Movie Review: Australia

I'm slowly getting back to movie watching. Last night, I made the commitment to watch "Australia". At nearly 3 hours, it is a commitment. I didn't regret it though, because Australia is a 4 star movie.

I find it hard to describe this movie. It starts out slow and a bit formulaic, but after the first 20 minutes or so, it really takes off. I would compare "Australia" to "Dances With Wolves" in a lot of ways. It's not as good as "Dances With Wolves", but it's that type of movie.

Set in northern Australia in 1939, this period piece feels like an epic. The music and sweeping camera shots give it the big epic feel. Adding to the feel is the fact that the movie has a little bit of everything...a cattle drive, a war scene, a love story, some aboriginal lore, etc.

Hugh Jackman is great as "The Drover". It's definitely different to see him in a role that is not Wolverine. I felt the same way during "The Prestige". Nicole Kidman plays Lady Sara Ashley, a British Aristocrat who comes to Australia to try to convince her husband to sell his ranch land. Kidman is pretty good in the movie, though a bit stiff in the beginning. However, she grows into the role as the movie progresses.

I would recommend this movie to anyone who enjoys a movie like "Dances With Wolves". "Australia" definitely won't be for everybody, but I liked it.

Must See Movies of the Summer!

With today being the first day of May, it's time to take a look at the movies I'm excited about for the summer:

X-Men Origins: Wolverine - Opening May 1st
This is probably the movie I'm most excited about. I'll definitely see this one in the theater, probably sometime next week. Hopefully this movie will be as well done as the previous 3 X-Men movies.

Star Trek - Opening May 8th
Yet another one I will see in the theater. This is a complete reboot of the Star Trek Franchise, with new actors portraying Kirk, Spok, McCoy and all our favorites. I'm hesitant, because I believe I will miss Shatner's overacting, but hopeful that this will still be a good film.

Terminator Salvation - Opening May 21st
So many movies in May. I think I'll wait for this one on video. While I enjoy the Terminator movies, I'm just not super excited for this one.

Night at the Museum: Battle for the Smithsonian - Opening May 22nd
The kids are very excited for this one. Ben Stiller is back again in the 2nd installment, and from the previews, it appears that the adventure will be ramped up a bit this time. I may have to take the boys to this in the theater...though I really wouldn't mind.

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen - Opening June 24th
I really liked the first Transformers movie. Hopefully I can make it to this one in the theater. I missed the first movie in the theater, and I think I really missed out because of that.

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince - Opening July 15th
This is the 6th installment of the Harry Potter movies. I haven't seen any in the theaters, so its not the end of the world if I don't get to this one. But, I will try. The first 5 movies have been really well done.

G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra - Opening August 7th
I had a bunch of G.I. Joe toys as a kid. It appears they are making a comeback. This will probably be a DVD movie.

In my mind, that's all of the blockbusters. There are several other movies being released this summer that I'll eventually see on DVD, but these are by far the most promising based on previews.

It's Time for Term Limits

Yesterday's decision by Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter to change from the Republican Party to the Democratic Party has renewed my long held belief that we need term limits for our Representatives in Washington. I would propose that members of the House can be elected to 4 consecutive terms (8 years), while Senators could have 2 terms (12 years).

The biggest reason for this is I believe these people go to Washington DC with genuine intentions to do good for the people they are representing. However, they quickly get assimilated into the "grab as much power as we can" mentalities of both political parties. These people become so concerned with protecting their own power and prolonging their stays in Washington that they begin to do what is politically expedient, rather than doing real good. This is why our toughest problems never get solved...because solving hard problems would rock the boat and cost some their power.

This was never more evident than yesterday, when Senator Specter switched to the Democratic party. He didn't switch parties because he no longer agrees with the Republicans...he really does agree with them on most issues. No, Specter switched parties to protect his own power. In 2010, the Pennsylvania Republican party is going to run someone against him in the primary, and polls showed that Specter was going to lose that primary. Many Pennsylvania Republicans are mad at Specter for supporting President Obama's latest stimulus package, and this lead to the poor poll numbers.

So, Senator Specter did what was politically expedient. He became a Democrat, and in the process of protecting his power, he tipped the balance of power in the Senate. The Democrats will soon have a 60-40 majority in the Senate, meaning what possible opposition the Republicans could have offered is no longer possible. Specter sold out the country to liberal policies in the name of getting 1 more term.

This is why we need term limits. If men and women stop seeing this as a life long career, maybe they'll actually solve the tough problems, rather than passing them on to the next generation while covering their own butts.

Definitions Galore!

I've had 2 "I do not think that word means what you think it means" moments this week, the first occurring on Tuesday evening and the most recent occurring on Wednesday. During the first, the word ALTRUISTIC was used to describe a friends pursuit of history in the interest of bettering himself. A quick check on dictionary.com reveals that this usage was incorrect. Here's the definition:

al⋅tru⋅is⋅tic 
–adjective
1. unselfishly concerned for or devoted to the welfare of others.

The 2nd occurrence was when a friend said he was INTRINSICALLY motivated. So, again to dictionary.com. And, again this time we learn that this usage was incorrect. Here's the definition:

in⋅trin⋅sic 
–adjective
1. belonging to a thing by its very nature: the intrinsic value of a gold ring.

Author's Note: I had no idea what these words meant...and in fairness, the people who used these words also thought they may have used the wrong word. So, consider this a public service announcement.

My 5 Favorite TV Shows of All Time

Last week, a friend of mine asked me to name my 5 favorite TV shows of all time. Apparently, it was all the rage on facebook last week...not sure if it is anymore. Well, this was really difficult for me to nail down. After nearly a week of thought, here's the top 5...with some honorable mentions thrown in for good measure:

1 - 24. I just love this show, even in seasons 3 and 6 when it was down, I still looked forward to watching it every week. I think it's the ultimate "guy" show.

2 - Psych. Yes, you read that right. This show makes me laugh like no other.

3 - Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Really only the first 5 seasons while it was still on the WB (now the CW). Once it went to UPN, it jumped the shark. But the first 5 seasons were so original and witty, it ranks right up there.

4 - MacGyver. I'm an engineer...how does this not make my list?

5 - Cheers. The show got so much better after Kirstie Alley was introduced. I still love to watch the reruns. Plus, it had the greatest opening theme of all time.

Honorable Mentions:
-Star Trek Enterprise - it's a shame this only got 4 seasons, it was the best of the more recent Star Trek series.
-Home Improvement - a classic TV show...the last really good family sitcom.
-Firefly - Fox totally botched this one. This was a great series, but Fox didn't do it justice with time slot or anything. Luckily, Universal came along and redeemed things a little with "Serenity".
-Angel - a spin off from Buffy, this show had a good 5 year run, and was nearly the equal of Buffy.
-Magnum P.I. - a classic early 80's action show. In my opinion, the best of that genre.

There's been lots of other shows I've enjoyed over the years...too numerous to mention. I struggled to keep the "Honorable Mention" list short. Also, note that I was too young at the time to catch onto the MASH craze, and I just never enjoyed Seinfeld as much as most.

Movie Review: The Illusionist

After a 2 week hiatus, I was able to finally watch a movie again last night. The first movie back was "The Illusionist". This was a movie that has been hovering near the top of my cue for months, but only recently made it to the top. I kept finding other movies that I wanted to watch more. Well, I was really missing out. "The Illusionist" is a terrific movie, and is easily a 4.5 star movie.

I would compare "The Illusionist" to films such as "The Prestige" and "The Count of Monte Cristo". Set in early 1900's Vienna, "The Illusionist" stars Edward Norton as master Illusionist Eisenheim who creates an elaborate plot to free his first love, played by Jessica Biel, who is to be married to the villain, Crown Prince Leopold, (played by Rufus Sewell). Adding an additional foil to the mix is Paul Giamati, who plays the Chief Inspector trying to figure out what Eisenheim is doing.

Overall, the cast is great. Norton shines in the lead role. I'm finding that I really like Edward Norton as an actor. He has played some interesting characters. One of the nits I had was the accents used by the actors was not consistent. This was especially true for Jessica Biel and Paul Giamati. Though, I really liked Giamati's character. Rufus Sewell was perfect as the Crown Prince Leopold. Sewell is really a natural villain. I have a hard time with him in the "Eleventh Hour" on CBS, because I think he's a much better villain.

I would recommend this movie to anyone who likes a good mystery/drama. This movie keeps you guessing to the end, and I don't think you'll be disappointed. I know I wasn't. I may have to buy this film at some point.

Playtime Poppy!

This afternoon, we went to see "Sleeping Beauty" at Playtime Poppy. Playtime Poppy is a Children's Theater group, made up of mostly high school kids, who put on 3 shows throughout the school year.

This was the first time I've gone with to Playtime Poppy. The other times, Amanda and the kids went during the week when I was working. But due to the current state of Amanda's ankle, I was forced to go because I had to drive. I'm glad I went, because this was an absolute blast! Watching the kids be so excited about what they were seeing was great. There is a lot of audience interaction required, which David and Nicholas really got into, especially Nicholas.

Before the show started, a royal joke teller was needed for the show. David went and told a knock-knock joke. David's joke was funny, but he was not selected as the royal joke teller. Then the show began, and lasted for about 45 minutes. Afterward, all the actors were in the hallway outside the theater, signing autographs for the kids. Nicholas and David each got a couple of autographs on their programs.

I'm really glad I was forced to go. I hope the kids continue to enjoy things like this, and I hope I get more opportunities to go with them.