So, I turned in my final report for the Aquarium this week. It's all finished and it's off to be copy-edited! Huzzah! The same day I turned it in, I get an email asking me to do the Philippines version of the report! They're paying me a 4th of what I did for the other one, but that was significantly harder and also was 5 countries. The Philippines is highly researched and has the most information available. So, it should be a lot easier, especially since the intro is mostly completed (e.g., US importance). So...that'll be interesting to do. I still have to look over and sign the contract.
I survived this week of work! I'm feeling loads better and am almost completely well. I've got an annoying slight congestion and a cough that crops up randomly, but it's not too bad. I feel almost back to normal and feel 10xs better than last week. I didn't realize HOW bad I felt till this week when I started getting back into the rhythm of work and getting back to my normal duties. I can tell how badly I felt because there are certain things I do on a daily or at least every few days and they weren't taken care of for a week. I certainly went through the motion of work for a week, but not much else.
Anyway, on to movies!
Lots of the fall movies are now coming out on DVD and it's definitely kind of refreshing watching good movies rather than the random stuff I sometimes watch like this first one I'm going to write about...
Man with the Iron Fists (RZA, Russell Crowe, Lucy Liu) - Wow...What a bad film. It's silly, over the top, and just bad...It's like a combination of Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon and Kill Bill. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone. The effects weren't bad and it does have that sort of old school martial arts film to it, but there's just too much in it that made it silly and bad. Grade: D
Argo (Ben Affleck) - Well...I understand why it was well received. It is a good film. Affleck does a great job in building the suspense and making you wonder if they'll make it out okay. I know it's not all factual as it really wasn't that intense getting them out of the country (i.e., the airport scene), but it was still good to watch. Affleck's character felt a little flat, but that is the way he is supposed to be too so I can't tell if that is a good thing or a bad thing. It's just something you obviously notice compared to all the other actors/actresses in the movie. I still haven't seen Life of Pi or Lincoln so I can't really comment on Best Picture, yet, but if what I hear about Life of Pi or Lincoln is correct, Argo shouldn't have won, but I'll really discuss that later when I've seen them. It's a good watch if you're looking for something to watch, but if you have no interest in it, it's not that important to watch it. I find it above average, but not spectacular. Grade: B
Zero Dark Thirty (Jessica Chastain) - Again, I can see why people like it. Bigelow did do a good directing job and the movie is interesting, but boy is it long. You feel the length of the movie, but it does go along at a nice clip (even if it is a little over 2.5 hours long). I can see complaints too (e.g., the torture scenes), but there's nothing overly graphic. Chastain did a good job. She was tenacious in her lead and stoic in her job, even when one of her friends was killed. I don't think it particularly deserved Best Picture, but then I didn't think Hurt Locker did either. Hurt Locker and Zero Dark Thirty have similar feels to them if you watched Hurt Locker. I liked it, but it, again, is above average, but not spectacular. I think it's good, but it didn't captivate me. Grade: B
Anna Karenina (Kiera Knightley, Jude Law) - You know, Anna definitely has some sort of mental issue. In some ways, you think poorly of Vronsky and Anna because they cheated on her husband, but then you go along and feel sort of sorry for Vronsky for putting up with Anna's unstable mental state. I did find the production style really interesting. They did it like it was a play. So you'd watch a scene and then it'd zoom out and different backgrounds would drop down like you're at a play and they're changing scenes. It did various things like that a lot. It was a little confusing at first, but when you got the hang of it, it was a really neat way to transition between scenes. You do have to say that, in this story, Karenina is definitely "saintly," as she even says when she think she's dying. He put up with an awful lot for the love of his wife. I enjoyed the costumes and the sets, but Anna is not very likeable and then she falls apart at the end, which makes it even harder to really like her. It did feel a little "over produced," though...It was okay. Grade: C for the production was impressive (her costumes were amazing!), but C- because Anna isn't likeable.
Wreck-It Ralph (John C. Reilly) - I adored this film and think it should have won Best Animation. Brave wasn't bad and neither was ParaNorman or Frankenweenie, but Wreck-It Ralph is definitely my favorite of the 4/5 animations I saw. Brave was kind of a sub-par Pixar film, which is saying something since a sub-par Pixar is still a better film than most others (animation or non-animation). Frankenweenie has the Tim Burton stamp on it and ParaNorman wasn't bad. Wreck-It Ralph has humor, heart, adventure, and good ol' nostalgia. I loved how an adult could see the little things in it and laugh over it (pong!), while a child would just like it for the story and the fun of it. It was clever how they did the video games, but also showed the age difference in technology. You have the newer and HD games (e.g., Hero's Duty in the movie) and then the older arcade games like Wreck-It Ralph. I liked the little people in Wreck-It Ralph's game and how they animated them to be like in the video game so their movements weren't smooth. They had a little stutter and when they hopped they did a hop noise. I liked the first person shooter game too and how they handled first person shooter mode. In a lot of ways, Wreck-It Ralph is like the video game equivalent of Toy Story. The games "come alive" when no one is around and worry about being "unplugged." The movie did give me a big craving for candy, though, since most of the movie is in Candy Rush...Anyway, I really liked this movie and can see why everyone really liked it. Disney has definitely had some solid animation hits lately (e.g., Tangled) and this is one I'd recommend for people to watch. Grade: A
I started watching The Following on HuluPlus. It's the big series right now, but I heard it is gory. Gory as in a lot of blood. If it's possible, it'd be considered more gory than the CSIs or something. It's not really "graphic," but it's definitely not tame either. It's so far interesting, but I don't know if I'll keep watching on a regular basis. It's just something to watch while I'm doing my nails or something since I can easily watch it on my iPad. Kevin Bacon is good, though.
Anyway, time to go paint my nails. The Post Office lost one of my packages today. : I'm thinking it has to be at the post office, but they can't find it. Great. It's the polish I've been waiting for too! One of my favorite Indie brands is back (after a very long hiatus) and it was 2 of her new polishes and I was going to wear one of them this week, but...yeah. I guess not! At least I'm not short on polish to wear...
Friday, March 22, 2013
Saturday, March 16, 2013
TV watching when you're sick...
I'm dubbing the last month the month of illness. It first started with an infected, huge cyst. Then I had a week long stint with hives from the antibiotics for the cyst. Then I'm well for like a week or something and then I come down with a cold that is the sickliest I've been in over a year. I actually left work early 3/5 days and took a longer lunch one of the other days (the day I closed). I'm still sick, but it's better. I'm like maybe 60% well. It's amazing how tiring and horrible being sick is. It's definitely not something I've missed and it's shocked my co-workers because I've never gone home sick!
Anyway, while being sick, I haven't really wanted to do much, so I started watching TV shows again to pass the time. So this past week I found out in January (wow) that Redbox sent me my beta access code to try out the Redbox Instant. I also had a free month trial for HuluPlus from Chegg and I found CBS has a streaming app, which then started me thinking and comparing everything...
Redbox Instant vs Netflix and Amazon Prime Instant - So, I've discussed Netflix and Amazon Prime Instant before, which basically concluded that they're similar, but I like the next episode auto function on Netflix and Amazon Prime Instant doesn't have it. I have another thing I'd like to add about the apps. Netflix app you can use either on your wireless network or over wifi. Amazon Prime Instant only allows you to use it over your wifi, which I find a little weird. So, Netflix reigns over those two. The Amazon Prime Instant app is a little less user friendly too, but it's not a big deal.
I've been interested in Redbox Instant for a while, but was curious what was available to stream. Well, turns out, it's pretty much the same stuff that the other two have, but it doesn't seem to have TV shows. The app is okay too. I haven't tried it off of wifi, but considering the less amount of content (i.e., TV shows), it pretty much makes it the lesser of the 3. The only thing it has going for it is the 4 kiosk credits, but the major draw OF streaming is the fact I don't have to GO to the kiosk. Hence, I'm not going to subscribe (after my free trial is over). The 4 credits and maybe 1 or 2 movies I'll stream a month means I'm spending par on what I would pay if I just went to the kiosk every time (assuming I use all 4 credits AND stream 2 movies a month). I'd rather just not subscribe and go to the kiosk since I've got the same movies available on Amazon Prime Instant and I pay a year subscription for that. So, Redbox Instant...? Disappointment. I'll keep using Amazon Prime Instant and keep using the kiosk for Redbox, but no Instant subscription.
HuluPlus and CBS streaming - I used to use Hulu way back in the day when you didn't have to pay. Since then, I've just stopped and never wanted to pay or wait (week delay for new episodes?) so I never used it. A month free subscription came up (not the trial one on the webpage so, technically, I could get 2 months free) and I thought, "Why not?". I signed up while sick and it's come in handy. I've caught up on Bones and Castle thanks to it. Not to mention the app is handy. It's a decent app, but the webpage version has the Netflix similar next episode option when you finish an episode. Fox, ABC, and NBC both use HuluPlus, but CBS has its own streaming and doesn't use HuluPlus.
I don't particularly like the CBS version. First off, it only has the last 2-3 episodes of a season and maybe 1 other random one in the season (on CSI it's the first one and another show it's like the 5th one). I'm further behind than 3 episodes (more like 6) so it's a little awkward, BUT it's completely free (unlike HuluPlus). Then again, you can watch the last 2-3 episodes for free on Hulu, but you can't stream them on their app. So, it's a trade off. Subscribe and get a full season and app capabilities or go for free and only have the last 2-3 episodes available on the webpage only. It's more than the last 2-3 episode thing with the CBS version, though. I haven't webpage streamed, but their app is a little off. It has closed captioning (as HuluPlus has too), but it's not synced correctly and I think it's because the commercials don't break where they should. You have that pause right before a commercial, but their ads come maybe 2 or 3 seconds before the pause. So then the ads happen and then you go back to the show and THEN you get that last 2-3 seconds with the pause following it. It's kind of weird. I've also read that sometimes if you leave the app in the middle of an episode, the sound and closed captions will get off from the video. I haven't had that experience, but I also closed the app in the middle of an ad and it wasn't closed that long. I do wish CBS did something to make the entire season available, though. I also wish, sad to say, that CBS would mix-up their ads a little. I saw the same ads for all 3 CSI episodes I watched. I found you repeated ads on HuluPlus, but not as much. I watched the same ad maybe maybe 3-4 times each episode (there are 2-3 ads per break and about 4 or 5 breaks) or, at the very least, some variation of the same company. CBS was the EXACT same 5 ads for all 3 episodes, which meant I'm really tired of the Jack in the Box "Hot Mess" commercial and the Buick commercial. If you're going to torture me by making me watch ads, at least mix them up!
So, during my illness, I've definitely been doing a lot of app streaming on my iPad mini, which has been nice, but there are definite quirks on everything! It has allowed me to sort of catch up on my TV shows too. I'm a little awkwardly catching up with CSI and the other CBS shows since I'm up on the last 3 episodes, but missing episodes 11-13 (or somewhere around there).
Anyway, that's about all for now. I have watched one new movie, but I'll wait till I get another one or something.
Anyway, while being sick, I haven't really wanted to do much, so I started watching TV shows again to pass the time. So this past week I found out in January (wow) that Redbox sent me my beta access code to try out the Redbox Instant. I also had a free month trial for HuluPlus from Chegg and I found CBS has a streaming app, which then started me thinking and comparing everything...
Redbox Instant vs Netflix and Amazon Prime Instant - So, I've discussed Netflix and Amazon Prime Instant before, which basically concluded that they're similar, but I like the next episode auto function on Netflix and Amazon Prime Instant doesn't have it. I have another thing I'd like to add about the apps. Netflix app you can use either on your wireless network or over wifi. Amazon Prime Instant only allows you to use it over your wifi, which I find a little weird. So, Netflix reigns over those two. The Amazon Prime Instant app is a little less user friendly too, but it's not a big deal.
I've been interested in Redbox Instant for a while, but was curious what was available to stream. Well, turns out, it's pretty much the same stuff that the other two have, but it doesn't seem to have TV shows. The app is okay too. I haven't tried it off of wifi, but considering the less amount of content (i.e., TV shows), it pretty much makes it the lesser of the 3. The only thing it has going for it is the 4 kiosk credits, but the major draw OF streaming is the fact I don't have to GO to the kiosk. Hence, I'm not going to subscribe (after my free trial is over). The 4 credits and maybe 1 or 2 movies I'll stream a month means I'm spending par on what I would pay if I just went to the kiosk every time (assuming I use all 4 credits AND stream 2 movies a month). I'd rather just not subscribe and go to the kiosk since I've got the same movies available on Amazon Prime Instant and I pay a year subscription for that. So, Redbox Instant...? Disappointment. I'll keep using Amazon Prime Instant and keep using the kiosk for Redbox, but no Instant subscription.
HuluPlus and CBS streaming - I used to use Hulu way back in the day when you didn't have to pay. Since then, I've just stopped and never wanted to pay or wait (week delay for new episodes?) so I never used it. A month free subscription came up (not the trial one on the webpage so, technically, I could get 2 months free) and I thought, "Why not?". I signed up while sick and it's come in handy. I've caught up on Bones and Castle thanks to it. Not to mention the app is handy. It's a decent app, but the webpage version has the Netflix similar next episode option when you finish an episode. Fox, ABC, and NBC both use HuluPlus, but CBS has its own streaming and doesn't use HuluPlus.
I don't particularly like the CBS version. First off, it only has the last 2-3 episodes of a season and maybe 1 other random one in the season (on CSI it's the first one and another show it's like the 5th one). I'm further behind than 3 episodes (more like 6) so it's a little awkward, BUT it's completely free (unlike HuluPlus). Then again, you can watch the last 2-3 episodes for free on Hulu, but you can't stream them on their app. So, it's a trade off. Subscribe and get a full season and app capabilities or go for free and only have the last 2-3 episodes available on the webpage only. It's more than the last 2-3 episode thing with the CBS version, though. I haven't webpage streamed, but their app is a little off. It has closed captioning (as HuluPlus has too), but it's not synced correctly and I think it's because the commercials don't break where they should. You have that pause right before a commercial, but their ads come maybe 2 or 3 seconds before the pause. So then the ads happen and then you go back to the show and THEN you get that last 2-3 seconds with the pause following it. It's kind of weird. I've also read that sometimes if you leave the app in the middle of an episode, the sound and closed captions will get off from the video. I haven't had that experience, but I also closed the app in the middle of an ad and it wasn't closed that long. I do wish CBS did something to make the entire season available, though. I also wish, sad to say, that CBS would mix-up their ads a little. I saw the same ads for all 3 CSI episodes I watched. I found you repeated ads on HuluPlus, but not as much. I watched the same ad maybe maybe 3-4 times each episode (there are 2-3 ads per break and about 4 or 5 breaks) or, at the very least, some variation of the same company. CBS was the EXACT same 5 ads for all 3 episodes, which meant I'm really tired of the Jack in the Box "Hot Mess" commercial and the Buick commercial. If you're going to torture me by making me watch ads, at least mix them up!
So, during my illness, I've definitely been doing a lot of app streaming on my iPad mini, which has been nice, but there are definite quirks on everything! It has allowed me to sort of catch up on my TV shows too. I'm a little awkwardly catching up with CSI and the other CBS shows since I'm up on the last 3 episodes, but missing episodes 11-13 (or somewhere around there).
Anyway, that's about all for now. I have watched one new movie, but I'll wait till I get another one or something.
Saturday, March 9, 2013
The days of LotRo and movies
Now that I'm "into" Lord of the Rings Online (play almost nightly...) with a few friends and Chris, my life seems to comprise mostly of playing that and not much else! It's so bad that Chris has gotten me a gamer mouse (I "need" two thumb buttons) AND a gamer headset with a better mic. Hey, I thought my last headset was okay, but I can tell the quality difference. If anything, I actually have a bass now and my mic doesn't make me sound like a robot occasionally. For some reason everyone had problems with me sounding like a robot and not being able to understand me. :P I have also learned all sorts of complications of having a Mac and trying to game. The game client is a Mac one (when I first played LotRo back in 2009, it wasn't on the Mac, but now is), but finding a gamer mouse that works on a Mac was hard and then this mouse's drivers didn't work on the Mac with the game client so the thumb buttons were useless. I had to download a 3rd party client to get them to work. This is, technically, my 2nd new headset because the first one didn't work with a Mac since it needed a power source to get the mic to work (couldn't just plug it into the mouse jack, which is what it was and a converter is like $5-10). This one I have now (the 2nd set) is a USB one to get the mic to work. Who knew! It's been interesting, to say the least. And, no, I can't use the mic on the computer because when the fan turns on, you can hear the fan through the mic (learned that YEARS ago) and I do use the mic often and the game client makes my fan work a LOT.
I do manage to do my nails, but I'm doing them less than I used to (1-2 times a week now (occasional 3 if something chips horribly, but I go as long as possible within a week) instead of 2-3 (sometimes 4)). I'm still buying polishes, but at a MUCH slower rate (really good for my wallet and savings!) and I mostly avoid Facebook now to keep the temptation down. All those indies and new polishes coming out and all those bloggers on Facebook! I also have gone away from chunky glitters and back to holos and cremes. It's definitely a palette cleansing time. I think Christmas wore me out! I'm also doing more stamping, which I stopped doing in the latter half of last year so it's nice to get back to stamping. I also have stopped doing chunky glitters because it takes time to remove and I have to fit in nails in between LotRo times. :)
I do keep renting movies, though, but there's not a whole lot right now. It's starting to pick up, but it's been a sort of slump. Well, I guess it *feels* like a slump, even though in 2 months I've watched 12 movies. To be fair, I watched 2 of them this week. Still reading too. I fit it in between gaming and work times. It's been a slow start to the year on new books, though. Lots of my authors aren't coming out with books till summer or the latter half of the year. I have managed to read 10 or so books, though. Currently plowing through one and it's been one I've been waiting to read for 2 years! This author finished a spin-off so I haven't been with these main characters for 2 years and it's good to be back to them! My TV watching has plummeted. I never got back into watching TV shows after November. I guess it's not something I'm really missing. I think I'm really only watching the new season of Top Gear.
Anyway, the rest of life is okay. I'm in the homestretch of my contract with the Aquarium. I did my presentation this past Monday, which is sort of like my defense. It went well. Now I'm waiting on some written comments, final edits, and then I'll turn it in and I'll be finished! It'll go through copy-editing, but my job will be finished.
With that...On to movies! This is going to be short just because there are 12 movies...
Frankenweenie - It's cute. I enjoyed it. It's based on the Frankenstein story, but with a kid twist. It wouldn't appeal to all kids, but I liked it. I can see why people thought it was cute and fun, but it is a different Tim Burton film. I'm not a huge fan of Tim Burton, but I have managed to watch a few of his films and it has his style, but maybe not his normal storytelling. The animation was good, but fantastic. Grade: B- (maybe C+)
Hotel Transylvania - Another animation and I enjoyed it too. I enjoyed this about as much as Frankenweenie. Frankenweenie has the loss of a pet in the beginning and this one revolves around Dracula's daughter turning of age and the fact her mother died so he's a little protective of her. It's cute too, but not overly amazing either. Grade: B- (maybe C+)
The Paperboy (Nicole Kidman, Zac Efron, John Cusack, Matthew McConaughey) - Uhm. Wow. I definitely wasn't prepared for what I was going to see. It's a good cast and decent acting, but the story is definitely not what I was expecting and what an, uhm, ending. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone to see. I guess there's a morale somewhere at the end, but it's such a downer of a movie at the end that it's hard to figure out. A movie that is taking up precious memory space... Grade: D
The Cold Light of Day (Henry Cavill, Bruce Willis, Sigourney Weaver) - Think a Die Hard movie, but without Willis being the hero. It's a little Bourne-y too. Basically, Willis's character works for the CIA or something and while the family is on a vacation, everyone gets kidnapped except Cavill. He has to go out and save his family while avoiding misleading information from the government (i.e., Weaver) and being alone in Italy. The most upsetting thing about it is Willis is in the movie, but he ends up NOT being in the movie for it since he dies in the very beginning. When does Willis die in a movie like that?! It's an okay movie. I can see why it didn't do well. It's just okay and it's a "been there, done that" without anything truly new or interesting in it. I mean, I'm okay with the "been there, done that" type of movies, but it should at least be good and this one falls flat. Grade: C-
Seven Psychopaths (Colin Farrell, Woody Harrelson, Sam Rockwell) - The title says it all. It really a movie full of psychopaths, but it's kind of interesting to watch. It has a good cast too. I will say, the trailer does mislead you. Sure, the whole dognapping thing sort of centers the movie (at least Harrelson's role), but it's actually about the seven psychopaths and Farrell's character is writing a script about seven psychopaths. There were a few twists in the movie, which, if I had been watching more closely, I might have noticed, but it interesting. It does have a slightly depressing ending, but given this is done by the same people who did In Bruges, I'm not too surprised. It's good if you like movies like this, but it's not for everyone. Grade: C
Flight (Denzel Washington) - The first 20 minutes of this movie literally made me jittery for the WHOLE movie. I was so wound up after watching the flight scene. It's intense. It didn't scare me away from flying, but it's intense and definitely had me on the edge of my seat and I was watching the whole thing very intently. Washington's acting is good and I can see why he was nominated, but I also didn't feel like it was phenomenal too. He definitely plays an anti-hero, though. He drinks and takes drugs, but when that flight went all wrong, he really pulled it all together and kept his cool. If anything, that alone was impressive to see (even when you know it's acting) because the contrast between him and his co-pilot is pretty extreme in their attitudes during the ordeal. It was an interesting movie, even if it was a little frustrating with his character until the end. If you're interested in it, I'd recommend it, but it's not a "must watch." Grade: B
Hit & Run (Kristen Bell, Dax Shepard) - It's a silly movie and that's what I expected. I do really like Kristen Bell, though. I really wish they didn't cancel Veronica Mars and it always seems like Bell and Shepard are fun people. Anyway, it's pretty silly and it should at no time be taken seriously either. It's over the top too, but it works somehow. Grade: C
Playing for Keeps (Gerard Butler, Jessica Biel) - When I started watching this, I could have sworn I had already seen it. I had seen the trailer SO much, I had somehow convinced myself I had seen it when I saw the intro. I still somehow think I've seen it already, but I haven't. Either it's so predictable (your typical rom-com) or I really have seen that trailer too much. At any rate, it's pretty typical, but it's an okay cast. It's nothing special and not the greatest rom-com, though. Grade: C
A Good Day to Die Hard (Bruce Willis) - It's a Die Hard film. Expect lots of explosions, shooting, running, car scenes, and Willis saving the day at the very end. If you expect anything else, you have idea what this franchise is about. I will say that the trying to bond with his son again was "heavy" for a Die Hard film, but Willis does get some jokes in here-and-there, but it's your typical Die Hard. Grade: C
Robot and Frank (Frank Langella) - I liked this film up until the end. It was a little sad for an ending and the movie sort of left me wanting something else from it. It's a good cast, but something just doesn't quite jive with me. It was like it was too short or the "intense" part (running from the cops with the robot) was too short or whatever...But it was a cute film. I liked the premise and I liked the relationship between Frank and Robot. Maybe if it went a different way with the middle of the story it would have played out better. I wish it was better to make it great. As is, it's just good to okay. Grade: C+
The Perks of Being a Wallflower (Emma Watson, Logan Lerman, Ezra Miller) - A good film. I liked all the acting and the story is interesting. It's a good coming of age. Grade: B
The Intouchables (Francois Cluzet, Omar Sy) - I really liked this movie. It's a foreign film, but it's good. It's really touching and it's great to see how they both taught each other what's missing from each other's lives. It's nothing too intense as it's a movie mostly about their growing friendship, but it has humor and touching moments. I enjoyed it from start to finish and would recommend this. Sy is a great actor and Cluzet does a great job too. You definitely get involved with their friendship and enjoy it almost as much as they do. I would rewatch this on DVD and maybe will rewatch it sooner rather than later. Grade: A
Oscars...Well. I wasn't too surprised. I was a little surprised about Best Animation (Brave), but I also haven't seen Wreck-It Ralph, yet, so it's hard to say. I'll be seeing it sometime next week, I suspect. It is weird how Best Director and Best Picture weren't from the same movie. Sure, it can happen and has happened before, but the directing makes a big difference in how the movie turns out. To be fair, Affleck wasn't nominated for Best Director, which was weird too. I guess you can also have a Best Picture nom and no Best/Supporting Actor/Actress awards too, but then you can have an overall feel (e.g., Lord of the Rings). Was a little surprised about Waltz for Best Supporting Actor, but he did a really good job in Django. I was happy for Lawrence (Best Actress) and Hathaway (Best Supporting Actress). I think they both did good jobs and you gotta appreciate Lawrence's spirits after she tripped going up the stairs (saw the highlights). Adele for Skyfall (Best Song) wasn't a surprise. Will be interesting if she does the next Bond song (also starring Daniel Craig) because of Skyfall's popularity (rumors are she might). I haven't seen the opening piece for the Oscars in a while, but I liked a few pieces from Mcfarlane's. I did like the "losers" song at the end, which was kind of funny. That also took some amazingly quick memorization since they kept changing it all night! With that...Not much else to say. :)
Time to read and go to bed!
I do manage to do my nails, but I'm doing them less than I used to (1-2 times a week now (occasional 3 if something chips horribly, but I go as long as possible within a week) instead of 2-3 (sometimes 4)). I'm still buying polishes, but at a MUCH slower rate (really good for my wallet and savings!) and I mostly avoid Facebook now to keep the temptation down. All those indies and new polishes coming out and all those bloggers on Facebook! I also have gone away from chunky glitters and back to holos and cremes. It's definitely a palette cleansing time. I think Christmas wore me out! I'm also doing more stamping, which I stopped doing in the latter half of last year so it's nice to get back to stamping. I also have stopped doing chunky glitters because it takes time to remove and I have to fit in nails in between LotRo times. :)
I do keep renting movies, though, but there's not a whole lot right now. It's starting to pick up, but it's been a sort of slump. Well, I guess it *feels* like a slump, even though in 2 months I've watched 12 movies. To be fair, I watched 2 of them this week. Still reading too. I fit it in between gaming and work times. It's been a slow start to the year on new books, though. Lots of my authors aren't coming out with books till summer or the latter half of the year. I have managed to read 10 or so books, though. Currently plowing through one and it's been one I've been waiting to read for 2 years! This author finished a spin-off so I haven't been with these main characters for 2 years and it's good to be back to them! My TV watching has plummeted. I never got back into watching TV shows after November. I guess it's not something I'm really missing. I think I'm really only watching the new season of Top Gear.
Anyway, the rest of life is okay. I'm in the homestretch of my contract with the Aquarium. I did my presentation this past Monday, which is sort of like my defense. It went well. Now I'm waiting on some written comments, final edits, and then I'll turn it in and I'll be finished! It'll go through copy-editing, but my job will be finished.
With that...On to movies! This is going to be short just because there are 12 movies...
Frankenweenie - It's cute. I enjoyed it. It's based on the Frankenstein story, but with a kid twist. It wouldn't appeal to all kids, but I liked it. I can see why people thought it was cute and fun, but it is a different Tim Burton film. I'm not a huge fan of Tim Burton, but I have managed to watch a few of his films and it has his style, but maybe not his normal storytelling. The animation was good, but fantastic. Grade: B- (maybe C+)
Hotel Transylvania - Another animation and I enjoyed it too. I enjoyed this about as much as Frankenweenie. Frankenweenie has the loss of a pet in the beginning and this one revolves around Dracula's daughter turning of age and the fact her mother died so he's a little protective of her. It's cute too, but not overly amazing either. Grade: B- (maybe C+)
The Paperboy (Nicole Kidman, Zac Efron, John Cusack, Matthew McConaughey) - Uhm. Wow. I definitely wasn't prepared for what I was going to see. It's a good cast and decent acting, but the story is definitely not what I was expecting and what an, uhm, ending. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone to see. I guess there's a morale somewhere at the end, but it's such a downer of a movie at the end that it's hard to figure out. A movie that is taking up precious memory space... Grade: D
The Cold Light of Day (Henry Cavill, Bruce Willis, Sigourney Weaver) - Think a Die Hard movie, but without Willis being the hero. It's a little Bourne-y too. Basically, Willis's character works for the CIA or something and while the family is on a vacation, everyone gets kidnapped except Cavill. He has to go out and save his family while avoiding misleading information from the government (i.e., Weaver) and being alone in Italy. The most upsetting thing about it is Willis is in the movie, but he ends up NOT being in the movie for it since he dies in the very beginning. When does Willis die in a movie like that?! It's an okay movie. I can see why it didn't do well. It's just okay and it's a "been there, done that" without anything truly new or interesting in it. I mean, I'm okay with the "been there, done that" type of movies, but it should at least be good and this one falls flat. Grade: C-
Seven Psychopaths (Colin Farrell, Woody Harrelson, Sam Rockwell) - The title says it all. It really a movie full of psychopaths, but it's kind of interesting to watch. It has a good cast too. I will say, the trailer does mislead you. Sure, the whole dognapping thing sort of centers the movie (at least Harrelson's role), but it's actually about the seven psychopaths and Farrell's character is writing a script about seven psychopaths. There were a few twists in the movie, which, if I had been watching more closely, I might have noticed, but it interesting. It does have a slightly depressing ending, but given this is done by the same people who did In Bruges, I'm not too surprised. It's good if you like movies like this, but it's not for everyone. Grade: C
Flight (Denzel Washington) - The first 20 minutes of this movie literally made me jittery for the WHOLE movie. I was so wound up after watching the flight scene. It's intense. It didn't scare me away from flying, but it's intense and definitely had me on the edge of my seat and I was watching the whole thing very intently. Washington's acting is good and I can see why he was nominated, but I also didn't feel like it was phenomenal too. He definitely plays an anti-hero, though. He drinks and takes drugs, but when that flight went all wrong, he really pulled it all together and kept his cool. If anything, that alone was impressive to see (even when you know it's acting) because the contrast between him and his co-pilot is pretty extreme in their attitudes during the ordeal. It was an interesting movie, even if it was a little frustrating with his character until the end. If you're interested in it, I'd recommend it, but it's not a "must watch." Grade: B
Hit & Run (Kristen Bell, Dax Shepard) - It's a silly movie and that's what I expected. I do really like Kristen Bell, though. I really wish they didn't cancel Veronica Mars and it always seems like Bell and Shepard are fun people. Anyway, it's pretty silly and it should at no time be taken seriously either. It's over the top too, but it works somehow. Grade: C
Playing for Keeps (Gerard Butler, Jessica Biel) - When I started watching this, I could have sworn I had already seen it. I had seen the trailer SO much, I had somehow convinced myself I had seen it when I saw the intro. I still somehow think I've seen it already, but I haven't. Either it's so predictable (your typical rom-com) or I really have seen that trailer too much. At any rate, it's pretty typical, but it's an okay cast. It's nothing special and not the greatest rom-com, though. Grade: C
A Good Day to Die Hard (Bruce Willis) - It's a Die Hard film. Expect lots of explosions, shooting, running, car scenes, and Willis saving the day at the very end. If you expect anything else, you have idea what this franchise is about. I will say that the trying to bond with his son again was "heavy" for a Die Hard film, but Willis does get some jokes in here-and-there, but it's your typical Die Hard. Grade: C
Robot and Frank (Frank Langella) - I liked this film up until the end. It was a little sad for an ending and the movie sort of left me wanting something else from it. It's a good cast, but something just doesn't quite jive with me. It was like it was too short or the "intense" part (running from the cops with the robot) was too short or whatever...But it was a cute film. I liked the premise and I liked the relationship between Frank and Robot. Maybe if it went a different way with the middle of the story it would have played out better. I wish it was better to make it great. As is, it's just good to okay. Grade: C+
The Perks of Being a Wallflower (Emma Watson, Logan Lerman, Ezra Miller) - A good film. I liked all the acting and the story is interesting. It's a good coming of age. Grade: B
The Intouchables (Francois Cluzet, Omar Sy) - I really liked this movie. It's a foreign film, but it's good. It's really touching and it's great to see how they both taught each other what's missing from each other's lives. It's nothing too intense as it's a movie mostly about their growing friendship, but it has humor and touching moments. I enjoyed it from start to finish and would recommend this. Sy is a great actor and Cluzet does a great job too. You definitely get involved with their friendship and enjoy it almost as much as they do. I would rewatch this on DVD and maybe will rewatch it sooner rather than later. Grade: A
Oscars...Well. I wasn't too surprised. I was a little surprised about Best Animation (Brave), but I also haven't seen Wreck-It Ralph, yet, so it's hard to say. I'll be seeing it sometime next week, I suspect. It is weird how Best Director and Best Picture weren't from the same movie. Sure, it can happen and has happened before, but the directing makes a big difference in how the movie turns out. To be fair, Affleck wasn't nominated for Best Director, which was weird too. I guess you can also have a Best Picture nom and no Best/Supporting Actor/Actress awards too, but then you can have an overall feel (e.g., Lord of the Rings). Was a little surprised about Waltz for Best Supporting Actor, but he did a really good job in Django. I was happy for Lawrence (Best Actress) and Hathaway (Best Supporting Actress). I think they both did good jobs and you gotta appreciate Lawrence's spirits after she tripped going up the stairs (saw the highlights). Adele for Skyfall (Best Song) wasn't a surprise. Will be interesting if she does the next Bond song (also starring Daniel Craig) because of Skyfall's popularity (rumors are she might). I haven't seen the opening piece for the Oscars in a while, but I liked a few pieces from Mcfarlane's. I did like the "losers" song at the end, which was kind of funny. That also took some amazingly quick memorization since they kept changing it all night! With that...Not much else to say. :)
Time to read and go to bed!
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