Not So Super

1 Jul

I suppose the good news is that there’s hope for the rest of us.

That’s because the bad news is Will Smith is not perfect.

His latest movie, Hancock, is one of the bigger disappointments of the season.

The concept’s great: Smith stars as sort of an anti-superhero hero. While the bad guys are shooting ’em up, Hancock is passed out drunk on a bus station bench.

When he does save the day, he causes more damage and destruction. People view him not as a good guy but as an asshole.

(Sorry, Dad. That’s what they call him in the movie.)

So when Hancock inadvertently saves actual good guy and unsuccessful PR agent Ray (Jason Bateman), the hero becomes the unwitting participant in a makeover campaign to improve his public image. Continue reading →

T and Qs

30 Jun

Last week, a blogger named David asked whether leaving your newspaper on the T was littering or sharing. As someone who often grabs a Metro on my way into work, and has admittedly left it on the train as many times as I’ve recycled it, I grapple with this question often. But that’s not the only question I have about the T:

* Which is worse: when someone is yapping away on their cell phone in English or in a foreign language?
* If a B train and a D train leave Kenmore Square at almost the exact same time, and I take the D train to Reservoir then walk up Chestnut Hill Ave. to catch the B train, why does it take so long for that B train to arrive?
* When the trains reach their “home base” back at Boston College or Cleveland Circle, why don’t they get cleaned? I don’t mean washed. Is it really asking so much for a T worker to pick up the trash and throw it away so when passengers get on the train at the beginning of the line, they’re clean? Yes, there could also be an announcement to have passengers take their own trash with them, but we all know that doesn’t work.
* When the train isn’t very crowded, why do people always feel the need to crowd and stand right next to you?

I’m just wondering. What T-related questions do you have?

Hello, Wall-E!

26 Jun

The geniuses at Pixar keep on cranking out animated films, and each time they do, people think they’re kids movies.

Well, with Wall-E, they’ve made a film that might not appeal to kids all that much. And that’s fine with me.

Wall-E is a beautiful film about loneliness, love, caring for the Earth, and other grown-up topics, and it stars a robot — not exactly the kind of thing a kid can cuddle up with at night.

In addition, nearly half the film, if not more, is completely dialogue-free, which will surely make the little ones antsy. Continue reading →

Still My Favorite, Week After Week

23 Jun

Entertainment Weekly is out this week with its 1,000th issue.

It’s a double issue, so it’s really the 999th and 1,000th, but the point is, EW has put out that many issues.

And what I think is pretty cool is that I’ve read every single one of them just about cover to cover.

Until last year, I didn’t read many books, but I certainly did read magazines, and since its first issue in 1990, EW has been my bible. Continue reading →

Fruit Is Un-American!

20 Jun

Cookie consumption in America has gone down and Stephen Colbert knows why: It’s all Cookie Monster’s fault.

http://www.comedycentral.com/sitewide/video_player/view/default/swf.jhtml

A Sea of Green

19 Jun

Walking down Summer St. this morning en route to my office, I couldn’t help but notice how many Celtics fans were out and about. Yesterday I was going to post something here about how the Celtics win just didn’t seem as exciting as the Sox wins did (acknowledging, of course, that I’m a bigger baseball fan than I am a basketball fan) because there didn’t seem to be as much team spirit on display around the city. Further evidence was the fact that the parade route was shorter than those for the Sox and Patriots ones were. But after my walk to work this morning, I had to seriously reconsider. Everyone loves a winner, but this was crazy. I don’t think I’ve ever seen this much green, or that many Celtics fans, in such a short a period of time. There must be a lot of people on the bandwagon today. Any room for me?

In Case You Missed It …

18 Jun

… here’s Reebok’s ad celebrating the Celtics, which made its debut last night sometime around when the Celtics won the championship. The ad is simple, sweet, and effective. I really like it. Enjoy!

How Sweet It Is!

17 Jun

Congrats to the Boston Celtics: 2008 NBA Champions. Trophy number 17. What an impressive win. Go Green!

Best Blond Maria … and other awards

17 Jun

http://www.theonion.com/content/themes/common/assets/videoplayer/flvplayer.swf
High School Tony Awards Honor Nation’s Biggest Drama Club Nerds

What Time Is It?

17 Jun

So here’s what I don’t get: Why a store that advertises being open until 9 p.m. doesn’t stay open until 9 p.m. Ever since Boston College‘s graduation, the stores in the strip near the T stop never operate with consistent hours. Yes, I know a large portion of their business is away for the summer, but if they’re going to have shortened hours, why don’t they just put up different signs, instead of telling customers they’re still open until 9 p.m. and then closing early whenever they feel like it. Take College Sub, for example. A couple weeks ago I got home from work around 8:30 and thought I’d stop in for a quick sammidge instead of cooking dinner. I walked in, saw the guys behind the counter cleaning up, and they yelled out, “We’re closed!” Hello? The same’s true at Flat Breads, which I don’t think has stayed open until 9 p.m. once since early May. I’m fine with these places closing early. I just don’t understand why they won’t put it in writing so I (and other people like me) don’t expect them to be open when they say they will be.

← Older Entries
Newer Entries →