Archive for September, 2004
The Girl Next Door (2004)
I was hoping for a teen angst movie about a changing world of sex and drinking, instead I got a confusing movie that was trying to be deep, and funny, and to have a believable plot. The movie starts out with Matt, the main character, falling in love with Elisha Cuthbert who just moved in next door. But then he finds out she used to be a pornstar,
starts to hate her, treats her badly and messes things up. It was a neat love story, she was upset because he looked at her differently, and that is what she wanted, but then it took a turn for the worse. All of a sudden Matt was caught up in the seedy underworld, owing producers big money, risking his great future, and jail, all for this girl.
There was so much focus on his being this bright kid with a future and it was moving towards the idea that he was reconsidering everything for this girl, but this movie had a long rambling stretch where it couldn’t figure out what type of movie it wanted to be, teen angst, or thriller. Overall, it wasn’t nearly as fun as it should have been for a Friday night popcorn fun show.
My wife can’t multi-task in the kitchen
She asked, "What do you want for dinner? Hot Dogs or Breakfast?"
Of course I answered "Breakfast!"
Well, during her crazy process (see below) of twirling and spinning she dropped the eggs all over the floor. "Those egg whites are the best to clean up, just second to dog vomit but more slippery" she said. Oh how very, very true.
To me, breakfast means pancakes. But to Sarah, it means there has to be a meat and eggs with it too. Plus, she won’t eat pancakes because they are too soft, so she needs to make waffles. So, there is all this food that is really better hot, and it sits on your plate, waiting to be eaten. It’s not breakfast for dinner, but rather "And they’re off" to see who can get the sickest first.
Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)
I was glad that I at least tried this movie, but it did make me contemplate whether the movies that I found so hilarious when I was in high school like Happy Gilmore and Tommy Boy were really that funny, or if they were a period in my life.
I hardly laughed at this movie, and this the fact that Woody Allen had something to do with it, maybe that is why the over the top crying scenes and long awkward silences in the audience were really painful. Either way, I still think Wil Ferrell can be funny, but has to still prove that his silly characters can carry a movie the way Adam Sandler, Chris Farley, or way back as far as Eddie Murphy SNL alums could on the big screen.
Looney Tunes Back in Action (2004)
As I have gotten older, I have developed a fondness for the old looney tunes cartoons. This movie, is nothing like that. But it is crazy to watch. With tributes to old movies, tongue in cheek humor and a seamless blend of live action, 3-d animation, and 2-d animation, this was a visually cool movie. It was kind of a fun one too. Looking for something fun to do and wanting Daffy to finally get a "starring" role in some sense, then watch this one.
Steve McNiven and Warren Ellis on Ultimate Universe
I read the other day that one of my new favorite artists, Steve McNiven, would be teaming up with a Warren Ellis and getting to play in the Marvel Ultimate Universe with a book entitled "Ultimate Nightmare".
(Steve McNiven started out about 4 years ago at the promising Crossgen Comics which recently has gone into bankruptcy.)
Also, I continue to look forward to November and the Mid Ohio-Con to see if I can get a sketch from Adam Hughes, famous cheesecake pinups cover artist of books like Wonder Woman and Tomb Raider. I am part of a yahoo group dedicated to him and it seems as if many others are unfortunately thinking the same thing. Last year was the first year that he was invited to be a part of that con, and it was the first one I had been to.
I think that my chances were better then, because there were less that knew about his attendance. I think that I will have to get up at just after 5 in Columbus to get into the line far enough to have a chance to get on his sketch list.
Indianapolis Fever Basketball Game
Sarah emailed me about 2:00 at work on Friday to see if I wanted to go to a Fever game with the Johnson’s from School. I like Paul and hanging out with their family in general, plus I thought it would be a cool new experience. Plus, they had free tickets which is always the big factor, so I figured why not?
It was so awesome to go inside of the Conseco field house, it was so huge in there. And although it was fun once, I probably would only go for free again.
The Fever played the Stars and even though their competition outplayed them and won, both of the teams looked like a high school basketball game with a bunch of really tall drunk girls. I was blown away by how bad they both were, so it’s no wonder the league is struggling.
But I imagine with a venue that isn’t being used during the summer months anyway, why not have something coming in until the Pacers start up their season again?
It’s been three years today that all of America’s world was turned upside down, and although I was naive at the time to think it wouldn’t affect me, it has shaped my life and opinions in ways I didn’t think possible. So, take a moment, and remember those that have fallen on our soil and "theirs" so we aren’t naive enough to think it won’t ever happen again, but that it won’t happen ever again in our generation.
Hero (2004)
The previews for this movie made it look vibrant, action packed, and based in reality, like a little more down to earth with some Matrix type feel to it. The last hour of the movie, I was just praying for the end. Even if I didn’t hate reading my movies, this would have still been about the silliest piece of crap I have ever seen. By the end I was just like, "What the Hell?" those goofy asians. That is about the extent of it, that’s all, that’s it. If you like flying people dressed in really dynamic flowing and colorful clothing saying silly things, then see this movie. Otherwise, there are many other movies already on video where Jet Li is looking stern faced and not saying very much.
