Remember the Goo Goo Dolls? Yeah, I do too. But I'm not letting it bring me down.

JAWS

I thought I was going to be disappointed when I sat down to watch Jaws this morning. It had been awhile since I had seen it and many movies from that era have not aged well (as it was later pointed out by Mr. Strahl, most of the movies I was thinking of 'in this era' actually came from the late 60s, so my comparison was unjust). But disappointed I was not.

In 1975, cinema discovered a new phrase - The Blockbuster. While movies like Gone with the Wind were considered blockbusters because of the money they made over time,  Jaws was the first film to transform the definition into a type of movie; an event that would create lines of eager fans wrapping around city blocks. And as more people crammed into the theaters to see this toothy masterpiece, it became evident they would soon be staying out of the water once the credits rolled.

The best part about Jaws is how well it holds up in 2010. Its story is predicated on human reaction while the fear comes mostly from what you can't see. It's a slow rolling movie that builds tension over its entirety. And in the third act, when you need a payoff, you get to see the biggest damn shark known to man. But not too much of it to realize that it's not real. Something Deep Blue Sea should have thought about.

Roy Scheider, Richard Dreyfuss, and Robert Shaw compliment each other masterfully. Each character taking full advantage of the scenes intended to show deep back stories in just a couple of lines. And kudos to Spielberg for not forcing the action, rather, letting the characters build it.

"We're gonna need a bigger boat."

Pass the Popcorn: Green Zone

Matt Damon is an army officer who decides to buck the system in order to find out why the military is receiving  faulty intelligence during the war in Iraq. Green Zone is one of a many movies that questions our motives for attacking Iraq in 2003. But does it bring anything new to the table like the Hurt Locker did last year? I'd say yes...but mildly.

Green Zone departs from the barrage of Indie-style story lines and character pieces without diving fully into the action-infused likes of Black Hawk Down. What it delivers is stylish scenes that have enough patience to build its climax at an adequate pace - something Michael Bay could take a note from.

While it's not perfect and completely enthralling, it was good the whole way through. It's definitely worth renting.

Second, Please.

While most people say that second place is the first loser, I disagree. Mainly because I perpetually end up getting second place. Unless, of course, there are only two competitors, at which time I get either first or last - take that powers of inductive reasoning.


Seriously though, second place stands on the cusp of awesomeness. I contend that if you get a medal for it, then you are a winner even if that medal is less revered and not used as the standard of which all things are valued. So I commend you, bridesmaids. I tip my hat to you, runner-ups. You are almost good enough to be the best and that's not bad.

So the next time someone tells you that you're a loser for getting second, dismantle them with powerful rhetoric. Inform them that if you are the best at being second, then you are actually first at something, which means you're a winner after all.

Why Chevy is better than Nissan

Because they managed to make an electric car that doesn't look like an electric car. Imagine that. I can buy something that's good for the environment without having to wear it on my sleeve. There are still some of us out there that like to do the right thing without having to admit it. The bottom line is that Chevy still makes cars for men. Even their foo-foo cars are more manly, and I like that.

Chevy Volt

 

Nissan (lame-ass) Leaf

Crazy Cool

The history buff inside me thinks this is awesome. An 18th century ship was just discovered at the World Trade Center construction site. NYC has some great history.

Pass the Popcorn: A Single Man

A Single Man starring Colin Firth is a slow, methodical character pieces that peers into a man's thoughts after he loses his lover of 16 years. The acting is great and the cinematography is interesting (especially the color shifts), but the movie itself bogged down a little too much for my liking. If you're a fan of true character pieces, then this is a movie for you. Otherwise, you might want to skip it.

I'm a fan

The same Dyson that brought us $400 - $600 vacuums is now bringing us equally expensive fans. But these aren’t just any fans. They are air multipliers – no blades, no chopping. Sorry, ninja fans. A lot of industry folks wonder if fans should be so expensive. Then again, should vacuums?

I won’t be shelling out $300 bucks anytime soon for one of these bladeless fans, but I want to. Instead, my $30 5-year-old Black & Decker will keep churning the air through my hallways and my $80 Hoover will clean my carpets. Sorry Dyson. I love your technology. I’m just not willing to pay for it.

And1 Be Lo-Qi

We worked with Kamp Grizzly to produce this And1 spot. Ha, we laughed in the face of a tight budget and timeline.

Hell Week

This week was reminiscent of high school football two-a-days. A body numbing workload that led to at least one person throwing up from exhaustion.

After some series sweat, we finally launched And1's new site. Of course, it took some hardcore cramming, a lot of yelling, and a couple of tears to do it. My mentally recovery is slow. Hopefully, I will be able to blog more soon.

You can check out the site here. Kamp Grizzly helped create the bitchen video on the homepage. The next one is going to be even better. Kudos.