A Couple of Average Movies

I've seen a couple of 3 star movies on Netflix recently.  Neither of these movies will "rock your world", but if you want an evening of entertainment without much heavy thinking, then these 2 movies might be for you.

"City of Ember":  I haven't read the books, but I'm betting someone who has will say the books were better than the movie.  Well, the movie is slightly entertaining.  Ember is a city that was built underground by some super smart dudes to protect civilization after what we're left to believe is Nuclear War.  They intended for the population to live underground for 200 years, but due to an untimely death in the line of mayors, the 200 years came and went and nobody left. 

This is where the movie picks up.  A couple of kids find the secret to getting out, but the corrupt mayor, played by Bill Murray, wants to stop them.  What ensues is a light hearted "chase" sequence that results in some entertainment while still leaving a low stress evening of movie viewing.

"Tron Legacy":  I'm one of the few children of the 80's who never watched "Tron", but I was told by a friend that it wouldn't matter.  Well, it mattered a little bit, but I read up on what happened in "Tron" so I was good.  "Tron Legacy" has some really cool effects, and probably would have been great in 3D.  Overall, though, it fell short of a great movie, but was entertaining enough.

There was one thing that was a bit off putting, but I eventually got used to it.  There is a CGI version of Jeff Bridges that is 20 years younger than the real Jeff Bridges.  That was sort of creepy for a while.  But, once I got past that, I had an ok time.  Low expectations are key with this movie I think.  I had no expectations, and that helped.

Book Review: "Be a Man!"

Father Larry Richards' book, "Be a Man!: Becoming the Man God Created You to Be" was the handout at this year's Catholic Men's Conference for the Archdiocese of Dubuque.  Fr. Richards is the Keynote Speaker at the 2012 conference, and if his book is any indication, he is going to let us men have it!

"Be a Man" is a very challenging read.  All throughout the book Fr. Richards uses very straightforward language to get the reader to face the fact that he is most likely not living the life that God intended him to be living.  From a man's relationship to Jesus, to his role as spiritual leader of the family, to his duty to change the world, "Be a Man" covers it all.

I really enjoyed this book and was challenged by it.  Fr. Richards starts off the book by telling us that we're all going to die...it ends the same way for all of us.  When we die, we have 2 options for eternity, and the good news is, we get to choose where we spend it (unless you believe in Predestination, but that's a topic for Nuke's blog, not mine).  The problem is, too many men are leading lives that indicate that they are choosing the wrong option. 

Fr. Richards makes the case for Jesus being the ultimate man, and then spends the rest of the book providing ways to live out the life God intends for you.  Each chapter focuses on a new area to work on, and contains practical tips.  Some of the tips are very challenging, such as devoting 1 hour every day for the rest of your life to prayer...I find that one very challenging, but one that I'm also going to pray that I can someday commit to. 

At the end of each chapter, there are study questions, so I think this would be a great book for men's groups looking for something to study.  I highly recommend this book for all men, not just Catholic men.  I think it has the potential to change your life.  I look forward to hearing Fr. Richards speak more on the topics in "Be a Man!" and next year's conference.

I'm Getting Old!

If you are a golfer, this blog will interest you...if not, well, you can read on if you'd like. 

Tonight, I bought a 5 wood with a gift card I got from my mother-in-law for my birthday.  The 5 wood brings me dangerously close to the true old man club, the 7 wood.  I now have 4 clubs in my bag with head covers...and it makes me feel old.  When I was a kid, all the old guys had 4 or 5 clubs in their bags with head covers, while us "real players" had 2...at most.  Never mind that the old guys used to kick my butt...I looked cooler.

I remember when I was in high school and I could rip my 2 iron...now I don't have a 2 iron, or a 3 iron in my bag.  I have a hybrid, which is a cross between an iron and a wood.  Everybody says that woods and hybrids are easier to hit, and they are probably right, but it doesn't change the fact that it makes me feel old and less cool.

But, I do know that I'm a better golfer now than I was in high school.  The problem is, I don't feel as cool as I did then with my 2 head cover set.  It's interesting, because I got reminded today about pride and this is just another reminder that I should have no pride, and just accept how things are.  The truth of how things are is I'm probably going to be a better golfer and have more fun with a 5 wood in my bag than without.  And...well, if I look a little dorky to the teenagers with 2 irons in their bags, I guess I just have to be ok with that.

Movie Review: "Thor"

As you may or may not have noticed, singular movie reviews are becoming a thing of the past on my blog.  But, after seeing "Thor" last night in the movie theater, I decided that it was one movie that deserved it's own review.

"Thor" is a fantastic movie that encompasses everything you could want in a super hero film.  We start off with Thor (Chris Hemsworth) in Asgard as a selfish, proud warrior who thinks he knows better than his father and king, Odin (Anthony Hopkins).  After disobeying Odin, Thor is stripped of his powers, namely his hammer, and banished to earth.  On earth, Thor meets Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), and discovers what it means to be a true hero and care about someone and something besides himself.  Once he does this, he is able to reclaim his hammer and take Asgard back from his rogue brother, Loki (Tom Hiddleston).

Kenneth Branagh does a masterful job directing this super hero film.  It's on par, quality wise, with Chris Nolan's directing in the recent Batman movies.  I still like Batman better, but I think Thor has become my favorite Marvel Comics hero, surpassing the Hulk and Wolverine.  "Thor" was so good, that if I were to redo my Top 5 Super Hero Movies list, this would be #2 or #3. 

Now, the acting is probably not Oscar-worthy, but it's not bad either.  Chris Hemsworth was the perfect actor to play Thor, and Tom Hiddleston was the perfect choice for Loki.  I'm excited to see both reprising their roles in next summer's "Avengers" movie.  Anthony Hopkins and Natalie Portman add a level of class to "Thor", and Rene Russo was a nice addition as Thor's mother. 

In case you can't tell already, I'd give "Thor" a 5 star rating.  I believe this is my first 5 star movie of 2011.  I'm not really sure why it ended up with a PG-13 rating.  I don't remember any bad language, and there were no scantily clad women.  The frost giants were a bit scary, but I'm planning to allow my 10 year old to watch this with me on Blu-ray.  I will be buying "Thor" as soon as it comes out.

Top 5 Movie Sequels (or Theequels)

What is the 3rd movie in a trilogy called?  The second is called the sequel.  Is the third called the threequel?

Not many movies have great sequels, but there are a few.  Here is my list of the Top 5 Sequels (or Threequels):

5 - "The Lord of the Rings:  The Two Towers":  I actually liked "Two Towers" better than "Fellowship of the Ring".  It just built on the first movie, and with the return of Gandalf, it was just better.  "The Lord of the Rings" is possibly the greatest movie trilogy in history.

4 - "The Dark Knight":  I'm one of the few that like "Batman Begins" better than "The Dark Knight", but don't get me wrong, I really liked the 2nd film in the Christopher Nolan version of Batman.  Note that the 3rd and final Christopher Nolan Batman movie will come out next summer.  It has a lot to live up to if it's going to equal the first two movies.

3 - "Ghostbusters II":  This is a sequel that is almost as good as the first.  The laughs keep rolling as the Ghostbusters return to the job, this time to stop Viggo the Carpathian.  "Only a Carpathian would come back now, and choose New York.  Tasty pick...Bonehead!"  Oh, and the walking Statue of Liberty and dancing toaster make this a classic.  I wonder when Hollywood is going to "reimagine" this movie franchise.

2 - "Return of the Jedi":  My favorite movie in the "Star Wars" franchise is also one of the best sequels, or threequels in my opinion.  It was actually really hard for me not to put this one #1 on the list, but I think you'll agree that my #1 is better.  By "Return of the Jedi", Luke isn't really whiny anymore, Darth Vader is conflicted, we finally get to see the emperor, and Admiral Ackbar utters the famous words..."It's a trap!"  What more can you ask for?

1 - "The Lord of the Rings:  Return of the King":  Yes, two from the same trilogy.  As I said, the best trilogy ever!  With it's 7 endings, epic battles, impressive special effects and great story, how could I not put "Return of the King" on the top of this list?  I can honestly say that this is the only 4 hour movie I've ever watched without a potty break.  I just couldn't take my eyes off it the first time I saw it.  Even the 2nd, 3rd and 4th times...I was riveted.  I didn't even care when they released an "extended edition" because even more movie was better in my opinion.  Just a great, great movie.

My Sleep Test Results

A few months ago, I told you all about my sleep test.  Well, I was reminded by a blog reader today that I never shared my results.

As it turns out, I do not have sleep apnea...thank God!  I do have really bad allergies, which I've had for a long time.  I had been taking medication and thought that my allergies were as good as they were going to get, which was not very good.  I was wrong.  My doctor added a 3rd allergy medication to my regimen, one that works differently, and right away, I began to breathe better.

Within a few weeks of starting my new allergy medication, I began to sleep better.  Whereas before, I was only sleeping 2-3 hours at a shot, it is now quite normal for me to get 4-5 hours of sleep at a shot.  A few weeks ago, I fell asleep at 10:30 and didn't wake up until a little after 5 am!  That's unheard of for me.

I've had more energy and been more active, though I still don't think I sleep quite enough (that may be laziness more than anything).  I can now get through weekends without napping, and have been able to get myself up earlier on Saturdays to start getting stuff done.  I'm so glad I went through with the sleep test and have found some help.  Even though the sleep test was not pleasant, it was really worth it. 

Cold Turkey

A little over 2 weeks ago, I quit cold turkey on listening to Rush Limbaugh, or any conservative talk  radio.  Don't mistake this action.  I am still a staunch conservative thinker and a Rush Limbaugh fan, however, I found that I could not listen to Rush without 1) Getting Angry and 2) Thinking Ill of Democrats, and especially our President.

Why is this a problem?  Well, in taking my faith seriously, I've been hit over the head with the fact that we are all God's children, and Jesus taught us to love our neighbors as ourselves.  That means that even Democrats are loved by God and thus should be loved by me.  I wasn't able to do that very well when listening to Rush Limbaugh, because I found myself thinking horrible things about Democrats and Barack Obama.  So, I decided to cut that out of my life for a while and see what happened.

Well, two weeks in, I can report that I'm a happier person.  I'm still staying somewhat informed by watching my local news and listening to AP radio news and reading the Internet, but I'm also staying away from the spin, as much as possible.  See, while I realize that the Republicans aren't always right, I was treating politics as a "sporting event" in which my side needed to win, even if they were wrong.  Now, don't get me wrong, I still believe my side is right 99% of the time, but by not listening to Rush, I can more easily discern that 1% of wrongness.

The other thing I've realized is that I've been able to have better relationships with the Democrats in my life.  I'm not always ready to pounce on them with the latest issue of the day in the interest of "winning."  And now, when we do talk politics, I think I might be more persuasive because I don't just sound like I'm regurgitating Rush.

So, for now I'm going to continue this experiment of keeping my life a no spin zone.  I do miss the entertainment value of Rush Limbaugh, but to be the type of person God wants me to be, I have to do without that form of entertainment at this point in my life.