Sadly, I am done with the Firefly series. I have watched the movie now, and while it was an incredible movie, I still feel rather unsatisfied. However, I think that is a feeling experienced by everyone who's seen Firefly and its accompanying movie, Serenity. I wish there was a way for someone to pick up where the movie left off and continue the series, but it seems unlikely, especially since so much time has passed since the first season. Alas, all of us Browncoats will be frustrated for quite some time. At least I can watch the series and movie any time I please!
15. Serenity - I'm impressed with how the film can stand alone as its own production for those who haven't seen the series, yet it also was a wonderful complement to the show. I'm thankful that the movie provides some character history, particularly Simon's and River's, and that they explain why the Alliance is so hell-bent on finding River. However, there were some character inconsistencies. For instance, Mal was a lot more aggressive than he normally was in the series, and I was a bit surprised to see him and Simon fighting so often and intensely. Still, the characters did a good job at maintaining their personalities from the show, especially Wash and Jayne. The action scenes were impressive and exciting, and I loved watching River go "Kill Bill" in her two fight scenes. I was definitely taken aback with some of the more tragic scenes; one in particular seemed to come from nowhere. Assuming that this film is the final installment of the Firefly series, Serenity was a superb finale to an incredible story.
Rating: 4.5/5
Movies: 15/100 viewed
Lists aside, the Wisconsin unions were put to death yesterday. It's a sad time for the middle class in America. I'm just waiting to see how long it takes before the middle class is completely gone. They're already starting to do the same in Michigan : http://michiganmessenger.com/47158/emergency-financial-manager-bill-on-the-verge-of-passage. The last thing I'm going to say about the whole situation is that people need to prepare themselves for much harder times.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Sunday, March 6, 2011
"Burn the land and boil the sea / You can't take the sky from me"
Unfortunately I don't have a cooking update for this entry. Matthew and I have been dog-sitting at my dad's house for the last several days, and we've also had work for the entire weekend. However, I do have a great update for movie-watching! Technically, it's a television series, but it was completely new to me and it actually has a thought-out plotline, so I'm going to count it in my movie list. The series that I am fortunate enough to have come across is Firefly, created by Joss Whedon. Matthew received it as a gift a while ago but we just kept putting off watching it. Now that I've seen it, I can't decide whether I'm more glad about having seen it, or pissed off that it was cancelled after one season.
Firefly is an intelligent, entertaining, and captivating show. Every single character is well-developed, unique, and likable in some way. While there are still some unanswered questions about the characters, such as the extent of River's abilities, I know that if given more seasons the show would have artfully explained everything. Speaking of, River is definitely a favorite. This girl is mysterious without being disconnected from the audience. For instance, in the episode "War Stories," Kaylee is outnumbered by Niska's men and would've been killed if River hadn't picked up her gun and shot them all dead from a distance with her eyes closed. Impressive and scary as that is, River just smiles at Kaylee and walks away. Fox could have filled several seasons diving into the expanses of her mind and slowly revealing what the Alliance did with her mind, but instead they leave her story unfinished.
In addition, I like the universe that Whedon imagined. There's futuristic technology, like laser guns and warp drive, but the reality of human selfishness and corporate greed has also left other planets with only the most basic technologies. Hell, on some border planets they're still using horses and carriages! I also enjoy the incorporation of Earth politics into a show that takes place 500 years in the future. It makes sense that America and China were the greatest superpowers when Earth died, so the cultures melted together as people colonized other planets. I find it amusing that most of their slang and swearing is done in Chinese, but I wish they could have at least subtitled those moments instead of just putting "[Speaking Chinese]" at the bottom of the screen. The planets have western and oriental influences in their art, architecture, and customs, which provides for more variety in setting. Similarly, the show's depiction of space is phenomenal. Every single time the camera looks on the ship from space, there is no sound, just background music. This makes the most sense, seeing as there is no sound in space. Attention to details like this is part of what makes Firefly such a great show!
What I cannot understand is why Fox treated this show like crap. In addition to not airing the episodes in order, they also spaced episodes weeks apart, thus making it difficult to have an initial following. Still, I don't know if a second season would have gathered a following large enough to keep it alive. Firefly is one of those shows that is too smart for a large portion of society. We have shows like Keeping Up with the Kardashians and The Secret Life of the American Teenager going into yet another season, so that doesn't speak well for the typical tastes of viewers. I'm hoping to see the movie soon, and maybe one day someone with enough money will give all of us "Browncoats" another fix of this amazing show. Anyone who watches the season in order on dvd will admit that Firefly is addictive!
Rating: 5/5
Since each episode is approximately 45 minutes, the 14-episode series comes to about 10.5 hours of viewing time. I'll be generous and say that the average movie is about two hours (even though comedies and romantic movies are often shorter). That would give me five movies worth of time, and it's plot is strong enough to count for five movies! If anything, it's not unlike how the individual movies of a series could be watched as one congruent plot. So, I am now that much closer to my goal! My greatest hope though is that this entry entices more people into discovering and enjoying the world of Firefly. Later!
Movies: 14/100 viewed
Firefly is an intelligent, entertaining, and captivating show. Every single character is well-developed, unique, and likable in some way. While there are still some unanswered questions about the characters, such as the extent of River's abilities, I know that if given more seasons the show would have artfully explained everything. Speaking of, River is definitely a favorite. This girl is mysterious without being disconnected from the audience. For instance, in the episode "War Stories," Kaylee is outnumbered by Niska's men and would've been killed if River hadn't picked up her gun and shot them all dead from a distance with her eyes closed. Impressive and scary as that is, River just smiles at Kaylee and walks away. Fox could have filled several seasons diving into the expanses of her mind and slowly revealing what the Alliance did with her mind, but instead they leave her story unfinished.
In addition, I like the universe that Whedon imagined. There's futuristic technology, like laser guns and warp drive, but the reality of human selfishness and corporate greed has also left other planets with only the most basic technologies. Hell, on some border planets they're still using horses and carriages! I also enjoy the incorporation of Earth politics into a show that takes place 500 years in the future. It makes sense that America and China were the greatest superpowers when Earth died, so the cultures melted together as people colonized other planets. I find it amusing that most of their slang and swearing is done in Chinese, but I wish they could have at least subtitled those moments instead of just putting "[Speaking Chinese]" at the bottom of the screen. The planets have western and oriental influences in their art, architecture, and customs, which provides for more variety in setting. Similarly, the show's depiction of space is phenomenal. Every single time the camera looks on the ship from space, there is no sound, just background music. This makes the most sense, seeing as there is no sound in space. Attention to details like this is part of what makes Firefly such a great show!
What I cannot understand is why Fox treated this show like crap. In addition to not airing the episodes in order, they also spaced episodes weeks apart, thus making it difficult to have an initial following. Still, I don't know if a second season would have gathered a following large enough to keep it alive. Firefly is one of those shows that is too smart for a large portion of society. We have shows like Keeping Up with the Kardashians and The Secret Life of the American Teenager going into yet another season, so that doesn't speak well for the typical tastes of viewers. I'm hoping to see the movie soon, and maybe one day someone with enough money will give all of us "Browncoats" another fix of this amazing show. Anyone who watches the season in order on dvd will admit that Firefly is addictive!
Rating: 5/5
Since each episode is approximately 45 minutes, the 14-episode series comes to about 10.5 hours of viewing time. I'll be generous and say that the average movie is about two hours (even though comedies and romantic movies are often shorter). That would give me five movies worth of time, and it's plot is strong enough to count for five movies! If anything, it's not unlike how the individual movies of a series could be watched as one congruent plot. So, I am now that much closer to my goal! My greatest hope though is that this entry entices more people into discovering and enjoying the world of Firefly. Later!
Movies: 14/100 viewed
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
"The point is this: the greed that led you into the teaching profession has led to the corruption of it!"
Update time! First, in movies, Matthew and I watched Kick-Ass this weekend, which despite its flaws was an overall entertaining movie:
9. Kick-Ass - It was very interesting, to say the least. I enjoyed the combination of Kick-Ass' innocence and naivety with the serious and deadly demeanor provided by Big Daddy and Hit Girl. While their motivations are completely different, they make a likable trio. The action scenes were very intense and choreographed, and enjoyed the use of different weapons rather than just the constant gunfire seen in other films. Blood and gore don't bother me in the least, but there's quite a lot of it in the movie, so I wouldn't recommend it for people who enjoy cleaner action. I also appreciated some of the funny moments, like the progression of Dave's relationship with Katie. However, even with the impressive action scenes and the occasional moments of laughter, the two contrasting tones did not mesh well throughout the movie. Some of the humor in Big Daddy and Hit Girl's storyline was too disturbing or strange to make me laugh, and it felt like there were two separate story lines that melded mostly during violence. Not to say I'm opposed to violence in movies, but it felt like this movie was having a hard time deciding if it wanted to be a comedy or a gory action film, which is why it's not a great movie.
Rating: 3/5
Movies: 9/100 viewed
For cooking, I made two new dishes this weekend. The first were southwest-style turkey burgers that featured ground turkey meat mixed with egg, crushed tortilla chips, chopped green pepper, chopped onion (my own personal addition!), salt, pepper, and chili powder. After broiling, I added some sliced pepper jack cheese, salsa, and lettuce. That made a delicious lunch! The taste was perfect; the flavors complemented each other and turned an otherwise ordinary burger into a fun and spicy dish! I would love to taste these in the summer after grilling on a nice charcoal grill.
Peanut butter fudge was my second dish this weekend. My sister just had her birthday and so for her gift I asked her what her favorite dessert flavors were, which led me to making the fudge. I had no idea that fudge stiffened so quickly! Not to mention the constant stirring I had to do while heating the peanut butter, evaporated milk, and sugar - this dessert is best mixed by someone with upper body strength! However, in spite of my arms feeling like they were going to fall off, the fudge turned out to be very good! The added peanuts help out when trying to chew the intensely rich fudge, and I'm glad that it can keep in the fridge for a month because it'll take about that long to get through it all!
Cooking: 17/75 completed
I'm still rooting for the Wisconsin workers, and my friend Rachel posted this hilarious link to one of John Stewart's video clips. The sad part is that people actually do believe that teachers are lazy, stupid, and overpaid, which is funny considering that most parents don't even bother to teach their kids to read before sticking them in kindergarten at age five. Parents need to get their kids interested in learning and at least starting to learn well before they're put into a classroom. Hell, I was starting to read before I entered kindergarten and I was four when I started school! I'm not going to lie and say that every teacher is a saint, but the majority are underpaid and under-appreciated, and without further ado I give the link to Stewart's lecture to teachers:
Friday, February 25, 2011
"Kill the bill!"
I'm making progress on my lists! First, my friend Jenn let me borrow her copy of Easy A, which I watched with Matthew a few days ago. So, I'll start with my newest movie review:
8. Easy A - Matthew and I shared the same sentiment about this movie, which is that the film was fine but not great. It started off a bit slow, but the movie became funnier about halfway through. There were quite a few good one-liners, but in other moments the dialogue was a bit forced. What I don't understand is why all these high school movies feature a hot female character who is apparently ignored by everyone. Emma Stone is really pretty, and most high school guys would be itching to ask her out. That aside, the movie was overall entertaining and I'm glad I watched it.
Rating: 2.5/5
Movies: 8/100 viewed
Yesterday I made a new dessert as a birthday treat! I decided to try these cream cheese brownies from my New Better Homes and Gardens Cook Book. While I was mixing the batter, it told me mix until the batter was thick and lemon-colored, but it never really matched the picture in the book. I ended up mixing it a few minutes longer, and still no change to the batter. I don't know, maybe it wasn't supposed to match the picture exactly, but the brownies tasted great anyway! The texture was very soft and creamy, and I liked how the marbled top looked after baking. Everyone else enjoyed them too, so I doubt they'll be around much longer!
Cooking: 15/75 completed
Since I don't have any evidence that anyone reads this blog, I feel safe in documenting some of my feelings concerning the issue in Wisconsin. Now, I understand that as groups gain power and money they face a greater risk of corruption, and unions are not exempt from that. I'm aware that there have been times in which union leaders were not what one would call "moral," but to demonize all unions like this is absolutely ridiculous. People are calling to an end to all unions, but I don't think that these people are looking at the long-term consequences of the demise of unions, which would be an entirely corporate-run country. Granted, we're almost entirely at that point, but it will become much worse if the unions are defeated.
By taking away worker's rights, it essentially gives a free pass to businesses to do whatever they want. None of us were alive when businesses had no restrictions, but this country will go right back to those days if we don't do more to keep them in check. The truth is, without unions there wouldn't be a minimum wage, weekends, child labor laws, mandatory safe working conditions, etc. People need to stop believing in the perfection of corporations. Without opposition, corporations will do whatever they want to whomever they want, and that includes their employees. Before unions, businesses could send their workers into dangerous situations and not face any punishment when they killed or injured their workers. Do you really think we're that far away from going back to how American workers were treated back in the early 1900s? Laws mean nothing when corporations have more power and money than the government, which is our current situation (does anyone remember that Exxon got away with paying only a fraction of what they should have due to all the appeals they could afford?).
In addition, breaking up the unions would destroy the only major monetary contributors to the Democratic Party. Once this occurs, Republicans would be able to buy victories in every single election. This would turn the United States into a one-party country, and once the Republicans have complete control of the country do we really think that they'll continue to pretend that they care about the people of the United States? Republicans are bought out by the corporations, which is why they've been able to play with the Supreme Court so easily in the last several decades. It is the Republican Party's dream to continue to push the United States in a direction in which the top 10% own everything in the country while the rest of us barely scrape by.
I guess if people like the idea of returning to the feudal society, then we should definitely try to break the unions! It's not fair that corporations should have to continue to comply with laws regarding worker's safety, taxes, environmental protection, and wages. We should just give corporations a free-for-all, since they've always been so compassionate to the common worker in the past!
For a little more information, this website explains things pretty well:
http://www.alternet.org/newsandviews/article/479560/9_things_you_need_to_know_about_the_uprising_in_wisconsin/#paragraph3
And here is the beginning of our country's future under the care of corporations:
http://www.alternet.org/teaparty/149861/top_4_victories_handed_to_corporate_america_by_the_supreme_court_--_so_far/?page=1
8. Easy A - Matthew and I shared the same sentiment about this movie, which is that the film was fine but not great. It started off a bit slow, but the movie became funnier about halfway through. There were quite a few good one-liners, but in other moments the dialogue was a bit forced. What I don't understand is why all these high school movies feature a hot female character who is apparently ignored by everyone. Emma Stone is really pretty, and most high school guys would be itching to ask her out. That aside, the movie was overall entertaining and I'm glad I watched it.
Rating: 2.5/5
Movies: 8/100 viewed
Yesterday I made a new dessert as a birthday treat! I decided to try these cream cheese brownies from my New Better Homes and Gardens Cook Book. While I was mixing the batter, it told me mix until the batter was thick and lemon-colored, but it never really matched the picture in the book. I ended up mixing it a few minutes longer, and still no change to the batter. I don't know, maybe it wasn't supposed to match the picture exactly, but the brownies tasted great anyway! The texture was very soft and creamy, and I liked how the marbled top looked after baking. Everyone else enjoyed them too, so I doubt they'll be around much longer!
Cooking: 15/75 completed
Since I don't have any evidence that anyone reads this blog, I feel safe in documenting some of my feelings concerning the issue in Wisconsin. Now, I understand that as groups gain power and money they face a greater risk of corruption, and unions are not exempt from that. I'm aware that there have been times in which union leaders were not what one would call "moral," but to demonize all unions like this is absolutely ridiculous. People are calling to an end to all unions, but I don't think that these people are looking at the long-term consequences of the demise of unions, which would be an entirely corporate-run country. Granted, we're almost entirely at that point, but it will become much worse if the unions are defeated.
By taking away worker's rights, it essentially gives a free pass to businesses to do whatever they want. None of us were alive when businesses had no restrictions, but this country will go right back to those days if we don't do more to keep them in check. The truth is, without unions there wouldn't be a minimum wage, weekends, child labor laws, mandatory safe working conditions, etc. People need to stop believing in the perfection of corporations. Without opposition, corporations will do whatever they want to whomever they want, and that includes their employees. Before unions, businesses could send their workers into dangerous situations and not face any punishment when they killed or injured their workers. Do you really think we're that far away from going back to how American workers were treated back in the early 1900s? Laws mean nothing when corporations have more power and money than the government, which is our current situation (does anyone remember that Exxon got away with paying only a fraction of what they should have due to all the appeals they could afford?).
In addition, breaking up the unions would destroy the only major monetary contributors to the Democratic Party. Once this occurs, Republicans would be able to buy victories in every single election. This would turn the United States into a one-party country, and once the Republicans have complete control of the country do we really think that they'll continue to pretend that they care about the people of the United States? Republicans are bought out by the corporations, which is why they've been able to play with the Supreme Court so easily in the last several decades. It is the Republican Party's dream to continue to push the United States in a direction in which the top 10% own everything in the country while the rest of us barely scrape by.
I guess if people like the idea of returning to the feudal society, then we should definitely try to break the unions! It's not fair that corporations should have to continue to comply with laws regarding worker's safety, taxes, environmental protection, and wages. We should just give corporations a free-for-all, since they've always been so compassionate to the common worker in the past!
For a little more information, this website explains things pretty well:
http://www.alternet.org/newsandviews/article/479560/9_things_you_need_to_know_about_the_uprising_in_wisconsin/#paragraph3
And here is the beginning of our country's future under the care of corporations:
http://www.alternet.org/teaparty/149861/top_4_victories_handed_to_corporate_america_by_the_supreme_court_--_so_far/?page=1
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
"Choose again."
Valentine's Day gave me a great opportunity to complete two more recipes: sugar cookies with red-colored sugar on top and this spicy chicken and rice dish. The dinner was fantastic! It called for three boneless skinless chicken breasts on top of a combination of brown rice, black beans, onions, green pepper, corn, diced tomatoes, tomato juice, red pepper, chili powder, and paprika. All of those vegetables and spices made the dish so flavorful; Matthew and I were so happy with how the dinner turned out! The cookies were good as well, but I might have stirred the dough a little too much because they were a little more dry and crunchy than I would have preferred. Still, the sugar cookies tasted great and Matthew liked the red sprinkled on top. Yay for having two new recipes under my belt!
Cooking: 14/75 completed
Matthew and I also watched Inception during our Valentine's dinner. Being a fan of science fiction, I really enjoyed the movie. Leonardo DiCaprio and Ellen Page were particularly impressive with their performances, though there wasn't anyone that I would call out as having done a poor job either. The film was largely action-filled, but the scenes with DiCaprio and his character's haunting wife provided balance. While some may complain that the plot was too detailed and easily confusing, I found that as long as one pays close attention, the movie is never lacking in clarity and is very exciting. It reminds me of the original Matrix movie without any messiah-oriented undertones. I'm glad that Inception has been nominated for eight Oscars and I'm hoping that it wins a few.
Rating: 5/5
Movies: 7/100 viewed
Now, time to move on to the most important topic of discussion - the discussion of The Rise of Endymion.
Warning: Spoilers below!
This novel has, without a doubt, one of the most powerful and emotional endings of anything that I've ever read, and I've read quite a lot. While I did have a slight prediction of how the story would end, that inkling did not detract from the novel's conclusion. Although incredibly sad, The Rise of Endymion still managed to have as happy and hopeful of an ending as possible, filled with characters that I've become so fond of: the Consul's ship, Kassad, Rachel, Theo, Father de Soya, Martin Silenus (and as vulgar and hilarious as ever), Bettik, Raul, and Aenea. Simmon's depiction of Aenea as a messiah was done quite tastefully; she was brave, intelligent, and beautiful, but also emotional and vulnerable to the cruelties of man. Her communion, while very similar to the communion the Jesus Christ shared with his followers, differed greatly because those who drank of Aenea's blood received the same gifts that she possessed, thus making them closer to equals than the Apostles were to Christ. Speaking of Christianity, Aenea's demise was horrible to read, but after finding out that her torture and death was a crippling blow to the Church, I was happy that Aenea was able to destroy the corrupt relationship between humanity, the Church, and the Core. Although the scenes of her teaching to the crowds was a bit repetitive and by-the-book, Raul's eventual comprehension of the Void Which Binds made Aenea's teachings much more dynamic. Some people have critiqued the novel in their online reviews for wandering away from the technical aspects of science fiction, and while the novel was mostly focused on human nature, philosophy, and relationships, it still had plenty of moments of "science," such as their entire time within the Biosphere. By focusing more on the characters, The Rise of Endymion grew into a magnetic and unforgettable novel, and is a great conclusion to the Hyperion Cantos. I'm sad that the series is over, but am very glad that I chose these novels as my first for this year. My only worry now is that the other novels that I read will be slightly shadowed by this fantastic series!
Rating for The Rise of Endymion: 9.5/10
Books Read: 4/75
Cooking: 14/75 completed
Matthew and I also watched Inception during our Valentine's dinner. Being a fan of science fiction, I really enjoyed the movie. Leonardo DiCaprio and Ellen Page were particularly impressive with their performances, though there wasn't anyone that I would call out as having done a poor job either. The film was largely action-filled, but the scenes with DiCaprio and his character's haunting wife provided balance. While some may complain that the plot was too detailed and easily confusing, I found that as long as one pays close attention, the movie is never lacking in clarity and is very exciting. It reminds me of the original Matrix movie without any messiah-oriented undertones. I'm glad that Inception has been nominated for eight Oscars and I'm hoping that it wins a few.
Rating: 5/5
Movies: 7/100 viewed
Now, time to move on to the most important topic of discussion - the discussion of The Rise of Endymion.
Warning: Spoilers below!
This novel has, without a doubt, one of the most powerful and emotional endings of anything that I've ever read, and I've read quite a lot. While I did have a slight prediction of how the story would end, that inkling did not detract from the novel's conclusion. Although incredibly sad, The Rise of Endymion still managed to have as happy and hopeful of an ending as possible, filled with characters that I've become so fond of: the Consul's ship, Kassad, Rachel, Theo, Father de Soya, Martin Silenus (and as vulgar and hilarious as ever), Bettik, Raul, and Aenea. Simmon's depiction of Aenea as a messiah was done quite tastefully; she was brave, intelligent, and beautiful, but also emotional and vulnerable to the cruelties of man. Her communion, while very similar to the communion the Jesus Christ shared with his followers, differed greatly because those who drank of Aenea's blood received the same gifts that she possessed, thus making them closer to equals than the Apostles were to Christ. Speaking of Christianity, Aenea's demise was horrible to read, but after finding out that her torture and death was a crippling blow to the Church, I was happy that Aenea was able to destroy the corrupt relationship between humanity, the Church, and the Core. Although the scenes of her teaching to the crowds was a bit repetitive and by-the-book, Raul's eventual comprehension of the Void Which Binds made Aenea's teachings much more dynamic. Some people have critiqued the novel in their online reviews for wandering away from the technical aspects of science fiction, and while the novel was mostly focused on human nature, philosophy, and relationships, it still had plenty of moments of "science," such as their entire time within the Biosphere. By focusing more on the characters, The Rise of Endymion grew into a magnetic and unforgettable novel, and is a great conclusion to the Hyperion Cantos. I'm sad that the series is over, but am very glad that I chose these novels as my first for this year. My only worry now is that the other novels that I read will be slightly shadowed by this fantastic series!
Rating for The Rise of Endymion: 9.5/10
Books Read: 4/75
Thursday, February 10, 2011
"So if you've got a torch to carry hold it high . . . Let it light up the sky"
Another recipe finished! Last night I made Brownie Pudding from the New Better Homes and Gardens Cook Book, and man was that good! I haven't had something that rich and chocolaty in a while, but I guess that's what happens when one uses a fourth of a cup of unsweetened cocoa powder. Making it was really interesting; I had no idea how it would bake with a layer of nearly boiling water on top of the actual batter, but somehow the pudding-like sauce ended up underneath the cake. Talk about tricky food chemistry! Brownie Pudding is definitely a dessert that should be accompanied by a tall glass of milk. Needless to say, I'm very pleased with how this recipe turned out!
Cooking: 12/75 completed
If I had any spending money, I am certain that I would spend it on Cartel's new album, Cycles. I've only been able to listen to the four songs they have available for listening on their website, but I really like all of them. I'm sure I can listen to the other songs if I looked on YouTube, so I'll probably do that later today. What's great about their songs is that they're all distinguishable from each other. So many bands have songs that all sound exactly the same, and Cartel avoids that. I also enjoy their mix of subject matter for their lyrics - some songs are softer and more melodic, others are fast-paced with socially-oriented lyrics, and others are more for fun. They didn't have any touring information, which is a shame because I think they'd be great to see live! The title of this post is taken from their song "Let's Go." I hope that others get into them!
I think I might actually add another goal to my list: watch 100 new movies this year. By new I don't mean that they have to be recently produced, I'm referring to movies that I have never seen or haven't seen in so many years that I've basically forgotten the entire thing. Since Matthew and I have Netflix I figure that it shouldn't be too hard to watch 100 movies in a year. I'll try to at least give them all ratings and small reviews in a timely fashion, but I've already seen quite a few movies this year, so let me try to remember them all:
1. The Departed - Talk about a great mix of good actors! The acting by Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, Martin Sheen, and Mark Wahlberg was superb, but I have to give a few more props to DiCaprio for giving us a truly tortured character without ever going over the top. The plot was incredibly intricate, but not too difficult to follow as long as you pay close attention to everything. The movie was a bit long, but I didn't notice how much time had passed until the movie ended, and that's usually the sign of a great movie!
Rating: 5/5
2. Under Siege - Matthew owns this collection of Steven Seagal movies as a joke, and we decided to watch a couple of them for laughs. What I love is that an entire Navy ship is overthrown by a few terrorists, even though the terrorists are vastly outnumbered. Why wouldn't the tons of Navy personnel just rush the terrorists? Granted, a couple of guys might've died, but the terrorists wouldn't have been able to kill all of them. Ah well, at least Tommy Lee Jones was in it, and man was he a funny hippie. Oh yeah, there was a boob scene as well. Can't remember much else about the girl.
Rating: 2/5
3. Under Siege 2 - Dark Territory - Yet another funny Steven Seagal movie, and it's really just Under Siege on a train. I had no idea that a little Katherine Heigl was in it until I recognized her face, and according to IMDb it's one of her earliest roles. I really love the scene where Seagal is hanging onto the train and someone shoots him in the shoulder, yet this doesn't faze Seagal at all. Nevermind that he was shot with a sniper rifle whose bullet would've ripped his arm off (or at least destroyed his nerves and vessels). He's Steven Seagal, and regular bullets cannot harm him! So many laughs in this movie. Oh Steven Seagal . . .
Rating: 2/5
4. The Prince of Egypt - It's been out for a long time, but I don't remember seeing this movie, and I feel like I would have remembered at least something with how good it is. I didn't expect a biblical movie to be so good, but I was pleasantly surprised by The Prince of Egypt. Although the plot is based upon the Exodus of the Hebrews, the main focus of the movie is the relationship between Moses and Ramses, which gives it more of a human focus rather than a preachy one. There were quite a lot of well-known actors in the cast - Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Pfeiffer, Sandra Bullock, Val Kilmer, and Ralph Fiennes (Voldemort!). Great music and good portrayal of God. Overall, I think that this was a well-made and entertaining movie.
Rating: 4/5
5. Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark - Before anybody goes crazy on me for not having seen the Indiana Jones movies, I must clarify that I did see bits and pieces of the movies a very long time ago, but I don't really remember anything specific about any one movie. That aside, I really liked watching Raiders of the Lost Ark. The action was nearly constant, the swooning female students were hilarious, and the Nazis were perfect villains. Of course it didn't have much depth to it, which is why I can't give it a perfect score, but I can see why it's a classic. Looking forward to watching the others!
Rating: 4.5/5
6. The Last Exorcism - For an exorcist-themed horror movie, I was fairly impressed. Many horror movies now just pile on the gore or action scenes, but this movie took a more subtle approach. For a while it seemed like there wasn't any paranormal activity involved, but I knew in the back of my head that it wouldn't be much of a horror movie if the good ol' devil or one of his minions never showed up. The documentary style was distracting at times, but done much better than Blair Witch or Paranormal Activity. I was not expecting the ending to take the twist that it did, but it only reinforces my rules about traveling: never go to the Deep South and stay away from isolated rural areas.
Rating: 2.5/5
Cooking: 12/75 completed
If I had any spending money, I am certain that I would spend it on Cartel's new album, Cycles. I've only been able to listen to the four songs they have available for listening on their website, but I really like all of them. I'm sure I can listen to the other songs if I looked on YouTube, so I'll probably do that later today. What's great about their songs is that they're all distinguishable from each other. So many bands have songs that all sound exactly the same, and Cartel avoids that. I also enjoy their mix of subject matter for their lyrics - some songs are softer and more melodic, others are fast-paced with socially-oriented lyrics, and others are more for fun. They didn't have any touring information, which is a shame because I think they'd be great to see live! The title of this post is taken from their song "Let's Go." I hope that others get into them!
I think I might actually add another goal to my list: watch 100 new movies this year. By new I don't mean that they have to be recently produced, I'm referring to movies that I have never seen or haven't seen in so many years that I've basically forgotten the entire thing. Since Matthew and I have Netflix I figure that it shouldn't be too hard to watch 100 movies in a year. I'll try to at least give them all ratings and small reviews in a timely fashion, but I've already seen quite a few movies this year, so let me try to remember them all:
1. The Departed - Talk about a great mix of good actors! The acting by Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, Martin Sheen, and Mark Wahlberg was superb, but I have to give a few more props to DiCaprio for giving us a truly tortured character without ever going over the top. The plot was incredibly intricate, but not too difficult to follow as long as you pay close attention to everything. The movie was a bit long, but I didn't notice how much time had passed until the movie ended, and that's usually the sign of a great movie!
Rating: 5/5
2. Under Siege - Matthew owns this collection of Steven Seagal movies as a joke, and we decided to watch a couple of them for laughs. What I love is that an entire Navy ship is overthrown by a few terrorists, even though the terrorists are vastly outnumbered. Why wouldn't the tons of Navy personnel just rush the terrorists? Granted, a couple of guys might've died, but the terrorists wouldn't have been able to kill all of them. Ah well, at least Tommy Lee Jones was in it, and man was he a funny hippie. Oh yeah, there was a boob scene as well. Can't remember much else about the girl.
Rating: 2/5
3. Under Siege 2 - Dark Territory - Yet another funny Steven Seagal movie, and it's really just Under Siege on a train. I had no idea that a little Katherine Heigl was in it until I recognized her face, and according to IMDb it's one of her earliest roles. I really love the scene where Seagal is hanging onto the train and someone shoots him in the shoulder, yet this doesn't faze Seagal at all. Nevermind that he was shot with a sniper rifle whose bullet would've ripped his arm off (or at least destroyed his nerves and vessels). He's Steven Seagal, and regular bullets cannot harm him! So many laughs in this movie. Oh Steven Seagal . . .
Rating: 2/5
4. The Prince of Egypt - It's been out for a long time, but I don't remember seeing this movie, and I feel like I would have remembered at least something with how good it is. I didn't expect a biblical movie to be so good, but I was pleasantly surprised by The Prince of Egypt. Although the plot is based upon the Exodus of the Hebrews, the main focus of the movie is the relationship between Moses and Ramses, which gives it more of a human focus rather than a preachy one. There were quite a lot of well-known actors in the cast - Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Pfeiffer, Sandra Bullock, Val Kilmer, and Ralph Fiennes (Voldemort!). Great music and good portrayal of God. Overall, I think that this was a well-made and entertaining movie.
Rating: 4/5
5. Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark - Before anybody goes crazy on me for not having seen the Indiana Jones movies, I must clarify that I did see bits and pieces of the movies a very long time ago, but I don't really remember anything specific about any one movie. That aside, I really liked watching Raiders of the Lost Ark. The action was nearly constant, the swooning female students were hilarious, and the Nazis were perfect villains. Of course it didn't have much depth to it, which is why I can't give it a perfect score, but I can see why it's a classic. Looking forward to watching the others!
Rating: 4.5/5
6. The Last Exorcism - For an exorcist-themed horror movie, I was fairly impressed. Many horror movies now just pile on the gore or action scenes, but this movie took a more subtle approach. For a while it seemed like there wasn't any paranormal activity involved, but I knew in the back of my head that it wouldn't be much of a horror movie if the good ol' devil or one of his minions never showed up. The documentary style was distracting at times, but done much better than Blair Witch or Paranormal Activity. I was not expecting the ending to take the twist that it did, but it only reinforces my rules about traveling: never go to the Deep South and stay away from isolated rural areas.
Rating: 2.5/5
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
"You are reading this for the wrong reason."
Now I have three new recipes under my belt! Last week I made brown and wild rice pilaf. The dinner was really tasty, and I loved the chewy texture of the wild rice combined with the softer consistency of the mushrooms and shredded carrot. The hardest part of making the dinner was finding plain raw wild rice. I guess that there's not much of a demand for wild rice outside of canned soup and prepared dinners, but I finally found tiny four once boxes of it in between the piles of other rice varieties. Either way, I enjoyed the pilaf and so did Matthew!
I also made almond-cherry candies last week. I already have a big bag of dried cherries in my pantry, so the only things I had to buy were almonds and a block of white chocolate. As I found out, white chocolate melts very quickly! I had to constantly stir it with the Crisco to make sure it wouldn't bubble. I also discovered that even though caramels can becomes really smooth while on the stove, the mixture hardens within a minute after removing it from heat. It was pretty difficult drizzling the melted caramel on top of the candies, but I managed with some hot water. They turned out to be really good though, and I ended up making a second batch to give to our families the morning of the Super Bowl.
Then, on Monday, I made this dinner called Crunchy Cabbage, which is really just shredded cabbage and carrots cooked with green onions, beef bouillon, and pepper that is mixed near the end with butter, mustard, and chopped pecans. The whole dinner took about twenty minutes to make (including prep time), and for being so simple it had a great taste! I actually think that it would be a good vegetable side-dish for holidays or parties and could completely replace regular coleslaw. I'm not much of a coleslaw fan; I find it pretty boring, and while this recipe used a bag of coleslaw mix for the cabbage and carrot, it had a completely different taste. Plus, this meal was pretty healthy, with only 9 grams of fat, 98% daily vitamin A and 31% daily vitamin C. Definitely making this again!
Cooking: 11/75 completed
I am also pleased to say that I have finished Endymion! It was a bit different than the previous two novels with having fewer main characters, but they were well-developed and incredibly likable. Even the man who was trying to capture Aenea, Father Captain de Soya, is a sympathetic character that I can't help but enjoy. At first, I was taken aback with what happened to mankind after the fall of the Hegemony. The Church is just as bad, if not worse, than the TechnoCore, and its levels of corruption are slowly revealed as Aenea, Raul, and Bettick travel along the River Tethys. As they make their way across different planets, Simmons does a fantastic job at making each planet unique in its terrain and obstacles. Some of my favorite scenes in the novel include Raul and Aenea's swimming in a zero-g pool on the Consul's ship, Raul's brave and nearly fatal task of rigging explosives on the docks at Mare Infinitus, and the ending of the novel with the fight, the Shrike, and where Aenea, Raul, and Bettick conclude their river journey. I'm also happy that Simmons made this novel not as tightly-knit to the previous two, but he brought along enough to keep me happy. This novel had a lot more physical action, but the scenes with the Pax figures and Raul's Schrödinger's cat box provide some balance. Endymion is another great addition to the Hyperion series, and I cannot wait to see what happens to the new heroes in the last novel!
Rating for Endymion: 9.5/10
Books Read: 3/75
I also made almond-cherry candies last week. I already have a big bag of dried cherries in my pantry, so the only things I had to buy were almonds and a block of white chocolate. As I found out, white chocolate melts very quickly! I had to constantly stir it with the Crisco to make sure it wouldn't bubble. I also discovered that even though caramels can becomes really smooth while on the stove, the mixture hardens within a minute after removing it from heat. It was pretty difficult drizzling the melted caramel on top of the candies, but I managed with some hot water. They turned out to be really good though, and I ended up making a second batch to give to our families the morning of the Super Bowl.
Then, on Monday, I made this dinner called Crunchy Cabbage, which is really just shredded cabbage and carrots cooked with green onions, beef bouillon, and pepper that is mixed near the end with butter, mustard, and chopped pecans. The whole dinner took about twenty minutes to make (including prep time), and for being so simple it had a great taste! I actually think that it would be a good vegetable side-dish for holidays or parties and could completely replace regular coleslaw. I'm not much of a coleslaw fan; I find it pretty boring, and while this recipe used a bag of coleslaw mix for the cabbage and carrot, it had a completely different taste. Plus, this meal was pretty healthy, with only 9 grams of fat, 98% daily vitamin A and 31% daily vitamin C. Definitely making this again!
Cooking: 11/75 completed
I am also pleased to say that I have finished Endymion! It was a bit different than the previous two novels with having fewer main characters, but they were well-developed and incredibly likable. Even the man who was trying to capture Aenea, Father Captain de Soya, is a sympathetic character that I can't help but enjoy. At first, I was taken aback with what happened to mankind after the fall of the Hegemony. The Church is just as bad, if not worse, than the TechnoCore, and its levels of corruption are slowly revealed as Aenea, Raul, and Bettick travel along the River Tethys. As they make their way across different planets, Simmons does a fantastic job at making each planet unique in its terrain and obstacles. Some of my favorite scenes in the novel include Raul and Aenea's swimming in a zero-g pool on the Consul's ship, Raul's brave and nearly fatal task of rigging explosives on the docks at Mare Infinitus, and the ending of the novel with the fight, the Shrike, and where Aenea, Raul, and Bettick conclude their river journey. I'm also happy that Simmons made this novel not as tightly-knit to the previous two, but he brought along enough to keep me happy. This novel had a lot more physical action, but the scenes with the Pax figures and Raul's Schrödinger's cat box provide some balance. Endymion is another great addition to the Hyperion series, and I cannot wait to see what happens to the new heroes in the last novel!
Rating for Endymion: 9.5/10
Books Read: 3/75
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