4.30.2008

Top Chef -- Common Threads

This week there's some serious product placement for the 90 second Uncle Ben microwaveable rice. It's funny watching real cooks, seeing how they have to read the directions because they usually make their own pro, amazing rice. But I know that shiznit by heart and could school them in rice microwaving. I would've won the Quickfire and gotten immunity for sure.

The fact that Antonia won the Quickfire bugs me. Reality TV is so bittersweet. When the people I like win, it's fantastic, and when people I hate win, I want to scream at my television. Well, here I am, screaming. Figuratively, of course.

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4.29.2008

PTA is Wise

Forewarning that this will partially be a rant, heavily influenced by personal bias and inexplicable emotions.

According to the IMDb page for Paul Thomas Anderson, he has said this quote:

I have a feeling, one of those gut feelings, that I'll make pretty good movies the rest of my life. And maybe I'll make some clunkers, maybe I'll make some winners, but I guess the way that I really feel is that Magnolia (1999) is, for better or worse, the best movie I'll ever make.

I wish I knew when he said that quote, because it appears to be right on point.

His chief filmography, in order, includes Boogie Nights, Magnolia, Punch-Drunk Love, and There Will Be Blood. Tonight I watched Punch-Drunk Love. I've seen all of those films, and have to agree -- they're all 'pretty good,' and Magnolia is the best of the bunch.

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4.27.2008

Big Brother -- Finale

What an anti-climactic ending to Big Brother 9. It came down to a lesser of two evils, with Ryan and Adam in the final two. Adam deserved to be there, but Ryan was evicted and got a second chance. And as predicted the votes went 6-1 for Adam (though I thought Matt would go with Ryan). Though it was nice to see the Jury members grind out the last houseguests. And I think Adam's final words saved him, his whole wanting to start an autism center.

And it's so weird, why do I like Matt so much more now that he's in the Jury House? I need to remind myself how much of an asshole he was in the house. Also, still hate Natalie, still love Joshua and James and Chelsia.

Oh well, let's look forward to next season! July... something.

4.26.2008

Harold and Kumar

Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay || IMDb

This Friday, Harold and Kumar have returned to the big screen. Unfortunately, where the first movie gave us original, comedic characters with an obsession with White Castle, this movie falls short. Instead of the characters being driven by themselves, by the craving, they are forced to be on the move. Plot controlling characters is always less interesting than the characters controlling themselves.

This time around our heroes get thrown into the Cuban prison Guantanamo Bay after Kumar can't resist smoking on an airplane and his bong is confused for a bomb. After some minor plot (can it even be called that?) developments, they escape and are on the run to Texas, where a dude marrying Kumar's ex-girlfriend can get their records cleared. The movie falls short because all this setup is is an excuse to put the protagonists in a series of uncomfortable instances that were almost all done better in the first movie.

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4.25.2008

The Savages

Some of you may have heard of this movie, but all of you should see it. Now out on DVD, The Savages (IMDb) is a great movie, one that proves a few things -- Philip Seymour Hoffman and Laura Linney are two of the best working actors today, women are becoming more prominent in the movie industry as writer/directors (Sofia Coppola and Julie Delpy and Sarah Polley also come to mind), and that dramedy, or dark comedy, will always be one of the best genres.

The Savages delicately tells the story of brother and sister Jon and Wendy Savage (PSH and Laura Linney) as they deal with their father's dementia. The joys of this movie are scenes where, for example, Lenny Savage (the father, Philip Bosco) goes quiet in a bathroom, requiring a check-up from the house help. Due to countless lesser movies, one assumes he committed suicide. I won't ruin the surprise, but the alternative is both sad and hilarious.

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4.24.2008

Blog News

So I'm thinking of this for a new title/subtitle. Let me know what you think.

Also, three gold stars if you recognize the quote.

The Office -- Night Out

The Office is back to good form from a bit of a slump. Once again this proves Kelly is the best character. Why? She only had a few lines in this episode (hilarious, they were). Well, because she wrote this episode. Also, love The Temp.

So many good moments, but my favorite was probably Pam throwing the ball and hitting Meredith in the head. Or, when Creed actually knew the security guard's name. The latter only funny because he mentions him by first name a season or two earlier.

What a great show.

In Theaters April 25

Is it summer yet? It sure feels like it -- though in Florida it starts to feel like summer mid-February. At least we're getting some big name movies in theaters April 25th.

Baby Mama || IMDb

I wanted to see this until I realized it wasn't written by Tina Fey, it just stars her. Mean Girls and 30 Rock, great. SNL, not too bad these days. Baby Mama... pass.

Rating: Rental

Harold and Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay || IMDb

The first time I watched the original, I didn't like it. A month ago I bought the DVD. It grew on me (though some scenes still just make me cringe). Though this sequel is bound to be a bit inferior, same writers translates to a solid experience. That is, if you enjoyed the original.

Rating: Opening Weekend

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4.23.2008

Top Chef -- Improv

What's the best part of every Wednesday? Well, it was Big Brother until the smart people were evicted and the morons made it to the end. Now, it's Top Chef.

The Quickfire Challenge this week was to make a dessert. How about that excessive product placement of the new Top Chef cookbook? Either way, all those desserts looked delicious. I'm sure even the 'bad' ones tasted good. I mean, no matter how you mix bananas, chocolate, and sugar, how could it taste bad? Richard wins immunity again -- yawn.

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4.20.2008

Movie Marketing

The other day I was at Wal Mart browsing DVDs. There was the new release of P2, and on the cover it has a quote by Ebert, along with a 3 star rating.

3 stars. On the DVD cover. Did the marketing team not get the memo that movie ratings go up to 4 stars? Or, was there not a single 4 star rating of the film? Am I the only one who thinks someone messed up?

4.17.2008

In Theaters April 18

We are in for a slightly better week at the movies this time around. There can only be so many bad movies made per year, right? One could only hope, but I don't think that's ever been proven true. Nonetheless, here is what is in theaters for April 18th.

The Forbidden Kingdom || IMDb

I can't tell whether this is supposed to be a parody or the real thing. I'm guessing the latter. Not really too much to say here -- if you like martial arts movies you will enjoy this, if not, then you will not.

Rating: Dollar Theater

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4.16.2008

Top Chef -- Tailgating

Top Chef -- what a night. A Quickfire Challenge pairing food with beer? How could one go wrong? Kind of frustrating seeing Jennifer win, avenging the elimination of her girlfriend. When people succeed and get revenge it's so disappointing to me. I like to see failure. Spike said it best, though. "Yah, lesbians!"

The tailgating at the Bears game was a fun concept. It was disappointing to see the drama dwindling down, though now we all know Spike is gay for Mark. I mean, seriously, what straight guys take bubble baths together? Also, very funny when Ryan admitted to being a pretty metro boy. It brings me joy when reality TV characters confirm my suspicions.

Of course, Ryan ended up going home. What a joke. Sure his dish wasn't traditionally tailgate food, but at least he didn't, A) lick his spoon then continue serving with it, or B) run out of a main ingredient. This annoys me greatly.

Stephanie was in the top for both the Quickfire and Elimination challenge, again. She is still a favorite to win. However, I think the judges purposely try to divide up who wins, because people are consistently up top and the best, but lesser people win to discourage monotony. Sad.

Also, what the HELL at the poll? "Who would you rather play touch football with?" Padma, Tom, or 'Myself.' I was predicting about 89% Padma, and 11% Myself (which is coincidentally how I imagine my kids with Padma turning out), but Tom got 50% of the votes. The only explanation is a majority of women viewers and him being the default choice.

Padma in a jersey with gloves and a ponytail = lovable.

And I haven't said this before, but, I like Gail. She's a good judge.

Also unsaid previously, I'm going to marry Padma Lakshmi.

4.13.2008

Post 300 and Rock of Love 2

First, this is the 300th entry for my blog. I think that's a good landmark, and to celebrate I'm going to show how awesome I am at life.

A long time ago I was watching The Bachelor finale with some friends, and despite what all of them thought, I went against their opinions and guessed correctly. You can get a full recap here.

What I've realized is that if you watch just the finale episode, or even the last half hour, you get a much clearer view than someone who has become tainted by the whole season. Tonight I walked in on the last twenty minutes of Rock of Love 2, which my cousin and his girlfriend watch religiously.

The last two contestants were Ambre and Daisy. Both of them wanted Daisy to win and were sure of it. Of course anyone who watches the show knows Ambre won. Here was the easy way to tell:

A) Editing is everything in reality TV. Before the commercial it showed Bret saying lots of negative things about Ambre. This is easy to see coming.
B) Bret talked a lot about the mistake he made last season. I didn't watch it, but one can assume he went for the typical rock 'n roll girl and it didn't work out. That's Daisy this season, whereas Ambre is more 'real.'
C) Ambre doesn't have all these ugly tattoos, and is more of a compliment to Bret than an addition.
D) Daisy was naturally 'hotter,' I mean she was a stripper, but Bret slept with her, so time to move on.

And for those four reasons, the winner was fairly obvious to me. Reality TV isn't too hard to predict if favoritism is swept aside and you look at it objectively.

Ridiculous

According to this list, Miley Cyrus made $18,000,000 last year.

Am I the only one who thinks that it is absurd that the number of millions of dollars she made in one year is more than the total years she has been alive?

4.10.2008

The Office Returns

Finally, after the writer strike, The Office came back tonight. And as usual, it was a good episode. Not up in my favorites, but good.

I can't say I'm too fond of the fact it was outside the office. I miss my Kelly. She needs infinitely more screen time. Angela was great though. Best part was when Andy gave her a rose and she was like, "What am I supposed to do with this?" Great.

Big Brother Pisses Me Off

So, naturally, nothing I hoped would happen on Big Brother did. Ryan, the worst person in the world, won the POV, so James was nominated. And then he continued to give hope for James to stay -- as did Sheila -- but like all season, no one wants to take risks and enjoys playing safe.

Also, I hate hate hate hate Natalie. She is so stupid, thinks she's so smart, and that's the worst. Thank you James for making fun of her.

Sheila won HOH, so the rumor is. Hopefully Ryan or Natalie go home. I would be happy.

In Theaters April 11

x-posted from Eggs N Bloggin.

It looks to be another deadpan week for the movies. When will it technically be 'summer' so we can get those huge blockbusters? Give me the next Batman already! Nonetheless, here is what is in theaters April 11.

Prom Night || IMDb

Even the worst, worst horror movies, in the trailer, manage to have some jump-out-scary moments that catch the viewer off guard. Prom Night fails to do even that. At least give me some trick camera angles. Or zombies. I like zombies. The only reason I can understand seeing this is for Brittany Snow, who was hot when she guest starred in Nip/Tuck, and also in Hairspray. Plus, she was born in Tampa, Florida, so that's always a plus. But if you use that logic, I guess you could, you know, watch Nip/Tuck or Hairspray....

Rating: Not If They Paid You

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4.09.2008

Top Chef -- The Elements

x-posted from Eggs N Bloggin.

Another great episode of Top Chef this week. These episodes are why I watch reality TV. First for the Quickfire Challenge the contestants had to taste ingredients blindfolded and say which is more expensive. It's crazy how some things were so different, i.e. $72 bottle of sake vs. $5.00. It'd be fun to try and see if I can beat some of them. Probably, I mean I could hit half of them and beat Stephanie. Maybe I should be a cook?

Antonia winning the challenge was really lame because she probably would've gone home. Stupid immunity.

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4.08.2008

Is This Sad?

So a few minutes ago I spilled coffee on the white carpet. Tragic, I know. So I went downstairs, got some Arm & Hammer cleaner for carpets and whatnot, and brought it back. I've never used it before, so I followed the direction of spray, let the foam settle, and then wipe it up. So I did that, and it took about five minutes.

And now, the stains are completely gone. And I was surprised. How sad is it that I'm shocked when a product does exactly what it is described as doing? What does that say about marketing?

4.07.2008

Big Brother -- Some Thoughts

Interesting how Big Brother can change so quickly. And in regards to that, this is all pending the POV tomorrow does not change the nominees (regardless of who wins).

Every episode I think that I cannot hate Natalie any more than I already did, and every episode she shows me that she is the single DUMBEST person ever. If you disagree, you have not watched Big Brother. If you have, you agree.

However, each episode it's cool how I start to like Adam more and more. I hated him originally (how creepy does he look?), but when he won HOH and talked to Julie, he revealed his strategy (the winning strategy, in my opinion -- to lay low and then step it up halfway through [Josh was kind of doing this too]), and I also read his HOH blog from that week. He's actually a moderately funny guy, but yeah. When he did not nominate James this week, he said one of the smartest things. Something like, "People come to you and tell you what's best for you, but really they're thinking what's best for them." THANK YOU!

So with James not nominated and the nominations staying the same, it will come down to Ryan. He proposed an alliance with Sharon, but will he back down so quickly? I doubt it. I hope not. If not, that means 2-1 for Sheila to go, and that would make me happy. She's dumb and annoying. The worst though is she thinks she's so smart...

So next week would be James, Sharon, Adam, Natalie, Ryan. Adam can't win HOH so it's 2-vs-2. I'm liking how this may play out. At this point I would not be annoyed if James, Sharon, or Adam won.

Gogogo no POV usage on Tuesday!

4.06.2008

R.I.P. Charlton Heston

Tonight I spent the evening watching 'Blood Diamond.' Sadly, when I returned online, Yahoo!'s main story was that Charlton Heston has died. He was 84.

It's always sad when a legendary screen actor dies, even if one isn't too familiar with their work. For me when I hear 'Charlton Heston' I immediately think of 'Planet of the Apes' and 'Ben-Hur,' two great movies. Of course, he's been in many, many other movies (numerous sites mention 'The Ten Commandments,' which I have not seen). I'm a bit too young, but I'm sure my parents are taking this hard. Either way, R.I.P. one more legend from the golden age of Hollywood. Yippee for morbid news.

4.03.2008

Make Me A Supermodel -- Pre-Finale

Before today I'd only seen a couple episodes of Bravo's new series, Make Me A Supermodel. I didn't like it much because I do not like the concept of uninformed America choosing who wins. Granted, the judges choose a bottom 3 for America to pick from, but that's weak.

Today I watched a marathon so I could be prepared for the finale tonight. I'm prepared for America to fail again, but hopefully they think smart and pick Holly as the winner. Let's get a preview.

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Top Chef -- Film Food

x-posted from Eggs N Bloggin.

Honestly, what better theme could there be, for me, than film food? Picking a movie and using it to inspire a dish? Pretty smooth. Though, granted, it's not as exciting as it sounds.

But I'm jumping ahead. The Quickfire Challenge was entertaining, with the contestants required to make a dish of vegetables to show off skill sets. Yay for Top Chef sticking to challenges that actually measure skill!

Dale's was the best and I'm pleased he won. Sure, like ______ said (okay, I can't remember which contestant said it), knife skills aren't everything in cooking. Well, maybe, but they mean a lot.

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In Theaters April 4

It's that time of the month again. No, wait. Week. That time of the week again. Yes, that is what I was aiming for. It looks like this week may be a gamble. Last week I gambled on '21' and lost miserably. Let's see if we can do better this week.

Leatherheads || IMDb

I like George Clooney. Who doesn't, right? Plus I have a small man-crush on John Krasinski, and seeing him on Leno a few days ago solidified that, while this movie has some things going for it, we're looking at a bench warmer movie at best. Though it's only a few reviews, the movie has scored low on both Rottentomatoes and IMDb. 'Good Night and Good Luck.' was a great film, but here, well, let's wait for George's next round at directing.

Rating: Download

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