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Beavis and Butthead in Real Life?

The Avett Brothers - New Album Coming

And I can't wait. 

Burton Grill Snowboard Jacket

A little spendy for me, but I totally dig the design.

Happy Birthday Muhammad Ali

Paraphrased - A big man ain't scared of another big man. A tough man ain't scared of another tough man. But they're both scared of a crazy man. 

Be crazy.

Tilda Swinton is from the Future

Tilda Swinton will always look like she's from the future. And all of the artsy-fartsy movie buffs are trading in Tree of Life for The Artist.

Pass the Popcorn: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Based on the book with the same name, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is about a damaged woman who specializes in technical research and a journalist trying to solve a wealthy family's cold case mystery. The movie plays more like Zodiac than Silence of the Lambs as the two main character's story lines build separately for the first forty minutes or so. Mystery does give way to tension as the second act revs up and the "first" ending provides enough little twists to satisfy the journey. I say "first" ending because, much to some people's chagrin, there's somewhat of an extended epilogue to finish off the last 20 mintues of the film.

Rooney Mara's transformation from a pretty young lady in real life to a hardened, tortured youth with a dragon tattoo is remarkable. Daniel Craig is pretty straightforward, which is a little disappointing because his character makes several decision that could've been represented with a more complexity. Regardless, the performances of the cast still come in above par. Finally, the music selection and score provide a gritty eeriness that ramps up when necessary, creating added complexity without overwhelming the experience.

While The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo isn't Fincher's strongest effort (it's hard to beat Seven and Fight Club), it's still solid procedural worth seeing.

Moonrise Kingdom

I'm all in.

Your Nano is a Watch!

Apple's dropping the ball a little on this. Why? Because no one has heard about it yet. Simply buy a special band for $30 - $80 and turn your iPod Nano into a watch. Awesome. That's all I'm saying.

I bought a Planet

Pass the Popcorn: Cowboys & Aliens

Cowboys & Aliens asks the question, "what would happen if aliens decided to invade earth during our past instead of the near future?" Once you get past the title, the movie actually plays pretty straight and is better for it. The story starts off as Daniel Craig's character wakes up not remembering who he is or why there's a metal bracelet attached to his wrist. Of course, we quickly find out that's he's a badass, which leads to western standoffs and alien attacks. He slowly gets pieces of his memory back as the story unfolds.

All in all, it was a good time. It made me realize that Harrison Ford is a much better supporting actor than a star these days while Sam Rockwell always delivers a solid performance. There were a couple of plot points that were unnecessary, which muddled up the flow of the movie. And there were also some kumbaya moments that really felt cheesy. But what can you really expect from an alien western.

If you don't expect too much, you'll be rewarded with a popcorn flick that puts a new spin on a retread story. If you're expecting the next Aliens, then maybe you should just skip this one.

Pass the Popcorn: Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol

Good, not great. That's really all it takes to sum up the fourth installment of the Mission Impossible franchise.

Ethan Hunt and his crew go rogue when they're set up for a terrorist act they didn't commit. And now they have to race against the clock to track down those responsible. Of course, the tried and true plot gets upgraded with MI's bells and whistles. The action scenes are strong and the dialog only ventures into cheesy on occasion. But at the end of the day, there's not a lot new here. While it's better than the last two installments, it doesn't deliver the emotional connection of the first film in the franchise reboot.

A lot of critics seem to be gushing over Ghost Protocol, but I think that has more to do with the lack of recent good action movies than its overwhelming brilliance. Regardless, if you're a fan of the genre, you won't be disappointed.

Movie Trailers: The Hunger Games

My wife is obsessed. I'm reserving judgment. 

APL Concept 2

You don't always see new brands doing something new. Athletic Propulsion Labs wants you to jump higher with these kicks. I think they've raised the bar.

See more at CounterKicks