Life with a DVR

Well I finally caved and got a DVR (or tivo to some) and I must admit, it is really helping me keep up with movies like I never thought possible. I am really enjoying catching up with my favorite shows on the weekend, when I have some time to kill rather than having to restructure my life around a TV show (which is something that rarely happens). I especially like taping "Lost" and "The Office", so that I actually can keep up with the seasons, rather than wait until they are released on DVD. Fast-forwarding commercials is a wonderful time-saver as well. Alone with my upgrade to a DVR, I decided to cut down my Netflix plan, and get a few movie channels and have been busy taping some old and newer movies that I never got around to watching. My wife and I watched some of the new movie Guess Who last night and thought it was a lot of fun. I also taped the movie to the right. Yes, one of the hits that Sly Stallone made in his prime: RAMBO 2! It wasn't too bad considering it was made in the 80s. I thought Stallone did a great job acting and it definitely inspired patriotism. Of course, compared to newer shows like 24, the violence and action leave quite a bit to be desired, but it was classic 80s material and for the times, I believe it was well-made and well-acted. The closing song was totally 80s as well so it should be seen for old-times sake if nothing else. Recommended if you can put your desire for realism on the back-burner and enjoy some kick-butt action.

Our little dependent

Well after thinking about it for a while, my wife and I decided to add a member to our family. Meet Daisy - our new cat. We have never owned a pet together, and look forward to many years with our new dependent - if we can convince her that we are really nice people! Evidently, from what I know, Daisy has had some rough experiences dealing with people. She is not agressive at all, yet at the smallest thing - like walking down the stairs she will run and hide in one of her favorite spots - under our couch. We love Daisy and continue to buy her new toys and try to coax her out from under the couch, yet she remains untrusting and shy with us. However, we aren't giving up. Chrystal especially is growing to love her more and more each day and is convinced that in time she will warm up enough to us that she won't run and hide when we come looking for her. All this care we are putting into our new pet has really given me a taste (and I really do mean a very, very small tiny taste ) of perhaps what God feels when people run, hide or hate Him even though He continues to pursue us and love us. I realize I will never fully comprehend what God feels, but having someone or something that you care about and want to spoil yet that refuses to trust you or stop hiding from you has given me a little bit more of a picture. I am sure if Chrystal and I have children someday, we will even have more of a picture of that. Since many kids are notorious for taking all they can from their parents and never returning anything or showing gratefulness - yet that is how we all acted before God called us to repent and be saved. God's patience, mercy and enduring love are truly amazing to people such as us.

The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. - Lamenations 3:22-23 ESV

But God had mercy on me so that Christ Jesus could use me as a prime example of his great patience with even the worst sinners. Then others will realize that they, too, can believe in him and receive eternal life. 1 Timothy 1:16 NLT

The Best Hamburger

OK, now for a change of topic. Who do you believe makes the best hamburger out there? This is a very important topic because when you hunger for a mouth-watering juicy hamburger, you can't go just anywhere. You must pick the place of all places. I have been to several different hamburger places among them being:

1. McDonald's (of course)
2. Fudruckers
3. Red Robin
4. Five Guys
5. Burger King
6. Wendy's

Those are the main places where I live. Also among those places number 2 and 3 are kind of a higher class dining experience than the rest of them. How about for taste? What place has the best tasting burger? I think I'm going to probably lean toward Fudruckers (#2) on this one. Yes, I do love the 5 Guys burgers but they aren't really that gourmet. They are delicious no doubt, but they lack the weight and juiciness you would get at Fudruckers. So all those out there in Bloggerville, what do you think? Out of those 6 options which in your opinion is the best tasting burger?

The Illusionist movie review

One of the best new releases I have seen in a long time! I can highly recommend this new movie that is based on a true story of a magician in the 1800s (I believe). This movie is thought provoking, interesting and romantic all rolled into one. I haven't seen too many movies with Edward Norton (Fight Club) that I really liked, but this is definitely one of them. Basically the story revolves around a very well-known (in his day) magician who loves someone that the evil ruler also is interested in. That's all I say for now, but if you are looking for a great, adventure/drama that is based on a true story, I think you should definitely rent this one. There is one objectionable scene but it is very easy to skip and to tell when it is coming. However, there is no bad language that I recall and the storyline is superb! Two thumbs up for an intriguing story with solid acting, a great script and a well-done ending!

Scent of a Woman review

Wow, this must be some sort of record for me to be updating the blog this much, but I just finished watching The Scent of a Woman and thought I would record some thoughts about it. Very well-made well-acted movie about a boy who befriends a retired Air Force Colonel and learns about life with him. I won't give too much away but it is a fascinating story if you can excuse Al Pacino's dirty mouth once-in-a-while. I thought this movie really showed the value of standing by someone and standing by values. Although it is interesting in this movie, the main character (Chris O'Donnell) is faced with the dilemma of snitching on some of his classmates. The movie makes a big deal out of the character he has to not snitch on his friends who destroyed property of one of the head teachers, but I was kind of puzzled at how highly that was played up. The boys in question obviously destroyed private property, and yet the main character didn't want to tell on them because he had so much character. There is a time when character is allowing people to suffer the consequences for their actions so that they will grow wiser. That doesn't seem to have registered with the writer of this movie. However, that being said, if you can excuse the fact that the older Al Pacino has several parts where his language and conversation are pretty obscene, this movie is worth the time to watch. 1.75 thumbs!

The Joys of Reformatting

Well it's that time again - time to reinstall my OS on my laptop yet again. I was hoping I could hold off on it, but for some strange reason, my laptop has ceased to work reliably. Sometimes it boots up fine, but other times it loads the wallpaper and nothing else. I even changed my nature wallpaper to a plain blue background and those icons still refuse to show! After talking about it with my good friend Matt, I have decided to take the plunge and start clean. I'm hoping that this will give me a 10 out of 10 reliability everytime I hit the power button. Sometimes it is good to have a clean start. I believe that is why we are instructed to renew our minds as well according to Romans 12:2

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. NJKV

or as The Message puts it:

Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.

We all get bogged down by what people are eating, drinking, what cool movie they are watching or what successful people are wearing. However, to really make a difference in the world, we can't merely be a conformist to the world's system. We have to dare to be different and ask our Maker to change us into the person He wants us to be. Following our culture is easy. Daring to live a life that is different, and responding to difficulties with joy causes others to realize you are relying on Someone other than yourself. Only Christ can truly transform you, deliver you from sin, and enable you to have a personal relationship with the Author of Life - Jesus Christ.

Cool Hand Luke Review

Although I like Newman's Own salad dressings and enjoyed watching The Sting and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, this movie was disappointing. It is basically a story of some guy that won't conform to prison rules and ends up paying the price. He becomes a hero to those in prison who believe the guy is one-of-a-kind and Luke (Paul Newman), becomes a sort of role model to all those in prison with hopes to escape. The acting is very well-done I will say that, but overall I found the movie kind of depressing. I originally rented this movie knowing that it was one of the top 100 movies made according to AFI's top movies, but I guess that had my hopes up a little too high. I also watched Marlon Brando in A Streetcar Named Desire, and guess what? Despite all reviews to the contrary, I found it to be boring and strange as well. I could also add Citizen Kane to that list. After watching all of these movies, I just wonder why people rate these movies so high? They aren't exactly movies that leave a great impression on me after watching them, but I'm not your average movie reviewer. That's what makes my blog my own!
Anyway I give this movie 2.5 stars out of 5. Not the worse movie I've seen, but certainly not the best. Until next time!

Powder Review

Another movie I managed to squeeze into my schedule. Actually I rather enjoyed this interesting movie about an abnormal boy. I first want to preface this review by saying that I hated the movie "ET". Say what you want about how cute Eliot and ET were, I just never fell in love with the alien who could make a bicycle fly. Maybe my distaste for the movie had something to do with me watching it for the first time when I was 16 years old. After hearing over and over how wonderful the movie was, I guess I just was expecting more. Now I did happen to like Star Wars, but never really grew to love Episodes 1, 2, and 3 that much. Jar jar binks may have had something to do with that. ANYWAY - I digress back to the review of Powder. This is kind of an alien movie, but mainly just an interesting story of how people respond to others that are different. Powder is a really nice kid who has some pretty weird powers with electricity and has a way of reading what others are thinking. This really unnerves a few people, not to mention he doesn't look like your average teenager. However, their were many lessons of life explored and the acting was well-done. A very interesting character study on a small town's reaction to a new kid. It was worth watching in my opinion. That is saying something and keeps my Netflix subscription continuing. I was losing hope after "Nacho Libre" and some other lame movies, but gems like these keep me hopeful that good movies still are made. However, disclaimer on the worldview in this movie - a little different than you may believe. It appears that Powder believes that all matter becomes other matter to the point that he believes when you die you become the wind, the trees and the air. I don't know if that is what the writer believes or if he/she were merely trying to include some references to Albert Einstein in this movie, but it does come across throughout. 1.5 thumbs for this one!

The Effect of this blog

Crazy picture of me around New Years 2007. (now removed)

Today while listening to a great message preached at my church, our pastor challenged us to think about the effect our blog has on others. I thought that was interesting because I wondered if all my weird movie reviews were what others would call "uplifting". Sure, the material may not be that offensive, but really who cares what I think about movies. From what I can see (my observations in talking to others), I have strange movie tastes anyway compared to many movie buffs out there, so I really am considering quitting the movie reviews on my blog. I want this blog to be something that people find useful and at least leave with a better perspective on life as a result of the material contained in this blog. Maybe this wouldn't be from me, but as long as I am quoting others and reflecting on what truly matters in life, work and recreation, maybe that would be more beneficial to all those in blog-readerville than my two cents on movies. So I challenge all those who read this to leave me a comment as to if my movie reviews should continue or whether there should be more variation in content of this blog. Yes, I do recognize that I have been negligent in updating, but part of that is related to the fact that I haven't been watching movies as much. I did watch "When Harry Met Sally" and "Michael" but have yet to write a review on these. Anyway - let me know what you would prefer to see on a blog like this.

Happy New Year

Hello everyone! We just wanted to say "happy New Year" to all those who read our blog. I hope that all reading this will be spending a wonderful New Year's Eve somewhere or just at home and I look forward to a new year ahead. Visiting NY with my family, I realized that my younger brother Michael is more of a media star than I realized. Check out his production of Cyber Idol at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UaLgUirVmpA

Pretty funny - if I do say so myself. Makes me want to hook up my digital camera and try shooting some videos myself.

Nacho Libre movie review

OK folks, I have to confess I wasted a rental on this one. This movie is boring, unfunny and stupid. I was pretty disappointed though, because I really like Napoleon Dynamite and thought that this would be hilarious and funny. Although it may not have been dirty, it crossed the line of stupidity to the point of making me wonder if I should waste an hour and a half to watch the whole thing through. You may like this movie, but I found it a waste of time. I do enjoy Jack Black and like him in the movie School of Rock, however, I believe he had an unfunny and weird story to work with and even his talent as a comedian couldn't lift this movie out of the pit of movie duds. If you are really in a crazy mood or feel so tired that seeing someone fall on their face is hilarious to you, then perhaps you should give it a try. I guess I failed to see the point in trying to enjoy this movie. Hopefully the writer/director of this movie will learn from their mistakes with this one.

Fight Club movie review

OK, it has been a while, some of the time of watching TV has been spent getting caught up in the TV show "Lost", but I finally rented a movie I want to comment on. "Fight Club" with Brad Pitt. I rented this movie knowing it had that very popular line : "The first rule of fight club is... don't talk about fight club." and was hoping for a thought provoking movie about men who learn about themselves while fighting each other. Instead, I saw a sort of confusing, artistic, yet disturbing movie about a man who feels so dead inside, he becomes unruly and crazy and begins to train a group of people to follow the same lifestyle. Watching this movie made you feel like life is a disoriented purpose-less and the only real thing worth doing is causing mayhem and fighting others to find release in life. This was a strange and artistic movie and left me feeling kind of down. I am afraid I can't recommend this movie for viewing. There is so much blood, gore, violence, bad language, and inappropriate scenes, that the cover art is very appropriate because it needs a good bar of soap to clean up the moral message of this film. I'm not saying that all movies have to have a happy ending, but I definitely think there could be a redemptive theme more prevalent in the movie. I mean even shows like "Lost" have a strand of hope that the people will be rescued (redemption). This movie can be summed up with one sentence:

We all struggle with our personal demons and long for true meaning in life - deal with it.

I don't believe that quest for true meaning needs to end the way this movie does.

The Family Man review

He said: This movie was another 5 star movie in my opinion. Extremely well done and similar in a way to "It's a Wonderful Life". However it isn't a remake and it is different enough to be a very funny, interesting, movie that is definitely worth watching. I actually liked Nicholas Cage in this movie (even though I don't like him in a lot of different movies) and the values this film supports really were refreshing to see a movie where your business isn't the most important thing in your life. It was very cleverly put together and showed the value of raising a family and being a man who doesn't always have to have the best in life in order to share your time and money with your family. Very, very well done - excellent acting - excellent story - two thumbs up!

She said: I saw this movie when it came out in the theater and remembered that it was one of Nicholas Cage's best movies. I was excited to watch it again and I have to say that I liked it even more. It was very funny the way the movie addresses some of the serious issues that can come up in married life: not having enough time for eachother, the joy of having a good community of friends that know you and keep you accountable, giving up some dreams for others, loyalty, and commitment to family. I think Tae Leone (sp?) is a wonderful actress and does a great job as a busy Mother. My favorite aspect of this film has to be the father daughter relationship! It has an interesting humerous twist that underlies the entire movie!! Two thumbs up!

Man in the Iron Mask

I would give this movie 5 stars out of 5! Two thumbs up. An excellent movie about the noble swordsmen of the past. I know this was a fictional story, but the retelling of this movie is superb! I thought the acting was top-notch, the landscape and scenery very beautiful and the storyline interesting and action-packed. Highly recommended. In fact I would consider buying this movie or at least watching it again. The main plot is that there are twins in the kingdom - a evil brat of a king, and a locked up twin brother who has a noble heart and chooses not to be bitter. The four musketeers have to unite to over-rule the evil, selfish king. How they do it I won't say, but it is very interesting and this movie-version of the Alexander Dumas' tale is definitely worth the rental. Inspiring and well-done in my opinion.

Go!Go!Go!

I think that the Nike slogan, "Just Do It!" is pretty wise for some things. Let me explain, I tend to be in what a personality test I took labeled me as a "thinker". If you are similar in this type of thought processing you "think" about doing things, but it is hard to get to the action portion. It can be good because I'm very cautious when I make decisions, but it also is just a breeding ground for laziness and procrastination in specific areas. There is a bible verse that says, "Do not eat the bread of idleness." I have to remind myself of that at times. I also can lean towards perfectionism, which is where I hesitate to do something unless it's "right" the first time. My best friend made a comment a few years back that she had never met anyone that read so much about cleaning, but didn't actually "do" it. Hahah! That is me in a nutshell in some areas. Thankfully, I was very blessed to live with two amazing women (Amy & Abby) who really emphasized to me by their example, that the things I procrastinate only take 1/2 the time I think they will. They really showed me that it is all a matter of keeping up with everything a little at a time and being consistant (not letting mail, dishes, dust, laundry pile up sky high). In fact, Abby helped me organize my closet (she could be a professional organizer) in an hour when I thought that we would need to block off 1/2 a Saturday to get it done. The lesson learned: stop thinking about when and how you're going to do it and actually start working on it.

In the last few months, while adjusting to my new role as a wife, I've really tried hard to turn over a new leaf in the areas that I'm prone to fall into procrastination. I hope that some of my experiences can help or motivate you as well.

Sucess Story #1: The name change after marriage was going smoothly, but I was dreading going to the DMV. I had procrastinated on this task because, well it's the DMV. I would rather go to the dentist than the DMV. It was starting to effect me though because my driver's license had the wrong address and name. Not good. One day, I went to our bank to change my name, then went to a store to return something, and then a light bulb went off when I realized that I had all the paperwork together and could size the moment of opportunity to go to the DMV. I had to push through my laziness - by not thinking about less important things I'd rather do instead. Literally, I had to turn my car in the direction of the DMV without thinking about it. There was actually a rush of excitement and a voice saying, "Go! Go! Go!". Well, I walked into the DMV at 3pm on a Wednesday and waited for a total of 5 minutes before they called my name. The entire process only took 25 minutes. I'm so glad that in that moment of putting off this dreaded task - I pushed through and just did it instead of thinking about how much I didn't want to do it.

Sucess Story #2: Laundry is my most dreaded household chore. I recently informed my husband to his surprise that I'd rather clean the bathroom than do laundry. I think there should be one machine that does the washing, drying and folding! Where is that robot from the Jetson's? I was much better at completing all of these steps in college because there was a consequence of having laundry left in the washing machine: your stuff would be taken out and put on the table for all to see. Also, there was a narrow time window of when the laundry mat had washers available.

Well, our washing machine broke a couple of weeks ago (Paul went down to the Leasing Office to complain looking pitiful in mismatched socks and shorts in cold weather). As a result, we got permission to use a washer in another apartment. We had to carry our laundry to another apartment to get it done. There was a catch too: it had to all be done by 4:30pm to take the key back to the leasing agent. Paul and I were so motivated - we were watching a movie (of course) - and every 20-30 minutes he would pause it and we would rush over to move the laundry process forward! We accomplished our goal. It was very rewarding!!

After our machine was fixed, I decided to wash all my laundry. I've done probably about 16 loads (our machine is tiny). It has really felt amazing to see the end of the basket. I hope to maintain this by keeping up with it once or twice a week. :) That's all for now. I hope this little sampling helps you get things done too!

Robin Hood - Men in Tights

I must admit I found this movie to be HILARIOUS! I'm definitely not a fan of the remake of Robin Hood - Prince of Thieves. I found this movie a welcome parody of such a lame movie. Don't get me wrong on this, I do love the story of Robin Hood, but I found the Prince of Thieves movie terrible with a capital T. I personally think Cary Elwes would have been a better serious Robin Hood instead of Kevin Costner. It is traditionally kind of corny, but if you don't expect the movie to be extremely witty, I think you find it very funny and amusing. I loved the Little John and Robin Hood fight sequence. I won't give that away, but they made it great for laughs. Also it was funny to see them make fun of the witch in the Prince of Thieves movie. I'm not sure there is really any witch reference in the original legend, so I thought it was great that they poke fun of the character throughout "Men in Tights". Also, being it is directed by Mel Brooks, be prepared for some obvious references to his prior movies. All in all, a great movie to see a very funny take on a classic legend.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest review

I know most people have seen this movie, but I after hearing that it won so many awards, I decided to finally rent it. I must say the acting was top-notch. It starred people like Danny Devito, and Christopher Lloyd whom I didn't even know were in it. The story was intriguing too. Basically a man who really isn't insane goes to a mental institution to be evaluated by professionals to see if he is really mentally ill. While there he really forms some good friendships with the men there, and encourages them to begin acting like real people. Unfortunately, this movie portrays Jack Nicholson as the hero in that he wants to let the men smoke, sleep around and be rebels to the authority figure in their life. The film really portrays friendship in an interesting light and has an interesting take on treating patients as people rather than just "cases". In that way it is similar to Patch Adams. However, the ending is kind of sad and emotionally moving. I found it slightly disturbing, but very interesting and well acted. Recommended if you want a good drama that depicts the value of friendships and the sinful rebellion that is found in all men.

Peter Pan movie review

Excellent movie. Most people like the story of Peter Pan and this movie was very well done for a movie starring real people (as opposed to Walt Disney's cartoon). I thought it moved along well, was pretty accurate to the story and was still exciting It was a well-done creation of the story and I liked it better than the movie "Hook". While I acknowledge the movies weren't meant to be the same, I found the story better and not as modernized as "Hook", and thought the boy who played Peter Pan was very good at acting. Captain Hook was also well acted and he also was cast as the father of Wendy, Michael and John in which he also did a fine job. All in all, a great movie for the whole family.

Where Does Passion Come From?

My post today is about the source of passion. Where does it come from? We all know that passion is something most people like to be around. It is an almost contagious way of feeling, talking, and exploring a subject. What is the source of passion? How do I become more passionate? People are drawn to passion. Whether you are passionate about your hobby, your sports team, your job, or you faith in God - anyone who observes it usually shows some interest in why you are so passionate about your subject of choice. I believe the one thing that motivates passion in someone and causes them to grow more and more excited is one thing - their love for the subject. In some ways I believe it is totally unfair to talk about passion without mentioning love because love fuels their passion. Those that don't love much, don't show much passion for life. Those that have a burning desire to communicate what they are learning and share it with others are usually defined as passionate. Passion is something that employers usually want to see in their employees. Passion is what causes a salesman to sell so many of his/her products. How can we be more passionate? I have several ways I believe will help to grow more passionate:
1. Study what you are passionate about. If you are truly excited about something, studying it shouldn't be an effort.
2. Invest time and money in your subject of interest. Put your money where your mouth is - as the saying goes. Those that don't invest time and money (very closely related) in their interest show they lack interest.
3. Talk about your passion with others. It is hard to be passionate about something without talking to others about it. Communicating in words and writing are two ways you can increase your knowledge of something and encourage others to dive deeper into your love.
4. If you are passionate about someone - spend time with them whenever possible. This one relates to #2, but I reiterate because obviously there is a difference between passionate about something vs. someone. If you are truly in love with someone, you must make it a priority to spend quality time with them (whether it be a work mentor, a best friend, or a spouse).

Note on the Picture: the balloon flame is supposed to represent the flame of passion NOT symbolize that this blog post is all hot air.

Rollercoasters and the Meaning of Life

A few weekends ago, I decided to go to the King's Dominion Amusement Park with my wife. In my younger days, I have always been up for a good scare doing all the roller coasters I could jump on. I have been to Six Flags, and Hershey Park and had a good time trying to ride the wildest, craziest rides possible, getting all that adrenaline flowing and feeling the thrill in my blood. Well I must be getting old or something!!!! OK, I'm not that old yet. I'm only 27 years old, and I still enjoy doing things exciting (i.e. mountain biking, driving fast, I even break 65 mph from time to time, etc.). I'm not ready for the rocking chair. Yet going to King's Dominion was: - how do I say this - humbling. I ended up riding two rides that terrified the living daylights out of me. Maybe it's this whole marriage thing, but life didn't seem worth throwing away on a run away roller coaster. Of course roller coaster accidents rarely occur, but there is always that 0.01% chance that you will fall out. It's not worth it I tell you. There is so much life to enjoy why raise your blood pressure and make yourself feel like you are jumping off a cliff with no harness? I do hope to live a long enjoyable life, and although I had a great time with my wife, and thought it was great eating a funnel cake and riding go-carts, I believe I will leave the crazy roller coasters to those who want to make their body feel like they are about to die. I for one am for having life and having it more abundantly. Of course Jesus is the only One who can truly give that (John 10:10).