It has been a long while since I've stumbled home at 4 in the morning. That, however, was precisely the case this past Saturday / early Sunday. Most likely, the reason for my venture out until the wee hours of night is not what you think. I attempted to be in a movie this past weekend. Too bad I suck at being in a movie.
Last week, I received an email about a particular movie filming in Boston that was in need of finding some extras to shoot a concert scene. I thought it was an interesting proposition, in part because I do enjoy all things movie-related. Heck, I watch bad movies just because I can. So if I could have a dream job, that dream job would be an actor, possibly followed by a screenwriter, or a combination of the two.
I thought the activity was pretty neat because to me, being part of a movie was something different. I like spontaneity. For anyone curious, that was why I originally started my scavenger hunt activity in the first place, because it was different.
Unfortunately, I couldn't just go out and be part of the movie. I have a fifteen month old daughter (Briana) to take care of, especially since she had a fever and rash following her MMR vaccination the previous week. But as luck would have it, Briana was feeling better on Saturday and Karen was absolutely not interested in being part of the movie.
Naturally, I didn't want to be the guy who showed up by himself to the event. So thanks to my friend (Andrea) and my BFF (Kerry), the three of us headed into town for the shooting of the movie. I was actually hesitant at first to ask any of my friends because the hours for the shooting were from 7pm to 3am. Those hours make for a long day (and the following day too). If it were just me it would have been okay, but I felt bad for asking them to do it. Luckily, I have great friends.
For anyone curious, the movie is called Ted. It stars Boston's own Mark (don't call me "Marky Mark") Wahlberg and is directed by Seth MacFarlane of Family Guy fame. It is actually Seth MacFarlane's directorial debut.
Anyway, it was definitely an interesting experience that I got to share with Andrea and Kerry. Most likely, none of us will be in the movie because we really weren't positioned in the most ideal spot. We were off to the far side. I don't think Kerry or Andrea particularly shared my desire to be in the movie. I think they just wanted to humor me by going.
Regardless, I did enjoy the night. Seth MacFarlane was pretty comical. Special guest Norah Jones was pretty good, although I must say that I am a little tired of hearing "Come away with me". Even Boston Bruin Shawn Thornton was funny. Yes, Shawn Thornton apparently has a cameo in the movie.
The only person who I thought wasn't funny was Mark Wahlberg, who seemed like he was half in the bag all of the time. He kept swearing; He tried to be funny with the crowds; but to me, he just wasn't. Now if he broke out and started singing "Good Vibrations", I would have a different opinion.
Of course, I may have been in the minority to think that of Boston's own. Everyone there seemed starstruck over Mark Wahlberg, particularly the women. I would say that was probably the worst part of the experience: the crowd. People were pushing and shoving to get to the front of the stage. People were trying to cram themselves into these itty bitty spots on the lawn just to be closer to the stage. Some people were making fun of some person, who to me seemed homeless, because he started singing a patriotic song while waiting for the camera crews to set up. There was even an obvious pimp with his "after party" sluts there. It was bizarre. (For anyone curious, pimps and hos are not like what you see in Hollywood. They are ugly in real life.)
All in all, I did have fun. I'd probably do it again depending on the movie. Plus, it was good to spend some time with Andrea and Kerry. They may not share my opinion of course, but I had a good time. And sadly, if having "Come away with me" stuck in my head weren't bad enough, I do feel compelled to actually watch "Ted" now just to see if any of us made it to the big screen.
Showing posts with label movies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label movies. Show all posts
Monday, July 11, 2011
Saturday, August 15, 2009
I Suck At Race To Witch Mountain
Karen and I had a very low key Friday. In fact, we pretty much did things in preparation for Karen's partying at the big Kenny Chesney concert at Foxboro.
We started off at the local CVS where Karen had to pick up some snacks. Interestingly enough, Karen was all smiles because CVS was giving away three 2 liter bottles of Coke with any store purchase. I guess it was a promotion of some sort held by that CVS. Free is good... unless it's a free virus or something like that. No one wants free herpes... at least, I don't think they do. Regardless, Karen and I are now proud owners of three 2 liter bottles.
After CVS, Karen and I prepared meals for her to bring for the concert. Her meal included pasta salad and fruit salad. Not to be forgotten is the fact that we also made dinner for ourselves too. In an effort to use up the zucchini that has been growing in Karen's garden, we ended up making zucchini pie. (Cue Rachael Ray's "Yum-O" sound.) I must say... the zucchini pie was delicious. (And yay to growing vegetables in the garden! Low carbon footprint!)
When everything was done, Karen and I decided to unwind with a movie. That move: Race to Witch Mountain starring Dwayne Johnson. Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson was once the most electrifying man in sports entertainment (also known as wrestling). Anyway, I suck at Race to Witch Mountain.
(The video below is the trailer for the movie.)
The movie is basically a remake of the old Disney classic: Escape to Witch Mountain. All in all, the movie was good. Most Disney movies are. Disney has a general formula that seems to work. Truth be told, the movie was no "Sugar & Spice", which I happened to see a few days before.
(The video below is the trailer for "Sugar & Spice".)
I have a thing for cheerleader movies. My BFF (Kerry) would probably be quick to point out that I own the collector's edition of "Bring It On", which was a good movie. I don't know what it is about cheerleader movies. The sub-genre of cheerleader movies just crack me up. Perhaps it's my attraction to shiny objects.
Of course, it could also be the fact that I felt robbed of my cheerleader experience growing up. In high school, the cheerleaders were definitely not what you would imagine as the stereotypical cheerleader.
When I think cheerleader, I think hot skinny blondes with attitude. Sadly the only characteristic that my high school cheerleaders had was attitude. (Be aggressive! B-E aggressive!) The cheerleaders I knew were definitely not hot. They were definitely not skinny. And they were definitely not blonde. I heard the rival high school cheerleaders did not fare any better. Perhaps there is something in the drinking water for cheerleaders.
Needless to say, the movies make cheerleaders look so much better... them and their acrobatic flips and their spirit fingers. Sure, they may get a bad reputation for being mean, but they are definitely fun to watch. "Sugar & Spice" was no exception.
The premise of the movie is that a group of cheerleaders plan to rob a bank to help one of their teammates. In order to rob the bank, they watch and learn from the movies. Among the movies they watched were "Point Break", which immediately cracked me up because I had to endure watching that movie so many times one fateful vacation because my friend (Aimee) enjoyed Keanu Reeves so much. So naturally, I thought about Aimee during the movie.
I think at one time, Aimee may have been a cheerleader. I don't remember for certain, but for some reason that thought is in my head as I type this. For that matter, Karen was one too... as was my friend (Hot Amy). Heck, my friend (Meredith) became a cheerleader in college. Interesting.
Needless to say, I got a kick out of "Sugar & Spice". I enjoyed it more that "Race to Witch Mountain"... not that "Race to Witch Mountain" was bad. It was just that "Sugar & Spice" was that much better. Then again, I have a thing for cheerleader movies. Again, it's the shiny object thing.
And truth be told, both movies were far better than "War", which I watched when Karen went to bed.
(The video below is the trailer for "War".)
You would think that a movie about killing Triads and Yakuza would be somewhat entertaining, especially since it stars Jet Li and Jason Statham. Well, don't bother watching the movie. The movie was bad. It was actually the first movie that I rated unsatisfactory in my Netflix queue. That was very disappointing.
Anyway, it was a low key Friday. But it was good to spend some quality time with Karen.
We started off at the local CVS where Karen had to pick up some snacks. Interestingly enough, Karen was all smiles because CVS was giving away three 2 liter bottles of Coke with any store purchase. I guess it was a promotion of some sort held by that CVS. Free is good... unless it's a free virus or something like that. No one wants free herpes... at least, I don't think they do. Regardless, Karen and I are now proud owners of three 2 liter bottles.
After CVS, Karen and I prepared meals for her to bring for the concert. Her meal included pasta salad and fruit salad. Not to be forgotten is the fact that we also made dinner for ourselves too. In an effort to use up the zucchini that has been growing in Karen's garden, we ended up making zucchini pie. (Cue Rachael Ray's "Yum-O" sound.) I must say... the zucchini pie was delicious. (And yay to growing vegetables in the garden! Low carbon footprint!)
When everything was done, Karen and I decided to unwind with a movie. That move: Race to Witch Mountain starring Dwayne Johnson. Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson was once the most electrifying man in sports entertainment (also known as wrestling). Anyway, I suck at Race to Witch Mountain.
(The video below is the trailer for the movie.)
The movie is basically a remake of the old Disney classic: Escape to Witch Mountain. All in all, the movie was good. Most Disney movies are. Disney has a general formula that seems to work. Truth be told, the movie was no "Sugar & Spice", which I happened to see a few days before.
(The video below is the trailer for "Sugar & Spice".)
I have a thing for cheerleader movies. My BFF (Kerry) would probably be quick to point out that I own the collector's edition of "Bring It On", which was a good movie. I don't know what it is about cheerleader movies. The sub-genre of cheerleader movies just crack me up. Perhaps it's my attraction to shiny objects.
Of course, it could also be the fact that I felt robbed of my cheerleader experience growing up. In high school, the cheerleaders were definitely not what you would imagine as the stereotypical cheerleader.
When I think cheerleader, I think hot skinny blondes with attitude. Sadly the only characteristic that my high school cheerleaders had was attitude. (Be aggressive! B-E aggressive!) The cheerleaders I knew were definitely not hot. They were definitely not skinny. And they were definitely not blonde. I heard the rival high school cheerleaders did not fare any better. Perhaps there is something in the drinking water for cheerleaders.
Needless to say, the movies make cheerleaders look so much better... them and their acrobatic flips and their spirit fingers. Sure, they may get a bad reputation for being mean, but they are definitely fun to watch. "Sugar & Spice" was no exception.
The premise of the movie is that a group of cheerleaders plan to rob a bank to help one of their teammates. In order to rob the bank, they watch and learn from the movies. Among the movies they watched were "Point Break", which immediately cracked me up because I had to endure watching that movie so many times one fateful vacation because my friend (Aimee) enjoyed Keanu Reeves so much. So naturally, I thought about Aimee during the movie.
I think at one time, Aimee may have been a cheerleader. I don't remember for certain, but for some reason that thought is in my head as I type this. For that matter, Karen was one too... as was my friend (Hot Amy). Heck, my friend (Meredith) became a cheerleader in college. Interesting.
Needless to say, I got a kick out of "Sugar & Spice". I enjoyed it more that "Race to Witch Mountain"... not that "Race to Witch Mountain" was bad. It was just that "Sugar & Spice" was that much better. Then again, I have a thing for cheerleader movies. Again, it's the shiny object thing.
And truth be told, both movies were far better than "War", which I watched when Karen went to bed.
(The video below is the trailer for "War".)
You would think that a movie about killing Triads and Yakuza would be somewhat entertaining, especially since it stars Jet Li and Jason Statham. Well, don't bother watching the movie. The movie was bad. It was actually the first movie that I rated unsatisfactory in my Netflix queue. That was very disappointing.
Anyway, it was a low key Friday. But it was good to spend some quality time with Karen.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
I Suck At Obsessed
In the past month, I have watched about 18 movies. Needless to say, 18 movies in one month is an insane amount... and an insane waste of hours from my life.
Luckily, I have no life. And probably for my sanity's sake, my Netflix subscription will expire this month, to which I can return to the normal drudgery of my every day life. I guess you could say that I am obsessed with watching movies since joining Netflix.
Speaking of which, I watched "Obsessed" the other day. Now I suck at Obsessed.
(The video below is a trailer for "Obsessed".)
For anyone curious, "Obsessed" is about an obsessed Ali Larter, a temp worker who stalks her boss. Basically, the movie is a watered-down version of "The Temp". Truth be told, having Ali Larter stalking you probably is not be all that bad. In fact, having Ali Larter as a co-worker would not be that bad either. (I know I would definitely work with her. Just kidding.)
Anyway, the movie was okay. I should probably mention that Beyonce was actually okay in the movie as well. Following "Obsessed", I turned to an old indulgence of mine: movies based on comic books. That comic book movie: "Ghost Rider".
(The video below is a trailer for "Ghost Rider".)
"Ghost Rider" is based on the Marvel comic book character Johnny Blaze, who makes a pact with the devil to save his father's life from cancer. As most deals with the devil go, things never work out according to the agreement (because his father dies from a motorcycle accident instead). Nevertheless, Johnny Blaze is doomed to ride around as the Ghost Rider.
Anyway, most movies based on comic books are never that good. "Ghost Rider" was actually not that bad. The movie was not that good, but it was not awful. In fact, I enjoyed the movie much better before Nicholas Cage and Eva Mendes appeared in the movie. (The movie had younger versions of their respective characters earlier in the movie.)
All in all, it was a decent way to pass the time... and that's all I was really looking forward to.
Luckily, I have no life. And probably for my sanity's sake, my Netflix subscription will expire this month, to which I can return to the normal drudgery of my every day life. I guess you could say that I am obsessed with watching movies since joining Netflix.
Speaking of which, I watched "Obsessed" the other day. Now I suck at Obsessed.
(The video below is a trailer for "Obsessed".)
For anyone curious, "Obsessed" is about an obsessed Ali Larter, a temp worker who stalks her boss. Basically, the movie is a watered-down version of "The Temp". Truth be told, having Ali Larter stalking you probably is not be all that bad. In fact, having Ali Larter as a co-worker would not be that bad either. (I know I would definitely work with her. Just kidding.)
Anyway, the movie was okay. I should probably mention that Beyonce was actually okay in the movie as well. Following "Obsessed", I turned to an old indulgence of mine: movies based on comic books. That comic book movie: "Ghost Rider".
(The video below is a trailer for "Ghost Rider".)
"Ghost Rider" is based on the Marvel comic book character Johnny Blaze, who makes a pact with the devil to save his father's life from cancer. As most deals with the devil go, things never work out according to the agreement (because his father dies from a motorcycle accident instead). Nevertheless, Johnny Blaze is doomed to ride around as the Ghost Rider.
Anyway, most movies based on comic books are never that good. "Ghost Rider" was actually not that bad. The movie was not that good, but it was not awful. In fact, I enjoyed the movie much better before Nicholas Cage and Eva Mendes appeared in the movie. (The movie had younger versions of their respective characters earlier in the movie.)
All in all, it was a decent way to pass the time... and that's all I was really looking forward to.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
I Suck At Watching Movies
In an effort to mindless waste time so as to not think about the realities of life, I decided to catch up on my movies complements of Netflix. Sure, drugs and booze are probably the easiest way to squander time, but I like to choose movies as my outlet. My body is a temple. Just kidding. Too bad, I suck at watching movies.
To continue my apparent Ryan Reynold man-crush, I decided to watch "Smokin' Aces". For anyone curious, I do not really have a man-crush on Ryan Reynolds. Sure, he has a nice body... and he's good looking guy... and he has a nice body... wait. Just kidding.
(The video below is a trailer for "Smokin' Aces".)
The movie was actually okay. It had quite a bunch of stars in it. In fact, it had three actors from "Lost" in it: Matthew Fox, that guy who plays Richard, and that mercenary guy who killed Ben's daughter. (The movie also had Chris Pine, who would go on to play Kirk in the Star Trek movie.) And that was in addition to Ray Liotta, Andy Garcia, Jeremy Piven, Ben Affleck, Alicia Keys, and Ryan Reynolds. But for all of its star power, the movie was just okay.
From there, I watched "Domino" staring Keira Knightley as real life bounty hunter, Domino Harvey.
(The video below is a trailer for "Domino".)
Unfortunately, this movie was just okay as well. Normally, one might think that a boob shot of Keira Knightley would make this movie awesome. For me, the highlight of the movie came from stars Brian Austin Green and Ian Ziering, who play themselves in the movie. (For those who are curious, Brian Austin Green and Ian Ziering starred in Beverly Hills 90210.) It was funny to see them playing themselves in such a silly situation. Or maybe I just thought it was funny since I used to watch 90210 before the college years.
Adding to my state of mindless entertainment, I followed "Domino" with "Alien Vs. Predator".
(The video below is a for "Alien Vs. Predator".)
The movie was basically a way to showcase two science fiction villains from other movie franchises, much like the Freddy and Jason movie. All the other characters in the movie just served the purpose of getting killed... also like in Freddy and Jason. Nonetheless, the movie was entertaining.
To end the movie streak on a more serious note, I ended up watching "Kite Runner".
(The vidoe below is the trailer for "Kite Runner".)
"Kite Runner" is the movie based on the book of the same name by Khaled Hosseini. The movie details the life of Amir, an Afghan refugee who fled along with his father during the Soviet invasion (and the subsequent rise of the Taliban).
Truth be told, the movie was just okay. In my opinion, there was not a lot to like about the protagonist (Amir). So even though the events of the story were quite remarkable, I didn't find Amir very identifiable.
All in all, the movies did their job: waste time... which is really all I wanted. So, that's good I guess.
To continue my apparent Ryan Reynold man-crush, I decided to watch "Smokin' Aces". For anyone curious, I do not really have a man-crush on Ryan Reynolds. Sure, he has a nice body... and he's good looking guy... and he has a nice body... wait. Just kidding.
(The video below is a trailer for "Smokin' Aces".)
The movie was actually okay. It had quite a bunch of stars in it. In fact, it had three actors from "Lost" in it: Matthew Fox, that guy who plays Richard, and that mercenary guy who killed Ben's daughter. (The movie also had Chris Pine, who would go on to play Kirk in the Star Trek movie.) And that was in addition to Ray Liotta, Andy Garcia, Jeremy Piven, Ben Affleck, Alicia Keys, and Ryan Reynolds. But for all of its star power, the movie was just okay.
From there, I watched "Domino" staring Keira Knightley as real life bounty hunter, Domino Harvey.
(The video below is a trailer for "Domino".)
Unfortunately, this movie was just okay as well. Normally, one might think that a boob shot of Keira Knightley would make this movie awesome. For me, the highlight of the movie came from stars Brian Austin Green and Ian Ziering, who play themselves in the movie. (For those who are curious, Brian Austin Green and Ian Ziering starred in Beverly Hills 90210.) It was funny to see them playing themselves in such a silly situation. Or maybe I just thought it was funny since I used to watch 90210 before the college years.
Adding to my state of mindless entertainment, I followed "Domino" with "Alien Vs. Predator".
(The video below is a for "Alien Vs. Predator".)
The movie was basically a way to showcase two science fiction villains from other movie franchises, much like the Freddy and Jason movie. All the other characters in the movie just served the purpose of getting killed... also like in Freddy and Jason. Nonetheless, the movie was entertaining.
To end the movie streak on a more serious note, I ended up watching "Kite Runner".
(The vidoe below is the trailer for "Kite Runner".)
"Kite Runner" is the movie based on the book of the same name by Khaled Hosseini. The movie details the life of Amir, an Afghan refugee who fled along with his father during the Soviet invasion (and the subsequent rise of the Taliban).
Truth be told, the movie was just okay. In my opinion, there was not a lot to like about the protagonist (Amir). So even though the events of the story were quite remarkable, I didn't find Amir very identifiable.
All in all, the movies did their job: waste time... which is really all I wanted. So, that's good I guess.
Friday, July 3, 2009
I Suck At Watching Movies
today, i get to spend some quality time with myself... and i definitely do not mean the "going blind" sense of the term. last night, karen and my friend (jen) went to visit my bff (kerry) who lives in salem. with karen spending the night up in salem, that left me all by my lonesome for today.
truth be told, i enjoy having some alone time now and then. lately, i have been feeling a little overloaded... with a stressful project launch at work... with a bathroom renovation project in the works... with helping my mother find health insurance... with other menial chores, etc. the list of "to-dos" definitely gets to be overwhelming at times.
add to the fact that i am still, probably by all accounts, a mess with my constant mood changes over the death of my son (braden)... and i guess it's understandable that i like to have some quality time now and then. unfortunately, i do not have that much time for myself.
i actually started to think more about this topic... interestingly enough, after the first season finale of angel. in addition to having the return of the vampire, darla, the season finale of angel touched upon angel's place in the world. now, by no means am i comparing myself to a tv character... let alone angel. the idea, however, just got me thinking about my own situation and what connects me to the world.
sure, it's a deep philosophical thing. lucky for me, philosophy was one of my two minors in college (anthropology being the other). anyway, since braden's passing, i have... for lack of a better word... felt lost. i can go through the motions of every day life, but deep down i have been feeling empty. i'm a parent, but i'm not really a parent. i guess you can say that i'm in limbo... a holding pattern... i don't really know.
the feeling annoys me because lately i think my moods have been getting worse as my pile of "to-dos" increases. i think i am getting a little anti-social of late. so if anyone sees me and i just grunt... that's probably why.
so how does someone like myself begin to right the course? what else... but unwind and watch movies. now, i suck at watching movies. and sure, i realize that my movie watching only wastes time... time which can be more productively spent on crossing out some of the to-do items... but i think i just personally need some time to unwind. plus, watching movies is better for my health than drinking my stress away. my liver will thank me later.
so thanks to my favorite sister-in-law (janine), i have a netflix account. on the agenda for today: "the spirit", "death race", and "role models".
(the video below is the trailer for "the spirit".)
(the video below is "death race".)
(the video below is the trailer for "role models".)
sure, the three movies are mindless... but at least it's mindless fun. role models was definitely my favorite of the three. who knew larping could be fun? i could live without the spirit... not that the movie was bad... the movie was more blah. and surprisingly, death race was entertaining.
anyway, i've finished watching all three movies already and i still have the rest of the day. so now i have to figure out what to do with the rest of my day. sad...
truth be told, i enjoy having some alone time now and then. lately, i have been feeling a little overloaded... with a stressful project launch at work... with a bathroom renovation project in the works... with helping my mother find health insurance... with other menial chores, etc. the list of "to-dos" definitely gets to be overwhelming at times.
add to the fact that i am still, probably by all accounts, a mess with my constant mood changes over the death of my son (braden)... and i guess it's understandable that i like to have some quality time now and then. unfortunately, i do not have that much time for myself.
i actually started to think more about this topic... interestingly enough, after the first season finale of angel. in addition to having the return of the vampire, darla, the season finale of angel touched upon angel's place in the world. now, by no means am i comparing myself to a tv character... let alone angel. the idea, however, just got me thinking about my own situation and what connects me to the world.
sure, it's a deep philosophical thing. lucky for me, philosophy was one of my two minors in college (anthropology being the other). anyway, since braden's passing, i have... for lack of a better word... felt lost. i can go through the motions of every day life, but deep down i have been feeling empty. i'm a parent, but i'm not really a parent. i guess you can say that i'm in limbo... a holding pattern... i don't really know.
the feeling annoys me because lately i think my moods have been getting worse as my pile of "to-dos" increases. i think i am getting a little anti-social of late. so if anyone sees me and i just grunt... that's probably why.
so how does someone like myself begin to right the course? what else... but unwind and watch movies. now, i suck at watching movies. and sure, i realize that my movie watching only wastes time... time which can be more productively spent on crossing out some of the to-do items... but i think i just personally need some time to unwind. plus, watching movies is better for my health than drinking my stress away. my liver will thank me later.
so thanks to my favorite sister-in-law (janine), i have a netflix account. on the agenda for today: "the spirit", "death race", and "role models".
(the video below is the trailer for "the spirit".)
(the video below is "death race".)
(the video below is the trailer for "role models".)
sure, the three movies are mindless... but at least it's mindless fun. role models was definitely my favorite of the three. who knew larping could be fun? i could live without the spirit... not that the movie was bad... the movie was more blah. and surprisingly, death race was entertaining.
anyway, i've finished watching all three movies already and i still have the rest of the day. so now i have to figure out what to do with the rest of my day. sad...
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