Sorry about the title. It's wordy, but I wanted a musical reference.
I know we haven't spent time together lately, but it's because my work has buried me in a sea of computers and training, so for the next little while, these will be sporatic at best.
I did want to take a minute to tell the story of what happened to me at the end of last week. As you may or may not know, I have been fairly well traveled in my three decades on this planet (more than some, less than some), and had the opportunity to take a work trip to San Francisco last week to attend a conference. So I took it and embarked on the four-hour flight to the west coast of this great country to see the Golden Gate City.
For 21 hours.
I flew in Thursday night, and was back in Dallas Friday night. From what I saw of it, San Fran is one of the most beautiful cities I have ever been in. Quick shout out to our West Coast readers (yeah, right, like we have THOSE... I don't think we have any West TEXAS readers). I also enjoyed my first few solo experiences with taking a taxi (one of my drivers even picked me up in his off time... a bit unstable for me to do, but it makes for a great story), and I saw the Bay Bridge, as well as Monster Park AND SBC Park. The Golden Gate Bridge was on the other side of town, and I was on a time schedule. The conference itself took all of thirty minutes, but it was well worth it. I would like to take a few extra days out there the next time I get the chance to see the town, but I was really impressed with the things I saw. Hey, I even saw a golf course on an island that was FULLY LIGHTED. Mmmm... golf.
I will tell more of the story as the days go on, but I will start with a quick note for those of you that book flights: if my name ever comes across your desk to book me a flight, DO NOT give me the window seat. I am not a small man by any stretch, and the window is not real comfortable for me, unless it's behind the bulkhead (which is the row I prefer anyway). Help a brotha out and hook me up on the aisle.
Lastly for today, a quick plug for a site that I have read for years, and re-introduced myself to the greatness of recently. The address is http://www.tomatonation.com, run by the great Sarah Bunting. If you enjoy any of my rants, you will see how bush league I really am by reading her stuff. Pure unadulterated greatness.
Until next time, when I review a few movies on their way to DVD (watched 'em on the flights)...
BB
Tuesday, April 26, 2005
Thursday, April 07, 2005
The Upside Of Anger
Three entries in one week? That's GOTTA be a record.
This week's second movie review is the afforementioned "The Upside Of Anger". Terry Wolfmeyer (Joan Allen, The Contender) is having a rough go at it. Her husband left her with his secretary, so now she has to raise their four daughters on her own. Emily (Keri Russell, Felicity) wants to be a ballerina, Andy (Erika Christiansen, Traffic) is pondering skipping college for the workforce, Hadley (Alicia Witt, Vanilla Sky) is trying to graduate college, and Popeye (Evan Rachel Wood, Once And Again) is discovering boys. If that isn't enough, her neighbor/former baseball player/radio host Denny Davies (Kevin Costner, like I need to tell you what he's been in) just wants to spend more time with her. Let's just say that's the tip of the iceberg.
My wife wanted to see this film, and since it was her turn to pick the movie (with this new job, I promised her a "dinner & movie" once a week, and we'd take turns picking), I had no choice. Granted, I had a bit of interest, since the film was written and directed by Mike Binder (The Hollywood Knights), a great standup comic from back in the day. Chick flick or not? The mind boggles.
On one hand, you had all of the "female bonding" gig. On the other hand, you have some good comedy that even I chuckled at. Would I have seen this without the spouse? Probably not. So I guess this qualifies this as a "date movie".
As far as the film itself, Joan Allen is ALWAYS great. Bet the farm on that. As Terry, she shows both the external and internal struggles of her character as if it were second nature, and the chemistry she has with the entire cast is phenomenal. Even Kevin "bad accent" Costner made an effort to act, so it couldn't be that bad off. And Erika Christiansen is pretty good lookin'.
After much thought (and scattershooting), I will give "The Upside Of Anger" a 6.5, which translates to "see it if you're on a date and feeling whatever about the flick selection".
Until next time, when you never know what I might pull out of my sleeve.
BB
This week's second movie review is the afforementioned "The Upside Of Anger". Terry Wolfmeyer (Joan Allen, The Contender) is having a rough go at it. Her husband left her with his secretary, so now she has to raise their four daughters on her own. Emily (Keri Russell, Felicity) wants to be a ballerina, Andy (Erika Christiansen, Traffic) is pondering skipping college for the workforce, Hadley (Alicia Witt, Vanilla Sky) is trying to graduate college, and Popeye (Evan Rachel Wood, Once And Again) is discovering boys. If that isn't enough, her neighbor/former baseball player/radio host Denny Davies (Kevin Costner, like I need to tell you what he's been in) just wants to spend more time with her. Let's just say that's the tip of the iceberg.
My wife wanted to see this film, and since it was her turn to pick the movie (with this new job, I promised her a "dinner & movie" once a week, and we'd take turns picking), I had no choice. Granted, I had a bit of interest, since the film was written and directed by Mike Binder (The Hollywood Knights), a great standup comic from back in the day. Chick flick or not? The mind boggles.
On one hand, you had all of the "female bonding" gig. On the other hand, you have some good comedy that even I chuckled at. Would I have seen this without the spouse? Probably not. So I guess this qualifies this as a "date movie".
As far as the film itself, Joan Allen is ALWAYS great. Bet the farm on that. As Terry, she shows both the external and internal struggles of her character as if it were second nature, and the chemistry she has with the entire cast is phenomenal. Even Kevin "bad accent" Costner made an effort to act, so it couldn't be that bad off. And Erika Christiansen is pretty good lookin'.
After much thought (and scattershooting), I will give "The Upside Of Anger" a 6.5, which translates to "see it if you're on a date and feeling whatever about the flick selection".
Until next time, when you never know what I might pull out of my sleeve.
BB
Wednesday, April 06, 2005
Black And White
It's movie review time again, and I actually was able to see a movie or two this past weekend, which helps. So, let's get started...
"SIN CITY"
In Basin City, anything can happen, and normally does. As it's citizens' lives intertwine, innocence is lost like a set of car keys.
Based on the series of graphic novels by the great Frank Miller, known mostly to the general public as the guy who wrote The Dark Knight Returns, where an aged Bruce Wayne loses it and starts killing criminals, Sin City was thought by many to be virtually impossible to bring to the big screen, much less in a two-hour format with an "R" rating. With the amount of violence, sex, and gore, it just couldn't be done.
Then, Miller himself signed on to direct. Robert Rodriguez (Spy Kids, The El Mariachi Trilogy) also signed on, and even got his friend Quentin Terrantino to help out. Then, enough actors to fill an A-List train (Bruce Willis, Jessica Alba, Benecio Del Toro, Brittany Murphy, Mickey Rourke, Josh Hartnett, Clive Owen, Rosario Dawson, Jamie King). All of this, and this thing could either fail miserably or succeed with authority.
Thankfully, the latter is the case. With a visual style that makes you think that the graphic novel has come to life, performances that are about as real as art can get (Rourke has the performance of his CAREER), and storylines that keep you guessing, this film has the perfect mix of laughs and all-out darkness that keeps you interested for the solid couple of hours that this movie takes. All in all, I would see this again and pay full price, so on a scale of 1 to 10, I will give Sin City an 8.
Until next time, when we go all chick flick...
BB
"SIN CITY"
In Basin City, anything can happen, and normally does. As it's citizens' lives intertwine, innocence is lost like a set of car keys.
Based on the series of graphic novels by the great Frank Miller, known mostly to the general public as the guy who wrote The Dark Knight Returns, where an aged Bruce Wayne loses it and starts killing criminals, Sin City was thought by many to be virtually impossible to bring to the big screen, much less in a two-hour format with an "R" rating. With the amount of violence, sex, and gore, it just couldn't be done.
Then, Miller himself signed on to direct. Robert Rodriguez (Spy Kids, The El Mariachi Trilogy) also signed on, and even got his friend Quentin Terrantino to help out. Then, enough actors to fill an A-List train (Bruce Willis, Jessica Alba, Benecio Del Toro, Brittany Murphy, Mickey Rourke, Josh Hartnett, Clive Owen, Rosario Dawson, Jamie King). All of this, and this thing could either fail miserably or succeed with authority.
Thankfully, the latter is the case. With a visual style that makes you think that the graphic novel has come to life, performances that are about as real as art can get (Rourke has the performance of his CAREER), and storylines that keep you guessing, this film has the perfect mix of laughs and all-out darkness that keeps you interested for the solid couple of hours that this movie takes. All in all, I would see this again and pay full price, so on a scale of 1 to 10, I will give Sin City an 8.
Until next time, when we go all chick flick...
BB
Tuesday, April 05, 2005
The Showcase Of The Immortals
So, if you don't know this about me, I enjoy the pagentry that is professional wrestling. I have been watching since I was a kid, and for awhile, I actually wrote a column online expressing my thoughts and opinions on the sport. Part of the purpose of this blog was to resharpen my skills to perhaps enter that arena again, so we'll see.
Less than 48 hours ago, the WWE presented WrestleMania 21, the biggest pay-per-view event they put on each year. There was a time when there were only five each year: The Royal Rumble (January), WrestleMania (March), King Of The Ring (June), Summerslam (August), and Survivor Series (November). But alas, the almighty dollar convinced president Vince McMahon that one each month was what the people wanted, and thus now we have more than twice that many each calendar year.
Anyway, myself, the wife, and a few others gathered at the home of some friends to witness this year's spectacle this past Sunday night in the hopes that the wild and the wooly would be out to treat the Staples Center in Los Angeles to an experience it would not soon forget.
It came up short of the mark.
Sure, there were some memorable moments (Hogan, both titles changing, and that's about it), but overall, this year's big dog came up still in the house. For a normal PPV event, it wasn't bad, but THIS IS WRESTLEMANIA. This is where storylines begin and end. This is where surprise guests show up and shake things. This is where evil goes good and vice versa. For the most part, that did not happen.
And Sting still hasn't shown up.
Coming later this week, two (count 'em... TWO) movie reviews. We'll see if I can still do that too.
BB
Less than 48 hours ago, the WWE presented WrestleMania 21, the biggest pay-per-view event they put on each year. There was a time when there were only five each year: The Royal Rumble (January), WrestleMania (March), King Of The Ring (June), Summerslam (August), and Survivor Series (November). But alas, the almighty dollar convinced president Vince McMahon that one each month was what the people wanted, and thus now we have more than twice that many each calendar year.
Anyway, myself, the wife, and a few others gathered at the home of some friends to witness this year's spectacle this past Sunday night in the hopes that the wild and the wooly would be out to treat the Staples Center in Los Angeles to an experience it would not soon forget.
It came up short of the mark.
Sure, there were some memorable moments (Hogan, both titles changing, and that's about it), but overall, this year's big dog came up still in the house. For a normal PPV event, it wasn't bad, but THIS IS WRESTLEMANIA. This is where storylines begin and end. This is where surprise guests show up and shake things. This is where evil goes good and vice versa. For the most part, that did not happen.
And Sting still hasn't shown up.
Coming later this week, two (count 'em... TWO) movie reviews. We'll see if I can still do that too.
BB
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