Hobo Dan: So where the hell have we been? It’s been a busy fall, let me tell you. We organized a 5K run, attended some sort of gathering every weekend starting in mid-October, both have been sick (the Wife twice!), field dressed a cat, had another car problem (on the first day at my new job!), got a PS3, learned that my suit jacket (which I’ve had for two years) has real pockets and that they just sew them shut for packaging, avoided mowing the lawn one last time, fought with the Wife about jack-o-lanterns, fought with the Wife about everything else, apologized to the Wife about being wrong in all the fights, threw caution to the wind, had caution blown back in my face, ate a lot of holiday food and (if you can believe it) completely forgot/was too lazy to even think about blogging over the last few weeks. Our sincerest apologies.
The Wife: Again, sorry for the lack of posts as of late. Like many of you the holidays are an extremely busy time for us. Pesky sinus infections don't help with blogging either! First off, we've failed to review two awesome movies that we've seen this month. Sadly, our collective favorite movie of 2011 will not receive it's own separate review due to time constraints. But, we will discuss it briefly! I know, I know, you are BURSTING with anticipation!
The new Muppet movie, The Muppets, is without a doubt the BEST movie of the year! We saw this when I was feeling under the weather, but at the same time had cabin fever and desperately needed out of the house! Well, this film proved to be excellent medicine! It perked both of our spirits right up. Growing up always loving the Muppets, made the nostalgia of the movie particularly great. It even brought a few tears to my eyes when they sang the infamous "Rainbow Connection." So if you haven't yet done so, plan to see The Muppets! It delivers laughs and is just plain fun — something we all need every now and then! We also saw Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, and it too, did not disappoint. It was much like the first film, clever, witty and action packed. If you can't make it to the theatre to catch this flick, give it a view when it comes out on Blu-ray and DVD in a few months.
Hobo Dan: I was not kidding when I proclaimed on the Facebook that The Muppets is my favorite movie of 2011. There is nothing to dislike about this film. If you don’t like it, you have no soul. After a year of being beaten to a pulp by the economy and society and idiocy and reboots and sequels and everything else, The Muppets truly energized me and made me feel good, young and happy; even if for only a short time.
The Wife: We suppose we should discuss our Christmas celebrations too. As usual our holiday was great, despite the aforementioned pesky sinus infection. We both got a lot of great gifts, had fantastic food, including quite possibly the BEST turkey ever that WE cooked for Christmas Day dinner, and of course, enjoyed new and old traditions with family and friends. Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or Festivus, we hope your holidays were a blast!
So now for the burning question...how was our 2011? Well it's been quite an interesting year filled with new events and exciting change. For a year that started rather rough, it has ended quite well for both of us. The beginning of 2011 was filled with too much snow (funny now that we are complaining about the lack of snow where we live...grass is always greener right?). The winter months also brought the start of our Best Picture Project. Yes, we know it's been quite awhile since we last did a BPP review, but don't fret, more will be coming your way in 2012! In March we had quite a bit of fun on St. Patrick's Day! Gimme Da Gold! Then spring time brought about Easter and of course, my (the wife) birthday celebrations! Yes, celebrations, plural. Didn't you hear? My birthday is basically a month long holiday. FACT. Thanks to Charlie Sheen's insanity of the year, the slogan of this year's birthday bash was "Winning" as the tiger blood runs deep within my veins! On the day of my party, we also ran a 5K together and I took home a first place win! With my win, I got a $50 gift card to Dicks...so can we say...wait for it...wait for it...WINNING!
The spring also brought a personal accomplishment for me as I finally scratched "run a half marathon" off my bucket list. I successfully completed the Flying Pig Half Marathon in Cincinnati, Ohio. It was a challenge, but a great experience. It provided me with a sense of accomplishment in regards to my running that I had not had since college. To read all about my experience, check out my half marathon post! While the spring did bring many positive moments, it also began the start of some very challenging months, which continued into the summer. The stressful time and late nights of work often put a strain on our sanity. To help ease the stress, we relaxed by seeing multiple movies over the summer. We also met one of my goals of 2011, a goal that I never really thought would come true! Yes, we visited The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios Islands of Adventure in Orlando, Florida. Click here for a full recap of our magical experience. It was fitting that we got to visit the Wizarding World this year, as it was basically the summer of Harry Potter! While the books are my favorite, the Harry Potter film series will always hold a special place in my heart! Luckily I now own all of the films on Blu-ray, but it isn't the same knowing I won't get to anticipate a new movie anymore...that is until the emo reboot in twenty years. We also visited Walt Disney World, my favorite place on earth! Here you can find all of our mini summer vacation blogs. We can't forget that we also celebrated SHARK WEEK over the summer as well...you know otherwise known as the greatest week in television.
The end of summer and beginning of fall started to bring many good things to the DUMP family. I accepted a new job, which I love, and the husband accepted a promotion about a month later! Now that we are adjusting to our new positions, we hopefully will get back into a regular blogging rhythm for 2012!
So that brings us here. Despite the challenges, I think 2011 proved to be quite a great year. We hope to make 2012 even better! As we mentioned previously, we saw several movies this year...some good and some bad. Below we will each rank our top five movies of 2011. If you would like to further discuss our choices or tell us yours, please comment!
The Wife:
1. The Muppets
2. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II
3. Captain America
4. The Hangover Part II
5. X-Men: First Class
Hobo Dan:
1. The Muppets
2. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II
3. Thor
4. Captain America
5. Sherlock Holmes
We wish you all a very happy, healthy and safe new year! Be sure to look for our first Movie Monday post of 2012, set to publish Jan. 2. We will be sharing our thoughts on the recently released The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.
Hobo Dan: And finally, because I know you all have been waiting patiently, the most viewed Dump the blog post of 2011 was... Statesticles with a huge 466 hits!
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Monday, December 5, 2011
Top Ten Christmas Movies
The Wife: Well here we are once again...It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year! Merry Christmas everyone! Sorry for our lack of Monday posts and movie reviews, it has been quite a busy fall for us! To make up for that we have an early holiday gift for you, our Top Ten Christmas Movies! These are the films we like to watch over and over and over and OVER again every holiday season!
Please note that all of these movies are so close, and with the exception of numbers one through three, it was very hard to rank them! So let's get started, shall we?
10. Die Hard — YES THIS DOES SO COUNT! Die Hard is a movie set at Christmas that brings the awesomeness of Bruce Willis and Carl Winslow...as a COP, of course! This film also has a young Snape in it. Basically Bruce Willis saves Christmas just like Rocky defeated communism. Win!
9. How the Grinch Stole Christmas (cartoon) — You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch! This flick doesn't need an explanation. I have watched this every Christmas since I was a tot!
8. The Santa Clause 2 — Not as good as the original, but still cute and funny. It just "feels" like Christmas in this movie and Tim Allen once again shines as Santa. This film paints a perfect picture of how I always dreamed the North Pole would look like as kid.
7. Jingle All the Way — I seriously LOVE this movie. I don't get the hate it tends to receive. I think Sinbad is hilarious in it and I love how it realistically portrays the crazy greed that the holiday season brings. Not to mention this movie is so unintentionally funny, and that makes it even more awesome! You would think that they would have given Arnold's kid in the movie a name that he could pronounce. Instead they named the kid Jamie, which sounds like "Chamie" in Arnold speak. "Chamie, get ya muddah on da phone please!" I would say that the little boy who plays Jamie is the only annoying aspect of this movie. George Lucas, did you not bother to watch this movie before casting this kid as a young Anakin Skywalker?
6. The Santa Clause — I wish I could put this movie higher on the list because I love it so much, but alas, I can't have a tie. As I mentioned earlier, Tim Allen is awesome in The Santa Clause movies. I credit this film for making me spell "Santa Claus" wrong for SEVERAL years. It also taught me that hot cocoa tastes best when "shaken, not stirred." The Santa Clause is simply wonderful. It's kid friendly, but has jokes that adults can enjoy too. As a child I was fiercely defensive when it came to the question of Santa's existence, so much so that I would argue with kids at school about it. I WANTED to believe and wasn't ready to let the magic of Christmas go. That's why I love this movie; it shows you that you can "believe" in Santa at any age. "Seeing isn't believing, believing is seeing."
5. Home Alone 2: Lost in New York — I absolutely LOVE this movie! When I was younger I preferred this over the original, however, due to nostalgia and my "older" taste, the first Home Alone is now my favorite. However, this movie is almost just as good. I credit Home Alone 2 for beginning my obsession with New York City. I still have yet to experience NYC at Christmas time, but it is on my list of things to do. Sure, people gripe that it's a carbon copy of the original movie mixed with more harmful traps, but I say why ruin a good thing? Home Alone 2 delivers just as many laughs and of course, gives you that warm and fuzzy Christmas feeling.
4. Elf — How can you not LOVE this movie? I could watch Elf year round! I love Will Ferrell and I love Christmas, so this is the perfect combination! Along with my sister-in-law, I can pretty much quote this movie word for word. Elf is a hilarious, fun Christmas movie. In fact, it has become our traditional movie of choice when we celebrate Christmas with the husband's dad and stepmom. "The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear!"
3. Home Alone — Another favorite and probably one of my most constantly watched movies during the Christmas season. I LOVE Home Alone! This movie never gets old and I still laugh now just as much as I did when I first watched this at age five. I come from a rather large extended family, so it always reminds me of that. It also feels "Christmasy," so that's another reason why it's so good. When I watch Home Alone I find it necessary to have "a lovely cheese pizza just for me." I also always question if Kevin ever ate that awesome looking macaroni and cheese after his defeat of the wet bandits. Watching in 2011, I love noticing how dated this movie is and I love knowing that it couldn't be duplicated in the technology-savvy world we live in now. Home Alone simply makes me happy and it's not Christmas until I've watched this over and over, yes, and OVER again!
2. A Christmas Story — Many of you might be shocked that this isn't number one, but believe me it comes in at a very CLOSE SECOND to the number one Christmas movie. Again, I LOVE THIS MOVIE! A Christmas Story is just one of those classics that never gets old. It has so many great scenes and it's not Christmas until I watch this. While I own this movie, I still make sure I tune my television to 24 Hours of A Christmas Story starting on Christmas Eve evening. The dad is probably my favorite character. "Fra-gi-layyyy, must be Italian!" So many other great quotes come from this film as well. I love little brother Randy, especially when he is dressed in his snowsuit and "can't put his arms down!" Ralphie and his quest to get his perfect Christmas present, a Red Ryder carbine action two-hundred shot range model air riffle, is classic! It reminds us of when we were little and desperately wanted our perfect Christmas present. The Christmas dinner at the Chinese restaurant is, of course, one of the best scenes. So politically incorrect, but hey, that makes it all the more funny. "Ra Ra Ra Ra!" I want a leg lamp...it's a major award!
1. Christmas Vacation — If you know me or my family at all this shouldn't come as a surprise! Christmas Vacation is my absolute favorite Christmas movie of all time! It's hilarious and every year it just gets better and better! I always feel like I notice something new and funny with each viewing. Much like the jelly of the month club, my family quotes this movie all year because it is the gift that keeps on giving the whole year! Our quote fest really heats up on Thanksgiving! Clark Griswold's quest to have the perfect fun-old-fashioned-family-Christmas and all the obstacles it takes to achieve this equals awesome comedy. Cousin Eddie is at his best in this movie as well! To keep the blog clean, I won't do Eddie's famous quote from Christmas Vacation, but I am sure all you Christmas Vacation fans know it by heart! Clark's angry rants are another great aspect of this film. I should also mention that I love Rusty's facial expressions throughout this entire movie (by the way Big Bang Theory fans, Rusty is a young Leonard!). Aunt Bethany and Uncle Lewis are great too as are all the grandparents! Christmas Vacation gives me that holiday feel with laughter and, like many other movies on this list, it wouldn't be the holiday season without watching it several times. "And WHY is the carpet all wet, Todd?!" "I DON'T KNOW, MARGO!"
Before this post is wrapped like a perfect Christmas present, here are some honorable mentions: The Polar Express, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, A Muppet Christmas Carol, It's A Wonderful Life, Miracle on 34th Street, Holiday in Handcuffs (yes, I know this is an ABC Family Original...but it's really cute), The Preacher's Wife and Merry Christmas Charlie Brown.
There are several other Christmas movies that I love, but it could take forever to mention them! Let us know your favorite Christmas movies! Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Please note that all of these movies are so close, and with the exception of numbers one through three, it was very hard to rank them! So let's get started, shall we?
10. Die Hard — YES THIS DOES SO COUNT! Die Hard is a movie set at Christmas that brings the awesomeness of Bruce Willis and Carl Winslow...as a COP, of course! This film also has a young Snape in it. Basically Bruce Willis saves Christmas just like Rocky defeated communism. Win!
9. How the Grinch Stole Christmas (cartoon) — You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch! This flick doesn't need an explanation. I have watched this every Christmas since I was a tot!
8. The Santa Clause 2 — Not as good as the original, but still cute and funny. It just "feels" like Christmas in this movie and Tim Allen once again shines as Santa. This film paints a perfect picture of how I always dreamed the North Pole would look like as kid.
7. Jingle All the Way — I seriously LOVE this movie. I don't get the hate it tends to receive. I think Sinbad is hilarious in it and I love how it realistically portrays the crazy greed that the holiday season brings. Not to mention this movie is so unintentionally funny, and that makes it even more awesome! You would think that they would have given Arnold's kid in the movie a name that he could pronounce. Instead they named the kid Jamie, which sounds like "Chamie" in Arnold speak. "Chamie, get ya muddah on da phone please!" I would say that the little boy who plays Jamie is the only annoying aspect of this movie. George Lucas, did you not bother to watch this movie before casting this kid as a young Anakin Skywalker?
6. The Santa Clause — I wish I could put this movie higher on the list because I love it so much, but alas, I can't have a tie. As I mentioned earlier, Tim Allen is awesome in The Santa Clause movies. I credit this film for making me spell "Santa Claus" wrong for SEVERAL years. It also taught me that hot cocoa tastes best when "shaken, not stirred." The Santa Clause is simply wonderful. It's kid friendly, but has jokes that adults can enjoy too. As a child I was fiercely defensive when it came to the question of Santa's existence, so much so that I would argue with kids at school about it. I WANTED to believe and wasn't ready to let the magic of Christmas go. That's why I love this movie; it shows you that you can "believe" in Santa at any age. "Seeing isn't believing, believing is seeing."
5. Home Alone 2: Lost in New York — I absolutely LOVE this movie! When I was younger I preferred this over the original, however, due to nostalgia and my "older" taste, the first Home Alone is now my favorite. However, this movie is almost just as good. I credit Home Alone 2 for beginning my obsession with New York City. I still have yet to experience NYC at Christmas time, but it is on my list of things to do. Sure, people gripe that it's a carbon copy of the original movie mixed with more harmful traps, but I say why ruin a good thing? Home Alone 2 delivers just as many laughs and of course, gives you that warm and fuzzy Christmas feeling.
4. Elf — How can you not LOVE this movie? I could watch Elf year round! I love Will Ferrell and I love Christmas, so this is the perfect combination! Along with my sister-in-law, I can pretty much quote this movie word for word. Elf is a hilarious, fun Christmas movie. In fact, it has become our traditional movie of choice when we celebrate Christmas with the husband's dad and stepmom. "The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear!"
3. Home Alone — Another favorite and probably one of my most constantly watched movies during the Christmas season. I LOVE Home Alone! This movie never gets old and I still laugh now just as much as I did when I first watched this at age five. I come from a rather large extended family, so it always reminds me of that. It also feels "Christmasy," so that's another reason why it's so good. When I watch Home Alone I find it necessary to have "a lovely cheese pizza just for me." I also always question if Kevin ever ate that awesome looking macaroni and cheese after his defeat of the wet bandits. Watching in 2011, I love noticing how dated this movie is and I love knowing that it couldn't be duplicated in the technology-savvy world we live in now. Home Alone simply makes me happy and it's not Christmas until I've watched this over and over, yes, and OVER again!
2. A Christmas Story — Many of you might be shocked that this isn't number one, but believe me it comes in at a very CLOSE SECOND to the number one Christmas movie. Again, I LOVE THIS MOVIE! A Christmas Story is just one of those classics that never gets old. It has so many great scenes and it's not Christmas until I watch this. While I own this movie, I still make sure I tune my television to 24 Hours of A Christmas Story starting on Christmas Eve evening. The dad is probably my favorite character. "Fra-gi-layyyy, must be Italian!" So many other great quotes come from this film as well. I love little brother Randy, especially when he is dressed in his snowsuit and "can't put his arms down!" Ralphie and his quest to get his perfect Christmas present, a Red Ryder carbine action two-hundred shot range model air riffle, is classic! It reminds us of when we were little and desperately wanted our perfect Christmas present. The Christmas dinner at the Chinese restaurant is, of course, one of the best scenes. So politically incorrect, but hey, that makes it all the more funny. "Ra Ra Ra Ra!" I want a leg lamp...it's a major award!
1. Christmas Vacation — If you know me or my family at all this shouldn't come as a surprise! Christmas Vacation is my absolute favorite Christmas movie of all time! It's hilarious and every year it just gets better and better! I always feel like I notice something new and funny with each viewing. Much like the jelly of the month club, my family quotes this movie all year because it is the gift that keeps on giving the whole year! Our quote fest really heats up on Thanksgiving! Clark Griswold's quest to have the perfect fun-old-fashioned-family-Christmas and all the obstacles it takes to achieve this equals awesome comedy. Cousin Eddie is at his best in this movie as well! To keep the blog clean, I won't do Eddie's famous quote from Christmas Vacation, but I am sure all you Christmas Vacation fans know it by heart! Clark's angry rants are another great aspect of this film. I should also mention that I love Rusty's facial expressions throughout this entire movie (by the way Big Bang Theory fans, Rusty is a young Leonard!). Aunt Bethany and Uncle Lewis are great too as are all the grandparents! Christmas Vacation gives me that holiday feel with laughter and, like many other movies on this list, it wouldn't be the holiday season without watching it several times. "And WHY is the carpet all wet, Todd?!" "I DON'T KNOW, MARGO!"
Before this post is wrapped like a perfect Christmas present, here are some honorable mentions: The Polar Express, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, A Muppet Christmas Carol, It's A Wonderful Life, Miracle on 34th Street, Holiday in Handcuffs (yes, I know this is an ABC Family Original...but it's really cute), The Preacher's Wife and Merry Christmas Charlie Brown.
There are several other Christmas movies that I love, but it could take forever to mention them! Let us know your favorite Christmas movies! Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Monday, October 31, 2011
Top Ten Halloween Movies
The Wife: Happy Halloween everyone! Since today is Monday I am sure that many of you celebrated Halloween over the weekend. I hope it was a great "spooktacular" time. <-Yay for holiday cheesiness! We had a pretty good Halloween. Thursday was Trick or Treat where we live, so that was the day my work had a Halloween costume contest. I got to dress up as a zombie with some of my co-workers as we were "The Working Dead," a play off of The Walking Dead TV series. It was pretty much epic. I didn't think I had it in me to dress scary, but my zombiness was quite frightening! We also attended a Halloween party over the weekend and I dressed as a "Hocus Pocus" witch, while the husband went as Oscar the Grouch. Yes, Oscar the Grouch.
Now that you've all had your fill of candy corn and other Halloween candy treats, it is time for us to countdown our Top Ten Halloween movies. Now, this list is going to be bizarre to some of you Halloween hard core folks. Halloween the movie is not on here as I have never seen the ORIGINAL Halloween all the way through...just bits and pieces. Our movies are ones that we truly find scary or simply convey a Halloween feel. Let's get started, shall we?
10. Underworld series — These movies really aren't scary, but they are awesome! The werewolves and vampires aspect can allow it to be included in our top Halloween films. The storyline and action are awesome. We must note that we can't wait for the next installment of the Underworld franchise, which is coming out this winter!
9. The Amityville Horror — This one has been re-made several times. The latest version, which stars Ryan Reynolds, is pretty awesome. I was on the edge of my seat the first time I viewed this movie and was truly freaked out. It was just so creepy! I've read that the movie is based on true events too, which make it all the more scary.
8. Halloweentown — Ok, here is the first "kids" movie on the list. Halloweentown is a Disney Channel Original Movie that first aired in 1998. Wow, that seems so long ago now! I love the general feel of this movie and it is really cute. I still enjoy watching it to this day. I think the plot is pretty good and well, like I said, it's just cute. Several sequels to Halloweentown have since aired, but the original is the best. Halloweentown also gets the edge over The Amityville Horror because I usually only get to watch Halloweentown during the Halloween season.
7. Psycho — This movie is amazing! If this wasn't just a top ten Halloween movie list, Psycho would be ranked much higher. I need to note that I am talking about the original Psycho film before I continue. Psycho is beyond creepy and very scary! Just writing about this makes me hear the famous music score in my head, which always gives me chills! "I'm Norma Bates!"
6. Silence of the Lambs — Like with Psycho, if this was more than a top ten Halloween movie list, Silence of the Lambs would be ranked much higher! It is probably one of the best films I've ever seen! It is crazy creepy and it is scary in the way that I believe something like this could actually happen. While I find Hannibal Lecter creepy, Buffalo Bill is one of the scariest movie villains of all time! For the sake of keeping this blog clean, I will not even write his famous quote, which haunts my dreams! I am sure you all know what scene I am referring too! Silence of the Lambs, the only Best Picture winner on the list, is just an amazing movie. "Hello, Clarice!"
5. Scream series — I am a huge fan of the Scream series! I love these movies and I can't really explain why! I think most people either hate or love Scream. I find the movies to be hilarious and they are super fun to watch in marathon format this time of year. The latest in the franchise is great and even though the husband doesn't care for the series, he took me to see it when it came out on my birthday in April! If you've never seen any of the Scream films, you should really give them a shot!
4. It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown — Does this even need an explanation? Seriously the Peanuts gang is just awesome as is this movie. This movie truly makes Halloween. I love it just as much now as I did when I was a tot!
3. The Rocky Horror Picture Show — LOVE THIS! One of my favorite musicals by far. It has a creepy vibe but is super fun. I love the soundtrack and keep the songs on my iPod year-round! Tim Curry is just amazing in his role as Dr. Frank-N-Furter! He is so good that every time I see him now in Home Alone 2 all I can picture is him singing "Sweet Transvestite." Scienceeee fictionnnn, doubllleeee feature! Yes, that was me just singing as I typed. Winning! This movie is especially great if you watch it at midnight like tradition calls for. My goal is to see a performance live at midnight, and of course, attend the event in costume. I think I could rock the Magenta look!
2. Trick 'R Treat — This is a relatively new movie to the Halloween classics. The atmosphere of this film and the creativity of how four separate Halloween stories connect is really good. Sure, this movie is cheesy, but it is still a favorite tradition of ours. I think all Halloween fans will like or at least be mildly entertained by Trick 'R Treat. The way the town that the movie is set in celebrates Halloween is awesome. I always wished that my area would celebrate Halloween like that. Trick 'R Treat also teaches us to be respectful and follow the rules of Halloween...or else!
And finally...the number one Halloween movie...
1. Hocus Pocus — My favorite Halloween movie of all time! It's not Halloween unless I watch Hocus Pocus! Sure it can be classed as a "kids" movie, but honestly it never gets old! Like I discussed in the paragraph above about Trick 'R Treat, the atmosphere of Hocus Pocus makes the movie! The film is set in Salem, Massachusetts, where the famous witch trials took place. The halloween spirit and celebration in this movie is amazing. I always wished my neighborhood would go all out for Halloween like the town in this movie does. I also love the crisp fall feel of the film. The acting is great too. Bette Midler knocks it out of the park as the head witch, Winifred. Sarah Jessica Parker never looked better. Thora Birch, who is only a child in this movie, was a good actress even back then! I always loved Binks the cat and wanted my own talking cat as a kid. I remember having a crush on the kid who plays Max when I was little too. I also remember asking my mother "what's a virgin?" when I was younger and would watch this. Oh the innocence of youth! My favorite scene in the movie is when the Sanderson sisters sing "I Put a Spell on You."
So before we wrap this post up we give you the following clip... yes, thank you, Max, for that MARVELOUS introduction!
Please share with us your favorite Halloween movies! We'd love to read all about them. Happy Halloween! Remember to start thinking of your favorite Christmas movies as we will be posting our top ten in December!
Now that you've all had your fill of candy corn and other Halloween candy treats, it is time for us to countdown our Top Ten Halloween movies. Now, this list is going to be bizarre to some of you Halloween hard core folks. Halloween the movie is not on here as I have never seen the ORIGINAL Halloween all the way through...just bits and pieces. Our movies are ones that we truly find scary or simply convey a Halloween feel. Let's get started, shall we?
And finally...the number one Halloween movie...
So before we wrap this post up we give you the following clip... yes, thank you, Max, for that MARVELOUS introduction!
Please share with us your favorite Halloween movies! We'd love to read all about them. Happy Halloween! Remember to start thinking of your favorite Christmas movies as we will be posting our top ten in December!
Monday, October 24, 2011
Fall 2011!!!
Happy Fall everyone!
The Wife: Sorry for the lack of blog last week and the lateness of today. We've been tired and busy. Excuses excuses! Oh well, deal with it!
Well, this will mainly be a picture post. Fall has certainly arrived and we've brought in the season with festivals, apple cider and jack-o-lantern making. The Bob Evans Farm Festival, a yearly tradition, provided us with fall fun. Good food was had there and apple cider slushies were consumed. Apple cider was purchased as well, of course. Nothing says fall like warm apple cider on a chilly evening!
I also visited the Field of Screams for some Halloween terror. Unfortunately terror quickly became annoyance as the maze workers decided it would be fun to manhandle me and my friend. Next time a masked man proclaims that "the short blonde girl" is his, I will give a swift kick and run through the corn! Despite that, it was still a fun evening.
Pumpkin carving has of course been done and the husband insists upon making the traditional jack-o-lantern and as usual refuses to do any fancy designs. One of these days I will win that battle and we will get the carving stencils!
Also, our dog has enjoyed playing in the leaves.
Yes, fall has arrived. What are some of your fall traditions? We'd love to read about them! Also, stay tuned for next Monday's special Halloween post! We will be discussing our top Halloween movies!
The Wife: Sorry for the lack of blog last week and the lateness of today. We've been tired and busy. Excuses excuses! Oh well, deal with it!
Well, this will mainly be a picture post. Fall has certainly arrived and we've brought in the season with festivals, apple cider and jack-o-lantern making. The Bob Evans Farm Festival, a yearly tradition, provided us with fall fun. Good food was had there and apple cider slushies were consumed. Apple cider was purchased as well, of course. Nothing says fall like warm apple cider on a chilly evening!
I also visited the Field of Screams for some Halloween terror. Unfortunately terror quickly became annoyance as the maze workers decided it would be fun to manhandle me and my friend. Next time a masked man proclaims that "the short blonde girl" is his, I will give a swift kick and run through the corn! Despite that, it was still a fun evening.
Pumpkin carving has of course been done and the husband insists upon making the traditional jack-o-lantern and as usual refuses to do any fancy designs. One of these days I will win that battle and we will get the carving stencils!
Also, our dog has enjoyed playing in the leaves.
Yes, fall has arrived. What are some of your fall traditions? We'd love to read about them! Also, stay tuned for next Monday's special Halloween post! We will be discussing our top Halloween movies!
Monday, October 10, 2011
2011 Pumpkin Festival
Today we are differing from the usual "Movie Monday" post and are here to tell you all about the awesomeness that is the Pumpkin Festival!!!! We attended this amazing event, which was held in Milton, West Virginia, yesterday afternoon. Read on for pictures and ramblings about the festival's atmosphere and yummy treats!
The Wife: I often claim that summer is my favorite season. This is simply because of the weather. However, it seems that fall as well as the months leading up to the holidays and the holiday season itself is my favorite time of year! So, naturally I really enjoyed the Pumpkin Festival! I had always wanted to go and finally got to this year. The weather ended up being great for my first festival visit! I loved all of the fall decor, including the beautiful mums and well, obviously all of the pumpkins. The food was another great thing. I usually love anything pumpkin...so the festival was like a dream come true! Of the pumpkin treats, I bought some pumpkin fudge and then had pumpkin ice cream. The pumpkin ice cream was particularly amazing! I really want some more! The husband and I also snacked on roasted corn on the cob, which was a wonderfully delicious and light festival snack. I've never just chowed down on corn on the cob at an event like that, so it really amused me.
The vendors at the festival were pretty cool too. We ended up buying some WVU stuff and mixes for dips and salsa. Yumtastic! I would really recommend the Pumpkin Festival, especially if you enjoy the fall season, and of course, all things pumpkin! I would rank it as one of the best festivals I've ever attended. Everyone should plan to attend the Pumpkin Festival next year! I know I'll be back *terminator voice*!Hobo Dan: The Pumpkin Festival was fun. However, I do have a few complaints. First, why do we have to drive three miles through back county fields to park? It doesn't help matters to be following Mr. Glass car who can't imagine breaking five MPH for fear or his car shattering into pieces. Second, and this is a general grievance to all festivals and gatherings, if you have a lot of people coming from far away, put the restrooms close to the entrance. Some of us have to pee. As we walk the Appalachian Trail from the car to the festival The Wife decides to try and hold my hand. I love her greatly but say: "Dear, I'll hold your hand for the rest of the day, but not until after I pee!" Seriously, put your restrooms close to stuff. it doesn't help that the place was more crowded than Disney. I wish I'd had my machete. All and all it was a great day and sometimes I need not complain so much, but then what would I do to fill my time? I did enjoy the roasted corn on the cob. I find it odd I waited until October to have it for the first time.
Monday, October 3, 2011
Review: Abduction
That werewolf kid from Twilight stars. The film starts off with him riding on the hood of his buddies truck going down the highway. They are all laughing like idiots. They arrive at the party and suffer through line after line of terrible blood curling line of dialog before they all get drunk and pass out in the yard without their shirts on. Then werewolf's dad drives up and is really mad about the drunken shirtlessness of his son. He is so mad in fact that when they get home he forces his hungover son into martial arts training? Before long the training has lead to the father and son straight up beating the crap out of one another. Mom's just watching from inside the house smiling. I'm sitting in the audience thinking "So is no one else considering a call to child protective services?"
Later the kid goes to school and gets a totally unfair homework assignment where he is paired with some chick he likes. We will call her 'eyebrows' because it looks like she has two chipmunks glued on her forehead. They go to her house and look on the internet for help with the homework. A ton of boring crap happens to lead our werewolf hero to the conclusion that his parents are not his real parents. Meanwhile the movie begins flashing to show us some Russian guys who are really bad actors. Twilight boy confronts his mother and she caves in but our emo teen doesn't let her explain. Then the terrible Russian actors show up and starts killing people, mostly his parents. He escapes with eye brows into the woods where they sleep. Some how they get to a house and steal a cell phone that has a bunch of CIA information on it. Then he finds out his parents were really CIA agents meant to protect him. Also Ripley from Alien shows up for a while as a CIA agent. It was weird. I thought she died in Avatar?
Apparently Doc Ock also works for the CIA and enters the film to find them. A lot of really boring conversation takes place in a dinner. Werewolf's real dad is a rouge CIA agent and his mom in dead. Sad face. Werewolf and eye brows run away when the Russians and Doc Ock get into a fight over a cookie. Werewolf decides he is tired of running so he calls the head Russian and tells him to meet up at a baseball game. Okay? They have a chase scene at said baseball game and Werewolf's dad shows up to save the day by shooting the Russians and reveling that Doc Ock is really bad too. Like the eight robotic arms didn't give it away. Werewolf doesn't get to see daddy though because he is a super douche. So Werewolf and eyebrows walk back into the baseball stadium (which is now over) and make out. Confused? I was too. What a waste of resources.
The Wife: Wow! This movie is simply terrible. I am not going to write much because the husband did such a good job explaining it above. It may appear that his review was exaggerating, but it is pretty much right on the money. Doc Ock, please go back to Spider-Man. The love interest girl, please tweeze or wax your eyebrows. You are not Brooke Shields and cannot pull the full brow look off. I could go on and get into the scattered plot that read more as a poorly written fanfic, but like I said, the husband covered that in detail enough.
So I will discuss the few good points. Taylor Lautner = eye candy. Also, the Pittsburgh setting. I enjoyed that the last action scene took place at a Pirates game and that Taylor wore a Pirates jersey. GO PIRATES! Ummm I think that pretty much covers the good points?
We should have seen the Lion King 3D like I wanted, but even though this movie was terrible it was pretty fun to mock it! At least there are some decent movies coming out soon!
Monday, September 19, 2011
2011 Mothman Festival: Recap
Once our race was done, we were able to relax and enjoy the festival. (Seriously directing a 5K is way more nerve-racking and a lot more work than just running in one!) We took our families to Tu-Endie-Wei, the riverfront park murals and showed them the awesomeness that is the Mothman Festival. Of course, Mothman Pancakes were consumed. Following the festival, we had our annual Mothman Cook-out. It was an epic time as usual.
So we will leave you with an awesome photo re-cap of the 2011 Mothman Festival in Point Pleasant, West Virginia!
Monday, September 12, 2011
Best Picture Project 11, Crash
Hey, Best Picture Project here! FINALLY, we have our Crash review, just for you! Any suggestions for what BPP to watch next? No? Well boo you...
Crash, 2005
Hobo Dan: According to the internet, if you do not like this movie you are racist. The great anonymous hordes of the world wide web seem happy to proclaim this truth. What I can't seem to understand is why? This is not the greatest movie I have ever seen. In my opinion it's not even better than Walk the Line, a film not even nominated best picture. I did enjoy the movie. The acting was top notch and the story, even at times disjointed, was meaningful and came together at the end in an impacting way. So yes I like this movie, no I don't think it deserved best pic honors. So does that make me racist? If you didn't like Braveheart does that make you racist toward Scottish people? If you didn't like Slumdog Millionaire does it make you racist toward Indian people? If you didn't like Gladiator does it make you racist toward Roman people? If you didn't like Lord of the Rings: Return of the King does it make you racist toward Hobbits, Dwarves and Elves? No? So maybe people don't like the movie simply because they did not like the movie? What ever.
The Wife: Well, according to the internet and many ignorant people, I am a "racist" because I detested Crash. I, of course, may be a little bias because Walk the Line (one of my all time favorite films and the movie that should have won) wasn't even nominated for the Best Picture category that year. Crash was done in "Love Actually" style, which I do enjoy. I'll discuss the good points first. The cast was all star and I don't think there was a bad actor in the film; heck, even LUDACRIS did a good job! Acting can only a carry a film so far, however. Whereas Love Actually and even Valentine's Day, for goodness sakes, came together quite well, this film seemed very disjointed. Not to mention it was predictable as all get out. Only about one of the "shockers" actually caught me off guard...not the action of the scene itself, but how the scene happened. Yes, I get that one of the themes was to show that everyone carries a stereotype or racist attitude of some sort. That being said, almost every character had some type of "redemption moment," but Ryan Phillipe's character. If the whole burning his car is supposed to be it or his guilt of his actions, than the movie failed to convey this BIG time. Yes, I consider myself to be an intelligent person and I "got" Crash...I just didn't care for it. I am not sorry either if I offend you for disliking Crash. I am absolutely not a racist person. I flat out didn't like this movie. As I mentioned previously, Walk the Line is the real Best Picture winner. However, if you haven't seen Crash, take the time to watch it, because maybe you will like it.
Crash, 2005
Hobo Dan: According to the internet, if you do not like this movie you are racist. The great anonymous hordes of the world wide web seem happy to proclaim this truth. What I can't seem to understand is why? This is not the greatest movie I have ever seen. In my opinion it's not even better than Walk the Line, a film not even nominated best picture. I did enjoy the movie. The acting was top notch and the story, even at times disjointed, was meaningful and came together at the end in an impacting way. So yes I like this movie, no I don't think it deserved best pic honors. So does that make me racist? If you didn't like Braveheart does that make you racist toward Scottish people? If you didn't like Slumdog Millionaire does it make you racist toward Indian people? If you didn't like Gladiator does it make you racist toward Roman people? If you didn't like Lord of the Rings: Return of the King does it make you racist toward Hobbits, Dwarves and Elves? No? So maybe people don't like the movie simply because they did not like the movie? What ever.
The Wife: Well, according to the internet and many ignorant people, I am a "racist" because I detested Crash. I, of course, may be a little bias because Walk the Line (one of my all time favorite films and the movie that should have won) wasn't even nominated for the Best Picture category that year. Crash was done in "Love Actually" style, which I do enjoy. I'll discuss the good points first. The cast was all star and I don't think there was a bad actor in the film; heck, even LUDACRIS did a good job! Acting can only a carry a film so far, however. Whereas Love Actually and even Valentine's Day, for goodness sakes, came together quite well, this film seemed very disjointed. Not to mention it was predictable as all get out. Only about one of the "shockers" actually caught me off guard...not the action of the scene itself, but how the scene happened. Yes, I get that one of the themes was to show that everyone carries a stereotype or racist attitude of some sort. That being said, almost every character had some type of "redemption moment," but Ryan Phillipe's character. If the whole burning his car is supposed to be it or his guilt of his actions, than the movie failed to convey this BIG time. Yes, I consider myself to be an intelligent person and I "got" Crash...I just didn't care for it. I am not sorry either if I offend you for disliking Crash. I am absolutely not a racist person. I flat out didn't like this movie. As I mentioned previously, Walk the Line is the real Best Picture winner. However, if you haven't seen Crash, take the time to watch it, because maybe you will like it.
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Mothman Festival 2011
I woke last night in a cold sweat. I went to the kitchen to get a drink. That's when I saw them; the red eyes. I froze. I always thought the Mothman was a myth, but this indisputable evidence made me think other wise. Then my wife came in and turned on the kitchen light. The red eyes turned into the coffee machine. "What are you doing?" she asked. "Nothing." I replied and returned to bed.
You know what's not the best idea? Reading the Mothman Prophecies when you live right in the middle of where said book is based. It makes you think silly thoughts and wonder if you're really alone or not. Needless to say I read the book when the Wife and I move here to Point Pleasant, West Virginia. It was very different from how I thought it would be. Much more journalistic, much more believable. I grew up just across the river from Point Pleasant in Ohio, so I've always heard of Mothman, but I never put too much interest in it. Here in Point Pleasant you either like Mothman or hate Mothman. I don't mean the creature itself, I mean what it represents. There are many people in town who'd rather ignore the idea all together, like nothing ever happened. I can't figure out if they are scared or embarrassed. Others like myself embrace the myth for what it is; a myth. Mothman is something that put Point Pleasant on the map and I think too many people who live there forget that.
So if you haven't heard, September 16-18 is the 10th Annual Mothman Festival in Point Pleasant, West Virginia! The event features music, hay rides through the TNT area, vendors and speakers. The festival starts on Friday with the Miss Mothman Pageant. On Saturday morning the Wife and I will host the second annual Mothman 5k run (contact me for more info or follow on Facebook and the Twitter). Shortly after the run the festival itself gets into full swing in historic downtown Point Pleasant. I have been several times now, so here is a run down of the things you must do. Mothman Pancakes! Yes, pancakes shaped like Mothman. Eat them. The Ghostbusters will be there for a photo opportunity. Meet the "Men in Black," (minus Will Smith) who can be spotted wondering all over the festival. Take your picture with the famous Mothman statue at Gunn Park. Also, be sure to catch screenings of Eyes of the Mothman and The Mothman Prophecies, which will be shown at the Historic State Theater on Main St. Here is an article on the festival written by a talented and knowledgeable local news reporter.
So plan out a fun adventure to Mothmantown. Look us up if you drop in, as long as you're not a creepy stalker type.
You know what's not the best idea? Reading the Mothman Prophecies when you live right in the middle of where said book is based. It makes you think silly thoughts and wonder if you're really alone or not. Needless to say I read the book when the Wife and I move here to Point Pleasant, West Virginia. It was very different from how I thought it would be. Much more journalistic, much more believable. I grew up just across the river from Point Pleasant in Ohio, so I've always heard of Mothman, but I never put too much interest in it. Here in Point Pleasant you either like Mothman or hate Mothman. I don't mean the creature itself, I mean what it represents. There are many people in town who'd rather ignore the idea all together, like nothing ever happened. I can't figure out if they are scared or embarrassed. Others like myself embrace the myth for what it is; a myth. Mothman is something that put Point Pleasant on the map and I think too many people who live there forget that.
So if you haven't heard, September 16-18 is the 10th Annual Mothman Festival in Point Pleasant, West Virginia! The event features music, hay rides through the TNT area, vendors and speakers. The festival starts on Friday with the Miss Mothman Pageant. On Saturday morning the Wife and I will host the second annual Mothman 5k run (contact me for more info or follow on Facebook and the Twitter). Shortly after the run the festival itself gets into full swing in historic downtown Point Pleasant. I have been several times now, so here is a run down of the things you must do. Mothman Pancakes! Yes, pancakes shaped like Mothman. Eat them. The Ghostbusters will be there for a photo opportunity. Meet the "Men in Black," (minus Will Smith) who can be spotted wondering all over the festival. Take your picture with the famous Mothman statue at Gunn Park. Also, be sure to catch screenings of Eyes of the Mothman and The Mothman Prophecies, which will be shown at the Historic State Theater on Main St. Here is an article on the festival written by a talented and knowledgeable local news reporter.
So plan out a fun adventure to Mothmantown. Look us up if you drop in, as long as you're not a creepy stalker type.
Monday, September 5, 2011
Review: Rise of the Planet of the Apes
So sorry this review has taken us so long. We actually saw this last weekend, but ended up watching too much Mad Men on Netflix to review either this or Crash...yes, we still have yet to watch Crash. Hey, at least this builds some anticipation, right? Well, let's get down to the monkey, we mean, ape business!
The Wife: I've never seen any of the other "Apes" movies, but the husband explained the plot of the original for me. I really do think Rise of the Planet of the Apes was a good film, even though the title is way too long. This movie could be viewed as a prequel to the original series or as a complete re-boot, however you want to see it. I do think it made enough money and set up potential for sequels. Overall, I did like this movie, but it was VERY hard to watch. I am a huge animal lover and absolutely fell in love with the Caesar character. Obviously, if you have a heart, you probably side with the apes in this film. I was very upset with the way they were treated and it was sad to see the relationship between Caesar and James Franco's character change. While I do believe Caesar still loved Franco, it was just flat out heart breaking. I had the same sick feeling watching this movie as I did when we saw Marley & Me a few years ago.
Acting wise, it was decent, even though I find it hard to believe Franco as a scientist. He is probably one of the hottest actors in Hollywood, but he just seems better suited to rolls in films like The Pineapple Express and as the awesome Harry Osborn. Third Rock From the Sun dad did a good job playing Franco's character's dad, who was suffering from dementia/alzheimer's. As for Draco Malfoy, I mean Tom Felton, I thought he did pretty good (this was the first film I've seen him in outside of the Harry Potter franchise). However, at times I felt like I was watching Draco because it seemed that Felton's British accent slipped through occasionally. I do love me some Draco Malfoy though, so all was forgiven! Girl from Slumdog Millionaire's character didn't add much to the film, but I think her character was used to show that Franco's character was moving on with his life.
Looks wise, some of the CGI seemed a bit too cartoonish, but it was still enjoyable, nonetheless. I don't know if I could stomach seeing this again because I just get so emotionally attached to the apes, but I would certainly recommend it. (I apologize for not using the characters' actual names.)
Hobo Dan: Rise of the Movie of the Stupid Name wasn't half bad. I freely admit I hated on this for many reasons. One of those reasons was the amazingly sour taste the last apes movie left in and around my mouth. Tim Burton and Marky Mark really screwed the pooch on that one. Another part of me is just sad Hollywood can't come up with new ideas and just has to keep reusing old franchises. It makes me sad. I can't hold that against this movie though. For what it is (either a reboot or a prequel; I can't tell) it is really good. There are several uneven places here and there. The acting is not the greatest, but the story works and you really feel for the poorly rendered CGI apes. I understand there are scenes in the film that require computer animation, but there are other times that don't. Caesar, the main ape, must be CGI'ed, so I guess to keep everything even they decided to animate them all.
What does this mean for the future of the apes? Well I will go into full on guns blazing revolt if they decide to remake the original Planet of the Apes. I say go the route of the most recent Star Trek movie and invent a new history of the planet. But here I am discussing the sequel for a film I whine and complained about being made in the first place; so I digress. Here is one good idea, a giant ape poo fight over control of their budding civilization. One can only hope.
The Wife: I've never seen any of the other "Apes" movies, but the husband explained the plot of the original for me. I really do think Rise of the Planet of the Apes was a good film, even though the title is way too long. This movie could be viewed as a prequel to the original series or as a complete re-boot, however you want to see it. I do think it made enough money and set up potential for sequels. Overall, I did like this movie, but it was VERY hard to watch. I am a huge animal lover and absolutely fell in love with the Caesar character. Obviously, if you have a heart, you probably side with the apes in this film. I was very upset with the way they were treated and it was sad to see the relationship between Caesar and James Franco's character change. While I do believe Caesar still loved Franco, it was just flat out heart breaking. I had the same sick feeling watching this movie as I did when we saw Marley & Me a few years ago.
Acting wise, it was decent, even though I find it hard to believe Franco as a scientist. He is probably one of the hottest actors in Hollywood, but he just seems better suited to rolls in films like The Pineapple Express and as the awesome Harry Osborn. Third Rock From the Sun dad did a good job playing Franco's character's dad, who was suffering from dementia/alzheimer's. As for Draco Malfoy, I mean Tom Felton, I thought he did pretty good (this was the first film I've seen him in outside of the Harry Potter franchise). However, at times I felt like I was watching Draco because it seemed that Felton's British accent slipped through occasionally. I do love me some Draco Malfoy though, so all was forgiven! Girl from Slumdog Millionaire's character didn't add much to the film, but I think her character was used to show that Franco's character was moving on with his life.
Looks wise, some of the CGI seemed a bit too cartoonish, but it was still enjoyable, nonetheless. I don't know if I could stomach seeing this again because I just get so emotionally attached to the apes, but I would certainly recommend it. (I apologize for not using the characters' actual names.)
Hobo Dan: Rise of the Movie of the Stupid Name wasn't half bad. I freely admit I hated on this for many reasons. One of those reasons was the amazingly sour taste the last apes movie left in and around my mouth. Tim Burton and Marky Mark really screwed the pooch on that one. Another part of me is just sad Hollywood can't come up with new ideas and just has to keep reusing old franchises. It makes me sad. I can't hold that against this movie though. For what it is (either a reboot or a prequel; I can't tell) it is really good. There are several uneven places here and there. The acting is not the greatest, but the story works and you really feel for the poorly rendered CGI apes. I understand there are scenes in the film that require computer animation, but there are other times that don't. Caesar, the main ape, must be CGI'ed, so I guess to keep everything even they decided to animate them all.
What does this mean for the future of the apes? Well I will go into full on guns blazing revolt if they decide to remake the original Planet of the Apes. I say go the route of the most recent Star Trek movie and invent a new history of the planet. But here I am discussing the sequel for a film I whine and complained about being made in the first place; so I digress. Here is one good idea, a giant ape poo fight over control of their budding civilization. One can only hope.
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Fall 2011 TV Preview
Finally it's here! The Wife's Fall TV Preview!
Well with the start of September, it's almost time for the new television seasons! I can't wait for the return of my favorite shows, so in this post I will be doing my Fall TV preview. Most of the shows I will be discussing in detail are the ones I like, have watched or anticipate seeing. I will mainly be covering the major networks along with The CW. Don't expect any coverage on all of those CSI, Law and Order blah blah blah shows that I all seem the same to me!
Well, lets get started with what's going on with Fox. I will began by discussing my most anticipated show...I bet you will never guess it...or if you know me, you obviously know that it is going to be:
1. GLEE! The show that I have literally become obsessed with will be entering its third season this fall with the season premiere scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 20. Now let me just say the first season was AMAZING! I instantly fell in love with this show. It has all the elements: amazing characters, who I've grown attached to; comedy; drama; and as a music fan, all of the singing! That being said, the second season was a bit of a disappointment. I still love the show, but some of the magic was gone. I also felt that some of the character development that had been achieved in season one was forgotten. (For Glee fans, Um barely any mention of Quinn and the baby! Plus, no action for Puck and Quinn! grrr). Also, many of the episodes seemed to lack an overall plot and there were too many tribute episodes (I did like the Britney Spears tribute, however). The last few episodes of season two made up for the rest of the season though and kept me hooked and excited for season three. I know that Glee creator Ryan Murphy has said this season will follow more plot-driven episodes and rely less on guest stars, which is good, even though I'd love to see the return of Gwyneth Paltrow as Holly Holiday! I also hope they keep my Finchel (Finn and Rachel) together and have their drama be life after high school. There better not be another love triangle with Quinn again! I can't wait to see what's in store with Kurt and Blaine, and of course, I expect more comedic gold from my girl, Santana, Brittany and Sue Sylvester!
2. Fringe —Premieres Friday, Sept. 23. Sorry, I know nothing about this show!
3. Terra Nova, a new show to Fox. Premieres Monday, Sept. 26. This appears to be a science fiction drama, which is set in the year 2149, a time when life on planet earth is at the threat of extinction. I am slightly interested in this, so I will probably end up watching an episode online once it airs. It also has Jason O'Mara in it, who played Sam Tyler in my beloved Life on Mars show that ABC axed a few years ago (grrrr I am still a little bitter about that)!.
4. The other big Fox shows set to return are House (Monday, Oct. 3) and Bones (Thursday, Nov. 3). I used to LOVEEEE House but honestly haven't watched consistently since about the third or fourth season. When I realized Allison Cameron and House would never come together as a couple I got disinterested. Also, I feel that some of the plot declined. However, once House finishes I do intend to re-watch the series again from start to finish. I know that Bones is very popular, but I haven't seen a single episode so I can't offer commentary on this other than David Boreanaz, who I know from Buffy and Angel, is in it, and he is one fine piece of man.
Now let's talk about ABC!
1. Grey's Anatomy — Premiers Thursday, Sept. 22. Oh Grey's, how I used to LOVE you. Grey's was MY "IT" SHOW! I even had a no talking rule during Grey's. I was obsessed. Unfortunately, the writing and characters on the show have slowly gone downhill with each passing season. Grey's was the show I looked forward to all week. The finales used to be phenomenal and would suck me in for the next season. However, last season I found myself hardly able to focus on an episode and let's not forget the disastrous musical episode (I like Glee for my music!). That particular episode would have been great drama without the useless musical element. This season's Grey's finale was terrible and didn't feel like a Grey's finale at all! It did not leave me on the edge of my seat, but instead made me realize the show I had once loved was on it's way to being DUNZO! I mean why start more drama for Mer and Der? I would rather see them struggle as new parents or a couple trying to obtain a child. Oh and the lack of Lexie-Mark seriously annoys me. Really ever since Izzie and George left, this show lost its original spark. Don't get me wrong, I still intend to watch Grey's, but for the first time I will be watching The Office first. I will watch Grey's on the ABC player on my iPad.
2. Dancing With the Stars — Premieres Monday, Sept. 19. Love this show and guess who else enjoys it, yes, the husband! That being said, I am pretty disappointed with this season's cast. I knew it would be hard to beat last season with my Hines Ward, who won the mirror ball trophy! Some of the new contestants include soccer player, Hope Solo (awesome name!), Nancy Grace (really?), Kristin Cavallari, Chaz Bono, Ricki Lake, David Arquette and Robert Kardashian. The premise of the show is to use B list celebs and under as well as reality stars and people who are trying to revive their careers or desperately cling on to their 15 minutes of fame, but this cast really seems pretty weak. I do like that I can't really see a front runner at the moment, which I think made last season so great. I will of course watch and currently have decided to root for Hope Solo (unless her personality sucks) simply because of her name. I mean that's what my name would be if I married Han Solo, assuming he wasn't a fictional character! It will be interesting to see the audience's reaction to Chaz Bono. The majority of DWTS viewers are conservative so I wonder how long Chaz will last. I question his fame, but I do applaud his effort. He knew the heat he would get for going on the show and that takes guts. Plus, he is dancing with one of my favorite pro's, Lacey Schwimmer!
3. Private Practice — Premieres Thursday, Sept. 29. The Grey's spinoff that I watch on and off. This show gets really good and then really bad. This is why I've stopped watching on a regular basis. In fact, I have yet to see the finale from last season. I do like some of the characters (Charlotte and Cooper) but that is about it! This show would be better if they made Addison less of a train wreck and stopped with the old people sex scene montages at the start of each episode!
4. Castle — Premieres Monday, Sept. 19. Ok, a few of you may know this, but I absolutely refuse to watch this show even though I've been told I would like it. Why? Well it kicked off my beloved aforementioned Life on Mars show (and come on, it does seem predictable). This has now become a running joke between the husband and myself. Ever since Castle first aired I would decree "no one likes that show!" in anger of my canceled Life on Mars. Well apparently people do. I still refuse to watch though...
5. ABC has several other shows returning or starting...too many for me to name off. I will quickly mention Pan Am, a new series, which is scheduled to premiere Sunday, Sept. 25. I love shows set in that time period so I will give it a shot. And no, I am not mentioning Desperate Housewives because I can't stand that show!
Let's move on to NBC shall we?
1. The Office — Premieres, Thursday, Sept. 22. Can't wait to see more of my beloved Andy Bernard and hilarity from Dwight. It will be interesting to see life at Dunder-Mifflin without Michael Scott. I have to admit I am not thrilled with who has been selected to be the new boss. However, I am sure comedic gold will still ensue and I can't wait!
2. Sorry to say, but I really don't watch much of anything else on NBC. I have seen Parks and Recreation a hand full of times (premieres Thursday, Sept. 22), but not enough to discuss it. Other popular shows returning that I've never seen include 30 Rock (return date not announced) and Chuck (Friday, Oct. 21.)
Ok, now it's time for CBS!
1. Two and a Half Men — Premieres Monday, Sept. 19. The most talked about sitcom for months since the winning-ness of Charlie Sheen was axed from the show. Evidently, according to a spoiler, they will be killing Sheen off and having his funeral in the first episode. Ashton Kutcher, famous for being the purely awesome Kelso on That 70's Show, has signed on to replace Sheen. While I have only watched Two and a Half Men in syndication, I always found the show to be funny and I really want to see how they will handle Sheen's loss. I do think that Ashton can be good on the show, but let's face it, he is no Sheen. I guarantee he does not have tiger blood in his veins. Nor does he have one speed, one gear, GO!
2. How I Met Your Mother — Premieres Monday, Sept. 19. I recently have become hooked on this show. It almost comes close to Friends and Frasier in terms of sitcom awesomeness. Neil Patrick Harris is great and the cast as a whole is very entertaining.
3. Ok, so most of the other CBS shows are all those CSI-type shows I can't stand. So we are done with this network.
Finally, I've covered the major networks, but I must discuss The CW lineup! Yes, I still love the teen dramas. Get over it!
1. Gossip Girl — Premieres Monday, Sept. 26. My most anticipated show on The CW and show that I am most excited for next to Glee. Ever since season 2, I had only watched Gossip Girl online because it became horribly stale and they ruined one of my favorite couples, Blair and Chuck, due to crappy writing. However, after catching up with the show towards the end of last fall, I became hooked once again thanks to the awesome banter between Blair and Dan (or Dair, the deemed ship name). This brought a wonderful new element never before seen on Gossip Girl. I also secretly always liked the idea of Dan and Blair since season one, but I never thought it would happen! They finally kissed last season, but when the final string of episodes aired, it seemed that Dair was cast to the side in favor of a crappy prince story line and more overdone Blair-Chuck drama. *Yawn* I really don't think the writers new how popular Dair would become and how it would revive the show. The finale did leave us with hope for the ship, however, and managed to suck me in for season five. While I hate story lines like this, the "who's pregnant" cliffhanger does have me guessing (it better not be Blair!). Hopefully, Gossip Girl will bring us some Dair action finally and will continue with their "OMG" plots that we all love so much. You know you love me, XOXO. (Only Gossip Girl fans just got that and the husband who sometimes watches)!
2. 90210 — Premieres Tuesday, Sept. 13. I am a huge fan of the original Beverly Hills 90210. This new 90210 will never compare, but I must admit the drama sucks me in! The season ended with the core characters' graduation and with another pregnancy plotline — this one involving my favorite character, Naomi. (Seriously what is up with The CW and pregnancy plots?) I really hope Naomi stays with her nerdy boyfriend, Max, or reunites with Liam, who is currently taken by the annoying Annie. Also, it will be interesting to see what is in store for Adrianna, who went insane last season. I wonder if they will keep Silver and Navid as a couple too. I heard Teddy might not be on the show either, which sort of disappoints me. He had a great story arc last season.
3. The Vampire Diaries — Premieres Thursday, Sept. 15. So, I had written off this show, but recently caught some episodes, including last season's finale, and I must say, this show is AWESOME! Plus Boone from Lost is in it! Winning! I think I am going to try and catch up and tune in. I haven't even seen every episode and the finale managed to suck me in, so it should be good!
4. The CW has some new shows including Hart of Dixie, scheduled to premiere Monday, Sept. 26. The show stars Rachel Bilson, of The OC fame. (Am I the only one who seriously misses The OC...it was one of the BEST shows!). I will probably watch this just for Bilson. Hopefully it will be good. The Secret Circle, set to premiere Thursday, Sept. 15, looks halfway decent. Kevin Williamson, Dawson's Creek (another show I miss) creator is the executive producer. Other CW shows I won't mention because I honestly don't care about them. As for One Tree Hill, I don't think it premieres until spring 2012. I used to love One Tree Hill until the show became basically an unrealistic spinoff of its former self...however, I keep thinking each season will be its last and I watch all the finales. Oh well, it won't be returning this fall so we can cut that discussion short.
So there you go, my Fall 2011 TV Preview! I know this is long and it may seem like I watch too much TV, but I mainly watch my core shows on regular airtime and the others I catch online. Another show I must mention before I wrap this up is the Discovery Channel's Dual Survival. I am obsessed with this show and the comedic gold that Cody Lundin provides! I have no idea if new episodes will air this fall though. I hope you all are as excited for fall TV as I am. I know it doesn't compare to the winning power of Shark Week, however!
Well with the start of September, it's almost time for the new television seasons! I can't wait for the return of my favorite shows, so in this post I will be doing my Fall TV preview. Most of the shows I will be discussing in detail are the ones I like, have watched or anticipate seeing. I will mainly be covering the major networks along with The CW. Don't expect any coverage on all of those CSI, Law and Order blah blah blah shows that I all seem the same to me!
Well, lets get started with what's going on with Fox. I will began by discussing my most anticipated show...I bet you will never guess it...or if you know me, you obviously know that it is going to be:
1. GLEE! The show that I have literally become obsessed with will be entering its third season this fall with the season premiere scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 20. Now let me just say the first season was AMAZING! I instantly fell in love with this show. It has all the elements: amazing characters, who I've grown attached to; comedy; drama; and as a music fan, all of the singing! That being said, the second season was a bit of a disappointment. I still love the show, but some of the magic was gone. I also felt that some of the character development that had been achieved in season one was forgotten. (For Glee fans, Um barely any mention of Quinn and the baby! Plus, no action for Puck and Quinn! grrr). Also, many of the episodes seemed to lack an overall plot and there were too many tribute episodes (I did like the Britney Spears tribute, however). The last few episodes of season two made up for the rest of the season though and kept me hooked and excited for season three. I know that Glee creator Ryan Murphy has said this season will follow more plot-driven episodes and rely less on guest stars, which is good, even though I'd love to see the return of Gwyneth Paltrow as Holly Holiday! I also hope they keep my Finchel (Finn and Rachel) together and have their drama be life after high school. There better not be another love triangle with Quinn again! I can't wait to see what's in store with Kurt and Blaine, and of course, I expect more comedic gold from my girl, Santana, Brittany and Sue Sylvester!
2. Fringe —Premieres Friday, Sept. 23. Sorry, I know nothing about this show!
3. Terra Nova, a new show to Fox. Premieres Monday, Sept. 26. This appears to be a science fiction drama, which is set in the year 2149, a time when life on planet earth is at the threat of extinction. I am slightly interested in this, so I will probably end up watching an episode online once it airs. It also has Jason O'Mara in it, who played Sam Tyler in my beloved Life on Mars show that ABC axed a few years ago (grrrr I am still a little bitter about that)!.
4. The other big Fox shows set to return are House (Monday, Oct. 3) and Bones (Thursday, Nov. 3). I used to LOVEEEE House but honestly haven't watched consistently since about the third or fourth season. When I realized Allison Cameron and House would never come together as a couple I got disinterested. Also, I feel that some of the plot declined. However, once House finishes I do intend to re-watch the series again from start to finish. I know that Bones is very popular, but I haven't seen a single episode so I can't offer commentary on this other than David Boreanaz, who I know from Buffy and Angel, is in it, and he is one fine piece of man.
Now let's talk about ABC!
1. Grey's Anatomy — Premiers Thursday, Sept. 22. Oh Grey's, how I used to LOVE you. Grey's was MY "IT" SHOW! I even had a no talking rule during Grey's. I was obsessed. Unfortunately, the writing and characters on the show have slowly gone downhill with each passing season. Grey's was the show I looked forward to all week. The finales used to be phenomenal and would suck me in for the next season. However, last season I found myself hardly able to focus on an episode and let's not forget the disastrous musical episode (I like Glee for my music!). That particular episode would have been great drama without the useless musical element. This season's Grey's finale was terrible and didn't feel like a Grey's finale at all! It did not leave me on the edge of my seat, but instead made me realize the show I had once loved was on it's way to being DUNZO! I mean why start more drama for Mer and Der? I would rather see them struggle as new parents or a couple trying to obtain a child. Oh and the lack of Lexie-Mark seriously annoys me. Really ever since Izzie and George left, this show lost its original spark. Don't get me wrong, I still intend to watch Grey's, but for the first time I will be watching The Office first. I will watch Grey's on the ABC player on my iPad.
2. Dancing With the Stars — Premieres Monday, Sept. 19. Love this show and guess who else enjoys it, yes, the husband! That being said, I am pretty disappointed with this season's cast. I knew it would be hard to beat last season with my Hines Ward, who won the mirror ball trophy! Some of the new contestants include soccer player, Hope Solo (awesome name!), Nancy Grace (really?), Kristin Cavallari, Chaz Bono, Ricki Lake, David Arquette and Robert Kardashian. The premise of the show is to use B list celebs and under as well as reality stars and people who are trying to revive their careers or desperately cling on to their 15 minutes of fame, but this cast really seems pretty weak. I do like that I can't really see a front runner at the moment, which I think made last season so great. I will of course watch and currently have decided to root for Hope Solo (unless her personality sucks) simply because of her name. I mean that's what my name would be if I married Han Solo, assuming he wasn't a fictional character! It will be interesting to see the audience's reaction to Chaz Bono. The majority of DWTS viewers are conservative so I wonder how long Chaz will last. I question his fame, but I do applaud his effort. He knew the heat he would get for going on the show and that takes guts. Plus, he is dancing with one of my favorite pro's, Lacey Schwimmer!
3. Private Practice — Premieres Thursday, Sept. 29. The Grey's spinoff that I watch on and off. This show gets really good and then really bad. This is why I've stopped watching on a regular basis. In fact, I have yet to see the finale from last season. I do like some of the characters (Charlotte and Cooper) but that is about it! This show would be better if they made Addison less of a train wreck and stopped with the old people sex scene montages at the start of each episode!
4. Castle — Premieres Monday, Sept. 19. Ok, a few of you may know this, but I absolutely refuse to watch this show even though I've been told I would like it. Why? Well it kicked off my beloved aforementioned Life on Mars show (and come on, it does seem predictable). This has now become a running joke between the husband and myself. Ever since Castle first aired I would decree "no one likes that show!" in anger of my canceled Life on Mars. Well apparently people do. I still refuse to watch though...
5. ABC has several other shows returning or starting...too many for me to name off. I will quickly mention Pan Am, a new series, which is scheduled to premiere Sunday, Sept. 25. I love shows set in that time period so I will give it a shot. And no, I am not mentioning Desperate Housewives because I can't stand that show!
Let's move on to NBC shall we?
1. The Office — Premieres, Thursday, Sept. 22. Can't wait to see more of my beloved Andy Bernard and hilarity from Dwight. It will be interesting to see life at Dunder-Mifflin without Michael Scott. I have to admit I am not thrilled with who has been selected to be the new boss. However, I am sure comedic gold will still ensue and I can't wait!
2. Sorry to say, but I really don't watch much of anything else on NBC. I have seen Parks and Recreation a hand full of times (premieres Thursday, Sept. 22), but not enough to discuss it. Other popular shows returning that I've never seen include 30 Rock (return date not announced) and Chuck (Friday, Oct. 21.)
Ok, now it's time for CBS!
1. Two and a Half Men — Premieres Monday, Sept. 19. The most talked about sitcom for months since the winning-ness of Charlie Sheen was axed from the show. Evidently, according to a spoiler, they will be killing Sheen off and having his funeral in the first episode. Ashton Kutcher, famous for being the purely awesome Kelso on That 70's Show, has signed on to replace Sheen. While I have only watched Two and a Half Men in syndication, I always found the show to be funny and I really want to see how they will handle Sheen's loss. I do think that Ashton can be good on the show, but let's face it, he is no Sheen. I guarantee he does not have tiger blood in his veins. Nor does he have one speed, one gear, GO!
2. How I Met Your Mother — Premieres Monday, Sept. 19. I recently have become hooked on this show. It almost comes close to Friends and Frasier in terms of sitcom awesomeness. Neil Patrick Harris is great and the cast as a whole is very entertaining.
3. Ok, so most of the other CBS shows are all those CSI-type shows I can't stand. So we are done with this network.
Finally, I've covered the major networks, but I must discuss The CW lineup! Yes, I still love the teen dramas. Get over it!
1. Gossip Girl — Premieres Monday, Sept. 26. My most anticipated show on The CW and show that I am most excited for next to Glee. Ever since season 2, I had only watched Gossip Girl online because it became horribly stale and they ruined one of my favorite couples, Blair and Chuck, due to crappy writing. However, after catching up with the show towards the end of last fall, I became hooked once again thanks to the awesome banter between Blair and Dan (or Dair, the deemed ship name). This brought a wonderful new element never before seen on Gossip Girl. I also secretly always liked the idea of Dan and Blair since season one, but I never thought it would happen! They finally kissed last season, but when the final string of episodes aired, it seemed that Dair was cast to the side in favor of a crappy prince story line and more overdone Blair-Chuck drama. *Yawn* I really don't think the writers new how popular Dair would become and how it would revive the show. The finale did leave us with hope for the ship, however, and managed to suck me in for season five. While I hate story lines like this, the "who's pregnant" cliffhanger does have me guessing (it better not be Blair!). Hopefully, Gossip Girl will bring us some Dair action finally and will continue with their "OMG" plots that we all love so much. You know you love me, XOXO. (Only Gossip Girl fans just got that and the husband who sometimes watches)!
2. 90210 — Premieres Tuesday, Sept. 13. I am a huge fan of the original Beverly Hills 90210. This new 90210 will never compare, but I must admit the drama sucks me in! The season ended with the core characters' graduation and with another pregnancy plotline — this one involving my favorite character, Naomi. (Seriously what is up with The CW and pregnancy plots?) I really hope Naomi stays with her nerdy boyfriend, Max, or reunites with Liam, who is currently taken by the annoying Annie. Also, it will be interesting to see what is in store for Adrianna, who went insane last season. I wonder if they will keep Silver and Navid as a couple too. I heard Teddy might not be on the show either, which sort of disappoints me. He had a great story arc last season.
3. The Vampire Diaries — Premieres Thursday, Sept. 15. So, I had written off this show, but recently caught some episodes, including last season's finale, and I must say, this show is AWESOME! Plus Boone from Lost is in it! Winning! I think I am going to try and catch up and tune in. I haven't even seen every episode and the finale managed to suck me in, so it should be good!
4. The CW has some new shows including Hart of Dixie, scheduled to premiere Monday, Sept. 26. The show stars Rachel Bilson, of The OC fame. (Am I the only one who seriously misses The OC...it was one of the BEST shows!). I will probably watch this just for Bilson. Hopefully it will be good. The Secret Circle, set to premiere Thursday, Sept. 15, looks halfway decent. Kevin Williamson, Dawson's Creek (another show I miss) creator is the executive producer. Other CW shows I won't mention because I honestly don't care about them. As for One Tree Hill, I don't think it premieres until spring 2012. I used to love One Tree Hill until the show became basically an unrealistic spinoff of its former self...however, I keep thinking each season will be its last and I watch all the finales. Oh well, it won't be returning this fall so we can cut that discussion short.
So there you go, my Fall 2011 TV Preview! I know this is long and it may seem like I watch too much TV, but I mainly watch my core shows on regular airtime and the others I catch online. Another show I must mention before I wrap this up is the Discovery Channel's Dual Survival. I am obsessed with this show and the comedic gold that Cody Lundin provides! I have no idea if new episodes will air this fall though. I hope you all are as excited for fall TV as I am. I know it doesn't compare to the winning power of Shark Week, however!
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Look into my Crystal Balls
I made a prediction in last week’s post about our luck with traveling and waiters. I was right and wrong. First I said we would have terrible service. Correct. We arrived at the Red Lobster (it's Crab Fest!) in Charleston at 4 p.m. and had to wait 15 minutes on a Thursday! I’d say 90 percent of the tables were sitting empty. If I were Don Draper I’d have destroyed that weaselly little host. He didn’t look at me once; just kept staring at and talking to my wife. Cellophane, Mr. Cellophane… Anyways when we were seated we were informed by the on call manager that our server was busy with the party room, so he would be helping take care of us. He proceeded to pull out a note pad to take our drink order. I’ve never waited tables, but I’m pretty sure I could remember two drink orders for the 30 seconds it takes to walk back to the drink area. The manager also took our food order, which he got wrong, even though he wrote it down…
My second prediction was that we’d get a flat tire, because we always do. I had good reason to think it would happen. Look here and here for proof. Well, thankfully, I was wrong this time. We did run over something about three miles from home that made me think it had happened. If at that point the tire went flat, I would have jumped out of the car and pooped in the middle of the street to prove my psychosis. I’d have gladly gone to the loony bin and spent the rest of my days playing go fish in the corner with imaginary squirrels; never having to deal with cars or tires or waiters or people again. But the tire held and we made it home safe and sound. The ticking time bomb that is my sanity continues.
Seeing how I made three predictions and got two right; (66.68% accuracy) I’m thinking I’ll write my own book of predictions like Nostradamus. I’ll go with 100 predictions, which means around 66 of them will turn out right if my numbers hold up. I’m crossing my fingers that the discovery of the cholesterol free cow and the invention of the laundry folding machine come true. Seriously, we have a machine to wash our laundry. We have a machine to dry it. Why don’t we have a machine to fold it for us? I’m looking at you scientists, drop what you’re doing and get it done.
Here are a few other predictions I’d say are a pretty fair bets to come true:
-The stock market will go up.
-The stock market will go down.
-After the Stock crash of 2020, Bacon will be recognized as the new world currency.
-In the year 2021 pigs will become extinct.
-All wars will soon be fought via video games. South Korea becomes most powerful country in the world.
-Rocky 7 is released in 2015. The plot involves Rocky being cryogenically frozen in 2011. In 2045 evil aliens come to earth and challenge us to a boxing match for control of the planet. They enter into the contest a robot version of Hitler. Our only choice is to unfreeze Rocky and put him through a rigorous training scene before doing battle with the evil alien robot Hitler. He loses, setting up Rocky 8’s story line.
-Rocky 8 will become the third highest grossing film of all time behind Avatar 5 in HD3DSHi-Fi+ and Shark Night 3D.
-France surrenders to someone.
-Samuel L. Jackson is elected first President of the Mother $%#&ing World. His inaugural address is televised on a 30 second time delay. In the speech he outlines the plots of every movie he’s ever been in; it takes five days.
-Planking is outlawed after a group of American college students are mistaken for building materials while touring Europe.
-Owling is outlawed after a group of American college students are shot while touring Europe.
-American college students are banned from Europe, so they go to Aruba.
My second prediction was that we’d get a flat tire, because we always do. I had good reason to think it would happen. Look here and here for proof. Well, thankfully, I was wrong this time. We did run over something about three miles from home that made me think it had happened. If at that point the tire went flat, I would have jumped out of the car and pooped in the middle of the street to prove my psychosis. I’d have gladly gone to the loony bin and spent the rest of my days playing go fish in the corner with imaginary squirrels; never having to deal with cars or tires or waiters or people again. But the tire held and we made it home safe and sound. The ticking time bomb that is my sanity continues.
Seeing how I made three predictions and got two right; (66.68% accuracy) I’m thinking I’ll write my own book of predictions like Nostradamus. I’ll go with 100 predictions, which means around 66 of them will turn out right if my numbers hold up. I’m crossing my fingers that the discovery of the cholesterol free cow and the invention of the laundry folding machine come true. Seriously, we have a machine to wash our laundry. We have a machine to dry it. Why don’t we have a machine to fold it for us? I’m looking at you scientists, drop what you’re doing and get it done.
Here are a few other predictions I’d say are a pretty fair bets to come true:
-The stock market will go up.
-The stock market will go down.
-After the Stock crash of 2020, Bacon will be recognized as the new world currency.
-In the year 2021 pigs will become extinct.
-All wars will soon be fought via video games. South Korea becomes most powerful country in the world.
-Rocky 7 is released in 2015. The plot involves Rocky being cryogenically frozen in 2011. In 2045 evil aliens come to earth and challenge us to a boxing match for control of the planet. They enter into the contest a robot version of Hitler. Our only choice is to unfreeze Rocky and put him through a rigorous training scene before doing battle with the evil alien robot Hitler. He loses, setting up Rocky 8’s story line.
-Rocky 8 will become the third highest grossing film of all time behind Avatar 5 in HD3DSHi-Fi+ and Shark Night 3D.
-France surrenders to someone.
-Samuel L. Jackson is elected first President of the Mother $%#&ing World. His inaugural address is televised on a 30 second time delay. In the speech he outlines the plots of every movie he’s ever been in; it takes five days.
-Planking is outlawed after a group of American college students are mistaken for building materials while touring Europe.
-Owling is outlawed after a group of American college students are shot while touring Europe.
-American college students are banned from Europe, so they go to Aruba.
Monday, August 22, 2011
Glee: The 3D Concert Movie
The Wife has decided to share her thoughts on the new Glee movie. I didn't see this!
Glee: The 3D Concert Movie
Well this review will be interesting. I am sure a lot of this blog's target audience are "anti-gleek." Oh well! Sad for you, really. The husband asked me to review Glee: The 3D Concert Movie, which I saw over the weekend. (He also probably asked because we once again delayed watching Crash for our Best Picture Project...oops).
Ok so if you don't already know it, I am a HUGE Glee fan! While I am one of those many "The first season was so much better" fans, I still watch and enjoy the show. I love the witty banter, comedic elements and almost all of the characters. Not to mention the show provides some great eye candy. Of course, the music is one of my favorite parts of Glee! Almost every song I've purchased off iTunes over the past year has been from Glee, much to my husband's chagrin. I also own the complete first season. I will own the complete second season probably after Christmas. Speaking of Christmas, last year I got the Glee Christmas Album and it was pretty much all I listened to over the holidays (again much to my husband's dismay). So I am "that fan," yes, the one responsible for keeping the cash cow of Glee alive. Who cares though? I love the show and it makes me happy and helps to relieve stress. Some have their video games or other hobbies, I have Glee!
As for Glee: The 3D Concert Movie, I was super pumped when I found out about it. We saw a preview for the film prior to seeing one of our summer movies and the husband looked at me and said "You can take your friend to see this, right?" So my bestie, who is a huge Glee fan like myself, and I made plans to leave our guys at home and go. Needless to say we had an absolute blast! We both badly wanted to see Glee in concert this summer, but the tickets were way too expensive. The 3D movie was the next best thing! We sang and cheered during the film as if we were really at a concert...it was great! We probably had a better view than if we had actually gone to the real concert.
I know many reviews of the movie have been very negative and that the Glee3D movie hasn't done well at the box office. I can see why numbers are down. Most concert movies generally make money from kids and their parents. Glee is not a children's show, so there goes that money machine. As for content, I tend to disagree with the critics. What do people expect? The movie isn't meant to be plot-driven. IT IS A CONCERT! I feel like it's the cool thing to just hate on everything once something gets popular now days. People need to learn to relax and just enjoy something for what it is! Ok off of my soapbox, back to the review! I got chills when they performed their opening number to their trademark "Don't Stop Believin'" song. I also, of course, loved Puck's solo as well as Finn's solo. Any Rachel song was amazing (Lea Michele is just awesome, period). Kurt, as usual, didn't disappoint. The group numbers were great too. I especially LOVED The Warblers performance and the adorable "mini warbler!" ATTENTION: CUTENESS ALERT. There were some great surprises too (SPOILER AHEAD!) like when Gwyneth Paltrow (Holly Holiday) showed up to sing "Forget You." My bestie and I literally screamed out of joy. We are super cool people!
I suppose I should mention the use of 3D too. I know I have bashed 3D, but this is the first movie that I've ever seen in 3D where I actually noticed the effects. The 3D did add to the overall experience, but I would have been just as happy seeing Glee in good ole' 2D.
My complaints are very short. For one, it was too short! Then again, I could have watched for like six hours to hear them perform every song I like. I feel like the whole "Glee changed my life" scenes from real people that were dispersed throughout the movie were unnecessary. I would have preferred to see more onstage/backstage banter and more singing in its place. There also wasn't enough Tina or Quinn. In addition, an appearance by Mr. Shue and obviously SUE SYLVESTER would have been nice! From my understanding, Sue did have scenes in the film that were cut. Hopefully they will be on the Blu-ray version.
As a whole though, I was very pleased with Glee: The 3D Concert Movie. If you love Glee and like me, couldn't afford to see the actual concert, I would recommend this. Don't go in expecting a real movie with a plot. View it as a concert, which it obviously is. Also, if you can, try to see it as a matinee. I believe I paid $8.70 or something, but would have been charged around $11 if I saw an evening show. I think the movie isn't in theatres much longer, however, but I am sure it will come out on Blu-ray/DVD. All in all I am now very excited for Glee Season 3!
Before I end, I should mention that the husband does watch Glee on occasion with me. I even catch him laughing sometimes...so don't let him fool you. I think he likes it a little bit ;)! I will leave you with this! Look for him in Glee: The 3D Concert Movie:
Glee: The 3D Concert Movie
Well this review will be interesting. I am sure a lot of this blog's target audience are "anti-gleek." Oh well! Sad for you, really. The husband asked me to review Glee: The 3D Concert Movie, which I saw over the weekend. (He also probably asked because we once again delayed watching Crash for our Best Picture Project...oops).
Ok so if you don't already know it, I am a HUGE Glee fan! While I am one of those many "The first season was so much better" fans, I still watch and enjoy the show. I love the witty banter, comedic elements and almost all of the characters. Not to mention the show provides some great eye candy. Of course, the music is one of my favorite parts of Glee! Almost every song I've purchased off iTunes over the past year has been from Glee, much to my husband's chagrin. I also own the complete first season. I will own the complete second season probably after Christmas. Speaking of Christmas, last year I got the Glee Christmas Album and it was pretty much all I listened to over the holidays (again much to my husband's dismay). So I am "that fan," yes, the one responsible for keeping the cash cow of Glee alive. Who cares though? I love the show and it makes me happy and helps to relieve stress. Some have their video games or other hobbies, I have Glee!
As for Glee: The 3D Concert Movie, I was super pumped when I found out about it. We saw a preview for the film prior to seeing one of our summer movies and the husband looked at me and said "You can take your friend to see this, right?" So my bestie, who is a huge Glee fan like myself, and I made plans to leave our guys at home and go. Needless to say we had an absolute blast! We both badly wanted to see Glee in concert this summer, but the tickets were way too expensive. The 3D movie was the next best thing! We sang and cheered during the film as if we were really at a concert...it was great! We probably had a better view than if we had actually gone to the real concert.
I know many reviews of the movie have been very negative and that the Glee3D movie hasn't done well at the box office. I can see why numbers are down. Most concert movies generally make money from kids and their parents. Glee is not a children's show, so there goes that money machine. As for content, I tend to disagree with the critics. What do people expect? The movie isn't meant to be plot-driven. IT IS A CONCERT! I feel like it's the cool thing to just hate on everything once something gets popular now days. People need to learn to relax and just enjoy something for what it is! Ok off of my soapbox, back to the review! I got chills when they performed their opening number to their trademark "Don't Stop Believin'" song. I also, of course, loved Puck's solo as well as Finn's solo. Any Rachel song was amazing (Lea Michele is just awesome, period). Kurt, as usual, didn't disappoint. The group numbers were great too. I especially LOVED The Warblers performance and the adorable "mini warbler!" ATTENTION: CUTENESS ALERT. There were some great surprises too (SPOILER AHEAD!) like when Gwyneth Paltrow (Holly Holiday) showed up to sing "Forget You." My bestie and I literally screamed out of joy. We are super cool people!
I suppose I should mention the use of 3D too. I know I have bashed 3D, but this is the first movie that I've ever seen in 3D where I actually noticed the effects. The 3D did add to the overall experience, but I would have been just as happy seeing Glee in good ole' 2D.
My complaints are very short. For one, it was too short! Then again, I could have watched for like six hours to hear them perform every song I like. I feel like the whole "Glee changed my life" scenes from real people that were dispersed throughout the movie were unnecessary. I would have preferred to see more onstage/backstage banter and more singing in its place. There also wasn't enough Tina or Quinn. In addition, an appearance by Mr. Shue and obviously SUE SYLVESTER would have been nice! From my understanding, Sue did have scenes in the film that were cut. Hopefully they will be on the Blu-ray version.
As a whole though, I was very pleased with Glee: The 3D Concert Movie. If you love Glee and like me, couldn't afford to see the actual concert, I would recommend this. Don't go in expecting a real movie with a plot. View it as a concert, which it obviously is. Also, if you can, try to see it as a matinee. I believe I paid $8.70 or something, but would have been charged around $11 if I saw an evening show. I think the movie isn't in theatres much longer, however, but I am sure it will come out on Blu-ray/DVD. All in all I am now very excited for Glee Season 3!
Before I end, I should mention that the husband does watch Glee on occasion with me. I even catch him laughing sometimes...so don't let him fool you. I think he likes it a little bit ;)! I will leave you with this! Look for him in Glee: The 3D Concert Movie:
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