Portland Brew

Last night the news said that Portland is now the #1 city for microbrews. I know that will cause a lot of grumblings in other parts of the country. My brother still tries to convince me that Denver brew is better. I'm not sold on that statement, though.

Regardless of where the #1 ranking comes from, I think it's pretty spot on. The best part about the Portland microbrew scene is that there's such a large variance of product to choose from. We've got regional competitors and local heroes, lights and darks, organics and sours. From Henry's to the Widmer Bros, there's something to drink for everyone in Portland.

Pass the Popcorn: Battle Los Angeles

The human race is battling alien attackers, yet again, in Battle Los Angeles. This action epic comes with the standard doomsday plot lines - John Wayne hero, civilian counterparts, and the "how do we spot these guys" dialogue.

Overall, it worked for me. The action was good and the effects held up. It was a little stop-and-go during the second act, but it kept me engaged on a lazy Sunday afternoon. Aaron Eckhart even tried on his best Batman voice. If you're looking for some good popcorn fun, give it a go.

Life's a Beach

Even when it's raining.

Pass the Popcorn: The Next Three Days

I'll remember it for about the next three minutes. This one isn't really worth your time.

Listening to and Liking: The Civil Wars

V-Lite Infinity HPi

I scored some Hi-Tec V-Lite Infinity HPi trail runners today. I'm gonna tear up the Portland Warrior Dash in them this fall.

Nike: Chosen

I like the creative execution, but I really don't like the name of the campaign. Chosen just doesn't fit.

Talking Funny

Comedians Jerry Seinfeld, Chris Rock, Ricky Gervais, and Louis CK have a round table discussion about their craft in HBO's Talking Funny. This was a really enjoyable show that provided great insights on the differences between comedians and what makes a joke funny.

Listening to and Liking: The Cave Singers

Cowboy Up

Listening to and Liking: Typhoon

Tree of Life Trailer

This movie will either be epic or aweful. I'm hoping for the former.

Pass the Popcorn: Movie Roudup

The King's Speech: This was a good movie comprised of great acting and a good script. My only knock (spoiler alert) is that the whole movie builds up to the King giving a slow, emotionless speech over the radio - yeah, that's the spoiler... That's it. I know King George VI made great progress as far as linguistics are concerned, but I wanted a more climatic conclusion. I really don't think it should have won the Best Picture Oscar.That being said, it's still a good movie that sheds some light on a part of history most people don't know about.

The Mechanic: Jason Stathom runs around and kills a lot of people. Then he feels obligated to teach someone else how to do the same thing. Will it backfire? Probably. If you go into a movie like The Mechanic expecting cinematic brilliance, it's your own fault. But if you're looking for a decent action movie to kill (pun intended) some time, then it will do the trick. There's nothing special here, but nothing too offensive either.

No Strings Attached: Ah yes, what will happen when two people try to have a meaningless relationship based solely on sex? Chances are someone is going to fall in love. The plot of No Strings Attached is definitely a retread, but the execution works for me. Natalie Portman and Ashton Kutcher have good chemistry and comedic timing, and the jokes are funny enough to keep the story moving along. I actually enjoyed this one.

Pass the Popcorn: Somewhere

Sofia Coppola tries to recreate the magic she captured in Lost in Translation with the introspective Somewhere. Unfortunately, it falls short.

The movie bills itself as being about a hard-living Hollywood actor who re-examines his life after his 11-year-old daughter surprises him with a visit. In reality, that plot line doesn't come along until you're well into act two, which wouldn't have bothered me if it was replaced with more meaningful material. But it wasn't.

I think there was a lot left on the table with this one. Coppola delves back into her nearly dialogue-less scripts that tend to linger far too long on scenes that don't carry enough weight. For example, there was a 5-minute long scene where Stephen Dorff (the father) watches Elle Fanning (the daughter) ice skate. One minute would have had the same affect.

I understand what she's trying to accomplish by looking for meaning in the mundane, but that's a technique that's hard to perfect. And when it's not done right, all you get is the mundane. Wes Anderson has stronger knack for nailing this type of film making. Of course, he also uses a lot more dialogue to do so.

All in all, Somewhere wasn't a bad movie; it just felt incomplete - something the metaphorical ending didn't help. I really wish she would have made the movie that was advertised. Moreover, I wish she would trust her dialogue and write stronger scenes the actors can own.

A picture may be worth a thousand words, but that doesn't mean it's better.

Sneakerpedia

Foot Locker launched Sneakerpedia to give fans a global platform to share their kicks. It's a wiki-based platform that seems to be picture driven. We'll see how long it takes for the footwear industry to infiltrate the ranks flood the wiki with their product.

Blitz Ladd

The Blitz Ladd sports bar is just down the road from my office, so I go there for lunch on occasion. I love all the games they have available - pool, darts, ping pong, hot shot basketball, air hockey, shuffle board, etc. They also have a decent menu and tap selection.

If they could only increase the level  of service, I would be sold. Until then, I will still only go there on occasion.

VROOM!

My midlife crisis is going to happen on a Harley.

Personal Dissappointment

An office NHL Playoff Pool has turned me into a semi-quasi hockey fan, and I'm not okay with that. I drew the Canucks and Lightning and have been riding the wave ever since. I've even watched several periods of play.

I'm not sure what's going to come of this, but it can't be good. All I know is that the Red Wings are going down (sorry Ken). Go Canucks!

Heroes

My two heroes just so happen to be TV characters. First is Ron Swanson from NBC's Parks and Recreation. Second is Dan Stark from the cancelled Fox show The Good Guys. If I were the combination of the two, I would be awesome. Seriously Awesome.