The Dark Knight Rises

I can't believe  how excited I am about this movie. I guess the last movie I was this excited for was either the last Dark Knight movie, or maybe even Inception. Christopher Nolan can simply do no wrong. I have never had such consistently high expectations and had them so consistently met at the same time.

The amount of hype surrounding the movie is crazy. Tonight, at our local theater, there will be 11 showings at the midnight hour, meaning every screen in that movie theater will be showing The Dark Knight Rises. I've never seen anything like that before. I'm not even sure that The Avengers had that kind of hype.

Rotten Tomatoes shows reviews at around 87%, which is really great.

I just can't wait. Just over 30 hours to go. I'm so glad we're going to see it in the IMAX.

Best Picture

It just so happens that The Artist is playing in our awesome cheap theater that's right over by our house. Amy and I went and saw it last weekend, and I guess I shouldn't be so surprised, because it did win Best Picture this year, but I really enjoyed it. I knew very little about it going into it, just that it really had won most of the significant awards at the Oscars this year. What really impressed me about the movie was just how much the film was able to communicate without the benefit of dialogue. Every so often you would see the intertitles (nope, didn't know that word, had to look it up, but it's what you call the parts where the words flash on the screen in silent films), but for the most part, you could follow everything without needing to know exactly what was being said. That's probably true of any movie, but you don't really how true that is until you watch this kind of movie. Anyway, I did some reading up afterward on some of the details of the movie and it's really amazing how careful the director was with every part of the movie. He was so deliberate with everything, and what's more, this must have been such a huge risk for everyone involved. When was the last time a silent film got any kind of real press or attention, let alone success? The actors were amazing, of course. It did get a little slow for me in the middle toward the end, but otherwise, just a very impressive production. On a similar note, Amy and I watched Midnight in Paris some time ago too. We really enjoyed that one as well. Movies are fun.

Warm Reception for Inception

Some people aren't really movie people, but I definitely am. I love the experience of going to movies. I've been known to go to the movies just to get into an air-conditioned theater, and I've also had some of my best naps in theaters. When my brother used to have to babysit me, we'd go to the movies and catch double features pretty regularly. It's kind of funny looking back on it now, because we'd often go and see different movies, so as an 8 year old, I'd be all by myself in the theater, and then wander out when I'm done, wondering where he was at. As a teen, Dave and I would go on movie marathons and pick out 4-5 movies we would watch in one day, hopping around in the theater, prepped with a backpack full of food, mostly junk food, that would leave us feeling pretty hashed by the end of the day.

I have a lot of fond memories of movies. I feel like I used to be a lot more easily satisfied by movies also. I often left the theater with that amazed, in awe, kind of feeling that I had just witnessed something truly special. I haven't felt like that for awhile now, however. Not to say that I haven't been entertained, or felt like I got my money's worth, but I haven't had that same blown away kind of feeling, that is, until last Friday.

Inception was the one movie that I had really been looking forward to among all of the summer releases. A-Team was really fun, Iron Man 2 was entertaining, and the remake of Karate Kid was better than I had expected, but I had July 16th marked in my movie calendar for quite some time now.

Christopher Nolan, writer, director, and producer of Inception is one person in Hollywood that I feel like I can set my clock by. With his reboot of the Batman franchise, particularly the Dark Knight, I just knew that he wouldn't fail. I loved what he did with The Prestige. The guy gets awesome performances from his characters, but probably more than anything, I just love his dark, screw with your mind kind of style. His stories are unpredictable, and he communicates a vision and message unlike anyone can. I love the way he creates these very fallible protagonists - you didn't really know who you were rooting for in The Prestige, and while Batman is the obvious choice for hero in those films, he's not one that is ever openly embraced in the movie itself. There are all kind of flaws that he injects into his characters, and it's really kind of awesome to see.

Some people don't like going to the theaters, dealing with fanatics, or the crowds, or the high price of movie tickets, but I think that's the best way to enjoy it. What's better than going to opening night for a movie that everyone has been eagerly waiting maybe months for? A movie I think would be mostly annoying, i.e. Eclipse, can turn into an event because of the gasps and gleeful cries of overflowing estrogen oozing from every person in attendance. Anticipation begets excitement which in turn begets a more involved, fun-filled experience.

Inception was no different. Seeing that movie opening night, no one really had any idea what to expect other than hopeful anticipation that they would be getting their money's worth. It's rare to sit for about two and a half hours and have no one moving or walking about in the aisles. Silent moments in the film were truly silent because every person is gripped by the drama of the moment, and you find yourself sitting on your seat's edge, wondering how the next scene will unfold. When the movie ended, with what I think was the perfect close, there was a collective and audible gasp as the entire theater exhaled at once.

Perfect. The whole thing was perfect. I haven't walked out of a movie feeling so satisfied and intent on paying full price to see it at least one or two more times on the big screen for about two years since his last movie.

It is so freakin' awesome. Go see it.

Waiting for "Superman"

On Monday nights I usually have a crew of people that I'll watch some TV with, and normally the show is 24. A few months ago we got into this pretty heated discussion that started with the health care debate that then went into education. One of the girls argued vehemently for public education as it currently stands, that there needs to be some way to be able to reach all of the less privileged kids and families that might not have the means for private education. I had a hard time engaging in the argument with her because she knew absolutely nothing about charter schools and the immense, obvious, and proven benefits that they provide as opposed to public education.

One of the best examples of this is the Harlem Children's Zone. It's unreal what they're doing, and the impact that it's having on people over there. I'll let this segment from 60 Minutes explain more (this is the first part):


The man who started this program, Geoffrey Canada, was also featured on This American Life. The website for the program is here.

Anyway, what's really cool is this documentary that's coming out that will be tackling this topic. Check it out:


The movie looks like it is going to be a very high quality film. Go here to see the website for the film. Something really cool that some people associated with the film are doing is a pledge system, where once they reach 50,000 pledges from people to see the movie, the foundation will donate 250,000 new books to struggling schools across the country.

Legion of Extraordinary Dancers

This season has been kind of weird for me and SYTYCD. Sometimes I could care less, but then a particular routine will jump out and just blow me away. I'm not really a fan of anyone in particular. They're all pretty decent. I like Kathryn just because I think she's super cute, same goes for Noelle. I think Jakob is by far the best dancer, although the other guys are all pretty good also.

Anyway, this week I just loved loved loved this routine by the dance group whose name graces the title of this post. I was looking through some of their other videos and current contestant, Legacy, actually used to be (or still is?) a member of the group. My favorite guy is the one dude doing all of the stuff on his hands who smoothly spins to a stop at the end of the routine. I just can't believe how fluid he is, and the variation he has in his speed. Just amazing. But the best part has to be the part in the middle with the perfectly synchronized martial arts moves.


As an added bonus, a friend of mine sent me the trailer for this independent film, Babies.

Odds And Ends

So I guess this video below served as some of the inspiration behind the concept of the show Glee.



I'm no Gleek yet, but I've seen a couple of shows and it's actually pretty funny. There are a few things that bother me about it, but they're the subtle kinds of statements that the show makes that I am inclined to read into.

My roommate got Wii Fit, and so far I broke all of his records on there except for the ski jump. He's kind of a goofy guy because he loves talking trash even if he's not always in a position to do so, and I don't think I normally would get competitive about this sort of thing, but his need to tough talk fuels my competitive fire. So I broke his record earlier this week, and then he took it back the next day. I was going to let it go until last night when he made a point of telling me that he put some distance between the top score and my own. So how did I react? I waited until he went to bed, then I stayed up until 1:00 a.m. last night not only breaking his record, but then scoring so high and often that his name doesn't even appear on the top 10 list anymore. How's that for idiocy? And I did that in spite of still having to prep for today's stats lab that I had to teach that started at 8:30 a.m. That's the kind of person that writes this blog.

Amazingly enough, I have no plans in the near future to go see New Moon. I only saw Twilight a few months ago, and I have to say that seeing Bella on screen reminded me how much I dislike her character. Why would dreamy Edward ever want such a desperate high school girl? I don't care if her scent drives him crazy. You know what drives me crazy? Stupid girl that is overly dramatic that has no confidence in the love that the people around her have for her. At least this film looks like they spent a few more dollars on the budget, so it shouldn't be as bad as the first one. Hopefully.

In SYTYCD news, I have really been anti-Ashleigh and Legacy for most of this season, but they've actually been pretty impressive the last couple weeks. The hip hop number that started the show was really, really good. I really liked Travis' contemporary routine, and it was danced pretty well, but you know what bothered me about it? Ryan's body is just TOO big. It looks awkward because it's just way too bulky. He is nimble for such a big guy, but his is not a dancer's physique. He should be a bouncer or something. Like I said before, I haven't really cared much for his wife, Ashleigh, but she's been really good the last couple of weeks and I love her arms. I thought she looked really good, and really, her arms are pretty perfect, and she danced it really well. Jakob is super gay, so I don't relate with him all that much, but that guy can dance. He's been outstanding in everything so far. He's the best, in my opinion. I was hoping for more out of the Nathan and Mollee piece. They heaped praise on them, but I didn't think they were that great, and I'm a big Nathan fan. Anyway...



That's about all I gots for now. Have a great weekend, dear ones!

Here Comes The Best Movie Of The Year - Invictus

Over the summer ESPN had their annual ESPY awards show and they highlighted the story of the South African Rugby team that won the World Cup. Dave told me about the story, about how he even cried while watching it in his living room by himself, and I so desperately wanted to see it, but could never find the rebroadcast. I looked for a book to no avail. And then I kind of forgot about it, until they started showing commercials for the film during the World Series.

The story goes basically like this: Nelson Mandela became President of South Africa in a huge upset victory after having served almost 30 years in prison for being an anti-apartheid activist. The country still suffered from glaring racial division, and he saw the Rugby World Cup as an opportunity to ease those tensions. South Africa was the host nation, but an enormous underdog to win the title. Nevertheless, he made every effort to ensure that all South Africans, white and black, would be cheering together for their country to win, and against daunting odds, win they did.

This movie, Invictus, is the story of that team and the healing of a nation. It's slated to be released December 11th. Morgan Freeman stars as Nelson Mandela, Matt Damon plays the national team coach Francois Pienaar, and Clint Eastwood directs. Can anyone say Oscar favorite?

Now that you can see through your tears, the movie title comes from the poem by William Ernest Henley:

OUT of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

Want to know something else cool? Invictus is latin for unconquerable. In 1875, Henley, from his hospital bed, wrote this poem determined to survive the tuberculosis that forced doctors to amputate his foot and that threatened his life. At that time tuberculosis used to be a death sentence, but Henley went on to live another 30 years after being released from the hospital.

Real life has the most amazing stories. Oh, and I found the book, go here if you're interested.

Dose Of Reality

You know what was maybe my favorite movie of the entire summer? Star Trek. Yeah, I said it. And I'll say it again. I think Star Trek might have been might favorite movie of the entire summer. There were some other entertaining ones, but this is the only one that I left the theater thinking that I wouldn't mind paying another full priced admission to see it again in the theater, or that I'd even like to buy it when it comes out on DVD.

At the time that the idea behind it was dreamt up, mankind had already explored the whole world over. With nowhere else to go, Gene Roddenberry took exploration to space and created a universe of characters and stories that revolved around what those journeys might be like. What really drives the franchise along are the characters that he fabricated.

I can't even really remember what the TV show was like, or what they were like in the movies, but this adaptation with the new Captain Kirk, Spock, and everyone else is just wonderful. Kirk is both courageous and a bit reckless, while Spock provides the perfect foil of being both logical and measured in his actions. Beyond that they have a friendship that is really worth hearing about. The franchise has been rebooted, and they really couldn't have done a better job.

(This is a time period that will be funny to look back on for this reason alone: everyone will look back at the last part of the decade and will ask, "remember when Hollywood decided to reboot every major franchise that ever existed, and they actually did a really good job with it?" James Bond, Batman, among others.)

Several years ago, Orson Scott Card visited BYU's campus and talked about the importance of fiction. I've made this point a number of times on this blog, but many people would rather just write off fiction as just being fiction, that it's only made up and has no real bearing on reality or our everyday lives. Card made the point that what is made up in fiction is often repeated soon thereafter in reality. In a sense, it becomes a breeding ground for ideas and what remains possible. There is no such thing as just a movie/book/TV show/story/etc. Everything has a purpose and will have some kind of impact, one way or another.

Although Star Trek is only science fiction, it remains, nonetheless, a reflection of true ideas and beliefs about the world as we know it. In fiction we find what it is that we really value, even if the stories and characters are entirely manufactured. We see in Star Trek a glimpse into the excitement of space exploration that existed during the 1960s when it was a major focus of this country's ambition. In the characters, we get a sense for the kind of traits and characters that we value in real life; through the pairing of Kirk and Spock we see the value of passion coupled with reason; in exploring the outer limits of our imagination we gain an appreciation for the curiosity that mankind has in the world and universe outside ourselves.

While talking about this topic with a friend tonight, she playfully chided herself for not reading books that supposedly have more meaning, autobiographies of important people and the like, but who's to say that these fictional portrayals don't have the same kind of real impact and inspiration that real life accounts do? Many real life lawyers point to Atticus Finch from To Kill A Mockingbird (or as Dave likes to say it, Tequila Mockingbird) as their inspiration for the type of lawyer that they want to become. I'm sure that there is a whole generation of kids out there that want to be brave in the face of danger and loyal to their friends because that is what they learn from reading Harry Potter. Unfortunately on the flip side, there are probably many teens and women that I'm sure develop their sense of romance from what they have read in the Twilight series.

Just because it is fiction does not mean that the impact that it has on your life is not entirely real. As a child, I loved Peter from The Chronicles of Narnia books. I loved that he was the leader, and that he was always on the lookout for his younger siblings. I loved Aslan because of his selfless sacrifice in behalf of the kids. I loved Encyclopedia Brown because he saw everything, could always figure out exactly what was going on, and was always one step ahead of everyone else. When I read T.S. Eliot sometimes I think I am that nervous, perpetually self-conscious person that he so perfectly captures. The power behind fiction is how it can affect us on a deeply personal level.

Not that this movie is particularly deep. It's a sometimes witty, but mostly action-packed ride that entertains from beginning to end. Nevertheless, it does have some aspects to it that are no less real than you sitting there reading this on your computer screen right this minute.

Movie Macabre

While watching TV again waiting to get tired, I saw on the channel guide what I thought would be a gem of a movie - Zombie Honeymoon. I couldn't have been more right. The story goes something like this:

Two newlyweds embark on a month long honeymoon in New Jersey when the husband gets transformed into a zombie. Denise walks a fine line as she is torn between her love and loyalty to her husband while also fighting her disgust at his flesh-eating tendencies. The most powerful scene comes toward the end of the film as Danny, aka zombie husband, devours several dead bodies belonging to two friends and several police officers and Denise, devoted but terrified wife, stays in the house and listens to her husband enjoy his midnight meal.

Unfortunately I only caught the last third of the movie, but truly this is American cinema at its finest. I was so tired when this movie came on, but I couldn't pull myself away, and I couldn't stop laughing. It was so good.

Here's the trailer:

Away We Go

This looks interesting to me:


And for good measure, this is my favorite commercial right now...

Funny People

I haven't been excited for an Adam Sandler movie in years, but this one caught my attention when I saw the trailer recently:

Recognize A Real Don When You See Juan

Is it crazy that I'm REALLY interested in seeing this movie?

Like SO interested in seeing it. And I probably won't because I'm afraid the content will get a little too explicit and maybe violent for my taste, but his music is awesome, and the story is interesting. I'm also so curious about how they will do his death and if they'll leave it kind of ambiguous or link it to Tupac.

It's amazing what they can do with television. I caught some of American Idol last night while working out, and truth be told, if I started watching it I could be totally hooked. I am such a sucker for the human interest stories. I was blown away by the white guy whose wife had passed away just four weeks earlier. I think my favorite person of the night was the band director. And Anupe-Dawg was so surprising. I felt like that's what I kept thinking the whole night; whoa! I never would have guessed that person would be so good!

It really all just comes down to good producing. I saw the promo clip for AI featuring David Cook and I actually got the chills watching that, and I have absolutely no connection to him or the show, but it affected me.

Speaking of new television I've been getting interested in, ever watch Psych? It's a USA show, but it's pretty entertaining. It has a million 80's references. And I watched all four hours of the 24 premiere on Sunday and Monday. I hadn't seen any of it since season 2, but I was immediately feeling pulled back in.

It's really just all about good packaging.

Movies Movies Movies

I said to myself that I wasn't going to blog until I got back to Utah, but my adoring readers (really only Charlotte, maybe there are one or two others, but she is the only one to voice any of your concerns) are chomping at the bit. Not to worry though, I have a number of posts-a-brewing, and I'll get to those when I return to Utah tomorrow. Anyway, on to the post.

So I have had a ton of time since being out here. It's been a little unusual to have nothing to do, and after about a week I was starting to get a little bit bored, but I think I've found my groove a little bit. It really is easy to get used to the do-nothing lifestyle.

I've caught a few movies since being out here. It started with The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. I thought I would enjoy that movie a lot more than I did. My biggest problem with it wasn't the length or that I couldn't buy into the storyline, but that I didn't really know what to take away from the film. I guess when you have a story that spans a lifetime there is bound to be a lot of death, which normally is kind of sad to me, but I wasn't really affected by it. The writing is good. I liked some of how they captured Benjamin as a child. Brad is beautiful. I felt like the telling of the story during the landfall of Hurricane Katrina was supposed to serve as a metaphor for something, but I couldn't really figure out what. Same thing with "time" in general. I liked it okay. It was long, but didn't feel slow.

Saw Yes Man. I didn't have any expectations with that one, but I actually thought it was really funny. I laughed out loud a number of times. There was one scene that was totally unnecessary. The movie is based on a book, which I can only assume is a little more serious, but it made me want to read it. I just like that theme in general of being a "yes" person. I was talking with a friend about that one night and maybe I'll get to that in another post.

The real reason for this post is Gran Turino. I had seen previews for this and heard that it was getting some really good reviews from everyone, and Kent blogged briefly about it also. I didn't know anything about it really. From what I had seen, it looked to me like a show about vigilante justice, Clint was some crazy old man, and that it was going to be another Oscar favorite that dealt with really dark topics in a similar vein as There Will Be Blood and No Country For Old Men from last year. I really wasn't in the mood to see a movie like that, but my brother really wanted to see it and I hadn't spent much time with him since I've been home.

The movie was amazing. Some of the teen actors aren't the greatest, but the characters are so real and the themes that the movie deals with are great - redemption, maturation, forgiveness. Clint was great in his role, but mostly I just loved how it all turned out. It got to both my brother and I. I shed a tear, and I'm pretty sure he did too. And probably one of my favorite things about it was that it stayed away from feeling too heavy and depressing which I feel like so many of the critically-acclaimed movies end up doing. It was very funny in ways that I wouldn't have ever expected. I was really blown away with how good it was. That is one of the best movies that I've seen in years, and maybe ever. I wouldn't hesitate to see that again in the theaters, or even buy it. Violence is low, but profanity is very high. I'm actually surprised that they were able to find enough footage in the film to do a trailer without including any racial slurs. I think it's mostly funny just because he is so over the top offensive in an old-white-man-war-veteran kind of way. Here is the trailer:

I highly, highly recommend the movie.

Lastly, I saw this trailer before Yes Man for I Love You, Man. I love love love Paul Rudd and Andy Samberg. It looks really funny to me.

And that's all folks!

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Did you ever see this movie? I watched it over the weekend and was reminded just how much I love it. It is Jim Carey being serious, but really good at it. Although to be honest, I thought he did fine in Truman Show (incidentally, my favorite scene in that one is when is wife starts doing the advertisement for the people watching and he's like...who are you talking to? what the hell are you talking about?...so funny). Anyway, Kate Winslett has a perfect American accent, and she gives an amazing performance. The idea behind the movie is really cool and unusual, and more than that, I think the idea behind it is really romantic.

The movie title is based on the Alexander Pope poem Eloisa to Abelard, and it amazes me to no end that people can write such amazing poetry in iambic meter. I guess it must be a skill that you can acquire, but for me to try and do that now would take so much time and so much tinkering. The end result is so cool though when you're reading it out loud and hear the rhythm of the poetry. Anyone know what the opposite of iambic meter is? I'll let you answer in the comments section.

I did want to include a couple of excerpts from the Pope poem. The story behind the poem is that there is a girl who falls in love with her teacher, and before they can really start a romance her family castrates him. Yikes, I know. Anyway, what she pleads for is forgetfulness. Following is one excerpt I thought was pretty cool:

Thou know'st how guiltless first I met thy flame,
When Love approach'd me under Friendship's name;
My fancy form'd thee of angelic kind,
Some emanation of th' all-beauteous Mind.
Those smiling eyes, attemp'ring ev'ry day,
Shone sweetly lambent with celestial day.
Guiltless I gaz'd; heav'n listen'd while you sung;
And truths divine came mended from that tongue.
From lips like those what precept fail'd to move?
Too soon they taught me 'twas no sin to love.
Back through the paths of pleasing sense I ran,
Nor wish'd an Angel whom I lov'd a Man.
Dim and remote the joys of saints I see;
Nor envy them, that heav'n I lose for thee.

and then the one pertinent to, and mentioned, in the film:

How happy is the blameless vestal's lot!
The world forgetting, by the world forgot.
Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind!
Each pray'r accepted, and each wish resign'd;
Labour and rest, that equal periods keep;
"Obedient slumbers that can wake and weep;"
Desires compos'd, affections ever ev'n,
Tears that delight, and sighs that waft to Heav'n.
Grace shines around her with serenest beams,
And whisp'ring angels prompt her golden dreams.
For her th' unfading rose of Eden blooms,
And wings of seraphs shed divine perfumes,
For her the Spouse prepares the bridal ring,
For her white virgins hymeneals sing,
To sounds of heav'nly harps she dies away,
And melts in visions of eternal day.

Edgar Allen Poe's The Raven is in the meter that's opposite of iambic. Read the poem and check it out for yourself, but the rhythm is really cool. And you can hear it in the clip that follows. How sad would this world be without James Earl Jones' voice?

"Take thy beak from out my heart, and take thy form from off my door!" I love the way Homer says those lines.

You're the Best Around

So I'm kind of funny with my TV watching. I only watch sports live. I record a few sitcoms, and then I always record movies. I can't stand commercials, but at the same time I can't stand watching recorded sports. I always end up just skipping to the end.

Earlier this week I watched Gross Pointe Blank. I love John Cusack, and I love the dark humor of that movie. In the movie he's a hitman going to his 10-year high school reunion, and his secretary (played by his sister Joan) mentions that she had recently gone to hers. He asks her what it was like, to which she responds, "it's like everybody swelled." I never noticed that joke before this last time around, but I just love it.

I wish I could find the scene at the end when he's protecting his old girlfriend's father. What happens is that he's back in his home town for a hit only to realize that it is on her father. While trying to patch things up with her he goes to protect her father because a competing contractor is also out to kill the dad. In one of the last scenes he's in a fight with one of the killers, and Debbie and her father come around the corner to see John hit the guy with a frying pan, unload the rest of his rounds into the body, and then hit him again with the frying pan. The whole time he's killing all these guys he keeps on trying to talk to her about their relationship, and after they see him kill this guy he looks up at them, tosses the frying pan, and nonchalantly resumes his plea to her saying, "Debbie, I'm in love with you, and I really think we can make this relationship work." Oh man, there's so much good stuff about that movie.

Every few years I watch the Karate Kid. Today happened to be one of those days. It is so silly, but my reaction to the final scene is the same every time. Cue the dramatic music when Johnny elbows Daniel's knee, assume the crane position, win the tournament, and my eyes well up every time. That has to be one of the iconic 80's films. I don't know any boy growing up in that decade who didn't spend dozens of hours practicing that crane kick. Plus, Elizabeth Shue is one of the most unappreciated beautiful women in Hollywood. Or at least that used to be in Hollywood. I want to make my own skeleton costume or have the Cobra Kai karate gi that they have in the tournament for Halloween some time.

Bonsai!

Religulous

I just happened to catch this morning some of last night's Daily Show episode where Jon Stewart was interviewing Bill Maher, and talking about his new movie Religulous.

I enjoy Jon Stewart. I think the Daily Show for the most part is funny, but I hate the politics, and I hate that they so grossly misrepresent consevative viewpoints. It's the same reason I can't listen to NPR. And it's not that I can't listen to an opposing viewpoint, but I hate that it's so often done with so much contempt for the Right.

That's mostly what I felt after watching the interview with Bill Maher. Admittedly, a good amount of what he said was done in a humorous way, but there is so much vitriol behind the things that they say. It's one thing to disagree with the things that I believe in, but it's another to mock those beliefs so vehemently. And I can't say that it's something uncommon, or even new. This is how it always has been, and always will be.

Is it unfair to say that this is the typical view of the liberal left? Probably not. I think also that this is pretty representative of the media in general and how they view religion, and maybe Christianity in particular. This is part of what fuels the fervor behind the hatred for Sarah Palin.

Doesn't mean that it's not annoying though. For what it's worth, here's the trailer:

And here is Bill explaining his film on Larry King:

Bored As Hell And I Wanna Get Ill

That looks more like a roman numeral "III" than Ill, huh? Kinda funny.

So yeah...that's basically what I've been feeling for the last 4 weeks. I can't believe I've been here almost 4 weeks already. Almost one whole month. Crazy. Not that it has passed quickly, but not that it has gone that slowly either. Time has just been meandering.

I haven't been blogging as much, but I think that's not due to time constraints, but mostly two factors: I feel guilty that I'm not doing my homework, and I feel like all my blog posts are journal type entries. I've been following all the same politics, sports, current events, etc. but I just feel like talking about my day or what I'm feeling and that doesn't seem to be all that interesting. Or is it? I don't know, but that's really how I'm feeling these days about my blogging. So then I end up not writing anything at all, and that bugs me. It's funny how much it bothers me when I don't post.

I feel this place that I'm living in - Provo - is Provo in name only. It's definitely not the same place for me now that it was from 2001-2004. My apartment is not my home; it feels more like a hotel. I feel like a transient here. And you know why? Because home is about the people, and the people that I enjoyed this place with during those years are all gone. It's weird to go to places now and have so many memories about every single restaurant, movie theater, street, building, nook and cranny that I see.

I went to see Ghost Town by myself today (which was really entertaining, by the way. I went at Kent's suggestion on his blog) at the Provo Town Center mall and the first thoughts I had as I got over there were about the last movies I saw there with other people. I saw XXX with Dave when we were just killing time one day. I took a nap during Guess Who with Dave and Caitlin, maybe Greg was there too. I saw Wimbledon with Becca and her friends there. She and I also saw How To Lose a Guy in 10 Days there near our first Valentine's day together, and she wrapped her arm in mine.

Being here has made me think a lot about her. Everything that happened in the last two years that I lived here was all about her. I didn't expect that to come up so much. And I hate admitting that. I guess that's pretty personal, but it's the truth.

I play intramural soccer on the same fields, but the experience is so different. I don't have post-game chats about how the game went with Dave. We don't get Pizza Pipeline anymore. I have maybe one person that I feel like I can just call up or text when I want to grab something to eat. I have a bunch of acquaintances here right now, but very few friends. Usually it's the other way around for me, and that's how I prefer it.

What's that line at the end of A River Runs Through It? "I am haunted by waters," I think. I'm haunted by these ghosts. Normally it's fine. The ghosts are always there, but you don't notice them when you're not by yourself so much. I know it's just a matter of time before I find some people that I click with, but it's weird in the meantime knowing I'm on my own. Not just knowing, but really feeling it.

Anyway, if you've bothered to come this far through this dreary post, below is the trailer. The movie is really funny. I laughed out loud, a lot. And I was by myself doing that in a theater full of people. You know what was funny? Being in a movie and hearing audible gasps at the two F-words and G-damn in the movie.

Role Models

First, this movie looks hilarious to me. Second, I love Paul Rudd and Elizabeth Banks. Elizabeth is one of my top 3. Just love her, and I think Paul Rudd does some of my favorite kind of comedy. I saw him on Letterman once and I mostly just felt like he was one of those famous guys that I would really like to hang out with.

My problem is I don't know if I'll have anyone to go see it with me. I could always count on Dave or even Aaron before, but I have been pretty dang bored this week, and I don't know if the people up here would even want to see the movie. Last night, I went to bed before midnight, even though I have absolutely nothing to do today, just because I was bored.

I'm not gonna lie, it's kind of lonely being in an apartment without your friends to hang out with you. I'm supposed to have two other roommates, but one of the rooms is vacant, and my drinking buddy pretty much just goes in his room and closes the door whenever he's home. This is my life right now - go to school and stay on campus for the morning and most of the afternoon, run some errands (i.e. buy stuff), and then come home and read crap. I think I've actually been somewhat lucky this week because Kira is good about making time for me, I was able to play soccer (which was actually pretty fun, and there was a pretty cute girl there), and I'm getting the motivation to run again. More on the running later. Anyway, it's been pretty boring so far.

Anyone wanna come up and watch that movie with me in November? Please?

Nice! Tickets!

So I wasn't all that excited about this movie because of the last one, which was alright, but mostly boring. I haven't watched it since, so maybe my opinion of it will have changed since then. But after hearing a lot of the buzz and seeing how favorably it's been faring amongst critics, I'm getting pretty geeked up for the second big comic book movie of the summer. I'm kind of thinking a double feature tomorrow is in order. Yup, I want to see The Happening. What can I say? I love Milford Night Shamalamalan's work, even Lady in the Water. I know, most people thought that one sucked, but I like his imagination and the way he uses humor in his films. I think it's pretty clever most of the time. Kind of like how I dig on the way Brad Pitt does humor. Not your typical jokes, but they do subtle things that resonate with me.

I saw Groovaloos last night and let me tell you - AWESOME! You guys have to go see it. I'll be writing more about that one. I think I might do a Blogcritics post even though it won't get any love.

Lakers? Yeah...glad I didn't watch that game. I have a post a-brewin' about being a sports fan as well. Perhaps also destined for Blogcritics.

Oh...and guess who has 4 tickets to this Monday's taping of So You Think You Can Dance? Woowoo! So gay...You know what I've been doing lately? I've been watching the show scouring the audience for the other guys in their late 20s who are attending. Yes, there are others. Laura...you want in? So far I have 2 extra tickets...

Some Movies

This morning on KROQ I heard Jenna Fischer promoting her new movie The Promotion, and I think I fell in love with her. Not only is she awesome in the The Office, but she just seemed so down to earth in the interview. The movie looks really funny. I wonder what warrants the R-rating...

Last night I finally saw 21 at the dollar theater. How great of an invention is the cheap movie theater? One of my favorite things about Provo before Southern California finally got with the program and put a few of our own in. I thought the movie was really entertaining. I think I'm also in love with Jim Sturgess. The story was entertaining, and even more so when you think that it actually happened. From what Dave told me about the book, a lot of things that occurred in the movie seemed true to the real story. I will say that this one was probably 10x better than the latest Indiana Jones. I didn't hate that one as much as a lot of other people did. Something Money said that I thought was funny was that because he hadn't seen it yet, he actually felt like he was missing out because he couldn't join in with other people who just couldn't stand the vine-swinging scene.

Anyway...I was going to post more trailers, which made me think of this spoof for The Shining. Enyoi!