Rain Rain Go Away

Life

Hurricane Sandy could destroy us all! That’s what the media loves saying at least. There’s a lot of envirnmental things going for Sandy that could let it cut a huge swath through the East Coast. There’s going to be a lot of damage but there is no way to tell what direction the storm is really going to take. If it does make a left tomorrow afternoon, it’s going to go right over us. I’m on a hill so flooding isn’t a huge issue, but the amount of water this thing could dump on us would overwhelm the local water ways and sewers. Hopefully it’s gradual and not too punishing. Winds could hit 70mph which is a crazy thought. Trees are going to drop like it ain’t no thing. Losng power is the greatest threat, the coast is probably going to get mauled. Can only hope we skate through this one, last years October blitzkreig did a number on us, took a good 3 full days for things to get back to normal around here. Sandy has the potential to do much worse.

At least it’s not coming tonight, there’s awesome TV on. Hold on tight.

Cornea Transplant: Week 13 or so

Life

Went to my 3 month check up and the last stitch was taken out. My vision is still very blurry, which was a surprise to Dr. Perl as the transplant is very healthy and clear. Ran some tests to check for any internal (retina) problems and they all came up negative. The theory now is that the suture that goes around the incision area is causing distortion in the cornea. The suture isn’t coming out for another 5-6 months so it’s more or less a waiting game to see greater improvement. I’m still going to be on 3 drops of lotemax a day for 2 more months and the best news is no more guard over the eye while I sleep. That’s awesome as putting it on every night had been a chore after 3 months.

Xbox Music

Games, Music, Tech, You know what grinds my gears?

Microsoft recently released their Xbox Music service to the public. At this moment the software is out for the Xbox only, in about a week it’s going to come with all Windows 8 products. It’s the second or third relaunch of their services (laying Zune to rest) and it’s good. But something really bothers me about it.

The continued penny pinching of the Xbox user base. Xbox Music is direct competition to Spotify, Last fm, Pandora and the others in the army of internet radio. All of these services are well entrenched with their users and many (namely Spotify) work on a huge array of devices. Xbox Music is going to only work on Microsoft devices for at least 6 months. It’s going to be the center of Windows 8 for music. You’ll be able to stream internet music for free, just like Pandora and Spotify with commercials (you can also purchase music), or go through the pay wall for the premium ad free, unlimited skipping service (called Xbox Music Pass). That sounds great and the software is pretty slick, no other program looks like it and it makes itunes look pretty ancient.

Here comes the stupid. Without the Music Pass, this services is gimped and useless on the Xbox. You can only listen to 30 seconds of a song. It’s an elaborate preview service. With the pass, you can actually use it the way it’s intended. You also have to have a gold membership to use this service. The money hoops for this on Xbox are completely insulting. This new service is made and run by Microsoft, why on Earth should a Xbox Gold member, who is paying upwards of $60 a year be required to pay MORE? Add it as another value to getting a Gold membership! This is a fledgling service that needs to impress people enough to drop whatever music service they already live with. That’s hard enough to do without giving people reasons NOT to use it. Anyone without Windows 8 is pretty much locked out as well…it’s not going to come to Windows 7. The loophole is that the Music Pass works with the Zune software but the amount of people using that is pretty small AND it’s not using the new design so the interface is a different experience (although the Xbox Music UI is heavily based on the Zune software).

The value that Microsoft is giving to it’s loyal player base just keeps getting smaller and smaller. The $10 hike for Xbox Gold membership was shady enough, this is just unbelievable greed. Lucky for Microsoft, Nintendo still has their head up somewhere above the clouds for their network, so that’s still no worry. They can even continue to point and laugh. Sony on the other hand just keeps making the right moves. They’ve matched many of Xbox Live’s features (for free) and the PS+ membership is a great value idea.

My plea to the powers at be in Redmond, WA: Stop trying to squeeze your fans out of every single dime, it’s going to come back and bite you. With the next generation looming on the horizon, you need to get all your ducks in a row. You better quality test that thing because EVERYONE is going to be watching for you to do a header into the dirt and you’ll be the ones responsible for a mass exodus from the Xbox platform.

Our Idiot Brother the Review

Movies

I wasn’t expecting much from this one so it was a great surpise when I watched it. Paul Rudd has seen a career resurgence lately and Our Idiot Brother is far and away the best I’ve seen him.

Paul plays Ned Rochlin, who is the title idiot brother. He was so good as this lovable idiot. Ned always means well, he just has the terrible habit of jamming his foot into his mouth. He’s got three sisters who are very busy and important people in their own worlds and it’s always Ned who screws them up.

This was really well written, they carefuly avoided making Ned a terrible person which would have killed the movie. I always felt sympothy for him and saw him as a guy who wears his heart on a his sleeve. Couple the writing with Rudd’s acting and you have a great, three diminsional character. There’s a stacked cast here too (Elizabeth Banks, Adam Scott, Rashida Jones, Zooey Deschanel, Steve Coogan, TJ Miller and an awesome godlen retriever) that was great to watch work together.

Our Idiot Brother is movie with a lot of heart that is damn funny at times. I recommend it.

Cornea Transplant: Month 3

Life

It’s been three months since the surgery! In the passed, week or week and a half I’ve noticed the biggest improvement in my vision. It hasn’t been sudden, very gradual, but the double vision effect really seems to be coming together. It’s still there, but it is definitely better. That feels great, very reassuring that it’s going to keep getting better. Despite the left eye still being very blurry, this is the second biggest improvement since the surgery. The impairment of the scar left right away, but the blurry and double vision replaced that impairment. Now that it’s really getting better this feels more like a success.

All TV All The Time

TV

I’m up to my eyeballs in TV, which means I’ve had to push movies more to the side just to keep up. That’s pretty much cut off any series viewing on Netflix Instant.

Grimm- I’ve been watching this on Hulu as it collides with Fringe in the same time slot. I like it, concept, stories, actors. It’s a unique world they’ve created. I give it one knock for the transformation effects which tend to look terrible.

Fringe- I look forward to each new episode, but that sadly means it just gets closer to being over. Solid episodes so far, but nothing too earth shattering yet.

Sons of Anarchy- Brutal season! The stakes are high in every episode, the drama and deaths keep adding up. Clay is back to making waves which is already raising hell. Clay is right back on walking on the razor edge and when he gets caught, he’s not going to get another pass.

The Walking Dead- Great season premiere, more fun and intensity than most of the last season. Got some very good pieces falling into place, so I have some high hopes for the season.

Dexter- Excellent start but I’m always wary of rampant stupidity from the writers to kick in. The last episode was rather strange, some good ideas with some questionable execution. I’m still on board with it though. The plot for this season was long over due and has breathed new life and impotance into Dexter.

Homeland- Just a great, great show. This season is continuing right on track from the last and the last episode was fantastic. Brody is just falling apart, I can’t see how he’s going to keep himself together for much longer. That’s just in his personal life with the rampant risks he’s had to take, the jig is really up for him with Saul managing to get that video out. Huge, huge win for Carrie. She’s going to be able to roll into the CIA on a chariot with wings made of gold flakes and unicorn hair on tomorrows episode.

It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia- Back and as obnoxious as ever.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles- I think Nickelodeon has another hit on its hands. I really like this new version, pays all the right respect to the original cartoon run while making it their own. Love how it looks, some great animation sprinkled throughout.

Real Steel the Review

Movies

I didn’t think much of Real Steek when it came out last year. Seemed a little cheesy to me. After watching it, I’ve come away more impressed than anything.

Real Steel owes a lot to Rocky. It’s an underdog boxing story set in the not to distant future. Human boxing has been outlawed and robot fighting as taken it’s place. Audiences wanted more unholds barred and feroucious fighting and when robots are pummeling each other, it’s quite the spectacle. Charlie (Hugh Jackman) is a former boxer, current dead beat dad. When his ex dies, his son Max (who he hasn’t seen in 10 years) comes to live with him for the summer.

The set up is pretty standard and while the movie is rather predictable (estranged father and son grow close when they bond over a common interest) the movie won me over with it’s charm. It also helps that the robot special effects are fantastic. Boxing is quickly becoming passe as MMA continues to dominate professional fighting today. The choregraphy and motion capture for the fighting robots was done by professional boxers and supervised by Sugar Ray Leonard. Great idea and execusion that shows off some terrific fighting on screen. I can’t remember the last time I was that entertained watching boxing, The chemistry between Charlie and Max is good and there are some funny moments. There was a surprising amount of light cursing (I think they could have changed it pretty easily without it being awkward) and the robot violence got this a PG-13 rating but I think this is great for kids 10 and over.

At 2 hours it felt a little too long, but it doesn’t hold Real Steel back from being a good movie. Great for a rainy day this fall.

Looper the Review

Movies

A good sci-fi movie is hard to come by these days. Prometheus was really promising but lost its way. Ener Looper from writer/director Rian Johnson who did Brick (which also starred Joseph Gordon Levitt) which I absolutly loved. Rian also directed two episodes of Breaking Bad which makes him even greater in my eyes.

Looper is a time traveling movie. Joe (Joseph Gordon Levitt) is a “Looper”, an assassin who kills the people that his mob employer send back to be disposed of. Time travel is a possible and outlawed 30 years in the future (the movie takes place in 2044, so 2074 for this time tech) so only the bad guys are using it. Here’s the catch, being a Looper means you’re in a contract with a rather harsh end. You “close the loop” when the mob sends your future self back to yourself so you can kill…yourself. You get paid off and your contract is finished. They do that to server all ties to you being an assasssin and working for them. So if you are a live 30 years (or so) in the future, you’re going to kill yourself.

How is that for mind bending? But there’s more. There’s some (extra) shady busisness going on with the mob and Future Joe (Bruce Willis) isn’t having any of it. Future Joe manages to get away from Present Joe and the chase is on. Present Joe is in a heap of trouble.

So it’s a cat and mouse chase that is so smart an inventive. The set up and execusion is so well done and handled. The cast is brilliant. Looking at JGL with the prothsteics to make him resemble Bruce Willis looks odd at first, but that feeling quickly melted away and JGL plays a younger Willis so well that I really thought I was watching the same person 30 years apart. There’s quite a bit more to the story, but I think that’ll ruin it too much if I say more. Future Joe’s reasoning and methods really push the concept and story forward.

I loved every second of it. Please go see it, this one needs to be a huge success, we don’t get many movies of this quality that offen.

Goodnight summer!

Life

It’s an official wrap for summer. Fall made it’s stand yesterday and it was actually a great day. Hit about 80, got cloudy and then some rain in the evening. My cousin Joy got married and all went well, so a good start to be sure. It’s pitch black at about 730 now which stinks, it gets close to 50 at night, which stinks, but the days are a pretty great temperature. It even smells like fall. For some reason this season is never late. Less than 2 weeks from October now so the leaves are going to start changing, bare trees not too long after that.

Time keeps ticking, gotta make changes.

Review Rampage!

Movies

I’ve watched a lot of movies waiting for the Fall TV season to come and most of what I’ve seen can be put into quick hits.

Shame- Michael Fastbender as a sex addict equals Fastbender in a shockingly boring movie. This movie was all hyped up because of it’s subject matter and nudity. I found his character to be so incredibly pathetic and weird that seeing the credits roll was the best part of the movie.

Hesher- Joseph Gordon Levitt is Hesher, a guy who just doesn’t give a fuck. Who is he, where is from, where does he go? No one knows. He befriends a kid, TJ who recently lost his mother and generally hates life. Hesher, through a weird series of events helps the kid through the most difficult part of his life. Liked this one a lot and it took me by surprise. It was on odd but unique and touching story. You’re never really sure where it’s going but in the end the story is a good one. Natalie Portman, Rainn Wilson and JGL are all awesome and Devin Brochu as TJ was really impressive.

Project X- A High School party movie using the found footage directing technique. It’s cast well, the situations get bigger and crazier…even though it doesn’t really do anything terribly new, I thought it was a fun movie.

The Grey- It’s Liam Neeson giving Les Stroud a run for his money! Can this guy do no wrong or what? This time he’s caught in the woods trying to survive. Aside from some awkward looking wolf puppet attacks, it looked awesome and was a fun ride. Really liked the ending.

The Thing- The new one. I’m kinda torn about this one. Carpenter’s the thing is pretty much a masterpiece so it’s really hard for anything to walk anywhere near this universe. I think it did a lot of things right, it looked like it took place in the same time and place, it fits into the beginning of Carpenter’s movie well. The paranoia was played up well and they wisely avoided directly ripping the big moments off from Carpenter. That said. they didn’t really have a huge moment to hang their hat on. They show a lot of the monster frequently and it reminded me a lot of the stuff you see in anime (especially Gluttony from Full Metal Alchemist). I really want to see a making of to see how and why they choose to do things, what’s cg and what isn’t. It looks like they did as much as they could practically, added CG to enhance and full CG where they had to. I’m wondering if just being able to say that they did it with cg makes it less intense. Just knowing it’s digital makes it easier to brush aside [there is some wild shit they did with the attacks]. I got confused a lot because all the guys have beards so they all look alike. When the eating starts it was difficult to remember who was left alive. I’m totally on the fence about this flick. It wasn’t bad, it respected Carpenters movie but there’s just something that wasn’t right. I guess i’m just thinking it shouldn’t have been made which sounds really harsh. That makes it sound like the Psycho remake.

Fall TV has started!

TV

For me, it started with Sons of Anarchy which is off to a rowdy start! A few people have already died and the stakes have never been higher. Might be the best season yet based on what’s going on right now.

Weeds has finished it’s run and it’s better sweet. The show hasn’t been that good for some time and it really was time for the show to wrap up. Going into the last 2 episodes, it was set up for Nancy to relaunch her empire legitimately, hooking up with a tobacco company that was betting on cannabis becoming legal in the US. So how was the end written? About 7 years after that episode. It was really jarring to set up with. Stevie is getting ready to have his bar mitzvah and the first time you see him you ask, who the hell is that? Last time I saw him he was 5! So jumping ahead, some old characters are brought back for a cameo or a helping hand. Nancy managed to convince Conrad to work with Silas to regrow MILF using the land bought by the tobacco company. She also manages to convince Guillermo not to kill her and team up to sell on his turf, giving him a share of the company. The bet works and the company takes off, they are in a legal drug trade. Now Starbucks wants to buy them out. So success finally comes to Nancy, but her family is completely splintered. For some reason they married and killed off the rabbi Nancy started seeing in this season which I can’t understand why. Silas has moved away and married his first girlfriend (the deaf girl from season 1 or 2) and has a young daughter. Andy took off running after finally managing to sleep with Nancy (which was SUPER weird) and never looked back. Doug made a cult and Shane is a drunk because he ran off with that loser cop from last season. So in the end, everyone comes back together so Nancy is reminded she isn’t completely alone. It was a bitter sweet ending. The last episode was so weird, that the end was just crammed in because more than one last season was being written when they started season 8. While the show paled in comparison to it’s start, I still liked the characters. The 5 main actors all stuck with the show and the last scenes is them sitting outside together smoking a joint. While the family is broken, you’re left with the feeling that everything will be alright. There is music playing over that final scene and Doug says something that makes everyone laugh, I’d love to know what he said. I’m pretty sure it wasn’t scripted, Kevin Nealon looked like he said something real to his castmates.

FaceOff is still a great watch and it’s sister show, Hot Set is now on right after it. It’s about set design/production and while it’s interesting, FaceOff is a much cooler show.

Boardwalk Empire is back for season 3 and I just remembered I need to watch it! After the shocking finale, this season has a lot to live up to.

The next 2 weeks see the return of more shows than I can really think of. Fringe being my real go to as it’s only going to be 13 episodes until the series finale! Happy it didn’t get canceled and they’re going to be able to give us an ending.

Cornea Transplant: Month 2

Life

Had a check up with Dr. Perl today and the transplant looks healthy. I’m right on schedule and he took out a few more stitches. There’s one smaller stitch left and one that goes all the way around, so that’s most of it. Cut my eye drops from 4 times a day to 3. Still very blurry, but that is expected.