Monday, March 24, 2014

Day 5: Books I Have Read in 2014

a.k.a. Maybe 90 posts in 100 days is more likely (even that will be a miracle)
a.k.a. The 600th List Anything Post!!!
  • Moonlight Mile (Dennis Lehane) - A sequel to Gone Girl Gone, very enjoyable but probably not meant for film.
  • Monster (Sanyika Shakur) - Autobiography of an L.A. gang member.*
  • A Million Ways to Die in the West (Seth McFarlane) - I don't know why but it made me laugh for two hours straight.
  • The Fault in Our Stars - John Green - Sad.
  • Cross and Burn (Val McDermid) - The latest in the Tony Hill series (a.k.a. wire in the blood)
  • A Place of Execution (Val McDermid) - One of the best mysteries I have ever read.
  • Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs (Chuck Klosterman) - A compilation of essays.  Funny.
  • Cops (Mark Baker) - An inside look at being a cop. *
  • The Poet (Michael Connelly)*
  • Angels Flight (Michael Connelly)**
  • 9 Dragons (Michael Connelly)**
  • The Closers (Michael Connelly)**
  • Echo Park (Michael Connelly)**
  • The Narrows (Michael Connelly)**
  • A Darkness More Than Night (Michael Connelly)**
  • City of Bones (Michael Connelly)**
  • The Brass Verdict (Michael Connelly)**
  • The Black Box (Michael Connelly)**
*Research
**Research and also Harry Bosch novels

Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Day 4: Movies I Have Watched in 2014

  • Mud (B) - The kids were endearing and it was nice to see Kendal Crowe (Justified) a bit younger.  MM was convincing and it had a nice supporting cast but I kept feeling like I should be crying and I wasn't.
  • Inside Llewyn Davis (A) - Just about perfect. 
  • The Counselor (C+) - You would think a movie written by Cormac McCarthy and directed by Ridley Scott would be a wet dream, alas it is not.  It is brutal and it stays with you for a while after you watch it (mostly because it's just fucked up) but overall it falls short.
  • Catching Fire (D) - There was one good scene and it was at the end.
  • Thor: The Dark World (D+) - There was one good scene and it was towards the end.
  • The Fifth Estate (B-) - Worth seeing just for Sherlock's Australian accent.  Also, a good story.
  • The Way Way Back (C) - I don't know about you but I'm pretty tired of movies with Steve Carell where he plays a serious role (or a non-serious role for that matter).  They're all the same! Little Miss Sunshine, Dan in Real Life, and now this dreck.  Sam Rockwell saved it but not by much.
  • Ender's Game (B-) - I am twelve.
  • Enough Said (A-) - A very pleasant movie that moves at a normal pace with real characters and good actors.
  • Gaslight (A+) - I haven't watched this one in a very long time but it still stands up.  I watched it thinking how I would remake it (I have some good ideas) but it really should be left alone.
  • Escape Plan (F) - I will never understand how scripts get made into movies like this.  It HAS to be a relative of someone.  
  • Promised Land (B+) - Solid.  Real.  Funny.  
  • Captain Phillips (B) - Good.  I guess.
  • The Family (C) - Ugh, Luc Besson.  Seriously, stop making movies.
  • Prisoners (C+) - I kept waiting for something to happen and even though I didn't "call" the ending, I kind of wish I had.  I would have liked it better.
  • 2 Guns (C+) - Ten years ago I would have seen this movie opening day in the theater.  But they don't know how to make them any more.  And why was this ever a graphic novel?
  • Columbus Circle (D) - Written by one of my favorite screenwriters ever (well, he wrote Midnight Run).  This was dumb and you see EVERYTHING before it happens.
  • I Need That Record (B) - A pretty lame documentary about a wonderful subject.
  • Vanilla Sky (A-) - I saw this in the theater and HATED IT and then just revisited it after reading an essay by Chuck Klosterman.  I gotta say, it's pretty damn good.  I don't understand why people were confused by it.  It's very clear in its narrative and even though a remake, a very good one.  
  • Twilight (B+) - No, not the vampire movie (although given the list above I wouldn't put it past me).  This was a detective movie with Paul Newman, Gene Hackman and Susan Sarandon.  This was kind of the opposite of Vanilla Sky.  I saw this in the theater and LOVED it and now I don't know why.  I give it a B+ just because they don't make enough detective movies (ahem, I Drink Alone).
  • Jesse Stone: Stone Cold (B) - For a 'made for tv' movie this was actually quite entertaining.  I started watching for research and found myself continuing...
  • Jesse Stone: Night Passage (C+) - Although I am a bit tired of the 'alcoholic' cop...
  • Jesse Stone: Death in Paradise (D) - ...and...I'm over it.
p.s. This not drinking thing is super hard.  But this 'list anything' thing is actually working.  So we'll see if I make it another night.

Tuesday, March 18, 2014

Day 3: Reasons I am Not 40 Years Old

  1. I just read The Fault in Our Stars.  And cried.*
  2. I cannot wait to see The Veronica Mars Movie.*
  3. I drink berry flavored herbal tea *
*Also reasons I am not a man

Monday, March 17, 2014

Day 2: Coast to Coast

East Coast: Clam Chowder
Texas: Chicken Tortilla
West Coast: Anything with avocado

East Coast: Pop
Texas: Coke
West Coast: Californians don't drink soda

East Coast: French Dip
Texas: Queso
West Coast: Guacamole

East Coast: Grinder/ Hoagie
Texas: Sub/ Po Boy
West Coast: Whole grain sandwich

East Coast: Wicked Awesome
Texas: Niiice/ Alright, alright, alright
West Coast: Dude

East Coast: Cod/ Scrod
Texas: Bass/ Catfish
West Coast: Tuna (sushi grade only)

East Coast: Ketchup
Texas: Hot Sauce
West Coast: Guacamole/ Balsamic Vinaigrette

East Coast: Eye of Round
Texas: Ribeye
West Coast: Filet Mignon

*** I do not really know what I'm talking about but this was fun to come up with

Things I Have Finally Learned to Differentiate


Shallots
Scallions
Scallops


F. Murray Abraham
William F. Buckley
Warren Buffet

Sunday, March 16, 2014

Day 1: Television I've Been Watching...

  • The Blacklist - After the pilot I thought this would quickly become one of my favorite shows.  It does so well what many others have failed to do - it makes a villain the protagonist.  And Spader does not disappoint.  Unfortunately, everyone else in the cast DOES.  I honestly hope in every episode that the other cast members will get killed off one by one.  But they don't.  And that's why this show isn't very good.  I'm 16 episodes in so I might as well finish the season but don't bother.
  • Orphan Black - Wow.  I watched the pilot a few months ago and wasn't that impressed.  Then I picked up it up again and, needless to say, it's amazing.  And she is the best actress ever.
  • Hannibal - Season two is, so far, much better than season one.  Less Will and more Hannibal I say.  I just hope they eventually get back on track with the books.  Maybe I'm the only one but it's distracting considering I know how the story is supposed to go.
  • The Following - If you do not watch the Following you are doing yourself a disservice.  It might be the worst show ever that I can't stop watching.  Nothing makes sense or even remotely has an inkling of believability.  But for some reason I cannot wait to see what happens next.  And you kind of, without knowing it, do a mystery science theater in your own mind as you watch.  Doubling entertaining.
  • True Detective - Perfect.
  • Justified - I swear this show gets better with every season.  I hope everyone is watching this.
  • The Walking Dead - I gave up on this show after season two and then recently picked it up again.  It's not my favorite but it's pretty damn good.
  • Crossing Lines - A ridiculous show that's entirely watchable.  I can picture the pitch right now..."it's just like every other crime show except it crosses borders."  
  • Brooklyn 99 - I LOVE this show.  That is all.
  • Chicago P.D. - I don't know why.
  • The Mentalist - I have no idea what they are planning on doing with this show.  He already caught Red John.  But hey, when you've been with a show for seven seasons, might as well see it through.

Saturday, March 15, 2014

90 Lists in 90 Days (introduction)

I am tired of being disgusting.  Since moving back home I have been eating well and exercising; lifting weights and swimming a few times a week, and yet I am the exact same weight I was when I arrived here.  Of course, I've been drinking almost every night.  So, I'm going to do a little experiment and since I have none of you physically here to support me, I'm going to give myself a little accountability via this blog.
I'm going to attempt to go sober for 90 days and every day I am going to post a list.  The lists will have nothing to do with my experiment, they will merely be proof to myself and others that I have lasted another day.  And at the end of the 90 days I will check back in with you all and share my results.
And now, just so this is an actual list...
Things I want to accomplish in the next 90 days
  • lose weight (goal = 30 lbs)
  • finish my novel
  • finish a screenplay
  • watch a lot of movies
  • read a lot of books
  • come up with some good, healthy recipes to share
If anyone wants to join me, feel free.  The more the merrier.  Jump in at any time.  But I really have to do this for my sanity and so I don't die.  If I fail (which is likely) I may attempt to start over but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it (in two days).
Wish me luck!

Wednesday, March 5, 2014

People I Met in Savannah

I have never been on such a sociable trip in all my life. And even the annoying-sounding people were highly entertaining. We always seemed to cut them loose just as they were crossing the line to annoying.

SATURDAY
6pm. Chad and Carl - There were tons of people walking around in these green tshirts and St. Patrick's Day regalia, and we didn't know why. Then we met two army guys who had been on a pub crawl that started at noon. They were probably 22 and thought we were incredible. They invited us over for a "jam session," but we said we didn't have time. Chad, who had to look up about six inches to see them, was really into my beautiful eyes. "We seem to be very popular here with guys in green shirts." - Ginny

11pm. Two sisters and their husbands. There was a band playing in a street that was only open to pedestrians, and--did I mention you can take your alcohol to go in this city?--we decided to sit on a bench and drink beer and watch people walk/dance by. A lot of other stuff happened, but the sister whose 30th birthday they were celebrating decided to twerk in my lap. Her husband tried to follow but was dragged away.

SUNDAY
We spent most of Sunday on a tour and shopping, but then we decided to stop by a bar to get a beer to drink in a nearby park.
5pm. Randy - he was a loud little fella and recommended some horrible sounding strip of bars in Orlando near Universal Studios from which he had recently been thrown out for taking off his shirt. "Why didn't you take me there?" - me, to Ginny.

Spotted at same place: an older lady ordering a megarita, a margarita the size of a fish bowl.

7pm. That lady and her husband (Alice and Kenny), in our hotel lobby drinking free wine and eating free cheese. We were trying to take our glasses up to our room, but they insisted that we sit down with them. They were about 60 and had been married for 27 years, not including the four-year period in which they were divorced. They met at a bar and their friends went home with each other. G: "So they had sex and you got married?" Alice: "Oh, I f***ed him that night." Kenny, amazed: "You don't know how rare that was back then." They were the loudest people I've ever met, and although I laughed non-stop for our hour together, we made the right call when we went our separate ways after declining Alice's offer to go smoke some weed in the parking lot while Kenny was on lookout.

Spotted at 10pm at a bar projecting the Oscars onto a courtyard wall: Alice and Kenny, from whom we hid, and this handsome guy seemingly declining the advances of two attractive women--one VERY aggressive and one a little softer.

Midnight-ish. That guy, Matt, in our hotel lobby, all three of us disappointed that the bar had closed. We headed out together to find a new bar and became fast friends. Some better friends than others.

12:30-ish. David, a cute British guy traveling up the eastern US. He quickly became one of our little group of friends. Some better friends than others.

MONDAY
Shockingly, not one member of Band of Horses.

Monday, March 3, 2014

February 2014 MVPS

With no particular criteria in mind, I present to you this month's list of monthly MVPs (with assistance from TV* and the Olympics** because they took up so much time and the movie pickings were slim).

Gents of the month
Fabian Bourzat (French ice dancer)**
Montgomery Clift (The Search)
Gene Kelly (Cover Girl)
Joe Pantoliano (The Sopranos)*
Thomas Ulsrud (Norwegian curler and wearer of curling pants)**

 Ladies of the month
Eve Arden (Cover Girl)
Edie Falco (The Sopranos, Nurse Jackie)*
Yuna Kim (Korean figure skater)**
Jarmila Novotna (The Search)
Nathalie Pechalat (French ice dancer)**

Movies I Watched at Home in 2014, List #2 (February)

I didn't watch a lot of movies this month on account of the Olympics, houseguests, The Sopranos (season 3), Nurse Jackie (season 4), and the return of semi-compelling Sunday night TV.  But here's the few I got for you this month, and my DVR is 85% full of 31 days of Oscar for March catch-up viewing.
  • From Here to Eternity (1953) C+ /  It's hard to deny the effect of showing the calm-before-the-storm (and knowing the storm is coming), but I'd prefer a less overwrought calm.  
  • Charly (1968) D / Totally absurd. I wanted to turn it off when the opening credit montage included Cliff Robertson swinging on a swingset with his tongue sticking out.
  • Blue Sky (1994) F / Every bit as shitty as I remembered. The horseride into the nuclear testing grounds (or whatever) has got to be top-5 in ridiculous movie moments.
  • Cover Girl (1944) B+ / This story alone is probably an F. But add up the costumes (!), the production design, the singing, the dancing, Gene Kelly and his profile, and every, single, marvelous thing about Eve Arden and you get to a solid B+.
  • The Search (1948) B+ / Tears in my eyes 8 minutes in (and sustained).

Live From the Red Carpet...Kathy and Steve

I wasn't planning on watching but then someone gave me the idea to write down what they said during the telecast.  I also wanted to see how long it would take before Steve mentioned American Idol.  These were written down, word for word.
  • "I'm not used to seeing Ellen in black."
  • "She is too much."
  • "He was the bad guy?" (Kathy after recognizing Barkhad Abdi from Captain Phillips.  A movie she has seen.  Twice.)
  • "Who's he?" (Steve asking whenever an actor appeared on screen that wasn't Leonardo DiCaprio)
  • "He is too much."
  • "Are these all clips from Toy Story?" (Steve asking when they played the compilation of animated films)
  • "Channing Tatum.  Who's that?"
  • "There's a big market for this." (Steve talking about animated films)
  • "She is too much."
  • "They all have teams.  Does it take that many people?" (Steve asking about visual effects nominees)
  • "That would have been a cute number to do on American Idol." (Steve after the second nominated song - he then spoke for then minutes about how they sometimes do duets and how sometimes they are good and sometimes they are bad)
  • "These are shorts?  How do you get anything done in forty minutes?"
  • "Wow, there are so many movies."
  • "What has Bradley Cooper been in?"
  • "Jolie is probably her mom's last name.  Who's her mom?" (I then suggested that, perhaps, Jolie is a "stage name" and Steve insisted that usually stage names are the actor's middle name.)
  • "He sounds Irish." (Steve when listening to Ewan McGregor speak.  But then he goes on to name THREE MOVIES that Viola Davis has been in!)
  • "She has done some unusual movies." (Steve on Sandra Bullock.  You know...the risk taker)
  • "This is a popular band?  His voice is awful."(Kathy upon seeing U2 perform)
  • "I like the new logo." (Steve referring to the logo for the Oscars)
  • "That's why they're sitting next to each other." (Steve after seeing a clip from August: Osage County and realizing that Julia Roberts and Meryl Streep were sitting close to each other)
  • "Where have we seen her?" (Steve inquiring about Amy Adams)
  • "Should have had Martina McBride sing it." (Steve after Pink finished Somewhere Over the Rainbow)
  • "I told you, hon, that I was on a plane with Judy Garland, right?" (Steve.  He then went on to say it had to have been in the 70's some time.  Judy Garland died in 1969)
  • "Who's that?" (Steve after watching clip from HER). "Joaquin Phoenix." (Me answering) "That's not Joaquin Phoenix." (Steve responding)
  • "He's a great actor.  I mean, I remember the first time I saw him was that ocean liner movie." (Steve on Leonardo DiCaprio)
  • "Oooh, Adele!" (Steve standing up and then being immediately disappointed that it was Idina Menzel)