Jeff's Best of 2008

Teeth

So, yes, it's a movie about Vagina Dentata and, yes, there are plenty of scenes of male genitalia getting removed. But, it's still worth a look. Darkly comic and lots of good scenes to make you squirm. Or, at least make the guys squirm. I really enjoyed it.

Diary of the Dead

Diary of the Dead is the 5th zombie movie from George Romero and it is a story that reverts back to the beginning of the zombie infestation. We get to see another small group of people make their way through the world that is slowly being overrun by the undead, but this time, we get to also see how they record the events that are happening around them. I had no problem with the 'film within a film' aspect of this and thought it was handled pretty well. I also thought there was plenty of good zombie action - the highlight probably being the scenes taking place on an Amish farm. Definitely better than Land of the Dead and Day of the Dead.

The Dark Night

So, pretty much everybody has weighed in on this one, but I'll just say that I really enjoyed it. I've heard some complaints about the length, but I didn't notice the length the first time I saw it. I was completely involved in the story and never felt things drag at all. I thought that they made the right choice by not making the movie all about The Joker and letting him monopolize screen time. Having him simply be an instigator was a novel way to handle the character and allowed the writers to move along ideas about Batman and the people around him. I'm curious to see what comes next.

That will do it for now, still plenty to come...

Trans-Siberian

First, I really hate the Steelers.....

Anyway, we watched Trans-Siberian last night, which is a Hitchockian thriller that takes place on the Trans-Siberian Railroad. It was pretty good and worth a look.

A wild one

The Catonsville Stars defeated the Elicott City Patriots yesterday, 26-24, in a wild game in Elkridge. This was one of the most exciting games we've been to so far. The first half was pretty listless, with neither team getting very far. However, some individual efforts put the Stars up 12 to 0 at half time. The second half was a completely different story. The Patriots returned to the field determined to score and by the fourth quarter were ahead of the Stars 14 to 12. Then, in the fourth quarter, everything went nuts. The Stars really turned it on and started blocking and playing hard. The Patriots scored again, putting them further ahead 22 to 12. Then, on the kick-off one of the Stars ran it back for the touchdown, bringing them closer, 19 to 22. The Patriots were able to kick a field goal (only 2 points in little league) making their lead 24 to 19. But, the Stars got the ball back and in the final seconds of the game, scored another touchdown and extra point, to get the win, 26-24.

Like I said, this was one of the best games so far. The parents were going wild and they boys were having a great time. This is when kids' sports is so much more fun and meaningful than watching NFL on TV.

Lacey and I watched Forgetting Sarah Marshall this weekend. It was pretty good. Not completely hilarious like 40 Year Old Virgin or Knocked Up, but it was enjoyable. Worth a look.

I Am The Third Revelation

Just a short movie review. We watched There Will Be Blood over the weekend. I really enjoyed it. Daniel Day-Lewis' acting was phenomenal - there was nothing but his character in the movie, no sign of his true personality in any way. The cinematography was beautiful and I never loss interest in the characters. The ending seemed almost separated from the rest of the movie, but was amazing for it's slow burn towards complete derangement and brutality. The title of this post comes from that part of the movie.

I can see why some people wouldn't like this film - mainly due to it's length and (mostly) unlikeable characters. I'm not sure if it's a film that needs to be mined for great meaning, just enjoyed.

The film version Choke, one of my favorite Chuck Palhaniuk books, comes out this weekend. I hope it's good.

Lazy Saturday

So, today was a complete wash-out. We slept late and haven't really done anything all day. The grass needs mowing, but it's still kinda hot to deal with it.

It's been a busy week. Last night, Jay had a scrimmage against a team from Columbia. They won (I think), but nobody was really keeping score. Our team looked pretty good. Jay was doing a good job as a lineman. I have to admit being somewhat surprised. Last year, he wasn't all that great at blocking when he played wide receiver. He's much improved. Their first real game is next Saturday.

Work was busy all week. And, we had things to do in the evening, so we didn't get to do much this week. I took the kids up to the school on Thursday to meet their teachers and things like that. They were both nervous and didn't talk much. The kids, not the teachers. The teachers seem nice.

Ummm, movies. In the past week, we've watched Stop-Loss and Be Kind Rewind. Both had interesting parts, but weren't all that great overall. It looks like we won't be seeing the Clone Wars in theaters. Nothing I've read has made me want to go see it and Jay seems to have forgotten about it.

So, as I mentioned last time. We went out for Lacey's birthday last weekend. It was a pretty good time. The hotel was neat, with a very different decorating motif. We went to the Palace of Wonders and saw the Gilded Lilly Burlesque troop. These ladies are from Baltimore. I thought they were very good. We've seen groups from both New York and Philadelphia, and I thought our local girls were better than both. They had very creative routines, most of them seemed to have actual dance training, and were quite sexy. I highly recommend seeing them whenever they perform. It's worth it just to see Sable Sin Cyr.

Odds and Ends

Lacey and I watched The Bank Job over the weekend. It was by no means perfect, but it was entertaining. I think the London in the 70's setting gives it a good feel.

Jay has his first football scrimmage tomorrow against Bowie. Go Stars!!

Star Wars - The Clone Wars comes out today. Apparently, it sucks. Of course, now I have to decide if I should listen to the reviewers and see it and make up my own mind.

We're going out for Lacey's 30th birthday this weekend. Here's the agenda: See the Gilded Lilly Burlesque troop at The Palace of Wonders in DC. Get down with our bad selves at the Black Cat. Then retire to our room at this cool hotel. Hopefully, Lacey won't throw up this time.