Pass the Popcorn: 2012

Awful. I love John Cusack, but this movie was bad. I couldn't fathom suspending my belief enough to get on board as soon as his character decided to take his kids to Yellowstone National Park for a weekend camping trip in a limo while living in L.A. Sorry writers, but lets try a little harder next time.

Entitled "Game Over"
Polish artist Kordian Lewandowski treading on blasphemy or brilliance.

The Original

Remember in the late 80s when you just weren't cool unless you had a Powell Peralta skateboard - the grip tape covered 3/4 of the deck and florescent trucks and wheels were big pimpin'.

I had one. It was badass. I'm pretty sure it was pink, but still badass.

I never learned how to ride it though. Unless you count cruising down the sidewalk at an infant's pace riding. And actually pulling off an Ollie? Forget about it. But I had one. Unfortunately, my lack of skills never crossed me over into the cool ratings.

Man, I should've learned how to ride that thing. Who knows how my life would have changed. I might have been a rock star or a surfer. Maybe in another lifetime, Mr. Peralta. Maybe.

If I Had a Million Dollars

This Barenaked Ladies classic has become my new favorite Karaoke songs to sing (duet). Of course, you need to take that with a grain of salt, considering I Karaoke about once a year. But here's the skinny. The song is easy to sing, so even the tone deficient have a hard time offending. It includes quirky banter, a staple if you're a comedian at heart. And it's Ray Stevens-esque lyrics are hard to take seriously. So even if you think you're a real singer, which most of us are not, you lean towards entertaining once it starts.

I will say that I had to laugh at the lady who actually brought in her personal Karaoke CD. I thought that only happened in bad Gwyneth Paltrow movies.

Saturday Night at the Golden Crown

The Weather

I hate talking about the weather because it always seems cliche. "How have ya been? How's the weather?" But when you live in Portland, a sunshiny day is worth bringing up. Just knowing we're supposed to get blue skies and warm temps puts a smile on my face.

So guess what? It's gonna be nice in Portland this weekend. And I'm jazzed about it. The gray skies can suck it. The rain can kiss my ass. I want me some sunshine.

I've already approached strangers and gave them the weather report courtesy of my Droid's Weather Channel App. Smalltalk my ass. This is news. Nay! This is gospel, and I will preach its glory as much as I want.

March Madness!

I fully plan on getting last in my office pool this year. I was close to the bottom last year, but I think the competition for sucking the most is getting weaker, like this year's at-large teams. Why will I fail once again in NCAA Tourney Pick 'ems?

1. When Duke is ranked, I always put them in the Final Four. Every year I tell myself not to, but my loyalty outweighs my intelligence. This is why I never take my bets to Vegas.

2. I don't trust Kentucky - too young. They'll probably be in the Championship game, but I'm saying Texas will best them early.

3. Notre Dame is really good and really inconstant. But I've grown attached, so I have them getting bounced by Duke. I should be so lucky.

4. I put too much emphasis on a team's performance in the conference tournaments. UNC got beat in last year's ACC tourney, so I didn't give them enough credit to make it to the Final Four. That and I hate UNC. Regardless, the best team doesn't always win their conference tourney. And when they don't, they get more rest leading into the big dance.

5. Which leads me to the fact that I pick with my heart and not my head. Will Duke really beat Kansas? No. They're too skinny, rely too much on the 3-ball, and their inside play, although improved from years past, still isn't strong enough.

So my winner is...Duke!

See what I mean. Oh well. There's always next year.

Oh, and is there really a women's NCAA tournament going on at the same time? I hear rumors of such a thing but am yet to see evidence that women actually play ball. Sorry ladies.

PlayStation Wii?

With the Nintendo Wii's sales decreasing steadily over the last couple of months, is PlayStation entering the motion controller game a little too late? Unless the PlayStation games are super bad-ass, I can't help but wonder.

Pass the Popcorn: Where the Wild Things Are

I was really excited for this Spike Jonze adaptation to hit DVD this week. I read a ton of good reviews that prepared me to be taken into a magical childlike world of cinema. And yes, the visuals were fantastic and the emotional curve was very childlike, but the story lacked substance.

Spike Jonze did a great job showing the irrational emotions kids feel and how they deal with them, but we don't get a why. Once he takes us into Max's imagination, he doesn't provide a strong enough literary backbone to sustain an hour and half long story. I loved the melancholic feel but the characters didn't seem to grow. I was hoping there would be more...perhaps an arc that allows Max and the Wild Things to discover the source of their confusion opposed to them simply being confused. I don't feel like it delivered that.

Artistic: Yes. Emotional: Yes. Satisfying: Eh. It's worth a rent, but lower your expectations.

This is really smart. I wish I wrote it.

Pass the Popcorn: The Informant!

How could it not be good? There's an exclamation point at the end of the title. Matt Damon plays Mark Whitacre, a big wig in the agro business who decides to blow the whistle on price fixing. Despite being a fairly forgettable movie, Damon's off-beat portrayal is top notch. Reminiscent to Burn After Reading, you can't help but be drawn into some people's psyche. Whitacre's bumbling sense of being engaged me throughout. It just took me three days to remember I had watched it. It's basically like an SNL version of The Insider with Russell Crowe.

Pandora Nostalgia

Today I'm listening to a Pandora station inspired by Blues Traveler. It's full 90s alternative soft rock, which brings be back a bit. I can't believe it's been 16 years since I first rocked out to Mr. Jones (the album released in 93 but it didn't hook me until 94). It brings a smile to face for sure, but it also just makes me feel a little old. That's the power of Pandora.

Pass the Popcorn: Moon

Sam Rockwell plays an astronaut at the end of his three-year tenure on a moon station. But is he really alone? I knew the plot line going into Moon, so I didn't spend any time playing out scenarios in my head. My wife, on the other hand, enjoyed the guessing game.

The quietness of the movie pulls you in if you're in the mood for a low key musing. Rockwell does a good job being just about the only person you see the entire movie, and Kevin Spacey voices the robitic GERTY in similar fashion to HAL 9000 in the 2001 Space Odyssy.

It was thought provoking on the service but at it's core, it felt a little empty. I can't put my finger on why that is. I just don't think it built enough emotional tension to be considered great. Ultimately, I was expecting more but was happy with what I got.

It's kind of a mixture between Cast Away, 2001: Space Odyssy, and perhaps Solaris. If those float your boat, it worth the rent.