Well, I haven't posted about movies in a coon's age, so get ready for a long one. Honestly, I haven't seen much (a disturbing notion, now that I look at it), but I guess I can post about what I have seen, along with the virtual library of movies that I would like to see. Yikes, that was a boring intro.
Ok, first things first. Return of the King was very, very good. But I expected better. Once again, I think I'm a victim of my own expectations and hopes from the books (being a monstrous Tolkien fan). That, and every review I read was describing it as the movie of the century. It was certainly not that. Personally, I would say it was the movie of the year. But that's not saying much. I haven't seen a whole lot this year, and what I have seen wasn't all that great. But that's neither here nor there. Visually, the movie was a stunning achievement. Breathtaking and beautiful. Action-wise...wow. I will say as a side note though, that Peter Jackson and company have a bad idea of what six thousand riders looks like. Anyway, I was still disappointed with the changes from the book. I know, it's totally unfair, I shouldn't judge it by that, blah blah blah...but I have to. I hate what they did to Denethor and the Nazgul. I hate that the dead storm Mordor. But all you chattablog readers have heard better synopses of that stuff from others, so don't despair, I still liked the movie. I just wish that the spirit of Tolkien would come through a little more. I know this is wishful thinking, but I just can't help it. All in all though, I think it has been a massively successful trilogy, and I'm glad it came out. I have enjoyed immensely all the hours spent waiting in lines, watching teasers and trailers, checking websites for spoilers, buying the extended editions, arguing about the merits of the films, and the like. I wouldn't trade it for anything...except maybe versions of the films that were closer to the books in word and spirit:)
Another movie that I'm going to talk about that I finally saw is Bruce Almighty. Sure I could tell you that I saw Stuck on You, and that it was funny and enjoyable...but it was forgettable. And I could mention that The Last Samurai is getting a bum rap, and was actually quite cool and interesting, and the sword-fighting rocked...but again, forgettable. Bruce Almighty was not. I laughed so hard, tears were being forced out of my eyes. This is one of the funniest and most interesting movies I've seen in quite some time. I almost puked during the newscaster scene when Jim Carrey takes hold of his rival anchor (if you have seen the movie, you know what I'm talking about...if not, rent it). I went into this film not exactly knowing what to expect. It looked blasphemous, and I wasn't sure if I would be damned after I saw it. But it was directed by a Christian, and the message was wonderful. Modernly evangelical and cheesy? Yes. But quite good none the less. Anyway, the acting was good, the plot fun, the execution hilarious. The dialogue was witty, biting, and also quite thought-provoking. And Jim Carrey is one of those few actors that I can just look at and start cracking up. I know many of you probably think he's over the top, and prefer the dry humor of say, Bill Murray. Hey, I love Bill Murray. But Jim Carrey just makes me laugh...period. All in all, it is a movie I would consider buying and watching multiple times. Rent it.
As far as everything else goes, there are just way too many movies I want to see. From Big Fish and Paycheck, to House of Sand and Fog and Cold Mountain, there are tons of interesting movies out there. Unfortunately, a combination of having a fiancee, little money, and not much time will inhibit me from seeing most of them (also, Monroe SUCKS for bringing good movies in). Am I getting old? Do I not have the spirit of my youth to see every new release? Who knows. But I would gladly take any recommendations from y'all out there who have seen some of the new releases and can either warn me or push me in the right direction. Which are the two or three movies I need to see before school starts up again? I need answers!
I haven't really been listening to too much new music lately. The last CD I bought was the ROTK soundtrack. It's beautiful...but still just a soundtrack. I guess I also picked up a double disc of rarities by Pearl Jam, which is very good, and a triple live disc of Dave, also very good. But most of my music listening has been road-trip CD's. Ok, let me explain. I got the idea from my good friend Jill Fagan. She always makes tapes when she goes on trips. Anyways, I totally ripped off her idea, and now I make road-trip CD's before any vacation/jaunt. And since Lacey and I have been up to Indiana twice in the past 6 weeks, I have had a good opportunity to mix some CD's, one of my favorite things to do. It allows me to exercise my large music collection, and pin together lots of cool songs that would normally not be listened to side by side. I made a triple disc for this last trip, and strung together great driving songs, stuff I've been into lately, and good old fashioned favorites. And the beauty is, I always forget what I've put on there, so it's a mini-party every time one song ends and another begins. I'd put tracklists on here, but I don't want to bore you. And oh yeah, I also got to make wedding CD's of music that will be played at our reception in June, for my parents to hear, so I've been listening to that too, while playing it for my folks umpteen times. Whew.
Wow, I sure don't blog much any more. I guess it's a combination of not having time, and being apathetic about the whole thing. But here I am on Monday morning after Christmas, and I want to sit down and blog. Go figure. I had a good Christmas, as I hope y'all did. A fun trip to Indiana with Lacey, saw my family and had a great time. Follow that up with the Rockett family Christmas, one heck of a bachelor party, and a superhero wedding shower, and you've got yourself a wonderful holiday season. But is it over? I think not. We've still got New Years! And a wedding! Speaking of weddings, I need to make sure and inform any friends who actually still check this blog not to make any plans for June 5th. Because that's the day I get married. Yep, you heard right, we're set on the date. So come on down to Fun-roe, cause it'll be a grand ole' time. That being said, the next couple posts will be about movies and music, so for all you haters, just stop reading.
Well, here's my 2 cents on the college football controversy. Take it with a grain of salt.
First of all, I think things shook out ok. Would I be ticked off as a USC fan? Darn right. But you know what? Playing in the Rose Bowl against Michigan (what the Rose Bowl should be) is pretty great. The BCS standings are what they are: imperfect. But there is not going to be a "perfect" system. Someone's always going to be angry. In this case, there are 3 teams in the country that had a bad game, and all have a legitimate claim to the Sugar bowl. In years past, non-conference winners have unfairly played in the NCG (nebraska). Even if we went to an extremely different system with playoffs where teams had 10 regular season games, and then there was a 16 team playoff for the national championship (which isn't a half bad idea), the seedings would be argued vehemently, and the number 17-20 teams would gripe! All in all, this year was complicated...and in the end the BCS got it almost right. The only caveat I would say is to give less preferential treatment to conference winners and florida schools. I think the 4 major bowls should go to the top 8 BCS teams, regardless. That would look like this: Sugar - OU/LSU; Rose - USC/Mich; Fiesta - Ohio State/Texas; Orange - Florida State/Tenn. And the BCS was darn close. Where they got it wrong was awarding Miami and K-State major bowls just because of their conference wins. The Big East? ACC? Big 12 even? For crying out loud, Tennesee BEAT miami AT miami, and K-state has 3 losses!! But that's our system, and I guess the bottom line is that there is no perfect system, and flawed as it is, the BCS was close. Just get those florida schools out of there and it'll be perfect:)
Well, I finally got around to finishing my Two Towers Extended Edition...and holy CRAP is it good. I still prefer Fellowship, but sheesh, those special effects and battle scenes! And there was some truly touching dialogue at the end! All in all, a wonderful movie. I am RIDICULOUSLY stoked for ROTK. Only two more weeks. Between now and then, I have a mountain of special features on TTT to watch, so I'll get to it.
Update:
The first reviews are in for ROTK, and it's looking good. Of most interest to me at least was a review by Steve Greydanus, whom some of you might know as Matt Greydanus's (of Moscow fame) brother. These Greydanus's are wonderful students of both the books, and of film in general, so this review carries a lot of weight. And Mr. Greydanus loved the film. So take heart, you Tolkien purists and film-lovers. This won't be a perfect movie, but it will be fantastic...and I can't wait!!!