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This just makes me laugh. Trying to post more regularly. (Where have I heard that before...)

The Hiatus List- Volume 3

I don't know why this blog is hard for me to keep updated. I've been slightly more active on my theological blog. When I'm not busy with ministry issues, I've got plenty of other things to keep my interest. Some of it is inane, some of it is pretty big. So, here's a partial list of what's happened since February (my last post). The first one is the most important. After that, the events are in no particular order.

1. Got engaged (Wedding is Nov. 13)
2. Finally downloaded iTunes
3. Started a midweek Bible Study
4. Bought a Batman logo T-shirt
5. Persistent cat issues
6. Got a refund from the seminary
7. Had someone shadow me for a day
8. Bought paint samples
9. Put a shelf in the laundry room

On a completely different topic: I am not sure about continuing the movie reviews on this site. I might still do them, but I might not. I post them on my other blog, which is meant for preachers, rather than general consumption. It's a bit of work to do both, and there's inevitably some overlap. I suppose I could continue posting them, if only for the sake of posting something, with which, you, dear readers (assuming there are any left) can kill a few seconds. What are your thoughts on the issue?

Thoughts on Fiber

This has become somewhat of a running joke with my girlfriend. She accuses me of being "obsessed with fiber". And I guess to some extent, I am. I look for foods with high amounts of it. I don't get as much as the FDA recommends, but I can safely assume I can more than most guys my age. But, I don't supplement it.

So, why is someone under the age of 60 so concerned with getting enough fiber? I'm not really sure where it exactly started. I guess it's actually several things at once:

1. I'm trying to eat better. Supposedly, more fiber fills you up with less intake. I have not found this to be the case. Portion sizes are still a problem for me.

2. I got a subscription to Men's Health Magazine for Christmas. They advocate getting enough fiber. Their main drawback is that to truly eat as healthy as they describe and recommend, you'd pretty much go broke. Still, though, interesting stuff.

3. There's so many different health benefits to a high fiber diet. Check out this site:
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/fiber/NU00033

There you have it. Just a random post on a random subject. Hope you found it interesting, or at least interesting enough to kill a few seconds of your day.

Movie Review- "Valentine's Day"

Trust me, dear readers, I'm as surprised as you that I saw this film, let alone reviewing it for you. Regular readers know that romantic comedies are probably my least favorite genre of film. To be sure, there have been some good ones ("When Harry Met Sally" comes to mind). And I'm sure there are others. It's just that I haven't seen them. But, at least I respect you, dear reader, enough to let you know my biases up front.

This movie stars pretty much half of the population of Hollywood at least in terms of the cast. That's a lot of talent for what I felt was a pretty formulaic film for a genre I don't like. But you already knew that, so let's move on.

The film tells the story of a bunch of people in LA, whose lives interact on Valentine's Day. Ultimately, not every character's life and story interacts with every other one, though most end up doing so, even if the characters themselves are unaware of it. If that sounds confusing, it's actually not. At the center of these multiple plots, is a florist (Ashton Kutcher) and his assistant/driver (George Lopez). I won't bore you with the rest of the storylines because they're all pretty much the same: There's love potential, then there's trouble a-brewin', then finally there's love and understanding, then everyone's happy. To be sure there are some genuinely funny moments and lines in the film. But, overall, I was disappointed. But perhaps I shouldn't have been. I should have expected that.

There were some scenes in the film which had some potential. When there was the possibility that love wouldn't work out for the characters, I was thinking, "Hmmm...this just got interesting." But it didn't.

The film was missing one element: Patrick Swayze. I know he's dead. If he weren't, and felt up to it, they probably would have cast him in it. Here's why: writer and social critic Chuck Klosterman wrote in one of his books (not sure which one) that each of Patrick Swayze's films has at least one scene which is totally implausible. He then makes the case that "Roadhouse" is the perfect Patrick Swayze film, because every scene is implausible/impossible.

And that's my issue with romantic comedies. I realize I'm in the minority here. A lot of people really like romantic comedies. I prefer heavy dramas. I just feel that these types of films are overly optimistic, and give the public a distorted view of love. I believe, they set the bar for actual love experiences so high , that people feel that they're getting ripped off when it doesn't reflect what's on the screen. Are these types of films reflective of love? Hardly ever. But they are reflective of culture, I think. Is life as depressing as the films I enjoy? Not always, but it sure can be, and is probably worse. Pessimistic? Absolutely! But again, dear reader, I am just being honest with you. And that's pretty much the deal: If you don't share my pessimism, you'll probably like this movie.

The "That Guy" factor is incredibly high, due in large part to the size of the cast. Notable cameos include Joe Mantegna, and comedian Larry Miller as the airline employee at the airport.

Acting: A-
Directing: C
That Guy: A
Overall: C*

*See the paragraphs which discuss my distaste for this genre, which I discussed above ad nauseum.

Movie Review- "The Blind Side"

I've wanted to see this film for a while now. I wanted to see it since I first saw the trailer last year. And I finally got my chance.

This was a good movie. It had at least two things that really appeal to me: drama and football (or American football, for my international dear readers). I doubt that this film will be nominated for any Academy Awards, but that's OK. I don't it's necessarily trying for that. The film stands on its own.

Americans, by and large, like inspirational stories. This film is no exception. More on that in a moment. First, though, I'd like to take a second to talk about football. Football is regarded as one of the toughest sports in America, but viewed by some outside the US to be too violent. Despite this reputation for toughness, football is often used as a backdrop for inspirational (and dare I say, sensitive) stories. Examples of this are the present film in question, as well as "Rudy", and "Facing the Giants". A case could be made that this applies to any sport. And the good people making those arguments would be right. But for the purposes of this article, we'll stick with the poetry of the gridiron.

As I stated above, this is an inspirational film. And there's nothing wrong with that. To be sure, I personally like my share of heavy,depressing films. But occasionally, we all need something uplifting.

This film tells the story of Michael Oher, a guy with a horrendous childhood. He bounces around life with pretty much no direction, until he's offered a chance at success via a private school education with athletic potential. He's "de facto" adopted by a wealthy white family who takes him in, essentially out of Christian charity and the goodness of their hearts. He flowers under their generosity. Then they legally adopt him. He develops his athletic prowess, goes to college and is drafted by the Baltimore Ravens. This is all based on a true story.

I generally don't care for the film work of Sandra Bullock. I have nothing against her, but she is generally found in romantic comedies, which is my least favorite genre. However, she does a really good job. Also, Tim McGraw surprised me. He didn't look like "Tim McGraw" in this film. I got really tired of the kid, SJ.

I definitely recommend this film. It's worth a view, though, a great case could be made that waiting for the DVD release is not a bad idea. People who saw this movie before me told me it was very emotional and a "tear jerker". I found that tugged at the old heartstrings a little bit, but not to the degree that I was maybe led to believe.

Acting: B+
Directing: A-
That Guy: D
Overall: B+

Movie Review- "Alvin & The Chipmunks: The Squeakuel"

Wow. This is my first movie review in quite some time. Let's see if I remember how to do this.

Regular readers of this blog might be surprised that I am reviewing this film. You wouldn't think that this would be my type of film. And, you'd be mostly right. Regular readers know that my genre of choice is heavy drama. But, I saw it. So let's get to it:

This film is CUTE. That's not a bad thing. It really is adorable. I wasn't feeling bad before I saw, it but it certainly put me in a good mood after.

The plot is pretty much what you'd think it is. It follows the Chipmunks as they try to navigate through "normal" life as rock stars. This includes mostly living with another guardian, as David Seville is in the hospital and going to high school. Along the way, they encounter the normal travails of life in high school. They also find an end to their isolation. By that, I mean they also come across other singing chipmunks, specifically of the female variety. These fellow rodents are an all-girl trio called The Chippettes.

I'm not really an actor by any stretch of the imagination (having been in only a couple plays). But you have to remember that, acting, despite what you may think, is actually hard work. Think about that! Even the worst film you've ever seen, a whole team of people worked hard on that. This is not to say that the end results may not be terrible, because they sometimes are. All I'm saying is when watching a film like this, you should probably know what you're getting into. That's a long, drawn-out way of saying the acting is adequate for a film like this.

So, that leaves 2 things left to mention. The "That Guy" factor is decent here. Jason Lee, of course, plays David Seville. The bigger "that guy" is actually a woman in this film. It's Wendie Mallick. She's well-known for her work on TV. Many of my dear readers will remember her work on "Just Shoot Me". She plays the principal. A principal who has a tattoo of Alvin and the Chipmunks on her forearm. That'd be so rad if she had that in real life. Maybe a bit creepy as well. Still cool, though. Besides, according to imdb.com, she's from Buffalo, NY!

The discussion factor is good if you have kids. You can explore issues of family, friendship, school, etc.

This is a great film for kids, and a good way to kill an hour-and-a-half. It's cute. Not much else needs to be said.

Acting: B
Directing: A-
That Guy: A-
Overall: B+

Merry Christmas (secular)