Tuesday, July 31, 2012

But It's not THAT Hot!

Today I went to Pryor to meet someone, and travel on the Vinita.  I get back to the car after the trip and head back to my town just after lunch. I am driving Carol's Prius (which is way different than my truck) and at look at the dash outside thermometer and it says 115.  I am thinking: "the weather guys missed it. It is way over 111!  A little later I look and it is 117! UGG!  Then later it says 118!  I'm thinking this is crazy!!!!

It was. Because about then I looked on the screen and find the temperature: 108F  I look back at the dash and guess what it is 1:18pm!

And I'm not blonde!

Friday, July 27, 2012

Cautionary Tale 2

At the end of the week I needed a crazy, mindless movie.  The only movie that seemed to fit that is the new Ben Stiller and Vince Vaughn movie, "The Watch".  The previews were funny BUT here's the deal: I tend to agree with the web site/app "Rotten Tomatoes" on most all there reviews AND it gave this movie a 12 out of 100. BUT did I listen?  NO

There is a reason that it was "R" (Every Possible Reason!)  The language started off and got progressively worse until we LEFT.  Everything else was going down hill too. It was a funny premise and then YIKES!  Such a talented cast and no movie!

Don't think that I'm just too old, it's that it is a bad movie. PERIOD.  I don't care to know how it ended.

I give it 1/2 a star.

2012 Movie #26

Note to self:  Listen to "Rotten Tomatoes".  I need to be PROTECTED FROM THIS.
At the end of the week I needed a crazy, mindless movie.  The only movie that seemed to fit that is the new Ben Stiller and Vince Vaughn movie, "The Watch".  The previews were funny BUT here's the deal: I tend to agree with the web site/app "Rotten Tomatoes" on most all there reviews AND it gave this movie a 12 out of 100. BUT did I listen?  NO

There is a reason that it was "R" (Every Possible Reason!)  The language started off and got progressively worse until we LEFT.  Everything else was going down hill too. It was a funny premise and then YIKES!  Such a talented cast and no movie!

Don't think that I'm just too old, it's that it is a bad movie. PERIOD.  I don't care to know how it ended.

I give it 1/2 a star.

2012 Movie #26

Note to self:  Listen to "Rotten Tomatoes".  I need to be PROTECTED FROM THIS.

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Cautionary Tale

Joe Paterno became an assistant football coach at Penn State in 1950!  I was three. For my entire sports life he has been Penn State's Coach. He was a basic simple man who lived in a modest home. He made his team wear drab uniforms with no names or logos. Their shoes were even clunky looking.  The only thing he or his team cared about was winning. Winning at any cost.

He seemed to be such a straight shooter that he once said that he would not leave college football in the hands of such men as Barry Switzer. We the sports fans knew little about him. He was not a good interview: no flash, no sound bites. It seemed that he ruled Penn State University. They just let him go.

In the process he became the all time winningness coach in NCAA history.  The Hall of Fame is made for people like him.  Nothing could stop his place as the greatest EXCEPT

LIFE

His life shows that the old saying is still true: "It ain't over till its over!"

Just today I started hearing stories from coaches that knew him well and they hint that he was never the man the public knew.  I don't know if that' piling on or not, but THAT IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE GO DOWN. LIFE PILES ON.

HISTORY HAS BEEN CHANGED CONCERNING THIS MAN.  HE NOW TAKES HIS PLACE NEXT TO O.J. AND PETE ROSE. THE BAD ALWAYS GETS IN THE WAY.


This a a lesson for ME.

A man reaps what he sows.  Every Time

The Statue is gone.

Sunday, July 22, 2012

Dark Knight Rises as do spiders!

Despite everything going on, we decided to go see the new Batman, "Dark Knight Rises".  We went to a large Tulsa theater that was having sell out after sell out of this movie.  After the movie started something was crawling on my glasses and brushed my brow. I swatted it away and then felt it on my arm and slapped at it. At the same time Carol was doing the same! I killed whatever it was on my arm. But we set there in the dark imaging creepy crawlers everywhere. We are convinced that it was spiders.

But I digress:  I like Batman (not Tim Burton Batman) but the Christopher Nolan trilogy.  These movies are more like the Batman of my comic book youth. Batman has no super powers just super money.  He is Romney with a life! he has gadgets like James Bond and cool sidekicks like Michael Cain and Morgan Freeman.

This movie shows the rebirth of Batman, and Robin, and Cat Woman, etc.  It also has a super bad villain , Bane (not to be confused with Bain Capital). This Bane plays in the open!  It is well written, suspenseful and not the normal hero movie.  There is real acting here.

I remain irritated that Hollywood comes up with constantly new ways to destroy New York City, but what a moviegoer to do?

Usually, the third movie of a series is a dud. This is the best of the three.

Anne Hathaway adds a great character that is sassy and bold. So is the movie,

I give it ***1/2 stars.  First real good super hero movie in a while.

2012 Movie #25

Friday, July 20, 2012

Rotten Apple

I haven't been posting lately. My Macbook would not open!  I tried everything and then went to Tulsa to the "Genius Bar" at the Apple Store.  They could not repair it without (drum row please): ERASING THE HARD DRIVE!  I thought about what was on the machine and thanks to ICloud my ITunes were safe and nothing else warranted sending it off for a few weeks recovery. SO-O-O I sucked it up and let them do their thing.  Suddenly I have a NEW old Mac.  I have spent the last few hours reinstalling programs, ITunes, and favorite websites.  I lost all my documents such as Church class outlines and some reference materials.  I do have hard copies of that stuff,but there was security in knowing where my stuff was.                          

Ok, Here's the thing. I lost a lot of STUFF that I will never use again whether or not there's a storage place for it.  It represented hard work, but finished work. 

The bright side is that I have a cleaned up computer.

It was interesting that their were 5 people in there with Macbook problems and all (including me) were told that our battery needed replacement.  

That is probably true with everyone I know!

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Graphic Fix

People Like Us - that movie you passed by

In my quest to see the better independent films, I went to see "People Like Us". There were three other couples in the theater and they got the same show as us- a very good show.  Chris Pine stars as Sam (quoting the synopsis): "a fast talking salesman  whose latest deal collapses on the day he learns his father has died. Against his wishes, Sam is called home."  Sam has been estranged from his Mother (Michelle Pfeiffer) and mad at his work-a-holic rock producer dad.  In following his dad's last wishes, he finds about a family he did not know exists.
The movie is about lies and lives covered up by lies.  It is about you and me and the consequences of our choices.  There are 5 main actors including  Elizabeth Banks (sister), Olivia Wilde (girl friend) and Michael Hall D'Addario as the hard to control kid.
This is NOT a shallow story. It is a story about PEOPLE LIKE US!

I give it ***1/2 stars.  2012 movie #24

NOTE:  This is a good movie year if you can avoid the block busters!

Friday, July 6, 2012

Moonrise Kingdom - the anti-spiderman




No, we haven't seen Spiderman. It is a remake of previously bad cartoon (comics) movies.  

I needed a good movie so it was MOONRISE KINGDOM. And normally, a movie starring Bill Murray, Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, Frances McDormand, and other great actors will fill the need.  IT DID. BUT here's the deal, the unknown kid actors stole the show.  And they should it is about them. It is the summer of 1965, somewhere in New England. The Khaki Scouts are at camp and one of the 12 year olds goes AWOL to run away with his  sweet heart.  The entire island and all the scouts start searching.  This is one of those movies that is so quirky that you may not laugh out loud a lot, but you will have a grin on your face from start to finish.

I relived certain parts of my childhood while watching this.  Including my first daydreams about being alone with a girl and not knowing what to do.  The kiss is everything.  This movie is witty and has an innocence that is refreshing.  It has so many crazy situations that I couldn't begin to describe them.
Hurricanes, Lighting, tree houses, and crazy adults.

It is an independent film which means that mist theaters won't make room for it because of epics like Avengers, Spiderman, Katy Perry, etc.

I can promise a good time IF you have a good heart!

I give it ****stars. 2012 Movie #23