The Savagaes

In addition to renting Strange Wilderness the other day, the lady and I also rented The Savages. I had seen previews for it, but figured it was something I could wait to come to video (can I still say that since videocassettes are no longer used?) since it didn't appear to be an action movie with a million dollar effects budget. You know what I mean? You spend $10 to see something like Iron Man or Independence Day on the big screen, or even something like Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind. But, movies like The Savages you save for home viewing.

ANYWAYS, the movie was excellent. Laura Linney needs to win some kind of award this year. Between this movie and the John Adams miniseries on HBO she has been stellar. Of course, this is only enhanced by an excellent performance by Philip Seymour Hoffman. The two play brother and sister who have been estranged from their father for quite a while (I can't remember if it was years or decades) but are suddenly reunited with him and are forced to deal with his newly developed dementia and deteriorating condition.

I wont give anymore away, so I'll just tell you that the movie was very good and very moving and that I felt it really conveyed the emotions of what its like to deal with a dying parent, even if they have been out of your life for some time. The movie was filmed very simply, nothing over the top and nothing horribly artsy, and I think that really worked with the piece. As a good descriptor, this movie was like a more realistic and far less whimsical Big Fish. I definitely recommend this movie to anyone.

The Savages gets 6 Beards.

Strange Wilderness

There was something very wrong with this movie. Maybe it was the bad acting, or the poor story, or the bad filming. Either way, I can't put my finger on it and I have to tell you all, Don't Watch It.

The movie was just bad, and even the presence of Allen Covert, Jonah Hill, and Justin Long couldn't help to salvage the thing. I mean, it had a few amusing parts and I chuckled a few times, but I spent most of the movie just wondering what the fuck was going on. And, the ending was just retarded. That's all I've got to say. Oh, that and the fact the laughing shark part was funny, but not 6 times in a row.

This review is over, Strange Wilderness gets 2 Beards for the couple chuckles it got out of me.

HULK SMASH EXPECTATIONS!!!

Last Night I saw the Incredible Hulk. I hypothesize that some guy in the back of Marvel’s movie studio said “Hey! Why can’t we make a good comic book movie?” Then x-men was made, and then they said “That was fun! Can we do it again?” Several movies later (ignoring FF4 original hulk and elektra) now we have The Hulk.

To quickly sum up without spoiling the movie; the movie makers apologize to the audience for that blunder of an Ang Lee film by knocking that first piece of trash hulk movie out of the water in all categories..

They made the movie a sequel…kind of. Since a background story was established the that abortion of a first movie, they skip right over that whole explanation thing by recapping it in the opening credits.

And a few more awesome points

-They make the hulk look like ed norton

-Several awesome cameos (including a recent comic book hero turned movie star don’t worry I didn’t ruin anything)

-Awesome references to the Hulk show

-They give the hulk it’s own pair of hulk hands

-Parkour + The Hulk=One word “HULKOUR”

To quote Kevin in his Iron Man post “if you're not a comic follower you'll love it. if you ARE, then this is a guaranteed must own, once it gets to DvD, that you'll enjoy to have amongst your collection.”

9 Gamma Irradiated Beards

Files, Filing, Filing Cabinets

I've spent approximately the last 5 days at work in a storage closet moving files and re-alphabetizing them. Let's say, if I never have to do something like this I'd be a-ok with it. However, it has given me time to think about the whole idea of files and filing and file cabinets.

My main complaint is that considering we live in the information age, and that most people (at least in this great country) have access to a computer and the internet, why the fuck do we still have paper files? I went to the doctor a few days ago (6 Beards) and their whole office had gone paperless, but yet where I work we still keep track of everything on paper. And by track of everything, I mean we probably have between 300 and 400 active students with approximately 75 graduating every Fall and Spring. Would it really be that hard to switch over to electronic files?

This would be great because it would eliminate the super tedious task of filing, a task that is very prone to difficulties and mistakes. Someone has a file out and someone else goes to file something in that file? Where'd it go? Who has it? I can't find it so I'm sticking it in the unfilable bin. Or, say I've found the right file, think I have my finger on it, look away to grab the piece of paper/information, turn back and stick the paper in the wrong file and POOF that piece of information is lost to all efforts shy of tearing apart all the files and hunting it down.

The other problem with all this is filing cabinets. Filing cabinets SUCK. None of them are designed at a good height, and any extensive amount of filing always results in some kind of unnecessary and prolonged bending over and/or squatting. Also, as I learned today, if you're using a filing cabinet that is 4+ drawers high, never EVER have more then one drawer pulled out at a time. Not even on accident. It will fall, possibly on you, and either way you will have to catch it and probably have a drawer fall out (which luckily for me the files stayed in even while completely 90 degrees and perpendicular to the ground). So, yeah. Two drawers. Don't forget it.

Also, note that this is me whining about files, and filing and not about my job which is awesome because it's inside during the summer heat. I love my job. My job gets 7 Beards. It would get more if I got paid more.

Paper Files get 3 Beards
Filing gets 1 Beard
File Cabinets get 3 Beards

Coffe, Sugar, Starbucks, and Makin' Money

I was never a big coffee drinker for most of my life, and I have to admit that I'm still not a real big coffee drinker. I don't really go out of my way to get some, and I don't often drink any after noon. Coffee, that is, not alcohol. I drink plenty of alcohol after noon, don't you worry. But, yeah, I've come to find that really enjoy coffee, especially when I get the sugar/cream/coffee ratio just right. I must say thought that the cup I'm drinking right now tastes more like some just ran some water over the beans and into my cup rather than any kind of brewing took place. Can you say weak?

Anyways, what sparked this whole thing is that I spent an hour this morning in the break room with my co workers. Just manging on a delicious cinnamon roll and drinking coffee. An, also tearing up the 40 or so packets of sugar I stole from Starbucks and pouring them into our sugar container. It was a pretty sweet way to make $7.50, let me tell you.

Coffee gets 7 Beards.
Starbucks gets 3 Beards.
Stealing sugar from Starbucks gets 5 Beards.
Spending an hour drinking coffee and making money gets 8 Beards.