Well, it took a bit of back and forth, and of course it’s still subject to inspection and all that good stuff, but a deal has been struck.
So, I’m buying a condo. Woo hoo! I’ll never have to mow de lawn … I’m gonna get me the t-shirt, wit’ the alligator on!
Jeez, this buying real estate thing sure is fun.
(no, there’s nothing to see. just listen to the song.)
First, the good news about Vantage Point: despite what you may think, the trailer doesn’t give away the entire plot.
So that’s a nice surprise.
And also, there is about 20 minutes of a good movie here.
The problem is that the film’s main gimmick of watching a presidential assassination from multiple points of view grows really tiresome really fast. Just when the film starts to pick up momentum and you want to see what will happen next, you’re rewinded back to the same starting point only to watch the same scene unfold again.
And again.
And it’s not like every replaying adds a new layer to the story. Rather, you just meet someone else who was there.
This isn’t Rashomon.
When, at about an hour into the movie, the story begins again and then keeps on going, that’s when the action really kicks into gear and it gets pretty exciting, especially during a fast-paced car chase through the streets of Salamanca, Spain.
But there’s some lame dialogue, and the impressive cast of actors (including Forest Whitaker, William Hurt, Dennis Quaid, Matthew Fox, and Sigourney Weaver) is pretty much left high and dry. Weaver in particular gets introduced first and then basically disappears.
Wish I could recommend this movie; I actually liked the trailer and had high hopes. Alas, it’s another waste of 90 minutes.
I give Vantage Pointa C-.
Just a quick TV PSA: A filmed version of the recent Broadway revival of Stephen Sondheim’s Company, which I saw and loved, will be making its television debut Wednesday night on your local PBS station.
Check the local listings for the station and time in your city.
Here’s a link to an excerpt from the opening number.
If you can’t watch the show Wednesday, don’t worry: it’s going to be repeated a few times over the next couple weeks.
Or just set your DVR. I promise you won’t be disappointed.
I’ve heard from more than a few friends who’ve been through it that buying real estate makes you feel more like a grown-up than anything else.
And then there was that day last summer when I was having back pain and felt old.
And we all know how much I’ve hated the college kids these past few months.
So maybe I’m sending out the wrong message on this blog about my true age, because when I got home tonight, what did I have in my mailbox? A membership application to join AARP.
No kidding. Continue reading
After the rain stopped, Monday was a really nice day.
Teflon-coated pots are excellent. One of the best inventions ever.
I wish I had given Gossip Girl more of a chance and hadn’t given up on it after the first episode.
We’re negotiating, and I should have a decision on the apartment on Tuesday. I’m now feeling more 65-35 as far as excitement and nervousness go.
Ben & Jerry’s Crème Brûlée ice cream is so so so good.
I’m rooting for a There Will Be Blood Best Picture upset on Sunday.
There’s something about seeing baseball players practicing down in Florida, smiling, happy, with the sun shining, that makes everything all right.
Are you on Facebook? Why not? Sign on and let’s be friends.
Days off would be more enjoyable if there was something good on TV in the morning. At least on Saturdays there’s three hours of repeats of 90210 and two of The O.C.
Which is the more annoying instrument to listen to: violin or the flute?
I don’t think there’s any movie in theaters right now that I haven’t seen that I want to see.
My early American Idol favorites are Amanda Overmyer, a.k.a.: the rocker nurse, and Michael Johns. Kristy Lee Cook is cute, but she won’t get past the top 8. And David Archuleta is overrated. And anyone who sings “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going” will never win, much less make it to the top 12.
Sometimes when scrolling through the names and numbers in my cell phone I’ll come across Bubby and I’ll be tempted to call. I wish I could.
Next week, March 1 to be exact, marks the 11th anniversary of the day I moved to Boston. Still the best decision I’ve ever made.
I own way way way too many books, CDs, and DVDs.
Can’t believe I still haven’t finished The Year of Living Biblically.
Kupels went and raised their prices, and in so doing went from being a great deal to a total rip-off.
When I move, I think I’m going to hire a cleaning person to come regularly.
Some movies I can watch over and over and never get tired of them. The Shawshank Redemption is one of them.
Long weekends are great … until you have to go back to work the next morning.
Well, folks, it’s with mixed emotion that I tell you I’ve made an offer on a condo.
If you know how indecisive I can be, you know this is a very big deal.
Hell, it takes me a while just to buy a pair of pants! Continue reading
Longtime readers of this blog know I generally like Valentine’s Day. My theory is that if you’re not in a relationship, you should spend the day doing things you love. For example, going to a favorite lunch place, or doing a favorite activity, or listening to a favorite CD, or watching a favorite TV show, etc. etc. After all, if you can’t be with the one you love, love the one you’re with.
But for fun, this year I thought I’d post a classic ’90s music video that might sum up what some other people feel about this day (and for the record, doesn’t reflect my current state of mind). So for all those people, I say enjoy. For everyone else, here’s wishing you a very Happy Valentine’s Day!
If you learned one day that you could teleport anywhere in the world on a moment’s notice, where would you go? Paris? Rome? The South Pole? And would you use this power for good or for evil? Whatever your choice, I hope you don’t choose to go to a movie theater to see Jumper, a movie about a guy (played by Darth Vader himself, Hayden Christensen) who can teleport anywhere he wishes. When he’s 15, David Rice (that’s Christensen’s character), learns he has the skill and he decides to run away from his unhappy life in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and head to New York, where he robs banks and travels the world, and becomes a spoiled, selfish brat. But Rice has never gotten over his childhood crush, Millie, so eight years later he returns home to find her. Lucky for David, Millie has grown up to look a lot like Summer Roberts (yes, Millie is played by the lovely Ms. Rachel Bilson). And they live happily ever after.
Yeah, if only. You see, hot on Rice (and all Jumpers)’s trail is Samuel L. Jackson, leader of the Paladin organization, whose goal is to kill Jumpers — deemed too powerful to exist. Thankfully, Rice meets Griffin (Jamie Bell), another Jumper, who is trying to take down the Paladins. And somewhere in this plot is David’s mother (Diane Lane), who abandoned David when he was just five years old, but who has some unexplained connection to the action.
I guess it all sounded cool. And after all, the movie was directed by Doug Liman, whose credits include Go, The Bourne Identity, Swingers, and Mr. & Mrs. Smith — all good, fun, exciting movies. Surprisingly, there’s none of the zip found in those films here. But I don’t necessarily blame Liman. Instead, I blame Christensen, who is without a doubt one of the worst actors working today — if he can even be called an actor. His stiff performance and almost monotone delivery of the lines conveys almost no excitement at all. He only emphasizes how lame some of the dialogue is. But worse is the fact that he has, like, zero chemistry with Bilson. Come on, man, she’s smokin’! Christensen must not read GQ. (Of course, he gets the last laugh because the two are dating in real life. What a bastard.) Anyway, Jumper features some relatively cool effects and Bell is certainly the most engaging member of the cast (one wonders if he should have played David), but overall this is a pretty stupid flick.
Now, after all that, you may be wondering where I would go if I could teleport. The answer is easy: Portland, Oregon, so I could see Erin and explain to her that even if a movie is free, and even if it’s only 88 minutes long, and even if the cast includes Rachel Bilson and Diane Lane, going home to watch American Idol is always the better option. I’m giving Jumper a C-.
Kevin Youkilis has always been a good role model.
But now, with his totally-worth-it new contract — he got a one-year deal for $3 million, up from $424,500 — I just have one question: How do I get myself a raise like that??
I’m clearly in the wrong line of work.
Congrats to Amy Winehouse for winning five very well deserved Grammy Awards and basically making the 3.5-hour show worth watching (or at least 10 minutes of it). If you missed the show, I’ve posted her performance of “You Know I’m No Good” and “Rehab.” Enjoy.
Martin's Musings 