Sunny, But Still Cold

Dang it. What's sad is that even when we get into April and begin to get 60 to 70 degree weather on a daily basis, you can still bet that there will be a two to five day time span during which the temps will drop. However, I have a feeling the next temperature drop after this one will be the last major one until fall, at least I hope.

I would not gripe so much if it weren't for the fact that a lot of things I enjoy doing, like taking afternoon walks in the park, or going outside to enjoy a book, depend so greatly on warm weather. Not to mention girl watching in the case of the park. (You didn't really read that last line.)

Caught another good movie this weekend. Inside Man, the latest opus from sometimes controversial director Spike Lee is a very entertaining thriller/heist movie. While it is very much the most mainstream film Lee has ever made, his political and social motifs remain present, and in some rather clever ways. Perhaps the strongest element of the movie is the acting; but when your marquis boasts names like Denzel Washington, Clive Owen, Jodie Foster, Christopher Plummer, and Willem Dafoe all under one banner, it's kind of hard not to go wrong, unless maybe you're George Lucas (had to get the jab in, sorry to all Star Wars who continue to turn a blind eye to that fact). However, do not buy into most of the claims from the critics that this is one of the best thrillers in ages, which if you go to the following review database, seems quite relevant.http://http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/10005562-inside_man/ While I don't want to sound pompous, if anyone other than Spike Lee had made this movie with the same end product, critics would not be clamouring. Still, it is worth checking out for some quality suspense.

I hope to one day get a consistent movie review cycle started, with about one new review each week. However, it has not been until the past two weekends that any movies have been released worth paying the price to tolerate the modern theater experience.* I still think the best format for this blog is to not have one, like the Seinfeld TV show.







* Cell phones, kids in rated R movies, people who feel the need to ask questions to each other out loud, and oh yes, let's not forget the endless array of commercials that hit you before you even get to see previews!

The First Day of Spring....

....is cold, cloudy, and raining. Just last week we had it reach 80 degrees, now we are back in our winter "must get warm" mindset. I need to move to Florida, where while it might occassionally get cold, you can at least know what it will be like for most of the year.

In short, the weather around here sucks, just wanted to get it off my chest!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

NOTE: The following is meant to be read with a fake Irish accent.

Top o the Mornin and all that other stereotypical Irish slang! Today be the day that we set aside for the purpose of drinking, feasting, and acting a general fool. I shall do likewise once I get me humble self to Nashville.

Back to normal mode.

A very well done movie has opened today, and last night I was able to catch one of those advance sneak previews that they do for the geek crowd whenever a comic book inspired movie opens. I speak of V For Vendetta , the latest effort from The Wachowski Brothers, who astounded auidences in 1999 with The Matrix and then not so much four years later with the sequels. While the Wachowskis did not direct this one as they did with their previous outings, they did wrtie and produce and their prints are all over the finished product. While the original comic series' creator Alan Moore has publicly disowned all Hollywood efforts (past, present, and future) at adapting his work, I can say as someone who read it that this one does justice to source. A matter of fact, I would venture to say it improves on it in some regards and makes the story more palatable to unfamiliar audiences, moreso than one would think possible with a largely underground/cult publication such as the comic in question.

Let me start by stating that the previews for this movie are doing it a great injustice by making it look like another mindless action movie, which is most definitely not the case. Granted, what action exists is impressive, but the focal point is the distopian society in which the film's characters exist. The not too distant future finds America as the world's largest leper colony and England a fascist state, very much in the vein of Orwell's 1984. While the movie does tend to go in too many different directions at times, it keeps the main theme intact throughout, being whether or not people should blindly follow a government that might only be taking certain actions and implementing questionable programs to serve its own purpose. One must admit, while this theme has been around for a while, releasing a movie with it in our current time period is a very brave maneuver, now more than ever.

The main character of V, played with much gusto by Hugo Weaving (Agent Smith of The Matrix Trilogy, ) is a hero with an interesting angle, and its not just the mask and outfit he always wears; he's a terrrorist. However, his motivations are clearly explained and he eventually proves a rather likeable character, not to mention tragic as well. The best way to describe him is a mixture of Batman and The Phantom of the Opera. In fact, I would say this movie borrows more from the classic Phantom tales almost as much as it does from Orwell. In short, go see this movie if you want something to really stimulate your brain and entertain you as well. Granted, there is some blood, but nothing too extreme for a major movie fan.

More later, now time to travel.

Laughter is the Best Medicine

...or so I have heard. I am trying to remedy my cold by watching as many comedies as I can today. I started with When Harry Met Sally, which was something that I have managed to go my whole life without seeing all the way through until today. Interesting that with all of the interest I have in movies I never bothered with that one, but then again Romantic Comedy is not a genre of which I am fond. It came out back in the Summer of 1989 and that was a time when I was too busy watching movies like Batman. Then again, it was rated R and I was only twelve at the time, so that was my excuse for missing it. Avoiding it all this time was more or less due to negligence on my part.


I am following it up with the Mel Brooks classic Blazing Saddles; it is the definitive Western parody, moreso than one might think. Hopefully this cold will lift and I might post something more philosophical someday, like the mystery as to why American beer gets skunky when you let it get warm, but most Imported beer stays tasty. Hey, guys think this stuff is important!

Spring is in the Air....Unfortunately

Anybody who lives in the SouthEastern United States can tell you that if you don't like the weather, just stick around, it will change. Nowhere is that more true than here in Knoxville, where it is currently around 70 degrees Fahrenheit and climbing. This would not be a problem if it weren't for the fact that in about two days a major storm is supposed to hit and bring with it a cold snap. All of the young boys and girls who have most likely yanked their shorts and T-shirts out of the closet this weekend will be forced to put their coats and jackets back on for one more snap, or maybe two or three. Any college student who does not possess a car and must rely on the parents for seasonal clothing and might send their winter clothing home will soon be requesting that they make another trek to return said items. But other problems exist within these inconsistencies of weather, namely the havoc it wreaks on the sinus system.


Yesterday afternoon I awoke with a rather foul taste in my mouth and a congested feeling in the chest area. I had not been up five minutes before I had the need to cough up some rather nasty material of an icky nature(I think the scientific term is mucous, but I like "icky stuff" better) . Anyhoo, after such an incident I took the next logical step of consuming about two glasses of Orange Juice followed by a visit to the drug store to pick up a variety of touted suppressants. I arrive at the area where I normally pick up my proven remedies of Sudafed and Mucinex to discover that most of the area has been picked clean. Hmmm...there might be a chance more than I have been affected by this sudden change in climate. Anyhoo, I manage to find my "medicine" and get carded at the door when I make my purchase. I wonder why, then I remember that in Tennessee, even during allergy and sinus season, you never know when the individual purchasing their remedies might just flip out and start using it to make Crystal Meth. I show my ID, swipe the card, and am on my merry way to work, where I will spend most of the day feeling light headed as a side effect of my remedies and maybe once or twice think I'm flying. I might not be as effective as usual, but I guess it's better than having my co-workers look on as I hack up who knows what and they wait for my head to spin around and hear me speaking in tongues.


Today I feel a bit better, but have little to no appetite and am in the state of not knowing whether or not my sinus problems were a short occurance or if they are just starting. Eventually the weather will settle and so will my sinuses, but until then I will spend a lot of time wondering why I do not move to a warmer climate where everything will magically be resolved, like Florida. Then I will reside myself to the fact that some inconsistent weather and sinus spells are much better than spells of tropical storms that wipe out all you have ever worked for on an almost annual basis.

Premiere Post

Well, this is my first post in this type of realm. More or less just a test of the waters to before I jump in head first. I like movies. This is something that you will learn quick about me once I finally get this thing moving. Out of the three major movies getting released this weekend, two are re-makes, one featuring Tim Allen turning into a dog via the magic of computer animation! Nice to know that Hollywood is putting its technology to such great use, not to mention its current thirst for originality.