Californication – Season 2
"You have to love him for who he is, not his potential." That is great writing.
Mad Men
With only a few episodes left in the fifth and final season of The Wire I've begun to search for my next television addiction.
Mad Men
Set in 1960s New York, the sexy, stylized and provocative AMC drama Mad Men follows the lives of the ruthlessly competitive men and women of Madison Avenue advertising, an ego-driven world where key players make an art of the sell.
The series revolves around the conflicted world of Don Draper (Hamm), the biggest ad man (and ladies man) in the business, and his colleagues at the Sterling Cooper Advertising Agency. As Don makes the plays in the boardroom and the bedroom, he struggles to stay a step ahead of the rapidly changing times and the young executives nipping at his heels. The series also depicts authentically the roles of men and women in this era while exploring the true human nature beneath the guise of 1960s traditional family values.
Amazing Stories
Decided to start watching one of my favorite sci-fi episodic shows, Amazing Stories. I had purchased the complete first season a while back but never got around to watching it. Favorite episode:
The Mission
Kevin Costner and Kiefer Sutherland shine in the thrilling one-hour episode where a routine World War II mission quickly becomes a life-or-death situation for a young bomber with a damaged piece of landing gear.
The Wire
Everyone kept telling me The Wire was the most amazing show on television. Consumed with curosty and buckling to peer pressure I decided to watch season one. I'm not sure claiming it's the most amazing show on televsion is accurate but it is pretty good.
Grand Jury Duty
Jury Duty. I got out of it since it was a Grand Jury case with a minimum of 30 days service. I told them I couldn’t do it since my job wouldn’t permit it.
Went home and saw Jump Street Season 5 Disc 2 on the couch with the folks. Man I miss Johnny Depp.
I treated George to McD’s fries and a Burger King Whopper. It was good. Saw 3:10 to Yuma and it was your standard western until the end where the writer and director (not sure which one) took a huge misstep that destroyed the movie. It left me frustrated.
I then made the mistake of watch Oceans 13, which was nothing more than a vanity project. I think they shot it all digitally and it shows. The whole movie is dirty, murky and grainy. I also noticed they shot everything from a long shot and it really hurts the movie. I felt so distant from the plot and the characters for the first half of the movie. It wasn’t till the middle that I was finally engaged but by then I was totally uninterested.
Note: Ellen Barkin is HOT!
Played some more Half-Life 2 and got booted off by George. He really wanted to see this movie called Dragon Wars. I feel asleep 15 minutes in.
Finished Watching The Company
Still sick but I feel alot better. I think I will be able to go to work tomorrow.
Saw the rest of the Company and it just blew me away. The whole script and acting are so well done. Michael Keaton’s performance as “Mother” is fucking phenomenal, Alfred Molina is superb and Chris O’Donnell proves he can act.
I will write about it later once I get my hands on the Blu-ray copy. Yup, Blu-ray! It seems Warner Brother's has finally decided to go Blu-ray all the way. I guess HD is fucked. At least this warrants my purchase of the PS3.
Saw Namesake (story of Indian immigrant family), it was stupid long but really good. I actually thought the performance by the father was really strong and understated.
Couldn’t sleep so I signed up for match.com. Saw a few gorgeous women, crossing my fingers.
More Movies but The Company Stood Out
Woke up feeling a lot better. Popped Ratatouille into the 360 and found it enjoyable. It wasn’t great but it was entertaining. Although, I enjoyed this little 5 minute short on the history of the rat a lot more than the movie.
Next up, The Company. I saw part 1& 2 and was blown away. Can’t wait to see part 3.
Saw Naked Weapon cause of Maggie Q. She is not as hot as I recall but she is still in the top 10. The movie was awful.
Went back to Blockbuster and got the Company part 3
Played Half-Life 2. I enjoy the action but the story really isn’t getting me. I respect what it is trying but it's boring. I've seen this story a million times and done way better.
Emergency Room
Had a fever dream last night. I was busting drug dealers with the cast of 21 Jump Street in hopes it would lead to a cure for flu. It didn’t.
Checked myself in at the emergency room and got a shot in the arm that helped bring down the fever and relieve the headache I had the past 4 days. I called Sandy from the ER. We spoke later in the day and I still love her but finally realized we are different. Sure we have similar taste but inherently we are different. I miss her less everyday and I guess that is good and bad. I hope I gave up love for the right reasons. Today it feels like I have.
Saw Shoot’em Up and I am in love with Monica Belucci. She is stupid HOT! Movie sucked.
Movies
I awoke “super–sick” and I haven’t been able to maintain a normal sleep schedule because of it. I watched 21 Jump Street Season 5 Disc 1 and noticed that Johnny Depp was gone. The show just isn’t the same.
Saw Pans Labyrinth and thought it was a good movie but not great like everyone led me to believe. I think the problem was the 2 parallel running plot lines. They were both treated with equal importance and it really works against the film. The fantasy plot line had great visuals but lacked certain cohesiveness. The three tasks the child is sent on don’t really connect and feel like an excuse to have pretty freaky visuals for freaky visual sake. The Spanish rebellion plot line was better told and more interesting since the evil fascist character is scarier than any fantasy creature. One last note, Guillermo del Toro is a good visual director but lacks the ability to tell a good story or perhaps he just has bad taste in scripts?
Also Saw Blood Diamond. Amazing, just needed a little more editing but still amazing.