If you didn’t already know, July is National Ice Cream Month. According to the International Dairy Foods Association and the International Ice Cream Association, we can thank Ronald Reagan for the distinction. (Seriously.) And, if you’re marking your calendar, July 19 (the third Sunday of July) is National Ice Cream Day. So go out and get yourself a cone of your favorite flavor. And before you do, check out this classic NSFW Eddie Murphy skit.
I don’t know where you are right now when you’re reading this, but in Boston, it’s hard to believe it’s July 4 already.
Maybe you’ve heard how awful the weather has been. Rain, chilly temperatures, very little sun. It’s enough to make a person flee the city.
Judging by the weather, we should probably only be in April, or early May. Definitely not halfway through the summer.
But let’s forget all that for a day, shall we?
After all, good weather or not, it’s July 4th.
The Fourth of July.
Independence Day. One of my favorite days of the year (after my birthday and Christmas, probably number three). Continue reading
Because I see a lot of movies, people often ask me what they should see. Well, it’s now halfway through 2009, and so far I’ve only seen 19 films. (By comparison, last year at this time I had seen 23.) Of those 19, there are four that I’ve given a grade of A or A– to: Two Lovers, The Girlfriend Experience, Star Trek, and Up. (Last year there were none.) So, next time you’re looking for a good rental or trying to decide what to see in the theater, pick one of those four titles.
The Ledge at the Sears Tower in Chicago officially opens today.
I totally want to go and check it out.
I mean, when you’ve gone skydiving and taken a trapeze lesson, how scary can it be to stand in a 1.5-inch–thick glass box that’s extended out 4.3 feet from the Sears Tower’s 103rd floor, 1,353 feet off the ground?
If I get to do it, I’ll let you know the answer to that question. In the meantime, here’s a clip about the Ledge from yesterday’s Today Show.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22425001/vp/31680930#31680930
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This is going to make my parents sooooo happy.
According to a new study by the National Center for Health Statistics, for most Americans, the probability of being married by age 40 is more than 80 percent.
In fact, for men, the likelihood of a first marriage by age 40 is 81 percent (for women, it’s 86 percent).
And to show that not everyone gets married so early, the study also found that men have only a 50 percent chance of being married for the first time by age 27, and just a 61 percent chance of being married for the first time by age 30.
So, despite the common thought that most everyone I know is already married, the opposite may actually be true.
It’s nice to know I have a lot of company out there, and that like the saying goes, there are still plenty of fish in the sea. Continue reading
To the Town of Newton:
I realize there’s probably no good time to do construction work, but don’t you think 7:30 a.m. is a little too early to start using a buzzsaw and a crane and whatever else is being used right outside my window at this too-early-in-the-morning hour? There’s pavement being lifted, sidewalk being removed, holes being dug … and it’s making a hell of a lot of noise. And it’s not the first time something like this has happened. There’ve recently been a few days where I’ve woken up to the very loud whirring of the machines, and there was even a night not too long ago where it was going on past midnight. This work has been going on since March. When will it end???
When I moved to this condo, I realized I was moving near a college and a T stop and that it wouldn’t be sooooo quiet. But this is just ridiculous. I’d love it if you could be a little more considerate and respectful of the people who live right here where you’re doing this work and schedule it at less intrusive hours.
Thanks.
Sincerely,
Martin
During the Great Depression, John Dillinger gained national attention for his thrilling bank robberies. Hailed as a modern-day Robin Hood, Dillinger was slick, suave, and cool, and the media, while covering his violent crimes, also augmented his legend. Dillinger took money from the banks, but respected the common people, who were hurting financially. And despite the public’s love for his exploits, Dillinger hid from the feds right in plain sight. Michael Mann’s Public Enemies details the attempts by FBI agent Melvin Purvis (Christian Bale) to capture Dillinger (Johnny Depp), and romanticizes the high-style life that Dillinger lived and the excitement of his robberies — with Dillinger often leaping over the counter and getting away from police by narrow margins. The movie is elegantly filmed at times, thrillingly told at others, and quite muscular in sound, what with all the heavy gunfire. It even has a heavy dose of authenticity, since much of it was filmed in the same locales the real-life Dillinger had visited.
If only the movie had more dramatic tension. Unlike some of Mann’s other films (like Heat and The Insider), the mano-a-mano just isn’t as compelling here. Depp, with his charisma, his confidence, and his charm pretty much runs away with the movie, and Bale never quite measures up as a worthy opponent. Even Oscar winner Marion Cotillard feels wasted in the thankless girlfriend role. In addition, there’s not enough character development, so as a result, we get to watch some cool robbery scenes, some good chases, and some fun prison breaks, but there’s not much more to the film, no real arc that makes us invest more in Dillinger and feel a sense of loss when he does eventually meet his end. I’m only going to give Public Enemies a B, because Depp’s always great fun to watch, but it’s a crime that this film doesn’t really make good on its promise.
The truth of the matter is, Michael Jackson hadn’t released a truly great album since Bad.
But then again, after you’ve put out a masterpiece like Thriller, where else is there to go but down?
Still, it’s hard to deny that MJ put out some damned good songs when he was in his prime. I mean, “Rock with You,” “PYT,” “Wanna Be Startin’ Something,” “Billie Jean,” “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough,” “Man in the Mirror,” “Human Nature,” “Smooth Criminal,” etc.
One hit after another.
And that’s not even touching the Jackson 5 classics. The guy was just great and all those songs stand the test of time. Continue reading
No doubt the title of the new film (500) Days of Summer (which hits theaters in mid-July) has to sound like a bit of a fantasy for all of us here in Boston, where it’s been a pretty bad summer so far weather-wise, what with the rain and cooler temperatures that have lasted into late June.
The tough news to share is that this movie does not offer sunshine and warmth; it’s actually a bit of a cold shoulder.
But the good news is that should the weather stay miserable, (500) Days offers a decent alternative to walking around town with an umbrella. Continue reading
It’s official: I’m in love.
Oh, don’t act so surprised. You had to see this coming. After all, a person doesn’t wait three hours for something he’s going to dislike.
Yes, that’s right, I love my new iPhone. I love how nice it looks. I love how fun it is. I love how convenient it is to check email on the go. I love the seemingly unlimited battery life (at least compared to my old lame-ass Motorola phone). I love being able to take spur-of-the-moment videos. I really love listening to and watching baseball games live, thanks to the MLB At Bat app. I love having more memory capacity than I know what to do with. I love checking Facebook whenever and wherever I am, and updating my status accordingly. I love most everything about the iPhone 3GS, and I’m baffled as to how I was able to live without an iPhone for so long. Continue reading
Martin's Musings 