested between explosions, which is really all you can ask for when it comes to stuff like this.

Finally, there was Star Trek. This was one of my most anticipated movies of the summer and it absolutely delivered. I geek out about a lot of stuff, but I'm definitely not a Trekkie. It just never grabbed my attention, which might have something to do with this, but who knows. Either way, this is a movie for long-time Stark Trek fans and for people that do not know anything about the series or characters. The action sequences were great, the acting well done, and the story excellent. As a non-Trek fan I wholeheartedly approve and will say that this is absolutely in the running for movie of the summer.

The trailers attached to these have also been quite good: Inglorious Basterds, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, and, probably the one I'm most excited for, Sherlock mother-f'in Holmes with Iron Man himself Robert Downey, Jr. in the title role and Rachel McAdams in a really sexy corset. On the horizon there's also Harry Potter 6, and Public Enemies. This probably means I'm going to spend all my graduation money on movie tickets, but whatever, because, at the end of the day, explosions are awesome.

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

This is so sweet...

So I was watching the Yankees lose to the Red Sox yesterday (which sucked) and I came across this commercial. Now, I'm often astounded by the stupidity of the ads that appear on TV, but this was totally awesome. Not only is it cool-looking but they used an awesome song from a band that I have recently grown fond of, Matt & Kim. You should probably watch it.

Did you miss me?

The end of the semester kept me so busy I could barely think. Bah!! Thankfully I'm done now, though. I spent very little time focusing on stuff other than schoolwork but a few things did pique my interest.

I have loads of thoughts on this topic, but I'll spare you the details. To say the absolute least, I'm super excited about Obama's movement towards building a national high-speed passenger rail system. Listen to him talk about it here. This is going to be a great way to create skilled and unskilled jobs and could be the springboard for a great leap forward for domestic tourism possibilities, both of which are excellent stimuli for the economy. If you don't know what I'm talking about, dig it:



It's gonna be awesome!

Second, I have been listening to a TON of the Avett Brothers lately. Just listen to "Colorshow" and tell me it's not beautiful music. I dare you! They're playing at my favorite venue in NYC (Irving Plaza) in June and I want to go really, really badly. Yes, the South has totally rubbed off on me...

Lastly, I have really rediscovered my passion for a great movie lately. It had been a while since I watched any movie and just in the past few weeks I have watched some really good shit. It started when I was gearing up for my wine project and I watched Sideways. I had forgotten how much I really liked that film Then, I rewatched American Beauty. The first time I saw this it struck me so powerfully that I went out and bought it. I hadn't seen it since. I can understand why (because it's really, really, really messed up!), but I also wonder why not because it's such a great film in every aspect. However, this does not take the cake in my recent viewings.

After neglecting my Netflix for about two weeks while I was doing schoolwork I finally sat down and watched Chinatown. All I can say is: wow! That is one of the greatest scripts ever. Period. My mind was officially blown.*

So yea, that's basically what I've had on my mind lately, although thoughts of graduation and leaving Columbia have started to take over the last few days.

*Side note: I saw X-Men Origins: Wolverine today and it got me so amped for blockbuster season, because I also love to watch movies where shit just blows up.