Not Quite Wizard Enough

7 Mar

oz-the-great-and-powerful-horiz-posterShall we get some of the expected clichés and puns out of the way now?

Pay no attention to that movie behind the curtain!

This Oz is not so wonderful.

No brain! No heart! No courage!

It’s wicked bad.

Don’t go off to see this Wizard.

Witch movie should you see this weekend? Not this one.

And of course … There’s no place like home (when you’re deciding whether to go out to see Oz the Great and Powerful).

From those lines you can probably surmise that this Wizard of Oz prequel is neither as great or as powerful as the 1939 classic film that inspired it. Not even close. Continue reading →

Are You Ready to Check in to a Life Less Social?

6 Mar

Foursquare-stickerHow times have changed.

It wasn’t so long ago that I used to check in on Foursquare everywhere I went, to an almost obsessive-compulsive degree.

The supermarket, the gas station, the post office, my home, every store I shopped at in the mall, T stops, my parents’ apartment, my friends’ houses … if it was on Foursquare, I’d check in there right away. And if it wasn’t, then I’d create a place or find somewhere close by to check in to.

I was a stalker’s dream.

But now, I hardly check in at all. Only when there’s a mayorship I need to maintain, or it’s a particularly interesting place (like a movie or a good restaurant or a special event).

Otherwise, checking in to the same places all the time — whether it’s an office, gym, coffee shop, or whatever — isn’t all that exciting anymore. And more important, no one really needs to know (or, if I’m being honest, cares) where I am at all times. Continue reading →

Argo Get Yourself Some Oscars

22 Feb

oscar-statuesTo quote the great Billy Crystal, Sunday night is going to be a wonderful night for Oscar.

Oscar, Oscar … Who will win?

The easier question to answer may be who will lose, because with so many good movies in 2012, a few categories that are actually competitive, Family Guy and Ted creator Seth MacFarlane sure to crush it as host, and the prospect of seeing Jennifer Garner and Reese Witherspoon looking fantastic again, I’d say we’ll all be winners Sunday night.

But all kidding aside, who will win? Allow me to make a few predictions and share some commentary … Continue reading →

Maybe We Should Just Let “Die Hard” Die Already

15 Feb

A_Good_Day_to_Die_Hard_posterThe calendar may say 2013, but at the multiplexes this year, it sure feels like 1988.

In January, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone both headlined their own action flicks.

Now Bruce Willis is reviving his John McClane character for another Die Hard sequel.

What’s next? A revitalization of the three actors’ Planet Hollywood brand? (If so, then pass me the Chicken Crunch!)

But anyway, that’s right: Wisecracking New York cop John McClane is back, for the fifth time. Don’t get too excited. In the earlier films in the series, McClane was the right man in the wrong place at the wrong time, completely outmatched against some real bad guys, but winning anyway thanks to his resourcefulness and charm. Those were great movies. In fact, the first one is a true classic.

As the series has gone on, however, McLane has increasingly been the wrong man in the wrong movie. And in this latest go-round, the cumbersomely titled A Good Day to Die Hard, he’s as unnecessary as he’s ever been.

Continue reading →

I Love These Things, on Valentine’s Day and Always

14 Feb

love-sunset-handsHere’s the thing about Valentine’s Day that so many people forget: It’s not just for people in relationships.

It’s a day to celebrate love, and to do things you love doing.

That’s how I spend the day: Eating at places I love, listening to music I love, giving attention to people I love, and so on.

If you look at the day like I do, it’s hard to get all grumbly when confronted with all the flowers, candy, and general mushiness in the air.

One day, I’ll get swept into all that again. But until then, I’ll be celebrating these things that I love, on Valentine’s Day and always:

Continue reading →

Fool Me Once, LinkedIn … Shame on You

13 Feb

LinkedIn emailLike so many other people, I recently received an email from LinkedIn telling me that my profile was one of the most-viewed ones of 2012.

Specifically, that I was in the top 5% of all profiles.

That’s awesome, especially given that there are now more than 200 million people on the social network.

Woo hoo! I’m so proud.

And I’m definitely cooler than all those people who’ve been bragging that they’re in the top 10%. Ha ha!

The email from LinkedIn gave me a nice ego boost. And clearly, I’m not alone: A ton of people have been bragging on Facebook and Twitter that they were also in the top 5% … or the top 1% or the top 2%. Continue reading →

It’s Roniah Tuiasosopo’s New Favorite Movie!

8 Feb

identity-thief-posterThe new comedy Identity Thief couldn’t be more timely, what with the whole Manti Te’o girlfriend hoax story, the popularity of the MTV show Catfish, increasing concerns about privacy on Facebook, and instances of actual identity theft becoming more common.

Plus, it has Jason Bateman and Melissa McCarthy in the lead roles, and Seth Gordon (who directed the very funny Horrible Bosses) behind the camera, so it’s primed to tap into the zeitgeist in amusing fashion.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t really make good on that promise. Continue reading →

How’s Your Head?

7 Feb

side-effects-movie-posterIn Contagion, Steven Soderbergh made us all compulsive hand-washers, lest we come down with a sickness worse than the flu. After all, if Gwyneth Paltrow wasn’t safe, then what chance do we have?

With Magic Mike, he had men everywhere worried that our wives and girlfriends would leave us for Channing Tatum, Matthew McConaughey, or any other member of the cast.

Now, in Side Effects, he’s making us think that medications intended to help us could instead have adverse, unpredictable effects.

What is Soderbergh’s problem? Is he trying to make us all paranoid?

Well, if he is, it’s working. Continue reading →

22 Important Lessons I’ve Learned about Twitter

22 Jan

twitter_homepage

Twitter is so much more than just a social network.

It’s a news service, a networking party, an instant messaging platform, a marketing channel, a photo album, a customer service tool, a personal journal, and a performance venue, all in one.

That’s just one thing I’ve learned from my three-plus years of being a tweeter.

I’ve also learned that the more you give to Twitter, the more you can gain from it: relationships, job opportunities, laughs, support, discounts and deals, insight, information, and connections. Lots and lots of connections.

If you use Twitter well, and you keep at it, people will find you and want to connect. It’s worked for me, and last week, I made my 2,000th connection — or rather, she connected with me. So for that, let me recognize and say thank you to Heshie Segal, who was follower number 2,000. Hooray!

Why do 2,000 people follow me? I’m just some random guy who tweets a lot. If you have that same question, then maybe you can understand why I consider that many followers to be a bit of an accomplishment.

So on the occasion of having reached this milestone, I thought I’d share with you some of the things I’ve learned from my years of tweeting. Here are 22 easily tweetable lessons … things that may help you reach a similar milestone:

Continue reading →

It’s Her Against the World

11 Jan

zero_dark_thirty_posterThere’s a scene, late in Zero Dark Thirty, in which CIA director Leon Panetta and his team are sitting around a table, looking at a model of what may be Osama bin Laden’s compound.

The analysts are giving their thoughts about just how sure they are that he is there, and whether they should take action, but none of them can say it definitively.

Then, from the corner of the room, one analyst announces that she’s 100% sure that’s it.

Who are you, Panetta asks.

“I’m the motherfucker who found this place,” barks Maya (Jessica Chastain), the redheaded analyst who spent more than 10 years tracking down Public Enemy Number 1, and is the only person in that room full of men who has the conviction and, quite frankly, the balls to stand her ground.

A decade of such obsessive work will do that to you. Continue reading →

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