So, after having lunch with Elizabeth, I had practice for the VBS play and then worked last night, so I now return to catch us all up-to-date!
Over the weekend, I watched the movies Netflix had sent out to me. I don't keep a close eye on my queue, so sometimes checking the mail can be an adventure. I had two sc-fi themed films, which isn't always my bag, but I was in a decent mood and gave them a shot.
104) Logan's Run - A campy classic from the '70s, and surprisingly one I hadn't seen. It does show its age at times, but still overall a decent film. The basic premise is a Utopian society with one major drawback: you only get to live until your 30. Michael York plays a sandman, a group who terminates the runners, people who attempt to escape their fate. He's given the task to find Sanctuary, but what does he really find?
105) Johnny Mnemonic - Before I say anything, 2 things: 1) I like Keanu Reeves as an actor, and 2) I know nothing about cyberpunk literature. That being said, I really liked this film. It has a very interesting concept, and made me want to watch The Matrix. I loved Dolph Lundgren in it, and wish he had a bigger part (I've read his role is bigger in the Japanese cut). Besides Lundgren, the supporting cast in this one is pretty solid: Ice-T, Henry Rollins, and Takeshi specifically. If I found it cheap, and in Widescreen, I would add this to my collection.
Thursday, June 27, 2013
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
06/26/2013
Well, I've fallen behind on updating again. I really would like to get in the habit of doing this at least every couple of days, just so I'm writing and don't get backed-up on the films.
It's been a pretty decent week. Nothing too eventful. Elizabeth and I did some house straightening last night, since Roc might be coming down from Richmond this weekend. Even if he doesn't, the house looks good and I hope we can keep it this way.
I finished watching the Rambo franchise last week, with back-to-back viewings of Rambo III and Rambo. Both are pretty decent films, but don't compare to the first two. Rambo was interesting, seeing the character almost 20 years later.
Last Thursday, I surprised Elizabeth with a date night and we went up to Williamsburg for dinner and a movie. We had dinner at Friendly's, a restaurant we both love. The initial plan was to attend a showing of The Sound of Music at Movie Tavern, but that afternoon I found out Monsters University was opening that night with an 8 pm showing, we attended that instead.
103) Monsters University - This was a really fun film, and I'm glad we went in with little knowledge of the actual plot. I love Monsters Inc., and this is a great companion piece to it. I really would like to see the two of them back-to-back, to see the nods to the original that they put in the prequel.
Lunch date with Eliz, so the rest of this update will be at a later time!
It's been a pretty decent week. Nothing too eventful. Elizabeth and I did some house straightening last night, since Roc might be coming down from Richmond this weekend. Even if he doesn't, the house looks good and I hope we can keep it this way.
I finished watching the Rambo franchise last week, with back-to-back viewings of Rambo III and Rambo. Both are pretty decent films, but don't compare to the first two. Rambo was interesting, seeing the character almost 20 years later.
Last Thursday, I surprised Elizabeth with a date night and we went up to Williamsburg for dinner and a movie. We had dinner at Friendly's, a restaurant we both love. The initial plan was to attend a showing of The Sound of Music at Movie Tavern, but that afternoon I found out Monsters University was opening that night with an 8 pm showing, we attended that instead.
103) Monsters University - This was a really fun film, and I'm glad we went in with little knowledge of the actual plot. I love Monsters Inc., and this is a great companion piece to it. I really would like to see the two of them back-to-back, to see the nods to the original that they put in the prequel.
Lunch date with Eliz, so the rest of this update will be at a later time!
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
06/19/2013
So, it has been over a week since I last updated, so I'm taking time this morning to do so. I really need to get into the habit of writing more often, even if it's just a small update.
Work is continuing to be great. If you had told me 6 months ago that I would find I job I was completely happy with and looked forward to each day, I would of called you a liar. It's an amazing feeling to not be stressed and to actually enjoy work once again. It may not be 682, but nothing will ever be. I truly love my job, and the fact that is also serves as a ministry is awesome.
Elizabeth and I had a great time last Wednesday at Chuck E. Cheese with the kids and their parents. Thursday we went to the Rathbones to get copies of the new Sunday School curriculum. We had a pretty big storm come through around 5 that day, and they had lost power, so we ended up hanging out with them and playing cards, eating pizza, and just enjoying the company of one another. It was a great time. Eliz and I are really looking forward to the pre-teen ministry going forward.
On the movie front, I watched my 100th movie of the year. 6 months earlier than 2012, when movie 100 was watched in December. So, I've forgotten if I set a goal for this year, but I think 200 is reasonable, if I continue on this track.
97) Raiders of the Lost Ark - Dave and I took the opportunity to see this on the big screen and went to Cinemark last Wednesday afternoon. It was fun, and a great movie to experience in a theater. The first 3 Indiana Jones movies are wonderful adventure films, and I would look the chance to see Temple of Doom and The Last Crusade in theaters as well.
98) Constantine - Elizabeth and I had a date night the other night, and this was the movie drawn. (I'm not sure if I've explained this before, but I will put movies on a slip of paper and have E draw one or two, and that is our selection for the night. We came up with this idea, as when I am left to choose, I get moody and indecisive, and the night gets ruined.) I really enjoy this film, and since I was introduced to the character via film and not comic books, the characterizations that were changed I can deal with. It's a fun, atmospheric supernatural/action/thriller, with a good cast. I've always like Keanu Reeves and Rachel Weisz, and they both do excellent in this film.
99) Bad Company - This was a little thriller that somehow slipped under my radar, especially for being a Joel Schumacher film. Which is odd, since it was released during my BBV days. It was pretty decent, given the concept is highly unbelievable, LoL. A CIA agent is killed in action, so his twin brother (they were separated at birth) is recruited to replace him and trained to help finalize a deal that is going down for a nuclear weapon....in just 9 days. Add in that the two main characters are played by Anthony Hopkins and Chris Rock, maybe I can understand how this did get by me.
100) Knight and Day - Another date night bowl selection for Elizabeth and I. I really like this film, and it is one of the films within the past 5 years that have made me like Tom Cruise. Maybe it's the memory of us seeing this film together at the drive-in that adds to the likeness factor, but it's just a fan action romp, one where you don't have to think much, just sit back and enjoy the ride.
Work is continuing to be great. If you had told me 6 months ago that I would find I job I was completely happy with and looked forward to each day, I would of called you a liar. It's an amazing feeling to not be stressed and to actually enjoy work once again. It may not be 682, but nothing will ever be. I truly love my job, and the fact that is also serves as a ministry is awesome.
Elizabeth and I had a great time last Wednesday at Chuck E. Cheese with the kids and their parents. Thursday we went to the Rathbones to get copies of the new Sunday School curriculum. We had a pretty big storm come through around 5 that day, and they had lost power, so we ended up hanging out with them and playing cards, eating pizza, and just enjoying the company of one another. It was a great time. Eliz and I are really looking forward to the pre-teen ministry going forward.
On the movie front, I watched my 100th movie of the year. 6 months earlier than 2012, when movie 100 was watched in December. So, I've forgotten if I set a goal for this year, but I think 200 is reasonable, if I continue on this track.
97) Raiders of the Lost Ark - Dave and I took the opportunity to see this on the big screen and went to Cinemark last Wednesday afternoon. It was fun, and a great movie to experience in a theater. The first 3 Indiana Jones movies are wonderful adventure films, and I would look the chance to see Temple of Doom and The Last Crusade in theaters as well.
98) Constantine - Elizabeth and I had a date night the other night, and this was the movie drawn. (I'm not sure if I've explained this before, but I will put movies on a slip of paper and have E draw one or two, and that is our selection for the night. We came up with this idea, as when I am left to choose, I get moody and indecisive, and the night gets ruined.) I really enjoy this film, and since I was introduced to the character via film and not comic books, the characterizations that were changed I can deal with. It's a fun, atmospheric supernatural/action/thriller, with a good cast. I've always like Keanu Reeves and Rachel Weisz, and they both do excellent in this film.
99) Bad Company - This was a little thriller that somehow slipped under my radar, especially for being a Joel Schumacher film. Which is odd, since it was released during my BBV days. It was pretty decent, given the concept is highly unbelievable, LoL. A CIA agent is killed in action, so his twin brother (they were separated at birth) is recruited to replace him and trained to help finalize a deal that is going down for a nuclear weapon....in just 9 days. Add in that the two main characters are played by Anthony Hopkins and Chris Rock, maybe I can understand how this did get by me.
100) Knight and Day - Another date night bowl selection for Elizabeth and I. I really like this film, and it is one of the films within the past 5 years that have made me like Tom Cruise. Maybe it's the memory of us seeing this film together at the drive-in that adds to the likeness factor, but it's just a fan action romp, one where you don't have to think much, just sit back and enjoy the ride.
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
06/12/2013
It's late, but I'm not tired, so I thought I would take this time to catch the blog up to date with my movie watching.
93) The Numbers Station - This is a new DTV movie that John Cusack did, and it sounded decent enough that I gave it a shot. It wasn't that bad either. I'm not the biggest fan of Malin Akerman, the female lead, but she did a pretty decent job in this. Basically, a black ops agent gets reassigned to watch over and protect a code announcer, and the station comes under attack. No big twist or anything, and it actually reminded me of Safe House at times. But I was able to enjoy the movie, especially Cusacks performance.
94) The Bourne Legacy - An expansion of the Jason Bourne universe, with the introduction of Aaron Cross (played by Jeremy Renner). What happens when you have someone with the same abilities, but remembers everything about themself? The acting was great, and Elizabeth and I really enjoyed the movie. I especially liked how it runs parallel to The Bourne Ultimatum. The fight scenes are top-notch, and the chase scenes are great. The final 15 minutes is edge of your seat. I'm curious if they will make another chapter in this movie franchise.
95) Jack Reacher - I did not want to like this movie. I love the book series by Lee Child, and I just find Tom Cruise a bad fit for the character. But I've got to admit, they did an excellent job bringing One Shot to the screen. Outside of the Cruise miscast (even though his acting was decent), I think the rest of the cast was pretty good. A good adaptation of the series, and I hope a sequel happens in the future. Elizabeth really enjoyed this film, too.
96) Rambo First Blood: Part II - This is a Grade A '80s action flick. Stallone goes all out as Rambo returns to Vietnam on a mission to save POWs. I loved it. Stallone has become a favorite of mine in the last few years, and this ranks as one of his best of the '80s.
93) The Numbers Station - This is a new DTV movie that John Cusack did, and it sounded decent enough that I gave it a shot. It wasn't that bad either. I'm not the biggest fan of Malin Akerman, the female lead, but she did a pretty decent job in this. Basically, a black ops agent gets reassigned to watch over and protect a code announcer, and the station comes under attack. No big twist or anything, and it actually reminded me of Safe House at times. But I was able to enjoy the movie, especially Cusacks performance.
94) The Bourne Legacy - An expansion of the Jason Bourne universe, with the introduction of Aaron Cross (played by Jeremy Renner). What happens when you have someone with the same abilities, but remembers everything about themself? The acting was great, and Elizabeth and I really enjoyed the movie. I especially liked how it runs parallel to The Bourne Ultimatum. The fight scenes are top-notch, and the chase scenes are great. The final 15 minutes is edge of your seat. I'm curious if they will make another chapter in this movie franchise.
95) Jack Reacher - I did not want to like this movie. I love the book series by Lee Child, and I just find Tom Cruise a bad fit for the character. But I've got to admit, they did an excellent job bringing One Shot to the screen. Outside of the Cruise miscast (even though his acting was decent), I think the rest of the cast was pretty good. A good adaptation of the series, and I hope a sequel happens in the future. Elizabeth really enjoyed this film, too.
96) Rambo First Blood: Part II - This is a Grade A '80s action flick. Stallone goes all out as Rambo returns to Vietnam on a mission to save POWs. I loved it. Stallone has become a favorite of mine in the last few years, and this ranks as one of his best of the '80s.
Friday, June 07, 2013
Flash! Ahhhhh....
92) Flash Gordon - Cheesy, corny, '80s sci-fi fun. This is my only experience with the Flash Gordon character, as I've never read any of the comics or watched the serials. But this movie is just a lot of fun. I did find it to be a little slow at first, but then I just saw back and enjoyed it. My favorite characters are Zarkov and Vulcan, and as I told Dave, I can't see Timothy Dalton now and not think of him in Hot Fuzz. Maybe I will queue that up soon.
06-07-2013
Been a slow week. Nothing new really happening, and work has been slow. I have gotten a few movies watched. This weekend should be fun, as the annual Marriage Tune-Up is going on at PBC. This year we are doing Gary Chapman's The 5 Love Languages. Elizabeth and I are actually going to be doing childcare this year, which should be fun.
What movies have I watched recently?
89) Phantasm III: Lord of the Dead - A fairly decent sequel in the Phantasm franchise. We saw the return of the original Mike actor, who I didn't find annoying at all in this film. A new kid was introduced as Reggie's sidekick in his endeavor to hunt down The Tall Man, especially after Mike is taken by him. Reg gets some unexpected help from Jody, now a minion of The Tall Man. Some good fight scenes, and I liked the scene where Tim (the kid) defends his house from some scavengers. The ending is once again left open (the Phantasm trademark). Of course, Angus Scrimm steals the whole show, as does the score.
91) Phantasm IV: Oblivion - An odd movie. Not bad, per se. As I did enjoy it, and it made me appreciate the franchise. But it's not as action-y as II and III, and it leaves a lot of questions unanswered. I'm not a fan of trying to give The Tall Man an origin, but it doesn't take away from the character. Once again, a very open ending. I did enjoy how unused film from Phantasm was incorporated into the film.
90) Now You See Me - Elizabeth and I loved this film. It was a great way to spend time in the theater. A cast that worked well with one another, and a decent plot. I love magic, so I was excited to see what this film had to offer, and I was not disappointed.
What movies have I watched recently?
89) Phantasm III: Lord of the Dead - A fairly decent sequel in the Phantasm franchise. We saw the return of the original Mike actor, who I didn't find annoying at all in this film. A new kid was introduced as Reggie's sidekick in his endeavor to hunt down The Tall Man, especially after Mike is taken by him. Reg gets some unexpected help from Jody, now a minion of The Tall Man. Some good fight scenes, and I liked the scene where Tim (the kid) defends his house from some scavengers. The ending is once again left open (the Phantasm trademark). Of course, Angus Scrimm steals the whole show, as does the score.
91) Phantasm IV: Oblivion - An odd movie. Not bad, per se. As I did enjoy it, and it made me appreciate the franchise. But it's not as action-y as II and III, and it leaves a lot of questions unanswered. I'm not a fan of trying to give The Tall Man an origin, but it doesn't take away from the character. Once again, a very open ending. I did enjoy how unused film from Phantasm was incorporated into the film.
90) Now You See Me - Elizabeth and I loved this film. It was a great way to spend time in the theater. A cast that worked well with one another, and a decent plot. I love magic, so I was excited to see what this film had to offer, and I was not disappointed.
Monday, June 03, 2013
06/03/2013
This past weekend was great. Elizabeth and I had company in town with Roc, so the 3 of us hung out Thursday night playing Life. Friday night Brandi joined us for pizza and another round of Life, and Dave made an appearance. And after the 2 of them left, the 3 of us played some intense rounds of Hoopla.
Saturday was movie marathon day at TOS. We did a "Ben Stiller" theme, which included 4 movies: Heavyweights, Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, Zoolander, and Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy. Yes, I know: Stiller only has a brief cameo in Anchorman. But Raj and Eliz made the movie choices, and I think it's one they quote a lot and wanted to watched together.
After the movie marathon, Eliz and I walked around the Pirate festival that was going on in Hampton this weekend. It was lots of fun, even though we didn't buy anything. Neither one of us was hungry enough for the food, and we didn't see anything souvenir wise that was worth it. We did get to see a cool game though called "Water War", where two people/groups launch water balloons at each other to see who can get the wettest.
Yesterday was a wonderful day at church, as we played Jeopardy in Sunday School class for end of the quarter, and then there was a luau in Children's Church for end of the year. It was lots of fun, and I look forward to seeing how the children's program moves forward in the fall.
And to top the weekend off, Elizabeth and I had a date night in last night, catching up on some comics and then watching a movie. We finally finished up Geoff Johns Green Lantern run. I can't believe it's been 9 years. Part of me doesn't even want to continue with the GL books, since it ended so perfectly, and it will be a hard run to follow.
So, a couple movies to cover. I won't cover all 4 movies from the marathon, but I do want to cover one of them. :)
83) Heavyweights - I had forgotten how good this movie was! I'm pretty sure I've only seen it a handful of times since seeing it in the theater in '94, so it wasn't ingrained into my brain unlike other films. First off, it's probably one of the first films Judd Apatow worked on (he was writer/executive producer). Then, Ben Stiller is great as villain Tony Perkis. A lot of humor and warmth, and quotable, and made evident by Elizabeth. I currently own a Full Screen DVD (one of the few that I do allow in my collection), but a Blu-Ray was released in Dec '12, which I will be upgrading to eventually. Not just for the Widescreen transfer, but because it is also loaded with extras, which the DVD has none of.
87) Up - Why why why did I wait 4 years to see this movie? This was the selection Elizabeth made for date night last night, and man is it great! First off, it takes a lot for me to cry during a film. Not get emotional, but to actually shed a tear is work. But this one had me crying within the first 10 minutes of it, and the thing is: I knew what was coming! I had actually watched the opening of the movie online, knowing what kind of story Disney/Pixar was able to pull off in a span of 5 minutes. But the movie itself is just wonderful. Great characters, beautiful landscapes, and just a wonderful story. Easily one of my top 5 Pixar films.
88) First Blood - I remember catching Rambo movies on TV when I was younger (probably on the USA network), but it must of been mostly the 2 sequels, because I watched First Blood last night, and realized I had never seen any of it. A good early '80s action flick. The scene where Rambo takes the cops out in the forest was easily my favorite part, and the interaction between Rambo and Col. Trautman. I look forward to seeing the sequels with the eyes of film love I've acquired since my childhood.
This was a pretty good catch-up. I'm back to mostly mid-shifts this month at work, so I will probably continue to watch movies during my down time. I am back into reading regularly as well though.
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