Ramblin' thoughts

So, I don't really have a dang thing to blog about and there's like 1.72 people that read this anyway so why does it matter? Because I'm bored, I guess.

We went bowling tonight, and I actually did fairly well. By fairly well of course I mean I didn't break my foot by dropping the ball on it, and I didn't fall down and slide down the lane trying to throw the ball.

I got a 149 the first game and a 133 the second. Not great, but considering my average is 120 it means I'm either improving or got lucky, and I'll gladly take either option.

I'm thinking of joining a league this fall. I need to do something to get me out of the house and into a social situation every once in a while, ESPECIALLY now that I'm working from home and I can almost get away without showering for a week (if I wanted, fortunately I'm a bit too much of a germophobe to let myself go without taking one every day, even if the farthest I'm going that day is from the computer to the bathroom to take said shower.)

It would be nice to have something to look forward to once a week like that, and who knows? I may even get some friends out of it. I've made some friends at work, but I could probably use to expand my social circle a bit instead of being a hermit crab. Or possibly a crabby hermit.

Obtain Intellect....

Last Sunday the wife and I went out to see Get Smart, and I thought I'd post a thought or two.

Overall, it was a pretty good movie. I had a lot of laughs while watching it. For some reason, however, I was left feeling kind of disappointed. I don't know if it is because I expected more, or of it's simply because I'd seen The Dark Knight a couple nights earlier, and that experience raised the bar by which I judge all movies. I think maybe it's the latter.

Steve Carell was, of course, well suited to the role of the slightly bumbling, socially awkward, yet occasionally competent Maxwell Smart. Many of his roles are just slight variations of the same character - fortunately I haven't gotten tired of that character just yet. Even in Dan In Real Life, where he did play a more serious and emotional role, the Michael Scott/Andy Sitzer/Maxwell Smart-type character peeks through (and those are the funniest moments in that film as well.)

The rest of the cast performed adequately. No one really stood out in my mind as doing an extremely memorable job (except for maybe that huge henchman, who, in spite of being played by a professional wrestler, managed to display some believable emotion.)

There were a few spots that went too far in the search for the funny - one scene shows Smart riding in the back of a fighter jet, filling a barf bag up with, well, barf, and pointing it directly into the camera. In another scene (and haven't we seen this in about 100 other movies?) he is trying to move the unconscious body of a very fat man, and when someone sees this from an outside angle, it appears that they are engaging in vigorous (yet fully clothed,) sex! I don't know if this was funny the first time it was used as a sight gag, let alone the 100th. But, the rest of the audience laughed, so I may be alone in this opinion.

Like I said, I really enjoyed the movie. I'm not sure why I'm being so critical of it...maybe because I feel it could have been incredible instead of merely good. As a whole, Get Smart, in spite of what it did accomplish, seems to me like it had quite a bit of wasted potential.

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In other news, here's a song. It's one I heard when it was used in the trailer for the movie Underworld.

Red Tape

Why so serious?

I'm glad I went to the midnight showing of the Dark Knight, in spite of my reservations.

The movie is phenomenal. The hype that has been leading up to it, believe it or not, is mostly accurate. Sure, the Hollywood machine has it's gears turning and churning to make sure the movie makes tons of money, but this time it deserves it. (Completely the opposite of Madagascar 2, for which the hype wheels are also turning but it is in desperation to milk as much money out of a movie that looks to be an even bigger pile of steaming zoo animal excrement than was the first. Seriously! Every time one of those monkey-lemur-devil animals starts singing "I want to move it, move it," my food tries to move-it-move-it back from my stomach into my mouth.)

I was especially worried that the buzz surrounding how phenomenal Heath Ledger's performance was would prove to be ill-founded. I'm happy to say that I was worrying in vain. While his untimely death does change the way most people are going to view this performance, it does not change the fact that he poured himself so deeply and so strongly into this character that I never once thought I was looking at Heath Ledger playing The Joker. I was watching The Joker. And he was amazing. Were Ledger still alive he would have a very difficult task of ever topping this performance I believe. He was a great actor, but here he has created himself a legend.

The other thought I had about this movie is that it isn't a "Comic Book Movie" or "Superhero Movie," or at least not like any we've had so far. "Iron Man" was a good movie, but if Iron Man hadn't already been an established character from comic book canon, would it have been as good of a movie? Or would it have just been a Rocketeer ripoff? The X-Men movies, particularly the first one, helped show the world that comic book movies can be good...but how good would it have been if the X-Men were newly created characters?

Even if I had never known that such a character as Batman existed, be in in comics, the old movies, the old tv series, whatever.....I honestly think this movies STILL would have rocked my world. It's deeper and more philosophical that any comic book movie I've seen to this point, the themes and ideals would work regardless of the characters. The fact that the movie does not need to be about Batman to make it great is what makes it an even more incredible Batman movie.

The movie is long. Don't drink a lot before you go, because you will not want to miss a minute of this movie. Even the parts that suck compared to the rest of the movie are still better than the best moments of many other movies I've watched.

I may actually see this movie in the theater again. With only one exception, I have never seen a movie in the theater twice, and that exception was Return of the King. And that was only because the second time I got in free.

In other words - Go see this movie as soon as you are able.

If you're happy and you know it punch the wall...

I've been hella grumpy lately. I'm not entirely sure why.

I ponder it long, I ponder it hard. Which, when I stop to think about it, is an exercise in futility (much like trying to see a redeeming quality in reality tv,) due to the fact that I'm bipolar and really don't need or have a reason to be in ultra-crappy moods. Or, at least the reason is happening and a synapse-to-synapse level in my brain. Or something.

Like many people, however, I do not like these moods. It affects my job performance, and my importantly my relationship with my wife and kids. Since I don't see my kids very often, it always drives me to extreme guilt when the time they do have to share with me is marred by me being cranky, sullen, and quick to anger.

Long story short? Mental illness sucks.

On a happier note, here's a song!

(Lacuna Coil - Swamped)

Never, ever, ever in my 33 years have I had any desire to go see a movie at a midnight showing.

Honestly, it's rare that I even make an effort to see a movie in the theaters at all these days, let alone opening weekend.

I have tickets to see Dark Knight at 12:01 am on the 18th.

I'm dying, aren't I?

Ahhh, the refreshing smell of family....

Every year my wife's family has a huge 4th of July hootenanny. Or maybe it's a shindig. Anyhoo, it's a big party. Some years up to 100 people (they are mormon, so it's a big family.)

This year it's being hosted by her brother and his wife. It's kind of an official event, with invitations being sent out (including a task of which food to bring.) Everyone else has received an invitation. We haven't.

So, we're not sure what to do. Did they just overlook us? Or, since we have been "living in sin" until recently, did they decide they don't want to associate with us? Who knows. And honestly, I tend to find them to be self-righteous pricks anyway, so I don't think I'd be heartbroken if we didn't go. On the other hand, it's her family, and she'll want to go. Plus, it's lots of free food. And they have a hot tub. Hot tubs rule.

If we do go, I'm going to make sure I go topless, into the hot tub, so everyone can see my tattoos and nipple piercings. That should be fun, watching the various looks of disdain and indignation.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go polish my nipple rings. I want to make sure that the sun glints majestically off of them as my sinful flesh enjoys the massaging warming goodness that is a hot tub.